logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
19m 42s

How can middle-aged women get the most o...

Financial Times
About this episode

Many middle-aged women leave the workforce with plenty left to give. What can managers do to stop that from happening? Isabel Berwick speaks to Lucy Standing, founder of Brave Starts, a not-for-profit that helps older workers realise their potential. Isabel and Lucy are joined by writer and comedian Viv Groskop, who coaches and consults widely in the corporate world. Together, they discuss how women can ask the right questions about company culture, the factors you can’t fight at work, and why the last thing older workers want is another training course.


Want more? Free links:

The perils of overlooking women of a certain age

Too many women excel at their jobs but are ignored for top roles

Advice to older workers: don’t be the office curmudgeon


Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jan 2025
Finale: How work has changed since we started this show
After more than three years, and 153 episodes, this is the final Working It podcast. Isabel Berwick gathers three colleagues (and friends) to discuss what they’ve learned about the world of work since the show first launched. So please, if you will, join Isabel, Andrew Hill, Emma ... Show More
26m 25s
Jan 2025
Why being a CEO is so lonely (and how to fix that)
Running a business is rewarding in plenty of ways – not least in terms of salary. But it can also be extremely lonely. Having friends at work becomes complicated (or even impossible), and you can’t be sure if people like you, or if they’re just saying what they think you want to ... Show More
15m 3s
Jan 2025
The science of better workplace conversations
What can we learn about the way we speak by analysing thousands of everyday conversations? That’s a question that fascinates Alison Wood Brooks. Alison, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, and author of the forthcoming book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and th ... Show More
17m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
What will it take for working women to rise?
Ten years of research on women in the workplace, conducted by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org, reveals what’s better, what’s worse, and what all of us can do now to help more women advance—more quickly—at work.  On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior par ... Show More
27m 15s
May 2024
Workers: Irene Fernandez
Irene Fernandez (1946-2014) was a Malaysian human rights activist. She co-founded Tenaganita, a non-governmental organization that promotes the rights of migrant workers. When she raised the alarm about migrant workers’ welfare in government detentions, she became the subject of ... Show More
5m 50s
May 2024
Workers: Mary Macarthur
Mary Macarthur (1880-1921) was a trade unionist who fought for women workers. She founded the National Federation of Women’s Workers, helped pass the 1909 Trade Boards Act, which guaranteed a minimum wage for women workers, and led multiple strikes against employers who refused t ... Show More
4m 41s
Aug 9
The Age Discrimination Crisis in Australia - And What To Do About It
Love Your Career Podcast? Let us know!Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Age Discrimination in AustraliaNew research from the Australian Human Rights Commission reveals a shocking truth: employers are crying out for workers while systematically excluding them based on age. ... Show More
16m 40s
Mar 2024
Birthrates Are Plummeting Worldwide. Why?
For a long time, the story about the world’s population was that it was growing too quickly. There were going to be too many humans, not enough resources, and that spelled disaster. But now the script has flipped. Fertility rates have declined dramatically, from about five childr ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2025
The Truth About Bringing Your "Authentic Self” To Work - A Leadership Coach Explains
Work takes up more of our lives than almost anything else—so it’s no wonder that it can leave us feeling drained, stuck, and oftentimes further away from who we authentically are. This week, JVN is sitting down with leadership coach and author Mory Fontanez to unpack what it real ... Show More
51m 17s
Sep 15
Patricia Lockwood, SEND rally, Maternity review, Kathrine Switzer
Patricia Lockwood is a poet, memoirist and novelist whose work straddles the literary world and the wilds of the internet. Patricia first went viral with her traumatic poem Rape Joke, while her memoir Priestdaddy, about being the daughter of a Catholic priest, has been called a m ... Show More
57m 40s
Sep 26
How Marisa Kamall Survived Burnout and Reinvented Leadership for Women
What happens when a woman at the top of corporate life walks away from a prestigious title, a comfortable paycheck, and a high-stakes role managing over 5,000 people—only to find her voice, her purpose, and her true power on the other side?In this deeply personal and emotionally ... Show More
1h 20m
Jan 2025
How To Quit The 9-5 Grind
Former corporate queen Chloe Barry-Hang talks about quitting her job, how to stand up for yourself in a male-dominated industry & her biggest life lessons since leaving a toxic workplace. Plus, Chloe shares why your identity is so much more than your job & her top tips for starti ... Show More
29m 12s
May 2024
Some More News: Are Men Okay?
Hi. Today, we're taking a look at American men – are they in crisis? Why do they turn to misogynistic manosphere creeps like Andrew Tate? What else can we offer them besides anger and contempt? Go to https://ground.news/SMN to stay fully informed. Subscribe through our link for u ... Show More
1h 19m