40ish - From Grazia to Good Housekeeping & Contemplating Crocs

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

This week on 40ish Nicole has serious concerns as Lauren contemplates if Crocs are a valid life choice. One woman is panicking after slagging off a fellow school mum on the wrong whatsapp group (the horror). And we’re asking the big midlife question: have we officially swapped Grazia for Good Housekeeping as our guilty-pleasure reading? It’s all the weighty questions that you never knew needed answering. We love to hear from you! To share your feedback, dilemmas, rants, funny stories or general complaints about midlife please be in touch at: Email [e-mail] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast  TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/share/DVQWb6y2vesgeHEK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d  To order our book HAVE YOU TRIED THIS?” click here  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Tried-This-Only/dp/1801293139/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O7EA4ZF1O5CS&keywords=have+you+tried+this&qid=1699449028&sprefix=have+you+tried+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2 This episode is sponsored by London Nootropics Get 20% off at LondonNootropics.com with the code 40ISH To book tickets for our live show in October click here: https://cheerfulearful.podlifeevents.com/festival/40ish---live-from-cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-16-oct-2025-tickets?clientside_routing=true Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hello everybody. Welcome to 40ish. I'm Nicole Goodman. And I'm Laura Michigan. This is the podcast where we tackle 40-something life. We dive into all things that are middle-aged. We talk about things like hoses slippers slippers Topperware yeah cooking gardening

we really go there don't we we really are on the front lines of reporting about midlife we really are joint pain sore necks issues with pillows

don't forget please listeners you can subscribe on Apple podcast for early access add free listening across both this show and the wonderful award-winning self-care club

that we also hope And you can watch the video of 40-ish every week on Spotify or you can listen to this show on any other podcast platform. And if you've got something to share, we want to hear it. Big or small, ranty or celebratory. We want to hear your midlife stuff. Hello at 40-ish. That's 4.0ish.com.uk.

Right, well, before we came on, I hobbled over to the air conditioning to turn it off because it was a bit cold. I mean, you really did hobble. It wasn't even a walk, it was a limp, limped over. I know, and you know, Daisy and I, we watched the substances we can. Thank you, not thank you, because it was quite something. And I'm not even... It's...

Astonishing. There's so much wrong with that film. It's an astonishing piece of filmmaking. That it is. And it sits with you for all the wrong, right, every reason to go. If you haven't seen it, I'm not even sure... I'm not even sure I'm not even sure I'm... recommending it. Oh my God. I just thought that film was incredible. I don't know if it was

incredible. It said so much. Yeah, it's so much. But like, and there was very little dialogue in it, which I found really interesting. There was like very little script. Anyway, um, it's all about beauty standards and ageism and all that with Demi Moore. Anyway, um, limping, brain fog. Daisy film, limping. Oh, because she said every time I'm getting. getting up at the moment oh you're like the woman from substance oh my god okay that's not very nice no it's really not yeah so if you've seen it you know what we're talking about if you haven't then you're going to feel really left out of that so apologies but just go watch it and

then you'll know what I mean um I've hurt my knee I've hurt my knee again I hurt my knee I fixed my knee and I've hurt my knee again anyway what I'm saying is as I walked over to the aircon and I was hobbling and you were like what have you done what have you done And I said, it really hurts. I did it playing paddle. And you were like, well, I thought you were stopping playing paddle. I wasn't stopping. Did you think I was stopping forever?

Well, you were injured, so you stopped. But then you started again, and now you're injured again. So it's like, you know, you've got to put those pieces of the puzzle together and go, well, if I carry on doing the same thing, getting the same result, maybe I need to do something else. Well, what am I supposed to do? Maybe a sport that doesn't make you injured every five minutes. Well, what sport? Okay, tell me.

I'm afraid you are coming to the wrong person for sporting suggestions. Darts. Darts probably give you tennis elbow. I reckon it would. It would actually. You'd have some darts injury and then there'd be some eyesight issue or I can't see the board. I can't see the board. There's already an issue.

There's already an issue. Look, it's too late. I'm in love. There's nothing I can do. You can't choose the things that you love. I happen to love paddle. It is what it is. I have cut down how much I'm playing.

by like 85%. Well, it hasn't helped, has it? Well, it does when I'm not playing. Okay. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? Not play? Find a sport that doesn't injure you.

I don't want to find a sport that doesn't injure you. I mean, obviously I want to find a sport. It annoys you more than it annoys me. So you have two choices. Suck it up, Buttercup. I was sucking it up. Find another sport. I was sucking it up.

But you can't just. go through life constantly being injured. It's a bit mental. Can I just say something? Yeah. You're not being very kind. I'm just saying. I did something over and over and over and over incessantly.

And every time I did it, I said to you, but actually now I'm injured, now I'm in pain. Now I'm not going to see a physiotherapist. Now I'm an ibuprofen. Would you say to me, please continue, carry on, carry on. Because every single week, when you've hurt something else and something else is damaged and something else is painful, just carry on doing it. It sounds great. It sounds really good for you.

maybe maybe maybe yeah maybe you don't have to give an either or opinion maybe i'll just give you some ibuprofen from my handbag i've already taken maybe i wasn't asking for your opinion maybe i'll just watch you limp and then not say to you what's the matter with your knee i'll just watch you limp and ignore it and be like pretend i can't see it because that's nice if you saw me limping wouldn't you say what's the matter what's you done to yourself would you just pretend that you hadn't seen me limping No, I wouldn't pretend. No, of course I would say what's the matter. But then also, also what happens after I tell you,

then you come back at me with a whole host of judgments, opinions. I get it. I get it. It's just sensible, practical advice, but you don't have to take it. You can do what you like. You're grown adult. Please carry on injuring yourself. Can I just say, right, I did do the grown-up thing

and I didn't play paddle for like two and a half weeks. And what happened in those two and a half weeks? Everything felt great. Wow. Great. Great. And then I played on Saturday. Yeah.

I played for two hours on Saturday. And you know what? Saturday night, I felt great. Yeah. Felt fine, actually. Yeah. Everything was fine. Uh-huh.

So then I went back on Sunday. You see, this is where the problem lies. That's the problem. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe just the Saturday then. But I can't play once a week.

I just can't. I can't. I can't. I can't. I won't. and I can't. This is your choice. We can just record from like some sort of padded chair while you're strapped up to

everything eventually. It was so funny because I walked on to the paddle court and one of the guys that I play with he, the other week he had like this big sort of like compression thing on his arm. His whole arm was covered in this piece of compression. And then when I walked on the other day he had this whole another piece of compression on his leg. So I'm like, this is escalating. you're going to be smothered basically by the next time I see you so it's not just me

no I'm sure it's not just you but this is why I hold up what I said last week I don't want to get up in the morning and go to the gym do all these things because they just end up injured now I don't I'm not injured from the gym I never get injured from the gym the gym is is very reliable I would be injured no you wouldn't no you wouldn't well why don't you try it hold on you were doing you You were doing like a workout from home. How's that going? No, you're not doing that. It's not going.

Why? Boring and I hate it. Not really a reason, is it? That's all the reason I need. I thought you needed to get stronger. Yeah, but I can't really be bothered. I'm fine. Fine as I am.

You're not actually. You're osteopenic. You're not fine. I'm near my hip. You're not, but that's not fine. Okay, all right. What are we going to do? Wait till it goes everywhere else.

Wait till I fall on it. And then I can record from my padded chair. Oh, we can. being padded chairs together. That would be so cute. Both of us completely immobile. You from exercising and me from not exercising. The irony there.

Do you see? What's that about? You can't win at our age, whatever you do. No. We might as well finish the show now. Can I tell you my most 40-ish thing? It's a question, another one really. Is it to do with slippers or hose pipes?

No, neither of those things. I went to buy a magazine because my friend was in it. She was featured in an article and I wanted to go. Bougy friends you have. And I wanted to go and buy it. In fact, it was good housekeeping magazine. It's so middle-aged. Yeah, I know.

Anyway, I went and bought a copy of it and I brought it home and then I realised, because it was already the first week of September and it was the September issue, I'd actually bought the October issue. I don't know why they do that. They bring out the month before in the month that you're not in. Why do they do that? What is that?

It's weird. So like in September you're buying the October issue. It was like September the first. fourth and I bought what I assumed was the September issue because it was only a few days into the month but it was already the October issue so I got it home looking for her

I think that is a publishing error it's pathetic but it's weird yeah but no I know it's not but if you think about it from a consumer point of view it doesn't make any sense none so I'm looking through I'm looking through I can't find her she's not in it

I'm like I missed the page and I'm like spent so long searching for her she's not in it and it took me because you were in the wrong right we know You're in the wrong magazine. What I'm trying to tell you is... You couldn't tell us every page you turned. I quite enjoyed it.

Oh. And so then I was wondering, where are we with magazines? Oh, here we are again. Am I back to enjoying them? Because in my early 20s, I had a subscription to Gratcia. Gratio was where I was. So did I. It was really cool, had great fashion stuff, good articles.

Then I got to a certain age. It always had a good news piece in there. Yes. Got to like, I don't know what age it was. It just was not relevant to my life anymore. And I would get it every week and I would think, no, I am now too old for this magazine and I stopped. I'm now picking up, not by choice, but because I wanted something specific. Good housekeeping magazine.

And I was enjoying that shit. Genuinely enjoying it. Good articles. Good tips. I have an immediate issue with this. Because it's called good housekeeping. So you think it's about like how to clean a wood. It's not. It's actually really not.

I think the name betrays the content. Is it more like red? Yeah, it's just fashion. There is a bit of home stuff, but I would call it more interior styling than how to knit a doily. And articles, Davina was on the front cover,

talking about stuff, life, her divina life. It was like, good. I thought, fucking hell. How did I get to the age where that's my magazine now? And what else is out there? I can't remember the last time I bought something in print

I know even a book I know you buy books yeah but even like buying and reading a magazine felt very retro it is yeah it felt it I thought is this something I could do could I get a new subscription and actually read a magazine once a month is this a thing that middle age people do now I don't know I don't know anyone that reads a magazine you don't I don't know anyone that oh that's a lie

That is a lie, a bold-faced lie, my sister. What does she read? She reads Psychology magazine. I was about to say, psychology is the other one that seems quite good. Yeah, when I see it in the hairdresser. But also, because you're a similar age to my sister. When I see it in hairdresser, I'm like, oh, that's actually got some quite good articles in it. So I used to have a gratzia subscription and I had my hair salon.

Oh, of course. I haven't done it since. Right. So are people still reading magazines in her hairdressers? Yeah. I don't think I'm down with this I think it's bad for the environment and I also think good housekeeping is bad for feminism

that's a new one from you it's bad from the environment that's ever come out of your mouth ever what have you been watching some sort of documentary that isn't true I have said that before have you been watching National Geographic over the weekend on the reg and the substance

together it is bad for the environment you don't need to print and waste all those trees you could just put it in digital form now I know it's not the same if you recycle it's all right is it is it all right I don't know much about recycling

you don't actually know what's happening to the recycling I think recycling is a bit of a con so do I yeah I think it all goes in the same do you yeah no because my my recyclers no not my recycling people the bin men that's what they're called to most people,

a little private recycling firm that come only to your house. Local council recycling men. They are very, very strict about what goes in that fucking blue bin. Yeah, they really are. And what annoys me the most, please cut up the cardboard boxes.

Cut them up with what? I don't own a box cutter. Should I buy one just for the bin men? It's called scissors, you weirdo. If it's a really big one, like you've bought a telly or something, You know, and it's the really thick. How often are you buying a telly?

Once every 15 years. Right. But I see it's not really a massive like daily problem, is it? It was a problem for me the other week when we did get a new telly after 15 years. And I had this massive box. It was really thick cardboard. But that's fair enough. I understand that because all you're going to do is like, you know, you're taking up a load of space.

They don't have the space. It's not fair. They've got a dustbin truck. They've got plenty of space. Not just for you. It's for everybody in the borough, isn't it? I want your personal recycling firm. I don't have one.

I'm just saying, and sometimes I never know where we are with plastic. Can that go in, not go in? If it's recyclable plastic, yes. But how are you going to know if it's recyclable? It says it on the plastic. Well, not if like something's coming like, if you get something from ASOS.

Yeah. Okay. And they, and you know, the clothes come in like the plastic bag. Yeah. No, that's not. Because that's not recyclable.

No. It should be. Yeah, it should be. It should be. Right. So that can't go in. No. But can the outer, can the, like the ASOS packet, can that go in?

I don't think so. But I bought some knickers the other day and they came in that plastic thing and it said in huge letters on it, this packet is recyclable. And I was like, cool. Yes, but do the bin men know that? I don't fucking know. Because they're not reading it. I presume not. They're too busy taking it away.

I also copied my name by the other day because he had a cardboard box. He didn't chop it up with a box knife. And I saw him, the Tuesday morning, putting it on top, on the flat top of the blue bin. And I was like, oh, that's the thing. It's a sign. It's an invisible sign to the bin men. Please take this box away. I can't cut it up.

So I did the same thing. It's not invisible. It's actually very, very, very visible. So I did the same thing. And they took it. You know, the worst is when the blue, the bin is still there and you've got like the tag on the bin. It's like the tag of shame. You know?

And it's all it is on that tag of shame is. It's not, fuck you, we're not taking it because you put the wrong thing in. It's just a reminder of what can go in. So passive aggressive, isn't it? It's so passive aggressive. And it's like, oh, I got tagged. I got tagged. Just before we dive into your dilemmas.

Disclaimer, we are not doctors, we are not healthcare professionals. So if there is an issue that you are seriously struggling with, please contact a qualified expert. Hi ladies, I have really fucked up. There's one mum in my child's class who is on the class WhatsApp group. Let's call her slightly cunty Karen because honestly it fits. Oh, wow, dropping the C-bomb early. She is so... That is, that is a lot.

I was not expecting that. Okay. She is so patronising and sanctimonious and constantly spamming us with articles about what we're all doing wrong with raising our kids with regard to food and tech, etc. I am also in a spin-off group. A spin-off group? Oh, I love that. To talk about. With a bunch of moms who are my actual friends and normal people, she says, in brackets.

Yesterday morning, after yet another link to an article. entitled Diet, Behaviour and Learning, was posted on her by the group at 7am, followed by a comment about how she'd emailed the school about only allowing pudding once a week and why we all need to do the same. I got so fed up, I immediately typed on our smaller friend group. Oh my God, I absolutely can't stand her.

Then I freaked because obviously I'm a dick and I accidentally put it on the whole class group. So obvious. So obvious. I deleted it, but I know it was too late. She would have seen it and totally known that it was about her. What do I do? Thank you, B.

Has this ever happened to you? No. Has it ever happened to you? Not unlike a big group, but I have definitely texted the wrong person when I've been talking about them before. But it's never been, but it's never been like to this extreme. Karen is going to end up with very few friends. I'm telling you now, if I got a message about the fucking. food thing and the diet thing, that would not

wash well with me. But really her question is not about this. It's about what should she do? About the fact that she's sent this message. It's highly unlikely that she's seen it. That's the first thing. She's definitely seen it because she sent it immediately and the woman's probably still online. So she's definitely

seen it. Let this be a lesson to you all out there just to be very careful with this kind of thing. It is so easily done. Yeah. What can you do? It's done. is done there's nothing she can do and just say you know what she's going to have to have an honest conversation with her about it that's the only thing she can do is say I don't need to be told when I should email in and what I should say thank you you want to do it you do it but I will represent myself how I see fit thank you please don't school me on what I need to do oh you think she should

actually speak up about it on the WhatsApp group not on no not on the WhatsApp group yes she should DM her yes yes I don't appreciate your article I find them quite patronizing. Well, I think it's the only way she's going to dig herself out of this hole that she's going to have gotten herself into. It's the only way. Because it's out there and if she didn't see it, somebody else saw it and that somebody else might be telling her anyway.

So chances are it's going to get back to her. Just be careful about what you'd hide. It was too late now. In future. Be careful about what you do. And what do you think she should do? Nothing. I always think in these situations just say nothing and deny everything.

And if you have to lie, lie. Have you ever owned a pair of crocs? Never. Never. It's your kids own crocs. Yep. I used to own a pair of crocs. When?

When I was working as a dealer. They were lilac. Reason being... They urinate on you. Well, we're a lovely pair of white plimpsils to her birth once and the women managed to both have amniotic fluid on them and vomit. it on them. And after that I was like, yeah, fuck this. I need washable shoes. And then I know you might say like, oh my God, but crocs have got holes in them, but you know what? You can wash your feet

and you can wash the crocs. What you can't do is get amniotic fluid off a pair of white pimps cells. So I used to have a lilac pair. And then, you know, many years later, many babies later, they had to just go in the bin. I wore them in the garden for a bit and then they binned and I never thought about crocs since I know they're disgusting and terrible. Don't your kids have crooks? Well then a few weeks ago Josh found this pair of

acid pink crocs. They were like a collab with Bap, bathing ape and he bought them and I was like these have to be a joke. You are joking anyway. He's wearing them and he's like kind of rocking them which is bizarre because they are so out there. They're so awful.

You know when you get to a point with something so disgusting it actually becomes quite cool? I do, yes. Well, he's there. That is crocs in general, by the way. And now, weirdly, even though he's 12, with the same shoe size, because I'm shrinking and he's growing. So when I've had to pick him up the odd time and I've got no shoes at the front door, I put his crocs on. Wow, they're comfy.

Are they? Aren't they so comfortable? Wow, they're easy to get on and off. Aren't they? And do I want a pair of my own? No. And do you know? and don't ask me how I know this

but maybe I know this you can get ones with like a fleecy lining oh this could be the answer to your slipper problem well yes it could be but it shouldn't be haven't we just gone full circle

but it shouldn't be no it shouldn't you're not the crock type I'm sorry to say take that as a compliment take it as an insult take it however you wish you are not the crock type I'm saying if I was to

buy a pair of crocs to keep by the front door to like shove the puppy out in the garden and pick up Josh from the station in are you going to disown me blacklist me and host this podcast with graham norton that's what i'm asking you are you going to be ashamed of me look if graham norton calls hey let's take graham out of the equation no well he's here now he's now in the space so if graham wanted to host a podcast with me crocs no crocs gibbets no giblets whatever they're called the answer is yes I will definitely

definitely sack you off of Graham I would wouldn't you sack me off for Graham no I wouldn't you are lying I'm not I would have so much fun with Graham I would do stuff with Graham

yeah but I wouldn't sack you off no that's archer I would do that yeah oh quickly dig yourself out of that hole too late it's out there I want to have time there's evidence

I might not have time I might not have time. I can edit this however I wish. You all added it out, but the people now know. No, they won't know because I've edited it. People feel about them like they do about the dry robes. Like dry robe wankers. Are you a crox wanker?

Is it like, bluh, no, it's not the same. Why is it not the same? Because it isn't, it isn't. A dry robe versus a croc, I would very, you know what? It's not a lifestyle choice. They're both very, very practical items. Yeah. And you know I'm such a practical person.

The answer is there's nothing you can. do that would make me sack you off. Apart from if Graham or blacklist you. Or blacklist you. Yeah. Or John Hamm. I'm going to give you the out. If John Hamm appears and he wants to host a podcast with you, I won't even make you

bend me off. I'll just retire gracefully. And I'll give you a pair of crocs as a retirement present. Thank you. I'd really appreciate that with a gibbet of John Hamm. I have, well, I had a really. embarrassing thing this morning happened actually i don't even know if i should tell it oh god can it's not that embarrassing but it's just like this real brain foggy moment yesterday i was at the gym and i bumped into

someone who she didn't know that she actually went there and she just joined anyway she's talking we're talking away and she said i'm so sorry but all i can think in my head is daisy's mom yeah well that's accurate no but she what she was saying and she didn't know my name right so i said well and i said her name is nico she goes i've just got to terrible brain fog i said that's fine That's not a problem. Anyway, then I bumped into her this morning again. And I said, oh, I'm seeing you every day. And you only have this really awkward because she had her earpods in.

Airports. Airports. Airports. I say airports. It's fine. I know what you mean. So she was like, oh, sorry, sorry. What did you say?

I took it out. I said, oh, no, it's fine. It's just, I said, I see you every day. She goes, oh, what do you mean? I'm like, no, no. Like, because I saw you yesterday. Now I'm seeing you today. And she said, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It just fell so flat. And then she said, but what were you saying before that? I said, I wasn't saying anything before that. So she said, you were. You went to say something. And then I couldn't hear you and I took my effort out. And I said, awful. So I said, no, I always said was, oh, I'm seeing you every day.

You know, there it is again. Like I'm talking to the first time. But if I make it three times, you might think it's funny. She goes, no, you would definitely say something else. I said, well, if I was, I can't remember. And I said to her, maybe I was. But I don't know, because I also had brain fog. Yeah.

And she was like, oh right. I said, you know, because yesterday you couldn't remember my name. You had brain fog? Yeah? She said, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Fucking hell. She really has got brain fog. No, I don't know who's got more brain fog.

It's fine because tomorrow she won't remember, A, your name again. Well, I'll see her again. You had that conversation. Won't I? Yeah. She won't remember that conversation. It would be fine. Be okay.

It was just, it was such a menopausal conversation. So should. It was hilarious. Yeah. That's my meltdown. That is the end of the episode. We will be back, Nick. Well, no, we'll be back on Thursday with a brand new episode.

Keep your emails coming in. Hello at 40ish.com.com.uk. And we'll speak to you on Thursday. Bye-bye.