The Shift with Sam Baker

Christie Watson on menopause, mischief and midlife - THE SHIFT REVISITED

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of The Shift first aired in June 2022. I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve spoken to who were taken totally by surprise by...

Martha Wainwright on music, motherhood & finding love in midlife - FROM THE ARCHIVES

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of The Shift revisited was first aired in February 2023. I first met today's guest, Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright, when...

Prue Leith: 'I've had HRT patches on my bum for more than 40 years!'

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Somehow it’s the end of our 20th season and I’m delighted to say that my guest today is a woman who has spent the last decade giving us a mastercl...

Poorna Bell is rewriting the rules around ageing

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I’m delighted to welcome back the powerhouse Poorna Bell. Poorna is a journalist, author and speaker known for her advocacy on body image ...

Elizabeth Gilbert: "It's quite radical, what happens to us as we get older"

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today doesn’t really need an introduction. Elizabeth Gilbert is many things - an internationally bestselling author of the global phenomeno...

Fatima Bhutto: surviving a coercive relationship & letting go of shame

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today, Fatima Bhutto, knows more than most about loss and living with a traumatic family legacy. Now 43, Fatima is descended from one of P...

Catherine Newman on surviving the midlife sandwich – THE SHIFT LIVE

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is a special live episode of The Shift with Sam Baker podcast, recorded live at the wonderful Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh.  Catherine Ne...

Amy Larocca: 'the wellness industry sets women up to fail'

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Say the word wellness and it conjures an instant image in our minds… glowing skin, enviable abs, sludgy looking juice, tasteful muted leisurewear an...

Gretchen Rubin on happiness, acceptance and the secrets of adulthood

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Hello and welcome to The Shift - the podcast that aims to tell the no-holds barred truth about being a woman post-40. Created and hosted by me, journa...

Melani sanders DOES NOT CARE - and she doesn’t care that she doesn’t care!

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Hello and welcome to SEASON 20! of The Shift - the podcast that aims to tell the no-holds barred truth about being a woman post-40. Created and hosted...

Dr Gladys McGarey: Life lessons from a 103 year old - FROM THE ARCHIVES

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the old bird/broad role models who’ve appeared on The Shift with Sam Baker, I’ll be rerunning some of these conversations throughout...

Isabel Allende on feminism, anger and being 'fatally heterosexual' - FROM THE ARCHIVES

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the old bird/broad role models who’ve appeared on The Shift with Sam Baker, I’ll be rerunning some of these conversations throughout...

Lynda La Plante on a lifetime of breaking boundaries - FROM THE ARCHIVES

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the old bird/broad role models who’ve appeared on The Shift with Sam Baker, I’ll be rerunning some of these conversations throughout...

Helen Garner on divorce, grandmothering and the erotic gaze - FROM THE ARCHIVES

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the old bird/broad role models who’ve appeared on The Shift with Sam Baker I’ll be rerunning some of these conversations throughout D...

Miriam Margolyes on the power of living life without secrets - FROM THE ARCHIVES

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

• To celebrate the old bird/broad role models who’ve appeared on The Shift with Sam Baker, I’ll be rerunning some of these conversations throug...

Lady Glenconner on stepping into the spotlight at 87

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest on the final episode of this season is Anne, Lady Glenconner.  Now 93, Lady Glenconner has lived to put it bluntly, one hell of a life. ...

Karen Dobres: how menopause & football turned me into an accidental radical

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the accidental radical Karen Dobres. Until her early fifties, Karen’s life had taken a path familiar to so many women. From modell...

Samantha Ellis on food, family and finding your identity in your 40s

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a woman on a mission to preserve the language of her grandparents. Playwright, screenwriter and novelist Samantha Ellis is the autho...

Holly Dawson on facing permanent memory loss at 40

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many of us losing our memory is our worst nightmare. To be told that that is happening when you are still young (ish) is close to unimaginable. Th...

Bobbi Brown on doing it all her own way in her 60s

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you, like me, have lived most of your life in fear of foundation, this week’s guest is your saviour. Because this woman saved us no-makeup makeup...

Hollie McNish on sex, shame and telling the truth about womanhood

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is basically a massive treat for me. Hollie McNish is my favourite poet. I first encountered her over a decade ago when I was doing ...

Jen Hatmaker: “It’s like I woke up halfway through my life”

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk a lot about women who want out, who want to set light to everything and walk away. But we don’t talk so much about the women who find someon...

THE SHIFT LIVE: Mary Portas on fashion, Ab Fab & how her childhood shaped her

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of The Shift podcast, with the High Street legend, Mary Portas, is brought to you live from Cheltenham Literature Festival Mary is one...

Lyse Doucet – my extraordinary 40 years on the frontline

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet. Since starting work at the corporation almost forty years ago, Lyse h...

India Knight on finally gaining a sense of self in her 50s - from the archives

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(This episode first aired in November 2023) Today’s guest is the Sunday Times’ Style’s beauty columnist India Knight. Every week thousands of w...

Hilma Wolitzer: 80 years of writing – and not done yet (from the archives)

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(This episode first aired in August 2022.) My guest today is the writer Hilma Wolitzer. Born in 1930, Hilma had her first poem published at the age o...

Caryn Franklin on why fashion still fails older women - from the archives

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(This episode was first published in November 2022.) Today's guest is one of my personal heroes, Caryn Franklin. Caryn started her career in the 80s ...

Lisa Jewell on hitting a golden seam of success in her 50s - FROM THE ARCHIVES

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(This episode first aired in September 2022.) Today’s guest is one of Britain’s best loved novelists, Lisa Jewell. Her career started with a smas...

Thomasina Miers on the midlife Mexican escape that rebuilt her

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hello and welcome to the final episode of season 18. 18!!!! My guest today is the cook, Thomasina Miers. Despite being taught to cook as a child...

Laura Lippmann is having a second coming at 60

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks ago, I was pootling around on substack where The Shift newsletter lives - https://theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com/ - and I noticed I had...

Charlotte Mendelson – middle-aged women are entitled to want more

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This season is dedicated to helping you pick your summer reads and my guest today is the novelist Charlotte Mendelson whose writing has been compared ...

Betsy Lerner is on a mission to destigmatise mental health in her 60s

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest this week is the novelist Betsy Lerner.  Now Betsy is here to talk about her critically acclaimed debut novel, Shred Sisters, which takes...

Nicola Sturgeon on life after leadership

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I’m delighted to welcome back to The Shift one of my most listened-to guests, Nicola Sturgeon. When we last spoke, at the start of 2022...

Sarah Perry on "becoming a woman who didn't have children"

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the award-winning novelist Sarah Perry. Sarah is the internationally bestselling author of four novels, but the one you will almost...

Glynnis MacNicol: everything you've been told about being a middle-aged woman is a lie

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when the life you find yourself leading in midlife doesn’t tick all the supposed boxes? That’s the situation today’s guest found h...

Steph McGovern on money, menopause & staying out of your lane

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Crime novels might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the name Steph McGovern. Steph is an award-winning broadcaster who is cur...

Alison Bechdel on tarot, ageing & why men are scared of women who can do push-ups! - THE SHIFT REVISITED

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The last of our archive episodes this time around is the cartoonist Alison Bechdel. Spent, Alison's new graphic novel-come-memoir, reminded me of the ...

Esther Freud on upending your life in your 50s - THE SHIFT REVISITED

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're going way back in The Shift archives, to one of the earliest episodes I recorded with novelist Esther Freud. This summer Esther will b...

Helen Garner on divorce, ageing and the erotic gaze - THE SHIFT REVISITED

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're heading back to the archives for the next few weeks and first up here's one of my favourite episodes. With the desperately overdue publication o...

Molly Jong Fast: confessions of a bad daughter

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the journalist Molly Jong Fast. The author of four books, Molly started writing about politics in 2016. She’s now a special corres...

Jo Hamilton: The Post Office scandal stole 20 years of my life

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a really special episode and one I’m honoured to be trusted with. Because my guest today is Jo Hamilton, one of more than 700 British sub p...

Olia Hercules: my periods vanished when the war started

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the Ukrainian chef, food writer and activist Olia Hercules. Olia was born in the South of Ukraine and has lived in the UK since her...

Melissa Febos on what she learnt from a year of celibacy

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the author and essayist, Melissa Febos. Melissa has written four award winning books - Whip Smart, Abandon Me, Girlhood (which won ...

Reeta Chakrabarti on growing older & bolder

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest this week is the journalist and broadcaster Reeta Chakrabarti. After two decades producing and reporting for the BBC, Reeta became a news pr...

Jeanine Cummins on confidence, identity and surviving the American Dirt controversy

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the bestselling novelist Jeanine Cummins. You might think you haven’t heard of her, but I’ll be pretty surprised if you haven’...

Jennifer Weiner on Ozempic, ageing and growing some boundaries!

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the bestselling American novelist Jennifer Weiner. I first encountered Jen When her debut novel, Good In Bed, was thrust into my ha...

Naga munchetty on her 30 year battle to get her painful periods taken seriously 

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To launch season 17 (season 17! I know!) I have a very special guest. Back in 2023, British journalist and BBC breakfast and radio 5 live presenter N...

Clover Stroud on grief, love, sex & sisterhood - THE SHIFT REVISITED

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last of my trips back into The Shift archives is this conversation with Clover Stroud. Since this conversation, Clover has written another memoir, The...

Tracey Thorn on being a woman in a bloke's world, hormones and going "statement grey" - THE SHIFT REVISITED

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This conversation with legendary musician Tracey Thorn from one of The Shift's very early seasons is one of my very favourites. Back then covid was st...

Maggie O'Farrell on Hamnet, imposter syndrome and why she didn't think she's the marrying kind: THE SHIFT REVISITED

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the mists of time, Maggie O'Farrell was one of my very first guests on The Shift. So, as she celebrates the 25th anniversary of the publicatio...

The "other" Maggie Smith on her midlife reappearing act - THE SHIFT REVISITED

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As we put the finishing touches to the Spring season of The Shift, I thought we'd raid the archives for a few of my favourite episodes. First up, "the...

Lorraine Kelly on menopause, misogyny, toxic men in telly, being a granny, Botox, you name it!

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My final guest of this season is the British TV legend, Lorraine Kelly. You know, Lorraine off the telly!  Her show, Lorraine, which airs every week...

Jenni Fagan: I'm 46, nobody thought I'd make it past 16

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the award winning author, screenwriter and poet Jenni Fagan. Jenni has written four novels, several poetry collections and been name...

Ione Skye: I'm still working on being seen in the world – and I'm 50

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a Gen X legend and someone I’ve been a little bit obsessed with ever since I saw her star in the definitive (late) 80s movie, Say ...

Denise Lewis shares her secrets for adapting to a big life shift

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a woman who knows better than most what it takes to adapt to life’s big shifts. Dame Denise Lewis is one of the UK’s best known ...

Liz O'Riordan: When breast cancer surgeon becomes breast cancer patient

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Dr Liz O’Riordan. Liz is what’s apparently known in the trade as a double doctor; a breast cancer surgeon with a PhD in molecula...

Martha Beck on creativity, anxiety & finding your life's purpose

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I first encountered today’s guest back when I was editor of Red magazine and - for some crazy reason - went to an Oprah convention in Atlanta. I kn...

Diana Evans on expectation, ageing & turning 50 without her twin

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the novelist, journalist and critic Diana Evans. Diana is the award-winning author of four novels 26a, The Wonder, Ordinary People ...

Kate Fagan on success, ambition and ageing alongside the L-word!

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is the Emmy award-winning American journalist Kate Fagan. Kate started out playing college basketball before making the move into s...

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing - THE SHIFT REVISITED

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I was the very first person to interview Miranda July about All Fours this time last year. To say she was nervous about how it would be received was a...

Ruby Wax on building an emotional toolkit for the second half of your life - THE SHIFT REVISITED

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is someone I’ve wanted to get on The Shift for the longest time. You might know Ruby Wax as a successful comedian and presenter, one...

Dani Shapiro on family secrets and coming into your full potential at 60 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the bestselling writer Dani Shapiro. Dani is best known for the memoirs that made her name. Startlingly honest works of self-investi...

Bryony Gordon on burnout, binge eating and perimenopause - THE SHIFT REVISITED

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I’m delighted to welcome back one of The Shift’s very first guests, journalist and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon. Bryony has been ...

Sarah Knight: why selfish isn't a four letter word - THE SHIFT REVISITED

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is the anti-guru behind the massive No F*cks Given franchise, Sarah Knight. What started life with the Marie Kondo pastiche, The Life ...

Dr Gladys McGarey: a 102-year-old shares her life lessons - THE SHIFT REVISITED

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Gladys McGarey died, aged 103, in September of this year, so I wanted to honour her by making her episode the last to go out on the last day of the...

Barbara Kingsolver on why life gets better with every passing decade - THE SHIFT REVISITED

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For this bonus episode of The Shift, I’m delighted to welcome a very special guest: the award-winning author of ten bestselling novels, Barbara King...

Katherine May: why we all need a little more wonder in our lives - THE SHIFT REVISITED

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all had those moments in our lives when everything feels… darker, colder, a little (or a lot) less hopeful. Those emotional winters were per...

BONUS EPISODE: Neneh Cherry on love, loss & legacy

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you were a teenager in the late 80s you only have to hear the name Neneh Cherry to conjure the image of Neneh, seven months pregnant, on the Top of...

Bella Freud: "I've definitely got more daring with age"

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the fashion designer Bella Freud. Bella launched her eponymous label in 1990. Over thirty years later it remains resolutely independ...

Donna Ashworth on finding her calling in midlife

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a woman who is credited with putting poetry back on the map, Donna Ashworth…. Donna came to prominence in 2020, when a poem she wr...

Baroness Lola Young: "you can't be what you can't see, but somebody has to go first"

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is one incredible woman. Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey is an actress, academic, campaigner for social justice and a cross bench peer i...

Jennifer Cox: why women are furious (and getting angrier)

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the forensic psychotherapist Dr Jennifer Cox. She trained at the Tavistock and now has an extensive practice specialising in treatin...

Louise Doughty on the unrealised potential of older women

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Louise Doughty, the woman behind some of the knottiest thrillers to grace our bookshelves and TV screens in recent years. Her bestse...

Kate Weinberg on the kindness of women & living with a mother-shaped hole

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is a personal favourite. I first met Kate Weinberg (the bestselling author of The Truants) when I was stricken with long covid and a m...

Vanessa Feltz on divorce, dating and finally shaking off her inhibitions at 62

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the broadcaster Vanessa Feltz. Ever since the mid-90s, Vanessa has been a fixture on British TV and radio - and also, for better or ...

Jane Campbell on reinventing herself at 40 – and again at 80!

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you sometimes worry you’ve left it too late to follow your heart, today’s guest should give you hope. At 40, Jane Campbell got a divorce and to...

Marianne Power: how to build a happy single life

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today knows a thing or two about being single, and she’s hear to tell you that there’s more than one way to live an emotionally fulfillin...

Louise Minchin: why midlife is the time to take more risks

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is author, endurance athlete and ex BBC breakfast presenter Louise Minchin. Louise is, of course, best known for her twenty year stint ...

Moon Unit Zappa: "We're all just growing each other up"

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is the American actress, writer and singer Moon Unit Zappa. Moon shot to fame in her early teens when her vocals featured on her fathe...

Carol Vorderman on finding her voice (and how!) at 60

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a woman who has truly come into her own in middle-age. A broadcaster, engineer, statistician and entrepreneur, at the age of 63 Caro...

Bella Mackie: "Nobody tells you motherhood is a choice"

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Bella Mackie. Until her mid-30s Bella was a journalist, then she wrote a book called Jog On and her trajectory changed - dramaticall...

Ruth Crilly: "This is my face, I don't want to tweak it"

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the award-winning… well what is she? Writer? Content creator? Blogger? Influencer? Ruth Crilly is all of the above. She started he...

Deborah Harkness on witches, wising & the cancer diagnosis that upended her life

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the creator of the global bestseller and smash hit TV adaptation, The Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness. Now, I’m not sure if...

Fearne Cotton on the joy of embracing her second chapter

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is the queen of embracing the second chapter. Fearne Cotton started young. She became a children’s TV presenter at 15, presented Top...

Lindsay Nicholson on resilience, recovery and the pursuit of perfection

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I have known today’s guest for quite some time. Decades in fact. To begin with she didn’t really know me, because she was close friends with my fi...

Taffy Brodesser-Akner: "Everyone taught me to be afraid of middle age - I wish I could have started in it!"

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s anything more daunting than interviewing a professional interviewer it’s interviewing an award-winning professional interviewer. Today’...

Zandra Rhodes: the legendary fashion designer on ageing uncompromisingly

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I can’t be cool about today’s guest, so I’m not even going to try. Ever since I started The Shift I have had a Wishlist and high up on it from d...

Terri White on work, class and mental health - FROM THE ARCHIVES

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last of our FROM THE ARCHIVES episodes, I'm revisiting one of the most important conversations I think I've had on this podcast (not to mention...

BONUS EPISODE! Katie Price on taking back control of her own life at 46

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are plenty of famous women who we think we know all there is to know without ever having met them. Women we judge based on some random unsubstan...

Kate Mosse: Why caring is a feminist issue - FROM THE ARCHIVES

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I'm not sure there's anyone quite like Kate Mosse. The driving power behind the Women's Prize for Fiction which is now in its 27th year (the winner wa...

Gabby Logan on resilience, reclaiming middle age and why equality begins at home - FROM THE ARCHIVES

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's Gabby Logan's summer. First there's the Euros and then the Paris Olympics are hot on their heels. Plus, she has a new book, The Midpoint Plan, ou...

Kathy Lette’s midlife mantra: if it doesn’t spark joy, it’s time to toss it away!

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's season finale time! And my guest today is the whirlwind also known as Kathy Lette. Australian Kathy smashed her way into the global bestseller l...

Molly Roden-Winter on becoming an ambassador for polyamory in your 50s

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the teacher, musician and writer Molly Roden Winter. Molly hit the headlines earlier this year when her memoir More was published in...

Liz Jensen on learning to love life again after devastating loss

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CONTENT WARNING: There are many moments of joy in this conversation, but please be aware that Liz talks candidly about grief and the sudden death of h...

Emily Nagoski: what happens when a sex expert loses her sex drive?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I first came across today’s guest, Dr Emily Nagoski, on this very podcast, when my then guest Sarah Knight (creator of the NoFucks Given franchise) ...

Anna Cascarina: you’re never too old to wear what the hell you want

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is a fashion editor on a mission to improve the representation of all women over 40 - not just the thin white ones with a ton of spare ...

Jackie Kay on absence, adoption & the art of living together apart

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today has blazed a trail through the British poetry scene ever since her work was first published in 1991. Born in Edinburgh, Jackie Kay MBE ...

Helen Lederer on anxiety, failure & living an “alarmingly truthful” life

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the writer, actress and comedian Helen Lederer. Helen began as a stand-up comedian in the “comedy swamp” of the 1980s, where wom...

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every so often you get the chance to interview someone whose work has fascinated you for, well, forever. And today is one of those days.  Miranda Ju...

Kate Muir on the menopause experience that turned her into an activist

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is the writer, film-maker and women’s health campaigner Kate Muir. Until perimenopause struck, Kate was the chief film critic of The ...