Second Act with Ateh Jewel

Happiness expert, author and speaker Helen Russell joins Isabel on the show to discuss how coping mechanisms from all over the world can be used to make us happier people. Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions. From HELLO! magazine Producer: Millie Jackson Editor: Juliet Walsh Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beloved MasterChef judge and celebrated chef Monica Galetti opens up about the seismic shifts that transformed her world.Known for her sharp eye and steely precision alongside Michelle Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche, Monica reveals the demanding, breathless reality of rising through fine-dining kitchens – often sacrificing family milestones, battling gruelling hours, and hiding a high-stakes pregnancy.Now, reflecting on turning 50, Monica speaks candidly about the heartbreak of 2024: weathering immense personal loss, coping with sudden health battles including painful arthritis, and making the agonising choice to close the doors of her celebrated London restaurant, Mere. From confronting thoughtless prejudice in the boardroom to surviving total physical burnout, she shares how stepping into Christian faith, reconnecting with nature, and finding rhythm in the garden offered the profound healing she didn't know she needed.Video Chapters00:00 – "A Blur, Passionate, Demanding": Surviving Act One02:11 – Kitchens as Pirate Ships: Discipline, Hierarchy & Grit04:18 – Roots & Resilience: Moving from Samoa to New Zealand06:31 – Pacific Island Culture, Family Feasts & Barbecue Traditions10:02 – Standing Your Ground: Handling Banter in Macho Kitchens16:03 – The Le Gavroche Years: Michelle Roux Jr. & Radical Accountability19:46 – Why Monica Can’t Watch The Bear21:05 – Cooking for The Rock, Moana Cast & Bon Jovi24:00 – Kitchen Nightmares: 20-Item Allergy Demands26:15 – Entering the Second Act: Loss, Letting Go & Rediscovering Faith30:11 – Confronting Arthritis: When Your Body Refuses to Work35:16 – Gathering: A Cookbook Love Letter to Family & Heritage39:09 – At-Home Feasts: Marmite Crumpets & The Creative Mind42:15 – The Offensive Cutlery Test & Heightened Chef Palates46:38 – Working 16-Hour Days Pregnant & Hiding Morning Sickness55:32 – The Silent House: The Heartache of an Empty Nest01:02:46 – The Painful Decision to Close Her Restaurant01:10:05 – Hospitalised by Burnout: The High Cost of Survival Mode01:15:02 – 18 Years on MasterChef: Spotting Star Alumni01:18:52 – Finding Solace in the Garden & Country Living01:25:11 – Monica’s Advice for Women Starting Again at Any AgeFrom HELLO! magazineProducer: Millie JacksonEditor: Juliet WalshExecutive producer: Danielle LawlerFollow @hellomag on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actress, singer and former Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett opens up about surviving tabloids in the Noughties, what it was really like to be on Pop Idol back in its heyday, and her recent miscarriage while performing on the West End. 00:00 – Welcome & The Three Words: Yes Girl, People Pleaser, Mouldable 01:15 – Thrust into Fame at 16: Pop Idol & Losing Her Authentic Self 04:17 – Surviving 2000s Tabloid Toxicity, Up-Skirting & Body Shaming 07:11 – Changing Her Look: Stripping the Braids & Family Support 11:12 – Looking Back at Pop Idol: Meeting Take That & Shirley Bassey 17:01 – The Truth About Her Teenage Romance with Gareth Gates 20:00 – Remembering Darius Campbell Danesh: A Heroic Act of Protection 23:37 – Industry Neglect, Self-Defence Lessons & Normalizing Harassment 27:03 – Calling Off Her Engagement & Learning to Say No 29:52 – Northern Grit: Handing Out Nightclub Flyers at the Peak of Fame 34:45 – Living with Severe Osteoarthritis & Getting a Full Hip Replacement 41:35 – Reclaiming Her Career: Performing in Moulin Rouge! 4 Months After Surgery 45:25 – Leaving Her Record Deal & 17 Years in the West End 48:20 – Entering Her Second Act: DJing, Boundaries & Turning 40 50:58 – Performing Through Miscarriage as Tina Turner 57:28 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Don't Rush Yourself" 01:02:13 – Advice for Listener Annie: Coping with Anxiety & Unspoken Trauma If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer. From HELLO! magazine Producer: Millie Jackson Editor: Juliet Walsh Executive producer: Danielle Lawler Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jayne Wallace, resident psychic of Selfridges London and founder of Psychic Sisters joins Isabel this week for a spooky-themed episode all about her line of work and why so many people turn to spirituality for guidance. Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions. From HELLO! magazine Producer: Millie Jackson Editor: Juliet Walsh Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh talks about becoming a step mum at 23, how Sarah Harding’s death gave her health anxiety, how she coped with weight jibes in Girls Aloud and why she is launching her own beauty range. Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life. If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer. From HELLO! magazine Producer: Millie Jackson Editor: Juliet Walsh Executive producer: Danielle Lawler Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel. Chapters: 00:36 – The Three Words: Resilience, Music, and Family 01:06 – Starting at Age 5: Rejection, Auditions, and Grit 04:40 – Growing Up in a Musical Family & Finding Her Voice 08:39 – The 2000s Pop Explosion: 10 Rooms, Westlife & Wild Nights 11:42 – Fame at 20: Navigating Paparazzi Before Social Media 13:39 – Confronting 2000s Media Body Shaming & Toxic Diets 16:23 – Crazy Schedules: 4 AM Wake-Ups and Photo Shoots 18:00 – Meeting Justin Scott at 23 & Becoming a Step-Mom 23:15 – Becoming a First-Time Mom at 33: Needing a Village 26:08 – Losing Sarah Harding: Grief, Health Anxiety, and Legacy 29:10 – Reframing Aging: Why Every Birthday Is a Privilege 30:50 – The Girls Aloud WhatsApp Group & Growing Together 33:30 – West End, Strictly Come Dancing, and Live TV Presenting 37:05 – First Jobs: From Freezer Cleaning to Financial Freedom 38:42 – Skincare, Hydration, and Loving the Body You Have 46:54 – Early Perimenopause, Hormones, and Irritability 50:20 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Stop Letting People Change Your Mind" 54:48 – Advice for Listener Linda: Coping with Raw Grief and Loss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices