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The Shift with Sam Baker

The Shift with Sam Baker

By: sam baker
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Summary
 The Shift is a podcast that aims to tell the truth about being a woman post-40, created and hosted by writer and broadcaster, Sam Baker. Did you ever wonder why you stop hearing so many women's voices once they pass 40? That's where The Shift comes in - a frank, funny, sometimes heartbreaking, always honest look at what it means to be a woman in midlife and beyond. Work, life, love, health, sex, money, identity, body image... What does it all mean when everything around you (and inside you...) is changing? Each week, award-winning author and journalist Sam Baker asks a different woman how she got here, where she's going - and how it feels to be where she is right now. Expect intimate conversation, big laughs, occasional tears and an awful lot of ripping up the rule book and stamping on it... Past guests have included Elizabeth Gilbert, Martha Beck, Siri Hustvedt, Jojo Moyes, Nicola Sturgeon, Marian Keyes, Guilty Feminist Deborah Frances-White, Minnie Driver, Philippa Perry, Anita Rani, Tracey Thorn, Isabel Allende, Bobbi Brown, Barbara Kingsolver, Zandra Rhodes, Liz Earle and many more, talking everything from confidence to career reinvention, mental health, menopause and so much more. If you enjoy The Shift podcast, and you'd like to show the love, you can buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theshiftwithsambaker And if you really love The Shift and would like to hear more conversations with women over 40, why not become a member of our community and receive a weekly newsletter, get exclusive transcripts, join The Shift bookclub and so much more, please visit https://theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com/ For advertising enquiries, email sales@auddy.coSam Baker Ltd 2020 Art Literary History & Criticism Personal Development Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Bonnie Garmus on misogyny, death threats and Elizabeth Zott

    Bonnie Garmus on misogyny, death threats and Elizabeth Zott
    Nov 10 2026
    My guest today is Bonnie Garmus, the author of one of the bestselling books of the century, Lessons In Chemistry. The story of radical chemist turned cookery presenter Elizabeth Zott, Lessons in Chemistry was a global sensation. It went to number one around the world, spent 90 weeks in the sunday times top ten, won 16 international literary awards and was translated into 44 languages before being turned into a TV series starring Brie Larson for apple TV. And how old was Bonnie when this all happened? 64. That’s right. Like so many women, when Bonnie turned 60 she was absolutely DONE. An ad copywriter who put pen to paper in a furious rage after one too many meetings being mansplained, manterrupted and seeing other people (ok, men) get the credit for her work. Guess who had the last word?! Bonnie’s second novel, Peck & Peck is something completely different and yet its hero, Batter Gray has a lot in common with Elizabeth Zott. A fighter who takes no prisoners and is as hell bent on cutting through the corporate crap as Elizabeth was about cutting through the misogynistic crap. Bonnie joined me to talk about the pressure of following a smash hit, getting death threats and why the manosphere hates Elizabeth Zott. We also discussed AI, our shrinking attention spans and the lessons she learnt from working in tech. Plus poetry, standing up for yourself, the power of quiet people and why ageing begins the moment you start putting off the future. * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, including Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus as well as the book that inspired this podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too⁠⁠⁠⁠, by Sam Baker. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • The Shift is created, hosted and produced by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Audio Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Mary Portas on losing it all and putting yourself together again

    Mary Portas on losing it all and putting yourself together again
    Nov 3 2026
    My guest today is back by popular demand. Mary Portas, businesswoman, author, activist and retail expert, was my guest this time last year in a live episode, where we talked about her childhood, growing up and falling in love with - wait for it - retail - not, I stress NOT, fashion. We discussed all things 90s, ab fab and her years of growing up alongside her career turning Harvey Nichols into a household name. The ground she covers in her book, I Shop Therefore I am, which is out now in paperback. (By the way, you’ll find that episode wherever you get your podcasts - just search Mary Portas, The Shift - but here's the link to make life easy for you.) And there we stopped, but you wanted more. You wanted to know about her life after that, her midlife experience of moving on, starting her own business, reprioritising life after divorce, getting in touch with herself and finding her spiritual side. The second half, if you like, or perhaps the second third. And Mary was happy to oblige! Mary joined me to talk about her life and work ethos and how it’s changed as she’s got older. She’s incredibly open about how it felt to lose almost everything at 60 and how she pulled herself back up again. Plus choosing to be happy, finding her spiritual side at 40 and learning not to hang on to stuff that doesn’t hang on to you. * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, including I Shop Therefore I Am by Mary Portas, as well as the book that inspired this podcast, ⁠⁠⁠The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too⁠⁠⁠, by Sam Baker. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • The Shift is created, hosted and produced by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Audio Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • Gillian Slovo on family legacy, sisterhood and learning to forgive

    Gillian Slovo on family legacy, sisterhood and learning to forgive
    Oct 27 2026
    My guest today is the South African-born author, journalist and playwright Gillian Slovo. Now 74, Gillian has written thirteen novels, including Red Dust which was made into a movie starring Chewitel Ejiofor and Hilary Swank, and Ice Road which was shortlisted for the women’s prize for fiction. She has also written four ‘verbatim’ plays including Grenfell which was a hit in the West End and transferred to broadway in 2024, won an Amnesty Award and been awarded a golden PEN. In short Gillian’s career is a success by anyone’s definition. But amongst this immense body of work, it is her memoir, Every Secret Thing, about what it means to grow up as the child of two political and cultural icons for which she is perhaps best known. Because Gillian is also the middle daughter of Joe Slovo and Ruth First, two legends of the South African anti-apartheid movement. As a child, her living room was filled with political giants, including ANC leader Nelson Mandela. Quite the legacy to grow up with. And it’s a legacy she continues to explore by way of fiction in her latest thriller Inheritance. In which a crime writer is driven to explore her family’s dark past when her estranged sister dies and leaves her an unlikely Inheritance. Gillian joined me to talk about growing up surrounded by political giants, living with a family legacy and how she learnt not to be haunted by her mother’s murder. We also discussed the power of sisterhood, losing your adolesence, the freedom of recognising there is no one answer and how she’s embracing her 8th decade. Oh, and that time she went drinking with Martha Gellhorn! * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, including Inheritance by Gillian Slovo, as well as the book that inspired this podcast, ⁠⁠The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too⁠⁠, by Sam Baker. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • The Shift is created, hosted and produced by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Audio Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 mins
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