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Welcome to Midlife Sparkle with Belinda Stark – the podcast that celebrates the messy, magical middle of life.
I'm Belinda Stark – coach, writer, mum, and midlife cheerleader. I know firsthand how this season can feel like a rollercoaster: one minute you're craving change, the next you're clinging to what's familiar. Whether you're navigating menopause, identity shifts, career pivots, or relationships evolving, this podcast is your reminder that you're not alone – and it's not too late to reclaim your sparkle.
Each week, you'll hear honest conversations with inspiring women, expert voices, and real stories from the messy middle. We’ll explore everything from mindset and wellbeing to alcohol, ageing, motherhood, purpose, and the quiet courage it takes to start again.
This is your space for reflection, laughter, lightbulb moments, and gentle nudges forward – no perfectionism, pressure, or pretending required.
Let’s rewrite the rules of midlife, one story at a time.
74 Episodes
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Send us a text In this solo episode of Midlife Sparkle, I dive into one of the most common and quietly painful experiences for women in their forties, fifties, and beyond - losing our sense of identity. For so long, we’ve worn countless hats: mother, partner, school mum, business owner, team player, caregiver, organiser - the list goes on. But as life shifts - kids grow up, parents age, careers plateau or change - many of us find ourselves asking, Who am I now? I explore the emotional and pra...
Send us a text In this episode of Midlife Sparkle, I explore a familiar feeling for so many of us - anxiety. I call mine Anxious Annie, and she’s been with me most of my life. Annie has a way of showing up when things feel uncertain, whispering fearful thoughts about what might happen. She loves to predict the future, and in her world, it’s never good news. I share how anxiety can take hold when we face change - whether it’s a new job, a big decision, or even closing a business, as I did. I t...
Send us a text In this solo episode of Midlife Sparkle, I dive into a topic that affects so many of us – comparison. I call mine Comparison Connie – one of the many little voices that have followed me through life. She loves to pop up when I’m feeling a bit uncertain or depleted and whisper things like “She’s doing better than you” or “You’ll never look like that.” Sound familiar? I explore how comparison shows up for women, especially in midlife, when we’re juggling so many roles and respons...
Send us a text In this episode of Midlife Sparkle, I’m diving into a solo chat about a familiar voice most of us know far too well - our inner critic. Mine’s called Critical Cassie, and she’s been with me since childhood. Maybe you’ve got one too - that little voice that tells you you’re not smart enough, not thin enough, or not doing enough. I’ve decided to give mine a name because it helps me remember that she’s not me - she’s just a voice, and I get to choose how loud she is. I talk about ...
Send us a text In this episode of Midlife Sparkle, I sit down with Dr Filipa Bellette, or “Philly” as she prefers to be known. She’s the co-founder of the multi-award-winning health practice Chris & Filly Functional Medicine, an author, accredited clinical nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, coach and trauma therapist. Alongside her husband, Chris, she has helped more than two and a half thousand clients overcome chronic burnout, fatigue and overwhelm through a deep root-cause...
Send us a text In this episode of Midlife Sparkle, I chat with my friend and powerhouse fitness professional, Nikki Ellis, about strength, health, and living alcohol-free in midlife. Nikki has spent more than 30 years in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, sessional academic at Victoria University, and founder of Cinch, a multi-award-winning boutique training studio in Melbourne’s northeast. She’s passionate about helping women discover their power through resistance training, movemen...
Send us a text In this episode of Midlife Sparkle, I sit down with my friend and straight-talking powerhouse, Shelly Horton - one of Australia’s most trusted voices in media, wellness, and women’s health. Shelly’s career as a journalist, presenter, MC, and founder of ShellShocked Media has made her a familiar face on Channel Nine and across countless stages. But today, she’s here to talk about a topic that’s been swept under the rug for far too long - perimenopause. Shelly’s new book, I’m You...
Send us a text In this episode of Sober Sparkle, I sit down with the powerhouse that is Kim Payne - professional speaker, business mentor and podcast host. Kim has spent over 30 years in business, finance and personal growth helping entrepreneurs and professionals turn “what if” into “why not.” Known for her high-energy, straight-talking style, Kim delivers the kind of friendly wake-up calls that inspire women to make courageous choices. Kim shares her remarkable story of walking away from a ...
Send us a text In this episode of Sober Sparkle I sit down with award-winning patient advocate and podcast host Luan Lawrenson-Woods. After her diagnosis with invasive lobular breast cancer, Luan discovered just how overwhelming the health system can feel - the jargon, the choices, the pressure - and turned that experience into a mission to help women advocate for themselves with calm, clarity and confidence. We talk about why self-advocacy matters, what informed consent really means in pract...
Send us a text In this mid-season solo episode of Sober Sparkle, I answer the questions I’m asked most often - on email, in DMs and in conversation with clients. From whether alcohol caused my breast cancer, to how much I actually drank, whether my partner still drinks, how I handled socialising in early sobriety, if I’ll ever drink again, and the exact steps I took to change - nothing is off limits. I’m an open book because I want you to know you’re not alone, and there’s more than one way t...
Send us a text In this solo episode of Sober-ish Sparkle, I open up about my drinking story in the hope that it resonates with you and reminds you that you’re not alone. I take you through the different stages of my drinking - from my divorce and single parenting years, through dating again, marriage, postnatal depression, breast cancer, turning 50, and the COVID lockdowns. For me, drinking began as a way to cope with loneliness, sadness, and stress. Over the years it became my constant compa...
Send us a text In this solo episode of Sober Sparkle, I explore the topic of emotional drinking – a behaviour that so many of us fall into without even realising it. Most of us have heard of emotional eating, where we turn to food for comfort, distraction or reward, but emotional drinking works in much the same way. It’s when we reach for alcohol not because we want it, but because we want to escape the feelings bubbling beneath the surface – stress, sadness, loneliness, boredom, anxiety, or ...
Send us a text In this solo episode of Sober Sparkle, I dive into the idea of grey area drinking – something I get asked about a lot by clients and interviewers alike. Six seasons into the podcast, I wanted to take the time to really explore what this term means, how it shows up in daily life, and what you can do if you recognise yourself in it. Grey area drinking is where you don’t hit what we traditionally call “rock bottom”. You might not have a physical dependence on alcohol, and from the...
Send us a text In this episode of Sober Sparkle, I sit down with the wonderful Briony May, who many of you will know from the Great British Bake Off, where she won hearts in 2018 and made it all the way to the semifinals. Since then, Briony has become a familiar face on UK television, presenting on Food Unwrapped and Escape to the Country, while bringing her warmth, humour and down-to-earth charm into people’s homes. But as we discover in this conversation, her story goes far beyond cakes and...
Send us a text In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Janey Lee Grace — a voice so many will recognise from BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon, and an inspiring figure in the wellness and sobriety space. Janey is a bestselling author, broadcaster, founder of The Sober Club, and the host of the Alcohol Free Life podcast, which has clocked over 1.2 million downloads. She’s also delivered the powerful TEDx talk Sobriety Rocks: Who Knew?, and has been a passionate...
Send us a text In this episode, I sit down with Andy Ramage – a former professional athlete turned City broker who went on to co-create two multimillion-dollar businesses before walking away to reinvent his life. Andy’s transformation began when he realised his drinking was holding him back from his potential. He wasn’t addicted, but like so many of us, he was caught in that middle lane of drinking – fitting in with everyone around him, yet feeling the toll on his health, performance, and men...
Send us a text In this episode I sit down with Greg Jennings, also known as Booze Free Dad on Instagram. Greg is a media professional, father of two, and a powerful voice in the sober curious space. He’s also my very first male guest, and I’m thrilled to share this heartfelt and eye-opening conversation with you. Greg opens up about his early drinking years - starting at just 12 years old - and how alcohol became part of the fabric of his life well into adulthood. Like many of us, he didn’t c...
Send us a text In this solo bite-sized episode of Sober Sparkle, I delve into something I’ve found incredibly powerful on my own sober curious journey - the belief-shifting mantra, “This is real, but not true.” It’s a phrase I still use regularly, and it has helped me (and so many others) shift from reacting on autopilot to reclaiming real control over alcohol. We explore where our deeply embedded beliefs about alcohol come from - childhood memories, cultural rituals, sport, pop culture, and ...
Send us a text In this episode of Sober-ish Sparkle, I sit down with the incredible Ash Butters – a transformation coach, speaker, and the host of Behind the Smile podcast. Ash shares her deeply personal and powerful story of going from high-functioning alcoholic to soul-led, sober woman helping others heal. Ash opens up about growing up around alcohol, her early exposure to drinking, and how addiction slowly took hold of her life. From juggling a corporate career and a seemingly perfect marr...
Send us a text In this episode, I’m joined by William Porter, author of Alcohol Explained, who brings a wealth of experience and science to our conversation around sober curiosity and alcohol’s true impact. William is our very first international male guest, and his honest, evidence-based approach to alcohol is both enlightening and empowering. We talk through William’s personal journey with drinking, which began in his early teens and intensified through his years serving in Iraq, training a...
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