Friday I'm in Bed

Gemma Seager & Kate Beavis

Friday, I’m In Bed is a weekly podcast for midlife women living their best life, but in bed by 10. Taking on the cultural moments everyone’s talking about — and the ones we probably should be. Hosted by Gemma Seager, a 40-something, childfree personal trainer and cocktail lover with two very spoiled pugs, and Kate Beavis, a 50-something menopause coach, anti-ageism campaigner and mum navigating grown-up family life. Honest, warm, irreverent, and unfiltered, Friday, I’m In Bed feels like the chat you’d have with friends who get it. New episodes every Friday.

  1. 10 APR

    It's Friday I'm Over the Moon

    This week on Friday I'm in Bed, we've got two stories that are both, underneath it all, about the same question: who gets celebrated, who gets forgiven, and why does the answer always seem to depend on who you are? Gem kicks us off with the Artemis II mission, because four astronauts are literally on their way home from flying around the Moon and one of them is 47. Same age as Gem. Born the same year. While Gem has been making a very impressive trifle. We talk about why this feels like such a rare good news story, why Christina Koch being the first woman to journey around the Moon in 2026 is both incredible and a reminder of how overdue it is, and why she still experiences imposter syndrome while being further from Earth than any woman in human history. We also get into Kate's mild ick about the cost of space exploration, Gem's rebuttal involving water ice and Moon-based rocket fuel (she's not a scientist, she just reads things), and the Carroll Crater, which had everyone in tears including the astronauts. Then Kate takes on Kanye West, the banning, the cancellation, and the question the whole thing really raises. We get into whether bipolar disorder is an explanation or an excuse (and why that framing is too simple) and why wealth and fame can actually remove the safeguards that would catch anyone else, the impossibility of separating art from artist when the artist is still at it, and why Chris Brown is still selling out stadiums while Chappell Roan is still getting grief for a security guard who wasn't even hers. Follow us on Instagram @FridayImInBed @GemmaSeager @FearlessAt50 In this episode: Christina Koch, the first woman to travel around the Moon, on imposter syndrome and stereotype threat at 47Why the Artemis II crew - including the first Black astronaut on a lunar mission - is being received as a genuine feel-good storyThe Carroll Crater: Commander Wiseman naming a lunar feature after his late wife during the flybyShould space exploration money be spent fixing problems on Earth instead? Gem and Kate disagree (politely)Kanye West banned from the UK by the Home Office - and Wireless Festival cancelled entirely as a resultWhat bipolar disorder does and doesn't explain about his behaviour, and why "it's not an excuse but it is a reason" is the most useful framingWhy being surrounded by people whose livelihoods depend on you can make mental illness harder to treat, not easierCan you separate the art from the artist? JK Rowling, Joss Whedon, and the question of when the ick finally winsThe cancel culture double standard: why controversial men tend to bounce back just fine

    56 min
  2. 27 MAR

    It's Friday I'm Choosing Beavers

    This week we're talking about two things that seem completely unrelated but both come down to the same question: who's selling you something, and should you be buying it? We start with Harry Styles on Saturday Night Live and the Make America Healthy Again hospital sketch that had us howling. It parodies a hospital where patients are treated with raw milk IVs, LED masks, and full moon ceremonies, and it's very funny. But it also got us into a proper conversation about wellness culture, the pressure women are under to do all the things just to be healthy, and where the line is between helpful and harmful. We're talking about protein obsession, the influencers walking around supermarkets vilifying bread because they can't pronounce an ingredient, and why telling a menopausal woman she's poisoning herself for eating a pudding is not the public service they think it is. Kate calls it the female version of the Manosphere, and honestly, she's not wrong. Unqualified people with big followings giving health advice to vulnerable women who are stressed, time-poor, and looking for a quick fix. We also dig into a Yale study on breast cancer patients and alternative therapies that's been making the rounds. The headlines say complementary medicine kills, but the actual data tells a much more nuanced story, and we break down what it really shows. Spoiler: the issue isn't doing yoga alongside chemo. The issue is skipping chemo for coffee enemas. Then we move to banknotes. The Bank of England ran a public vote on what should replace the current historical figures on British notes, and the winner, by 60%, was wildlife. Cue outrage. Not because Jane Austen or Alan Turing are leaving, but because Winston Churchill is being taken off the fiver, and apparently that's the definition of woke now. We talk about who actually voted (not us, and probably not the people complaining either), why Kemi Badenoch wants Thatcher on a banknote, why there's never been a Black or ethnic minority figure on a Bank of England note, and whether putting hedgehogs on our money is actually a genius move for dodging political division. Plus we pick our dream animal line-ups, which is honestly the best bit. Two stories, one thread: when people feel out of control, they're easy to sell to, whether that's a wellness influencer flogging supplements or a political figure flogging outrage. The question is always the same. Who benefits? Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FridayImInBed ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@GemmaSeager ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FearlessAt50 ⁠

    50 min
  3. 20 MAR

    It's Friday I'm Over the Manosphere

    Louis Theroux has taken Netflix inside the manosphere — and everyone has an opinion. This week we're digging into whether shining a light on the grifters and their carefully curated personas actually helps, or whether it just gives them another platform. We're talking about the contradictions (profiting off women while claiming to despise them), the moments where the mask slipped (that dog, that mum, that juice), and why we can't expect one documentary to fix a problem this big. Plus, what does it tell us about the limits of a social media ban when these guys are thriving on YouTube, Telegram, and everywhere else? Then we're turning to the Oscars - not the awards themselves, but what happens the morning after. Because once again, women walked red carpets in stunning gowns, picked up historic wins, and delivered brilliant speeches, and Monday's headlines were about their bodies. Too thin, too big, too different from last year. We're asking why we're still reducing accomplished women to their dress size, what GLP-1s have done to the goalposts, and whether women in the spotlight can ever actually win. Jessie Buckley won Best Actress and dedicated her award to women who create against all odds -so maybe we could start by talking about that. Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let's get into it. Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FridayImInBed ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@GemmaSeager ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FearlessAt50 ⁠ What we're talking about this week: Louis Theroux's Inside the Manosphere - exposure, editing, and whether the right people are watchingThe business of the manosphere - grifting, monetisation, and profiting off the people you claim to despiseWhy a social media ban won't silence these voicesOscars red carpet culture - fashion vs body policingJessie Buckley's historic Best Actress winAutumn Durald Arkapaw - first woman to win Best CinematographyThe shifting goalposts of what women's bodies are "allowed" to look likePedro Pascal in Chanel, because we're fair like thatListen wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Friday.

    46 min
  4. 13 MAR

    It's Friday, I'm Not Obeying Anyone

    Has International Women's Day lost its edge? This week, Gem and Kate dig into the good, the bad and the ugly of IWD. From brands trying to sell us candles instead of equality, to the women-led cooperatives Gem visited in Morocco that show what the day is really about. Plus, Timothée Chalamet ruffled feathers by suggesting nobody cares about ballet and opera anymore, but is cinema the one that should be worried? And we unpack that headline-grabbing survey claiming a third of Gen Z men think women should obey their partners. Spoiler: two-thirds don't, the data needs more nuance than the press gave it, and we really need to stop saying "traditional" when we mean "sexist." Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FridayImInBed ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@GemmaSeager ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FearlessAt50 ⁠ In this episode: Gem shares her incredible International Women's Day experience visiting women-run cooperatives in the High Atlas Mountains. from a village café built by 40 women to a carpet cooperative where the boss called it her "queendom." Meanwhile, Kate went to an IWD gig that barely anyone turned up to, and they both ask: has the day become too fluffy to matter? Should we take it back as a protest? Timothée Chalamet told Matthew McConaughey he didn't want cinema to go the way of ballet and opera as "things nobody cares about anymore." Kate and Gem argue that actually, cinema could learn a thing or two from ballet and opera about making the whole thing an experience worth leaving the sofa for. A global survey of 23,000 people across 29 countries found that a third of Gen Z men and boys believe women should obey their partners. But Kate and Gem dig into the detail. The age range spans 13 to 29, the survey is global with vastly different cultural contexts, and the media framing ignored that the majority don't hold these views. Topics covered: International Women's Day, corporate feminism, women's cooperatives in Morocco, Timothée Chalamet, ballet and opera, cinema vs streaming, the experience economy, Gen Z masculinity, media framing of survey data, Andrew Tate and incel culture, parenting and critical thinking, Gen Alpha Get in touch: Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for clips, further reading, and all the links mentioned in this episode. Tawesna - Ait Ben Haddou

    59 min
  5. 6 MAR

    It's Friday I'm More Than a Type

    This week on Friday I'm in Bed, we're diving into one big topic — what Love is Blind is accidentally revealing about incel culture, the "Pilates princess" myth, and what women actually want versus what men have been told we want. It all kicked off with Chris and Jessica on the current series of Love is Blind. She's a doctor. She's gorgeous. They connected, they got intimate, everything was going well. Then he saw her house (massive, beautiful, full of personality) and suddenly he's not sexually attracted to her anymore. The reason? She doesn't do CrossFit. She's not a "Pilates woman." She's a UK size 10 who was on the front line during COVID and works in a hospital. Reader, she dumped him. And we all cheered. But here's the thing — this isn't really about Pilates. The "Pilates princess" is a type, and the type is very specific. Young, blonde, white, slim, wears neutrals, drinks matcha, and crucially, not opinionated. Not political. Not a feminist. Safe. It's incel language dressed up as a dating preference, and Kate's been doing some digging into what phrases like "looks after herself" and "no drama" actually mean in red pill culture. Spoiler: they mean "don't argue with me." We get into the gap between what men think women want (six packs, big bank accounts, height) and what women actually want (emotional maturity, kindness, humour, someone who treats them like a human being). We talk about why so many young men feel entitled to a "trophy wife" even when they're not living up to their own side of this imaginary bargain, and how that entitlement gets framed as women's fault. We unpack the friend zone myth, the Rihanna comparison that's been going viral, and why "bodies change" shouldn't be a revolutionary statement but apparently still is. There's also a detour into whether financial alignment matters in relationships (Kate's got a great story about her credit card, her shoe collection, and her husband's zero-debt policy), and why the real issue isn't money — it's whether you see your partner as a person or a purchase. Gem's in Morocco this week so this one was pre-recorded, and yes, she did become a Pilates princess while preparing for this episode. Sort of. She fell over a lot. Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@FridayImInBed ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@GemmaSeager ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@FearlessAt50 ⁠

    35 min
  6. 27 FEB

    It's Friday I'm Doing it on My Own Terms

    This week we're tackling three stories that all circle around the same big questions — who has a duty of care, who gets to tell someone else's story, and what happens when women just get on with it. We start with the BAFTAs and the moment that's dominated the conversation all week. During the ceremony, John Davidson, the real-life inspiration behind the film I Swear, experienced verbal tics associated with his Tourette's syndrome, including a racial slur directed towards two Black actors on stage. The BBC chose not to edit it out of the delayed broadcast despite cutting other content. We talk about why that decision feels indefensible, what the duty of care should have looked like for everyone in that room and everyone watching at home, the intersection of disability and race, and why this has set back the very understanding Davidson has spent his life campaigning for. We also get into the wider context of ableism, invisible disabilities, and what it means when institutions fail vulnerable people in a political climate where DEI protections are already under attack. Then we move to Emerald Fennell's new Wuthering Heights adaptation. Kate's seen it, Gem hasn't read the book or seen any version (yes, really). The Brontë purists are furious, the broadsheets are sniffy, and there are valid questions about the casting of a white Heathcliff. We get into whether two pieces of art can exist in the same space, what adaptations are actually for, how this film could bring a classic to a whole new generation, and the more complicated conversation about consent, toxic relationships, and whether a female director romanticising abuse makes it better or worse. We finish with the Winter Olympics, where the women absolutely smashed it. Alyssa Liu came back to figure skating on her own terms and won gold. Eileen Gu became the most decorated female freeskier in Olympic history while studying at Stanford. A Dutch speed skater's husband set the benchmark for supportive partners everywhere. And the US women's hockey team won gold, got snubbed by their own broadcaster and politely declined the White House invitation. We talk about women in sport refusing to be boxed in, why visibility matters, and the chicken-and-egg problem with women's sports coverage and sponsorship. Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@FridayImInBed ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@GemmaSeager ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@FearlessAt50 ⁠ In this episode: The BAFTAs, Tourette's syndrome, coprolalia, the BBC's editorial decisions, duty of care, racism, ableism, invisible disabilities, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë, literary adaptation, Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, toxic relationships in film, consent, the 2026 Winter Olympics, Alyssa Liu, Eileen Gu, women's figure skating, women's hockey, women in sport, body image in aesthetic sports, Trump, and why we're very polite when we're angry.

    59 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Friday, I’m In Bed is a weekly podcast for midlife women living their best life, but in bed by 10. Taking on the cultural moments everyone’s talking about — and the ones we probably should be. Hosted by Gemma Seager, a 40-something, childfree personal trainer and cocktail lover with two very spoiled pugs, and Kate Beavis, a 50-something menopause coach, anti-ageism campaigner and mum navigating grown-up family life. Honest, warm, irreverent, and unfiltered, Friday, I’m In Bed feels like the chat you’d have with friends who get it. New episodes every Friday.

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