Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This?

Joyce Harper
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Season 4 Joyce Harper is Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, author, public speaker, scientist and host of the podcast Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Together with expert guests and people with lived experience, this podcast offers practical tools to help you build a life of good health and happiness. www.joyceharper.com Instagram, TikTok: @profjoyceharper Facebook: Global Women Connected

  1. Jun 3

    Season 4, #12: Dr Julie Angel - Move more and dare to be creative in everything you do

    Julie Angel is a movement coach, artist, award winning filmmaker and author. After completing the world's first parkour themed PhD, she continued to move and learn from some of the best teachers and coaches in different movement worlds. An eternal optimist she now focuses on helping midlife women break free from the negative cycle of extreme workouts, diets, anxiety and injuries to find sustainable strength and balance in life. She uses movement snacks, strong resting, positive ageing and tools from parkour, natural movement, animal flow, original strength, the oxygen advantage and many more to help people connect to and create a strong body and strong mind.  Finding and creating your own sustainable movement culture should be a fun practice that feels good. It's a holistic approach to mind and body.  https://julieangel.com/ Instagram: @julieangel  In this inspiring episode, Joyce talks to Dr Julie Angel who is a movement coach, filmmaker, and creative thinker, for a powerful conversation about movement, ageing, and how women can rethink their relationship with their bodies. Julie sees the world as a playground, encouraging people to move through it with curiosity, creativity, and a sense of play. Drawing on her work in parkour and movement coaching, she challenges the idea that exercise must be structured or prescriptive, instead highlighting how movement can be exploratory, adaptable, and energising when it reflects individual needs and preferences.  A central message of the episode is Julie’s belief that women should create their own “movement culture”, finding ways to move that genuinely fit their lives and give them energy. Rather than following routines that feel restrictive or unenjoyable, she advocates for experimentation and personalisation, with a focus on removing barriers to movement. Importantly, she emphasises that meaningful change comes from small, consistent steps, whether through simple “movement snacks”, breathing, or everyday activity. It is a reassuring and empowering reminder that it is never too late to begin, and that movement, approached creatively, can build strength, confidence, and joy over time.

    1h 3m

  2. May 20

    Season 4, #11: Dr Nitu Bajekal - Finding Me in Menopause: why lifestyle matters

    Nitu Bajekal is a gynaecologist with over 40 years experience in women’s health and is the author of Finding me in Menopause and co-author of Living PCOS free. She has created a web site packed with free resources to empower women to take charge of their own health. Link: https://nitubajekal.com/ Instagram: @drnitubajekal  Nitu and Joyce explore the key pillars of healthy ageing: nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, and social connection. Nitu emphasises the importance of strength training for bone and muscle health, plant based nutrition focused on colour and protein, and the profound impact of sleep, stress management, and self compassion.  She highlights how confidence built through physical activity, especially from a young age, supports both mental and physical resilience later in life.  Above all, she stresses that there are no quick fixes, but small, sustainable changes can have powerful effects. Her core message is clear: if you don’t make time for wellness, you will have to make time for illness.

    59 min

  3. May 6

    Season 4, #10: Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson – The Womenkind Collective

    Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson – The Womenkind Collective; spilling the tea on taboos Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson are best friends and hosts of the WomenKind Collective Podcast, delivering a weekly mix of real talk, education, and humor centered on women’s health, menopause, relationships, and smashing the patriarchy. They are active campaigners, founding Exmouth's first Menopause Café and launching the #WheresMyClinic campaign for better Devon-based NHS menopause care. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/womenkindcollective/  In this episode, Joyce is joined by the brilliant and hilarious Jinty and Lou, best friends and hosts of the WomenKind Collective Podcast. Their friendship, humour and warmth shine through from the very start, setting the tone for a conversation that is both uplifting and deeply honest.  Together, they reflect on how their podcast began during lockdown as a way to stay connected and has since grown into a much-needed space for open conversations about women’s health, menopause, relationships and the subjects that are too often left unspoken. With humour, humanity and refreshing candour, they make complex and taboo topics feel relatable and accessible. The conversation explores the changing nature of female friendship in midlife, the importance of creativity, and the value of making time for joy. Mental health, anxiety, saying no, finding comfort in simple rituals such as making tea, and the restorative power of nature all feature in this rich discussion. There is also a strong message about giving women permission to prioritise themselves, seek adventure, and embrace this stage of life with curiosity and courage.  Honest, funny and full of wisdom, this episode is a celebration of friendship, self-discovery and the many ways women can find joy as they grow older.

    1h 13m

  4. Apr 22

    Season 4, #9: Breeda Bermingham, Midlife Women Rock

    Breeda is a former Midwife and Community/Public Health Nurse who became interested in menopause in 2018 while completing a psychology degree. Realising how little she knew about this life stage, and how under-researched midlife women are, she went on to complete a master’s in 2020. Her dissertation, “Silence, Taboo and Midlife Women,” explored Irish women’s experiences of menopause, a topic long clouded by stigma. Breeda views menopause as a societal and cultural issue and believes that everyone, women, men, girls, and workplaces, needs better education. Having supported hundreds of women, she is convinced that education is the key to navigating this significant life stage. Her mantra is: educate, educate, educate, its life changing. Breeda is the author of the book Midlife Women Rock. She is now a sought-after speaker on menopause and midlife women, contributing to conferences and seminars across the UK and Ireland and helping to break the long-standing taboo. https://midlifewomenrockproject.com/ Instagram @midlifewomenrock  Breeda shares how her own menopause journey led her to question the silence, shame and negativity surrounding this life stage, and why education is so important in helping women understand what is happening to their bodies and minds.  Together, Joyce and Breeda discuss the need to challenge outdated narratives around ageing, the empty nest, retirement and invisibility, and instead encourage women to see midlife as a time to rediscover themselves, explore new passions and embrace freedom, purpose and growth. They also explore the practical side of thriving in midlife, including the importance of movement, strength, rest, social connection and self-care, as well as the reality that women’s experiences of perimenopause and menopause are not all the same. Breeda speaks honestly about HRT, why it can be life-changing for some women but is not the right choice for everyone, and the need to move beyond one-size-fits-all messaging. This is an uplifting and thoughtful conversation about courage, curiosity and finding joy in the years beyond fifty, with inspiring reflections on nature, adventure, health, happiness and what it really means to rock midlife.

    50 min

  5. Apr 8

    Season 4, #8: Jackie Lynch: Nutrition for a happy menopause

    S4, #8. Jackie Lynch: Nutrition for a happy menopause Jackie Lynch is an award-winning nutritionist, menopause specialist, author, and workshop facilitator. In 2010, she founded the WellWellWell nutrition clinic, specialising in women’s health and the menopause. Named the Menopause Nutrition Clinic of the Year 2020-21, Jackie is also the host of the lifestyle podcast The Happy Menopause, and is a successful author, and TV guest expert. She has appeared on programmes including Channel 4’s Superfoods. Jackie’s podcast was shortlisted for the 2021 and 2022 International Women’s Podcast Awards. She is the author of The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish, which was highly commended at the 2021 UK Health & Wellbeing Awards. And her latest book was published in 2025 - The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy: Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. https://www.well-well-well.co.uk/about/ @wellwellwellUK  In this episode, Joyce is joined by nutritionist Jackie Lynch to explore how food and lifestyle can support women through perimenopause, menopause and beyond. Jackie shares her own menopause journey, explains how stress shaped her symptoms, and describes why she became so passionate about menopause nutrition. They unpack why there is no true “quick fix” for menopause symptoms. Instead, they focus on practical, evidence-based steps such as getting the basics right with protein, fats and carbohydrates, supporting energy through balanced meals, and recognising the powerful effects of stress, self-care and good nutrition on physical and mental wellbeing. They also tackle some of the biggest myths and trends in women’s health, including the dangers of social media misinformation, the booming menopause supplement market, ultra-processed foods, sugar cravings, weight-loss jabs, smoothies, soya, and the fear-driven messaging around weight gain in midlife. Jackie offers a refreshingly realistic view of healthy ageing, emphasising that longevity is not just about living longer, but about extending health span through nourishing food, movement, sleep and stress reduction. The episode closes on a warm and inspiring note, with Jackie reflecting on ageing, adventure, happiness and the advice she would give her younger self: trust your instincts, try new things, and make the most of life.

    54 min

  6. Mar 25

    Season 4, #7: Amber Lort-Phillips: Feel good - your way

    The Big Retreat Festival Amber is the founder of The Big Retreat Festival, a four-day wellbeing and adventure festival set in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Since launching in 2018, the festival has grown into one of the UK’s most inspiring feel-good events, blending yoga, wild swimming, music, talks, food, nature, community and much more. Amber created The Big Retreat to offer people space to reset, reconnect and rediscover joy in a supportive, unpretentious environment.  https://www.thebigretreatfestival.com/ https://www.bigretreatcambridgeshire.com/ Instagram: @thebigretreatfestival  How can you improve your wellbeing? What is the best way for you to relax and reset? You may have tried yoga, sound baths, and meditation, but what other ways are there? In this podcast – Amber and Joyce give you some ideas of ways to do this.  The Big Retreat offers more than 300 events in a safe, welcoming space, so you can shape your own experience. It’s a brilliant place to try new wellbeing practices, meet like-minded people, and feel part of a supportive community — especially as around 20% of attendees come on their own.  Joyce and Amber did a research study with the festival-goers in 2025 to explore their experience of the festival and see what events improved their mental and physical health, decreased stress and increased happiness. Rated highly were the setting itself, the Feel Good Field, the yoga and soul space, the sense of community and the friendly atmosphere of the festival. 2026 will be the first year Amber organises two events – one in the traditional site in Pembrokeshire plus a new event in Cambridgeshire.

    49 min

  7. Mar 11

    Season 4, #6: Edele Andaya: Day Rave DJ: The Woman Behind the Decks

    Edele has been DJing for almost 20 years with an impressive resume to fit the bill. Her passion has always been Trance which she has played all over the UK, Europe and Internationally. In the UK she has played at Ministry of Sound, KOKO (formally Camden Palace), Passion, Studio 338, Lakota, The Custard Factory, The Plug, The End to name a few. Since 2020 she has been working with Graham Gold and Chris Bayne as one of iconic club Peach's residents.  Edele has become a cornerstone of the UK’s Trance community, delivering electrifying performances that embody the spirit of the genre. She is also making waves in the studio, with the release of her debut track 'First Promise'.  Instagram: @thisisedele Facebook: Edele Andaya Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/edele-andaya In this episode  Edele discussed how she fell in love with DJing as a teenager, taught herself on vinyl, and eventually found herself on the other side of the booth at iconic venues like Camden Palace (now KOKO). She explains what makes a great set (reading the room, feeding off the crowd), the reality of DJ nerves, and the joys and stresses of modern tech (USB back-ups, dark booths, and the occasional mishap). A big theme is the rise of the day rave: more energy, more connection, better sleep, and a safer journey home.  Edele also reflects on being a woman in a male-dominated scene, why line-ups still need a fairer split, and how raving, dancing, and community can be a genuine boost for mental health. Plus: cats, cups of tea after big gigs, and what’s next—new events (including XOYO in September) and new music in the studio this March.

    1h 6m

  8. Feb 25

    Season 4, #5: Joe Baynham: Relax and Reset: Breath Work, Cold Plunges and Saunas

    Joe is a breathwork teacher, Wim Hof Method Certified Instructor and assistant freediving coach. He is the founder of the Coggeshall Cold Water Dippers; a community group passionate about the benefits that cold water immersion can bring, whether that is out dipping in nature or in ice baths. In addition to teaching breathwork and guiding ice baths, Joe also runs a mobile “Finnish style” sauna which hosts weekly contrast therapy sessions.  Instagram: @a.matter.of.ice.and.breath  In this episode, Joyce speaks with Joe about three practical reset tools that can support mental health and day-to-day stress: breathwork, cold exposure (including cold water dipping/ice baths), and sauna. They explore how these practices can help you shift out of overwhelm, feel calmer in your body, and build resilience over time. Joe describes breathwork as a spectrum, from gentle awareness and slow belly breathing to more structured techniques such as box breathing. He explains that breath work is a simple, accessible tool you can use anywhere to help settle the nervous system. When getting into cold water, focusing on deep, steady breathing can also help regulate the body and ease the initial shock. Joe explains why sauna and cold dips complement each other, and why there is no set routine.  The conversation highlights consistency, safety, and enjoyment, as well as the underestimated value of doing these practices with others: community, connection, and a sense of play can be part of what makes the reset so powerful.  Here is a link to the guided walking meditation that Joe suggests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4aXWW2_zv4

    1h 29m
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About

Season 4 Joyce Harper is Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, author, public speaker, scientist and host of the podcast Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Together with expert guests and people with lived experience, this podcast offers practical tools to help you build a life of good health and happiness. www.joyceharper.com Instagram, TikTok: @profjoyceharper Facebook: Global Women Connected

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