Claim Ownership
Almost 40
Almost 40Subscribed: 5Played: 222
Subscribe
© Raj Pander
Description
Who said you’ve got to have your shit together by a certain age?
Definitely not Raj Pander.
She's Almost a promising young woman (she got told she was too old for a job). Almost a wifey for lifey (she’s a divorcee - according to Indian Matchmaking/Sima Aunty that makes her “disadvantaged”). And she was almost 40 when she started this podcast.
Single. Living at home with her parents. Still watching TV shows made for teens. Still swearing on work calls. Still has an unhealthy obsession with pop culture. She’s getting older, but not necessarily wiser (s/o to Taylor Swift for relatable lyrics).
Raj celebrated a milestone birthday (her 40th) not so long ago, so we've got a thing for milestones on this podcast - not just the ones we associate with age/patriarchal/societal norms though. On the Milestone episodes, Raj and her guests get into 3 milestones from their lives, discussing their expectations of them vs the reality. And on the Almost Assessments, guests take an almost medical assessment run by a “nurse” who asks the most annoying/offensive questions women get asked on a regular basis, leading to an unpredictable conversation based on their answers. On the solo episodes, Raj does a deep dive into a trending topic (eg women being pitted against each other at the Oscars a la Demi Moore and Mikey Madison) or something that's been on her mind (banning people from her funeral a la Shannon Doherty) with a little help from listeners and friends...
Email almost40thepodcast@gmail.com and follow us on socials @almost40pod @_rajpander
xoxo
51 Episodes
Reverse
Author, Journalist and Podcaster Laura Price gets into the expectations vs the reality of her personal milestones including how she embraced being a cat lady, discovering she had breast cancer 6 weeks before her 30th birthday, redefining success outside of what she earns, the unexpected way she experienced motherhood and more.
Check your boobs http://bit.ly/3L2sJ7m
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @laurapricewrites
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
xoxo
AD by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of online therapy at betterhelp.com/almost40 and start your own healing journey.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's no secret Raj is a fan of teen tv shows and this Summer a lot of grown women joined her on that so this is the official (unofficial) GROWN WOMEN debrief of Jenny Han's nostalgia fueled hit Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty.
WARNING: Raj is Team Jeremiah, if you're a Conrad girl, you might not like this
Women in their later 30's +40's get into why it had millennial women in a chokehold, why they identify as Team Conrad/Jere/Belly/Paris, their thoughts on the other teams, hot takes, what they wanted to see in the series, what they want to see in the movie.
This could have easily been a 4 hour episode. Forgive me not making the Thursday deadline - I was editing all night!
Talk to me almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Historian, Curator and Pink Lipstick Lover Kiran Sahota gets into thinking she would look a certain way at 40, how she deals with people telling her to "go home," establishing herself as a Historian, navigating depression and more.
Raj thinks Desperate Housewives shaped her view of aging.
Kiran's episode ft Amber Rose Gill is here: https://omny.fm/shows/amazing-starts-here/believe-in-me-the-guardians-of-south-asian-history
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @bimcic
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
xoxo
AD by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of online therapy at betterhelp.com/almost40 and start your own healing journey
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fitness Coach, Former Mac Girl + Trainer Myriann Panayi checks on with the Nurse for an Almost Assessment (a fake medical check up where patients are asked the most annoying/offensive things women are asked about on a regular basis).
Myri gives us her take on weight loss jabs like Ozempic, why she thinks everyone should read "Why Men Love Bitches," the one thing stopping people from reaching their fitness goals, how she likes to deal with dudes who take 2 days to respond to a message, being alcohol free and the Dubai dating scene.
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod @myri_fitness
Thoughts on TSITP or any of the above? Talk to me almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Raj has decided to leave dating apps for good, so she recorded this episode as evidence. This means if you ever see her on a dating app again you should report her directly to almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Let's see if anyone else's experiences can sway her (spoiler alert, the only person who had anything positive to say about apps was a man).
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Soft Life Queen, Content Creator and Forty-Something Saima gets into why she thought having a nose job at 23 would change her life, the assumptions of what life looks like when living with parents, deciding to shut down a successful flower business, moving out of her family home at the tender age of 36 and being up front and honest about centering men.
Raj thinks Love Is Blind could be patriarchal propaganda (here she goes again)
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @sai_ma (insta) @sai_maa (tiktok)
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carrie Bradshaw’s solo lunch, Celine Song’s Materialists, and Love Is Blind have Raj questioning everything—dating, matchmakers, and whether love can actually be blind (spoiler: she thinks it can).
What’s the last thing you did solo? 👀
Talk to us: almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander & @almost40pod
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcaster, Writer +Certified Lovergirl Nicole Ocran checks in with the Nurse for an Almost Assessment (a faux medical check up where patients are asked the most annoying/offensive things women are asked about on a regular basis).
Nicole gets into why even a crumb of romance would satisfy her romantic desires, dating younger men, relationship fears, The Summer I Turned Pretty, the concept of taking someone back after ghosting and more (including her take on heterofatalism)
Watch her dating wrapped: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleocran/video/7450859506768088353
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod @acrumbofromance @nicoleocran
https://substack.com/@nicoleocran
Give me your takes almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Private Stylist, Fashion Editor and former Southall Girl Amrita Singh gets into how moving to Dubai at 30 led to a healing journey, why fashion doesn't know what to do when it comes to Brown women, the lore behind choosing to work for herself, being on a journey of constant reinvention, why being called "lucky" is offensive and more...
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @curatedbyamritasingh @__amrita__singh__
Amrita's substack https://substack.com/@curatedbyamritasingh
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
AD by BetterHelp. Get 10 percent off your first month of online therapy at betterhelp.com/almost40 and start your own healing journey
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Raj was triggered by Beyoncé slander on TikTok, where a brown male said Queen B should stay in her lane and go back to making R'n'B. So this is a Cowboy Carter special. Raj takes it back to the origin story of the album, brown on brown crime, why genres are a funny little concept and that got her thinking...
How do you respond when people tell you to stay in your lane?
What are the stereotypes or labels we happily wear vs the ones we feel restricted by?
What genres have people put us in?
And what happens when we consume genres that are unexpected?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Author, Journalist and New Dad Sam Parker gets into why he thought he would become a literary sensation after writing his first novel at 30 (he published his first book Good Anger at 40), how he learned to express anger in a healthy way, how men and women experience anger differently, becoming a parent way later than he thought he would and more.
Raj decides to share a few things that have made her angry lately, including being fat shamed in Southall.
Currently taking voicenotes/thoughts for a future episode. How have you reacted to being told to stay in one lane?
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @samparkeruk
Get Good Anger here: http://bit.ly/4f5FOYN
See you next Thursday xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Presenter + Founder of The Big Bosom Brunch, Jackie Adedeji checks in with the Nurse for an Almost Assessment (a faux medical check up where guests are asked the most annoying/offensive questions women are asked on a regular basis). Jackie gets into feeding her inner child, the art of backing yourself, age gap relationships, living with endometriosis and more. Oh, and she's serving sermons like she's a Pastor...
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod @jackieadedeji
xoxo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Taylor Swift said "I'm so depressed I act like it's my birthday everyday" what the helly did she mean? Raj just turned 41 and she's decided to dive deep into the mystery of those lyrics while trying to figure out why everyone tends to get a little worried about her when she decides she doesn't want to do anything for her bday. Contains best and worst birfday memories from the regulars and a lot of ranting about Beyoncé haters, agents and joint birthdays.
Talk to us almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Journalist, Founder of Mixed Messages and Freelancer Isabella Silvers gets into why she thought she would have hit her career goals at 30 (and what she did when she didn't), interviewing her celebrity crushes, being single and child free in her 30s, starting therapy, getting better with boundaries, building something for herself, the freelance struggle being SO real and more.
Raj is trying to stop reading and watching Diddler trial content (and not succeeding).
almost40thepodcast@gmail.coml
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @izzymks @mixedmessagesnewsletter @asuitablebookpodcast
Check out Izzy's next Lit Night http://bit.ly/4jZsR4t
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast Comissioner, Producer + Presenter, Leanne Alie checks in with the Nurse for an Almost Assessment (an almost medical check up where guests are asked the most annoying/offensive questions women get asked on a regular basis). Leanne gets into being single at 30, feeling out of the loop after watching Adolescence, her love/hate relationship with dating apps, creating her smash hit podcast Coiled, Love Is Blind and more...
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow
@_rajpander @almost40pod @leannealie_
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you guys ever think about dying? After re-watching Barbie and contemplating Barbie Margot's dancefloor stopping question, Raj started thinking about Shannon Doherty's funeral block list again and wondered if anyone else planned on having a block list for their final send off, what came to their minds when they thought about dying, what their funeral song was and other potentially morbid things.
We get into grief, mourning styles, being petty and more...
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
LINKS:
https://swansongproject.co.uk/
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22876551/mourning-grief-second-line-new-orleans-jazz-funeral
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Broadcaster, Sky Sports News Presenter and Former Lawyer Bela Shah gets into changing career at 29, being a "mature" student, getting a big break at Channel 5 that led to her current dream role, the best way to deal with sexism and racism at work, why IVF wasn't as straightforward as she thought it would be, Mumsnet and more.
Raj has a ridiculous story about the Heathrow power cut. Of course.
almost40thepodacast@gmail.com
Follow @almost40pod @_rajpander @missbelashah
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Community Founder, Business Lecturer + Relationship Expert, Hope Flynn checks in with the Nurse for an Almost Assessment (an almost medical check up where women are asked the most annoying/offensive things they are asked on the regular). Hope shares her thoughts on rebounds, how to figure out if someone is a catfish, why the cinema isn't the worst place for a first date, how to handle getting back into dating after being out of the game and more...
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow
@_rajpander @almost40pod @so.what.community @hope.4.it
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This one is an Oscars debrief + Millie Bobby Brown calling out her trolls mash up! Raj was dazed and confused when she saw articles about Mikey Madison's Best Actress win titled with "And the Oscar goes to...Sue." Turns out a lot of people are pressed about Demi Moore apparently being "substanced" at the Academy Awards. So naturally, we (Raj + the regulars: a selected group of women and sometimes men) had to get into it...
What's their take on the discourse around Demi Moore not winning an for The Substance and Mikey Madison winning for Anora? Is the world obsessed with pitting younger women against older women? Have they ever been in a situation like this? And how do they feel about Millie Bobby Brown calling out people by name for tearing apart her looks in the name of "journalism?"
SEND US YOUR TAKES
almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
LINKS:
The Oscar Goes To Sue https://www.vulture.com/article/demi-moore-lost-the-best-actress-oscar-to-mikey-madison.html
Millie's Post https://www.instagram.com/p/DGwZgLXSJuH/
xoxo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 4th instalment of the Bridget Jones movies released on Galentines/Valentines so Raj had to get into a Galentines/Valentines debrief featuring tales of how everyone celebrated (if they did - one person was "traumatised by dusty men buying red roses in Asda") and the last time they were single shamed (because why was Bridget still being single shamed as a single mother + widow? Leave us alone!)
Do you prefer celebrating Valentines with lovers or friends?
Email almost40thepodcast@gmail.com
Follow @_rajpander @almost40pod
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/acrumbofromance/
https://www.screendaily.com/news/bridget-jones-4-scores-huge-102m-opening-weekend-at-uk-ireland-box-office/5202120.article
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyolson/2025/02/11/defying-gravity-why-2024-marked-a-historic-year-for-women-in-film/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States