The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan

In the interests of fairness - and keeping everyone in the family happy - Gabby’s son Reuben joins her on the podcast this week, ahead of leaving home to begin his professional career as a rugby player. It’s a very open discussion about what it means to be a teenage boy in the modern world, including Reuben’s take on masculinity and whether toxic influencers online actually have any influence at all. They also speak about how Reuben dealt with anxiety and the pressures of school, being added to the club WhatsApp group and preparing to enter a professional workplace for the first time, as well as what it’s like being mum to a sporty child – and the ways they (inevitably) find you annoying!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest is usually the one asking the questions, more accustomed to interviewing some of the world’s biggest R&B stars, but today it’s his turn to come up with the answers! Gabby is joined by critically acclaimed radio host and DJ Trevor Nelson MBE, to talk about how he’s feeling about life on the cusp of his 60th birthday. Trevor talks about the power of saying no, the secret to longevity in an industry that’s preoccupied with youth, enjoying the simple things in life and why he is absolutely a dog person! Sarah Gilchrist from Gilchrist Performance also joins to talk about how you can optimise sleep and recovery when – like Trevor – you don’t work a traditional 9-5.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kenny joins Gabby on the anniversary of his Prostatectomy to talk about how the diagnosis affected him and the changes his body has gone through in the year since his operation. It’s also a frank and honest chat about how the couple have navigated this together – and yes, there is quite a lot of chat about erectile function! They also discuss the fear of saying the wrong thing in today’s world, how signing up to challenges can really help to keep you motivated around the 50 mark, and a rather memorable holiday story involving one delirious Kenny and a thermometer!If you or someone you know have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you might like to listen back to the special episode Gabby and Kenny recorded alongside Kenny’s Consultant Urologist, Declan Cahill. If you want to know more about Declan Cahill's work you will find his website here, and Prostate Cancer UK has some very useful links and resources, too. Crucially, like many men, Kenny did not experience any symptoms before his diagnosis and sadly we know that 1 man dies of prostate cancer every 45 minutes, so if you or someone close to you wants to get checked, ask your GP for a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) and urine test - two simple tests that save lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist, podcaster, and former Editor in Chief, Lorraine Candy, spent her career writing for and about women in some of the nation’s best-known publications, but when she started experiencing what she calls her “physical and emotional unraveling”, she had no idea that what she was experiencing was in fact the perimenopause. Now, Lorraine is on a mission to share all that she’s learned about the menopause, to ensure that no woman feels alone or ashamed if their minds and bodies begin to change, and her new book What’s Wrong With Me? 101 Things Midlife Women Need to Know is out this week. Gabby and Lorraine also speak with warmth and humour about issues that impact all midpointers, such as dealing with living losses, finding a new sense of identity, as well as the many upsides of midlife! Life coach, Ed Haddon, is also on hand to discuss how coaching can be a great way of re-establishing your purpose in midlife.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The gut is often referred to as ‘the second brain’ and Dr Megan Rossi is here to tell us why! Megan - aka The Gut Health Doctor - is here to shine a light on our gut microbiome’s incredible potential, a fascinating and relatively new area of scientific research which Dr Rossi has dedicated her career to. She talks about how the brain and the gut interact and why paying attention to the health of your gut microbiome can positively affect your mental health, not only that, but you can also increase your gut’s ability to recycle oestrogen by eating certain foods – an important note for women in midlife. Megan is also here to break down some of the myths around carbs, gluten, and food intolerances - including how to reintroduce important prebiotic foods you thought didn’t agree with you - and we also put your questions to Megan. Plus, if you’re a frequent flyer, be sure to listen to the end for top tips on how to avoid Mile High IBS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re keeping it in the family this week, with Gabby’s daughter Lois Logan joining her to talk about something that many teenagers (and parents) will be dealing with right now: leaving school and revising for exams! Lois and Gabby also discuss their different perspectives on things like beauty standards on social media, the moment your children become teenagers and no longer want to spend as much time with you, and what it’s like seeing your mum go through the menopause just as your hormones kick into life. Lois might be the youngest guest ever on The Mid.Point, but she certainly has plenty of insight to share.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Gabby takes a deep dive into the biology of ageing with Professor Rose Anne Kenny. Professor Kenny is a physician, researcher, and the founding principal investigator of The Irish LongituDinal study on Ageing. Rose Anne is also a best-selling author, and Gabby has read her book - Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life - cover to cover! They discuss key topics from her research, including what epigenetics are and how we can influence them and our biological ageing, the commonalities that people living in the so-called Blue Zones have and what this teaches us about how to live long and healthy lives, and how research shows it’s never too late to make a difference to how you’re ageing on the inside. Professor Kenny also answers your questions on everything from supplements and exercise, to how much we should eat as we get older.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite still being in her thirties, Olympic gold medallist and British sporting icon, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to navigating big transitions in life. Having retired from professional sport in 2016, Jess talks about how she had been so focused on being the best heptathlete she could be, that despite being happy to retire, she had no plan B when the time came. However, motherhood had set her on a journey to learning more about the significance of hormonal cycles and changes, and from this a new passion was born! Jess speaks about how she's determined to help women unlock their performance goals and understand more about their bodies, and GP and menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson also joins to discuss the hormonal changes that can occur particularly in midlife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gabby welcomes broadcaster and writer, Adrian Chiles, to the podcast room! Adrian speaks with his usual candour about how getting his dream job set him on a path of self-reflection, resulting in newfound religion and a midlife diagnosis of ADHD. Adrian also challenges society’s perception of what alcoholism is, and shares some of what he’s learned from writing his book The Good Drinker. We also hear from Matt Pink, Co founder of the Dryy app, about his decision to adopt an alcohol free life and how he’s helping other people to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not every day you get to chat to a Hollywood actress, but this week, Gabby does exactly that! Olivia Williams has starred in some hugely successful films, such as Sixth Sense, Rushmore and The Heart of Me. She has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the business, and yet she has managed to retain a certain level of anonymity which has enabled her to enjoy her family life. She speaks about the double-edged nature of fame when you’re an actress, the importance of not caring, and of course, what it is like to be playing The Queen Consort in The Crown. Olivia also speaks very openly about living with cancer following her diagnosis in 2018, and through sharing her own experience, she explains exactly why early detection is so important. Functional Nutrition and Weight Loss Practitioner, Pippa Campbell, also gives her thoughts on eating the right foods for your metabolic type, something she fully explores in her book Eat Right Lose Weight.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.