Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - 112: DIG IN: Childhood Nostalgia, Menopause Songs and A Flatulence Confession

Episode Date: July 20, 2026

Is nostalgia a fun hark-back to halcyon days, or do you feel it as a form of grief? Should phones at the dinner table be a no-go? And what would be your ultimate menopause song? Jo and Zoe dig into all this and more in this week’s episode.You can take part in The Big Menopause Survey here: https://www.menopausemandate.com/mm26-surveyAnd we want your menopause song suggestions for our ‘Menoplaylist’! It’s Getting Hot In Here… I Hate You So Much Right Now… Insomnia - now it’s over to you! Send your suggestions to [e-mail] FOR US AT THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS!We’ve been nominated in the Listeners’ Choice category and we’d love all our diggers to vote for us! Simply go to britishpodcastawards.com/votingType ‘Dig It’ in the search barEnter your name and email to vote.And don’t forget to verify your email to make your vote count!GET IN TOUCH📧 Email us: [e-mail]📱 Text or Voice Note: 07477 038795💬 Or tap here to send a voice note or message on WhatsApp:⁠ ⁠https://wa.me/447477038795SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORSThis episode is brought to you by Costa Coffee CREDITSExec Producer: Jonathan O’SullivanProducer: Harriet Thurley & Samantha PsykAssistant Producer: Eve JonesTechnical Producer: Oliver GeraghtyVideo Editors: Cameron Laird and Jack Whiteside 

Coming up on Dig It. There is so much big stuff going on and life is so manic and crazy and you're dealing with some huge subjects. When you look back at those times, you just want to be there again. You want to be that seven-year-old child playing with ponies. And you want to be with those people because that's when you were safe and you were happy and you were content. And you had none of the big stuff to worry about. We're making a menopause playlist, aren't we, Joe? We are, yeah.

I would have anxiety by Dochey. Kalee, I hate you so much right now. Everyone thinks I'm bonkers, but I'm fine with that. I think that could be one of our slogans, like Digit slogan. and everyone thinks we're bonkers, we're fine with that. I know. It's all good. All of that right after this.

Hello, gang. It is time to dig in. How are you, Joe? Yeah, I'm okay. I'm good, thank you. Yes, all is good. And you? All is good.

Yes, you know, I'm just glad that it's cooled down a bit at this end. I'm hoping it stays at this lower temperature. Although I'm enjoying the sunshine. I know it's too hot, but it's actually, it's a change from the wind and the rain that we sometimes get in our summers. And we'll miss it when it's going. on. Yeah.

Exactly. Can we talk about menopause mandate? It's something, it's a group that some people might be aware of, but they've done amazing things. Mariella Frostrup is one of the people who's behind it, and they have campaigned so hard to make a difference to people's lives when it comes to the menopause. It's like this care campaign group. They are now launching something, which I think everybody, every digger should get involved

with. It's the big menopause survey, 2026. And they just want everyone across the UK, women across the UK, to share their experiences. just to help define what menopause is like and what good menopause support should be like, what people really need in their day-to-day life, their real life. So I just think it's worth shouting about this, getting everybody who is affected by the menopause to share their symptoms and their experiences because it can only benefit. It can help the professionals who want to help women go through the menopause and support

them in the way that they need. And it just also is very good to highlight, I think, the wide range, like the massive range of symptoms that there are when it comes to the menopause because there's all kinds of weird, funny stuff, whether it's like tingling tongues or itchy ears and aching joints and frozen shoulders, there are so many different things that can affect different people. You're aware of them, aren't you though?

Yeah, very much so. And I meant to fill in the survey last year and I completely forgot to do it. So I am definitely going to be doing the survey as well. We'll have a link to the menopause mandate survey in the episode description, and it will be on our substack on Friday 2 and you've got until August the 31st to fill it in.

I guess it's worth following them on Instagram on social media as well because they have lots of useful conversations going on all the time and there are so many good people when it comes to menopause that is worth following. But I think menopause mandate are, they're very passionate, they're very powerful and they're very effective and worth a follow on Instagram or wherever. And we're always talking about how concerned we are that women aren't getting the help that they need. And so through taking part in this ever, like you say, Joe, the more information you can gather about all the different ways women are affected by menopause, the more we can learn about it and the more our docs can help us when we get to this point.

And the next generation coming through anyway, brilliant. Well, to go with that, we're making a menopause playlist, aren't we, Joe? We are, yeah. We are making menoplay, it's going to be called songs that reflect your mood and symptoms during the menopause. So I would have anxiety by Dochi. Kalees, I hate you so much right now. Faithless, insomnia. Yeah, Nelly.

It's getting hot in here. It's getting hot in here. I might also have the style of counsel, my ever-changing moods. Oh, definitely. So if you have any suggestions of songs that you would like to hear on our Meno playlist, please send them to questions at digitpod.com.uk or text or voice note. us on 07-4-7-038-7-9-5. That's 07-4-7-0-3-8-7-95. You can have a lot of fun with this, obviously, because as we were just saying, there's so

many different symptoms and so many feelings that you have, and there are so many songs that will perfectly encapsulate how you're feeling. So just, yeah, have a thing, think of your favorite songs, and then we can put together this brilliant playlist that you can stick on, it'll make you laugh if it's on in the background. And people might be oblivious, but you'll be going, ha, that's how I feel that song there. That replies to me. That does. It'll be good fun. Now, we have questions from you lot from our wonderful diggers. And the first one is from Kirsten. And this is all about nostalgia. So Kirsten says, this is a thing I've held onto for so many years, for fear of ridicule. But I feel like this is finally the safe space I've needed to share it.

This is absolutely a safe space. You can talk about anything on this show. I feel nostalgia incredibly strongly, almost like a form of grief. Certain songs, or thinking about specific events with friends who've drifted away or sadly aren't around anymore can completely flaw me. In those moments, I get this heavy conviction that life will never be that good again, not just missing the past, but genuinely, genuinely mourning it. I think I've always had this affliction, even as young as 10 or 11. I recall this stomach churning, yearning I would get for, say, a house that we used to live in or a friend who'd moved away. Is this a version of nostalgia that you recognise, do you think some people just feel it harder than others? And is there a healthy

way to hold onto those memories without it tipping into grief for a stage of my life that's passed? Thank you. And that is from Kirsten. Kirsten, I love you. You sound like you really feel things very, on a real deep level there. I sometimes think it's just me with stuff where I can, I mean, I don't think if it's quite as extreme as Kirsten, but I do know what you mean, Kirsten. And I, kind of, I hang on to a lot of memories. I'd hang on to lots of trinkets and tickets and tickets and music and things that remind me of the past. And it's actually been a conversation in our household this weekend is I've started to look at some things of mums thinking, oh gosh, do I get rid of some of these things and should I get rid of some of my things so that my kids

don't have to sort through them. And I was talking with a couple of friends about how much stuff do you keep from the past and look through and how much does that mean to you? And some people are like, oh, I don't have anything like that and I've cleared it all out. And I'm like, well, I just think I'm a hopeless romantic. And I love all those things and looking back. And some people saying they just like to look forward and I look back. So we are all very different in the way we feel about things like this. And Kirstie, it sounds like, you know, there is that deep, deep passion in you. And yeah, I wonder if more of our diggers feel things this way. I, I, I, 100. 100% feel like Kirsten. I absolutely. I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah, this just

like overwhelming sense of grief. Absolutely. Kind of mourning. I have such an attachment to times in my life and places that I lived. So, you know, I can picture the house when I was, how old would I have been? Maybe six or seven years old. Fessent Way is where we lived and we had a willow tree in the front garden. I used to play under the willow tree. And I remember having my toys and my dolls and playing with those. And I remember the feel of the leaves. And I used to shred the leaves. And one day my mum and dad, they cut down the willow tree because obviously it had grown too big. But I was devastated. And I can feel it now like the sadness of that willow tree not being there anymore. And I've realized as I'm talking that I've actually planted

willow trees in all the houses and gardens that I've lived in ever since. So I'm obviously trying to recreate that feeling. But music will take me back there. I went to see Toy Story 5 the other day and there's this whole thing about playing with toys and there's a scene with all the horses that suddenly come to life but it's horses like Barbies and Tammy dolls had and I had all of those I remember so clearly the feeling of playing with them and it's really, really intense and I feel really sad that I won't feel that feeling ever again. I won't ever feel the intensity of the joy of playing with my dolls horses as a person. Maybe that makes sense only to you but it's really really like a deep sadness inside of something

never being as good as it was then. Maybe that's what it is. Wow. I think, yeah, I sort of am I'm a mix of both. I kind of like looking back and I think it's there's been a lot of sadness in my life in certain era and a lot of loss and stuff like that. So I do sort of, you know, there's great people I really miss in my life who, you know, lost over the years and stuff like that. But I think I'm always trying to think, right, okay, it's okay. And the glasses are full and da-da-da-da-da. But I do know what you mean. There are, I guess also as we get a bit older that you, you know, as you lose people you love, you do, you know, and you're surrounded by their things or you're wondering what to do with

those things. And maybe you're looking back at your own life and thinking, wow, God, that was amazing. And I think it's good to feel that passionate, isn't it as well? Because then I think that's a, I wouldn't call it an affliction. I would call it a bit of a gift. Because also, if you are letting that emotion, if that emotion is that strong, that coming out sometimes, that's really good. If you're having a good old sob about something that really meant something to you, you know, that was almost like a celebration in a way of letting

that emotion come out of your body. You're not trapping it and shoving it down. I think maybe that's a good thing. Yeah, maybe it's turning it into a positive. It's going, well, that was amazing. I love that. Now, like, there is so much big stuff going on and life is so manic and crazy and you're dealing with some huge subjects and difficult things, but when you look back at those times, you just want to be there again. You want to be that seven-year-old child playing with ponies or you want to be living in that house, Kirsten that you talked about, and you want to be with those people because that's when you were safe and you were happy and you were content and you had none of the big stuff to worry about. So maybe that's why it's just overwhelming,

you're mourning the loss of that innocence and that joy that you had then and accepting the fact that life is tougher now. Although there's certain points of my life that I don't want to go back to, I'd be like, oh, please don't maybe go back to that again. I definitely need to move forward. But I do worry slightly about looking forward and thinking, oh, gosh, how much time we're going to get. But you're going to get what you're going to get, aren't you? There's not going to be a lot we can do about that.

And you've got to live in the moment. You've got a love for life. But I'm with you, Kirsting, because I've got a lot of sorting to do so much sorting, because I think I did a huge amount when I moved and then after mum, and now I sort of need to move to the next level of sorting some of mum stuff and some of my own stuff. So that there is less stuff in the house. I'm not sort of daunted by it. I'm just more like having the time to do it.

But also it's like it's good to let stuff go. It is good. But yeah, I also love Kirsten, the power of music or a movie, that you can watch a movie or hear a song or smell a smell. And all those incredible memories, mainly good ones, will come back to you. And you can feel that really deeply. because I think that is a bit of gift to have that. I think that's a pretty special.

I think that's a superpower. I think that's why, I think both you and me, we love the music of the 70s and that kind of easy, breezy, loty, kind of dreamy stuff. I often listen to 70s radio stations when it's a really sunny day, and I'll just go straight to that and just listen to that soundtrack,

and it's nostalgia. It's just like, oh my God, yeah, these were carefree times. They were wonderful, yeah, really happy days. And I love it. I love driving in my car, nothing better than listening to BG's or, you know, Elisie brothers or whatever it is. And yeah, that's the power of music as well.

Yeah, because those songs mean that to us, don't they? They were the times when we were just kids and we didn't have to worry about things. Because I often say, talk about the 70s being this amazing era and people who lived life in their 70s like, actually, it was pretty goddamn tough. There was some, you know. What about the strikes and the power trucks? And there were power cuts. And yeah, there was a lot of unemployment.

and yes, so they weren't necessarily the golden age for some people. But for us who were kids in the 70s were like, oh, it was joy. Healthy in days, yeah. Healthy in days and freedom and just playing. Oh, yeah, that maybe that's why we love the music. Love to hear from you, Diggers, your thoughts on what Kirsten shared with us. Exciting news. We have been long listed for a few categories in the British podcast Awards, which is frankly

amazing. Yeah, we're absolutely cock a hoop. There's one award in particular, we have to tell you about Diggers, the Listeners Choice Award. It's decided entirely by you. Now, the Diggit community is one of a kind. This is what we've discovered. We have laughed together. We've cried together.

We've gardened together. And it feels to us like we've got a whole new crew of friends to help us through this time in our lives. So if you're loving Digit, you can vote for us in the Listeners Choice Award. Simply click the link in our description or go to British Podcast Awards. dot com slash voting. So type dig it in the search bar, then enter your name and your email to vote. And don't forget to verify your email so that your vote counts. Thank you so much. Our second question is from Penny. She says, am I being unreasonable for asking my two adult sons to stop using their phones at the dinner table? No, Penny, I don't you are. I think it's rude and think we should have this time to talk,

but it always ends in an argument. I've been there. My husband's thinks they should do what they want. Am I being old fashioned? Or is this what everyone does now? Please help. Love the pod. Penny. I think phones should go down at the table.

I mean, last night I did kept checking because I was checking to see if the vet had message and we were having dinner. But yeah, we are all too easily distracted by these things, aren't we? And we sure just get rid of them, even just for 10 minutes to eat together and talk together or not talk together, but just to be there present in the moment. I'm with you, Penny, honestly, here, here. I think what we do is we all, I mean, everybody is as guilty as everyone else. So it's not just the kids.

It's me and Steve as well. And we'll all, but if we're having a meal, I think we will genuinely engage with each other. But then if somebody gets distracted, they go on the phone, someone will call them out. Someone will be like, oy, just put your phone down. Come on. Join the conversation. And so everyone's kind of named and shamed throughout the course of a meal. And as soon as somebody says it's you, I mean, you just feel, I always feel really mortified.

And I'm like, no, you're absolutely right. What am I doing on my phone? Look at Instagram. When I've got you lovely people here to talk to, this is insane. So I think it's just the way of the world at the moment. I think if you have your adult sons there, then just saying to them, oh, come on, let's have a chat. It's absolutely fine. It's difficult, though, isn't it?

Because sometimes things come up in conversation and you're like, how old is Jude Bellingham? I'll just look that up, you know, whilst you're talking about stuff that's going on, you know. And, oh, yeah, who is it that they play for? So the phones come out and they come out for people to look stuff up. And it's like, you can look it up later. We can talk about it later. We won't remember it anyway. We'll look something.

I won't remember it. So why do we need to bother? Yeah. But Penny, I'm with you. Other diggers, I'm sure. It's nice sometimes, isn't it? Just to have some time without them. But I'm as guilty as your sons, Penny.

And I'm like, I need it. My kids would call me and Steve out, you know, probably more than we would leave them out. Probably more. We're on our phones more, I think. But that's why I think we play games as well. Yeah, good. Because that gets a conversation going. So even if it's just a stupid articulate while we're eating,

just something to focus us all and get us all talking. But genuinely, people, we're kind of quite interested in what each other has to say because we don't see each other so often. So maybe it's different if you are there every single night. Yeah. Every family has a own way of dealing with stuff. He do. The next one, this is from Melanie on the theme of miscommunication.

She sent us this story. Hi there, Joe and Zoe. I've just listened to the podcast where the teacher said the wrong word. She said clitoris instead of chrysalis. And it remind me of when I was driving my son and his friend home from school. And I reckon there were probably five or six. My son was in the front seat. His friend was in the back.

And I was just pulling out of a junction. But there was a car coming. So I slammed the brakes on. And as I did that, I went, And my son in the front went, Oh, you said the F-U-K word, mummy. And his friend in the back said, I think you'll find that's F-U-C-K.

And I laughed a lot. And when I told his mom, she laughed a lot. So there you go. Just thought I'd share that with you. Thanks for the podcast. I love it. Oh, thanks, Melanie. I think you'll find that's F-U-C-K.

That's brilliant. Spelling is important. important. It's so good. Yes. On funny words, kids get mixed up. Zoe says, my son called Pins and needles, pens and noodles. I love that. Gravy was groovy and Yorkshepherds were pork shepherds. Pork shepherds. Oh, I love that. We still use all of those terms now and he's 21. So we've got pens and noodles, great, groovy. Put your groovy on your pork shepherds. So wonderful, they stick, isn't it good? Obelob. I remember a friend who said Obelob instead of envelope, which is also very good. And also, Laura's been in touch and Laura said, my four-year-old Edmund calls Alpacca's Old Packers,

and he genuinely thinks that McDonald's is called Old McDonald's. Loving the show, listen every week without fail. Thank you, Laura. Let's go to Old McDonald's. Yes, very good. Very good. Now, we don't like to shy away from bodily functions here on Digit. Joe's been in touch with a story. She has brilliantly titled, Flatchelance, A Confession. You asked for tales of gas, and this is one I expected to take to the grave. But we're all diggers here, and what's shared with diggers stays with diggers, right? 100%. I am a long-time sufferer of IBS.

I'm sorry to hear that. Mine is the particularly gassy variety. Brilliant. And as many IBS sufferers will attest, we have the power to clear a room with one very small emission. So wonderful. Due to the commitments of my job, stopping everything to pop to the loo or head outside was not something I could always easily do.

I therefore found what I thought was a quiet, rarely used spot, far enough removed from the comings and goings of my work environment where I could relieve myself of an uncomfortable build-up without making my colleagues think someone had dropped a stink bomb in the department. And all was good with this. plan, at least for a couple of weeks. I'm doing my best. I'm in Mayer. This is so good. I love it. However, one afternoon, I was about to stop by my secret corner when I got stopped by a colleague to be told a couple of workmen were in the room investigating drainage issues after someone

had reported pungent smells coming from a sink. It didn't take long for the ball to drop. The cause of the smell was me. While relieved, I was in the clear. I was also absolutely mortified that I was responsible for wasting people's precious time. The workman obviously found nothing wrong with the sink or its drainage, nor did the smell ever return. But I still squirm whenever I think about it. I love the idea of you running to the quiet area to let it out. I now always carry a small air freshener with me.

For those occasions when instant relief cannot be avoided, never again will I be to blame for the smell of dodgy drains. And that is from Joe. Oh, Joe, you poor darling, that is this hilarious, but also you poor thing. Oh, my God. Drop it off somewhere. That moment of realisation. Oh, my God. They're talking about me and I can't let anybody know.

Safe space, totally safe space. But I bet you're not the only person, Joe. You're probably not the only person I mean we've got I bought those poo drops that you talked about that they're great that make to go to ASOP to go down the loo when you've had

but yeah I'm with you sometimes you know like it's like even if you're in your car you can let it out can't you and then you can open the window and go for a good walk a secret little space hey I got stunned by a wasp

I forgot to mention this I got stunned by a wasp when I was watering the tomato plants a couple of days ago. It is the most painful thing ever. Honestly, oh my God, I haven't been stung for ages. You know when something takes you right back to being a child again? I felt the sting. I looked down. Do you have a little cry? I didn't actually cry. I just felt really kind of violated. Get it. Wosy. Violated. There was, and there was blood there straight away. So there was a puncture. There was blood. And it was, I couldn't see the wasp. I don't know what happened to

the wasp. For the first 12 hours, it was fine. And then, then the venom kicks in. And then it starts to swell and it starts to itch and it starts to buzz. And it carried on for, well, I mean, it's still going on today. It's like, I've had to take special tablets for it, antihistamine to try and calm it down. I put stuff on it. It's really red and raw. And then I've also had a sympathy kind of itch in my belly button. And I had to look it up. We were Googling it. And apparently it's all to do with the venom, just kind of traveling around your body. And it can move around your body. Yeah. Who'd have thought I was watching the football. the other night, just like scratching my wasp sting and then my belly button at the same time.

So, wasps are evil. I mean, I always knew they were, but this has just reminded me that they are really truly evil. Hang on, hang on. They do eat other little flies and predators. Apparently they are useful for the ecosystem. Someone was selling this at the weekend. Whatever. When they sting you, they can do one.

If anyone has any great old wives, you know, methods, aren't you supposed to put vinegar on stings? But that might be wrong. sort of apple cider vinegar or something like that. If anyone's got any good top tips, how to deal with wastings or bites or, because I know Nelly is attacked by mosquitoes wherever she goes. And she already here,

she's got them all up her legs and they really swell up. So if anyone's got any tips on, because I remember someone saying that if you eat, if you take vitamin B or you eat Marmite or, is it, I can't remember if it's marmite or, yeah. Yeah, the yeast, supposedly you get less bites and stings. because I think mosquitoes love a certain type, blood type, and I think Nell has it, because she's covered already.

And then when she goes on a holidays to Abitha, she gets savage. Maybe it's just a lovely young flesh, succulent flesh. Dried old, dried out old flesh, they don't want it. But diggers, you're always good on things like this. If you have any magic that you use for stings or bites, do let us know. I'd just forgotten how bad wasps things are. They seem to be a feature of your childhood. And then when you grow up, you're like, no, they don't bite me at all.

they don't sting me and then when they do you're like, ouch, this is not nice. Really hurt. Really hurt. From smells to spells, oh, from stings to spells. After we talked about buying spells on Etsy for good weather at a wedding, this is, I was talking about my friend Sophie and you were talking about your wedding as well. Jordan and Sally, yep. That's right.

Mary sent us this. Hi there, Jonzo, just wanted to share a spell with you. Ooh. Many years ago, when we were thinking about buying our house, a friend of mine said, do you want to do a spell so that you can find the perfect house for you? And she shared it with me how it's on a full moon and you light a candle and you draw a picture of your dream house that you and all the finer detail, the garden, the flowers, the dogs if you have them, the people, just draw it.

And then on the full moon, three consecutive nights, you go out, you light a candle and you have this saying to say, she WhatsApped it to me. And I did it. My husband thought I was absolutely bonkers. He said, what are you doing? Anyway, totally ignored him, carried on. And it worked. It's worked every time. And I share this with all my girlfriends when they say that they're going to move. And I say, oh, I'll send you my spell. So it's, it works and it's fun. And everybody thinks I'm bonkers. But I'm fine with that. Sending you both lots and lots of love. Mary, send us the spell. How fantastic.

You seem, the only problem there with me would be I'm really bad at drawing, Joe. You end up in like playhouse. I saw our old Radio 2 teetail the other day wherever I had to draw their faces. And I was just looking at mine and look at deranged. I am so basic when it comes to drawing. Maybe I can get the lodger to draw it for me. Would that work and then say the spell on the full moon? Yes.

That's the next full moon. This is great. You've got your dream house, haven't you? Your place is amazing. Yeah, no, we're super happy here. But I love Mary's line there. Everyone thinks I'm bonkers, but I'm fine with that. I think that could be one of our slogans, like Digit slogan.

Everyone thinks were bonkers. We're fine with that. It's all good. Well, the thing is, it's that, you know, supposedly women were always, you know, witches, weren't we? There was a time when, you know, any woman who had any kind of idea or anything, we were witches and burnt or drowned. I know, horrendous. But we do love a bit of witchiness.

So Mary, fantastic. Yeah, thanks for that. Let's have the spell and we'll try that out. I don't know whether you can see, but it's time to take away now, but for the whole of the duration since she invaded, Diggett. I can't see. Kiki's just been at my feet for the whole time. I've never seen Kiki.

Hang on. Oh, no, I've woken her up now. Oh, there she is. This is Kiki, who's that gorgeous rag doll. She's just so sweet. Oh, Kiki. She's the queen. I was really happy to see the video of Goose giving me.

Nemo a little bit of a neck massage. Yeah, except he edited it. So he didn't leave the bit in afterwards when Goose pretty much put Nemo's head in his mouth. And Nemo was going, wah! God. It's a fine line between whether they're kind of really, really good friends or whether Nemo's about to lose his head at any point. So watch this space. Watch this space.

Hopefully, when we're back, I will have an update on Wilbur as well. Oh, I hope he's got to come home. I know. Bless him, I miss my little friend. darling have a great week diggers do get in touch let us know any more witchy ways and any thoughts

on some of the stuff we've discussed in Digit this week do get in touch we love hearing from you slatulence funny stories whatever spells we'll take it all and your menopause playlist love you lots of love and the menopause playlist lots of love diggers

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