Standard Issue Podcast

Last year, actor, author, life coach and professional mad woman (she co-hosts the Women Are Mad podcast with psychotherapist Jennifer Cox) Salima Saxton got ill. Obviously she started a Substack about it and Bad Patient – in which she writes about being ill with raw honesty, humour, insight and on her own terms – was born. Salima chats to our Mick about illness: how we perceive it, how we talk about it, how we don’t have to meet other people’s expectations when dealing with it and how it can change our perspective on, well, everything. Also, bonus chat: tricky dads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An injury in her early 40s, and a long period of chronic pain that followed, made Wendy Welpton think about how she was moving. Now a movement coach, founder of Reclaim Movement, and a podcast host, she’s also written a book – Move Well For Life: Unlock The Life-Changing Power of Everyday Movement – aimed at getting others to do the same. Jen chats to Wendy about why movement should trump exercise, why it’s so important for people in midlife to move more and move better, and why she really really wants you to get on the floor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the best book we read this year? Or the best play we saw? We're talking about that, plus our favorite TV, events, sport, music, comedy and interviews of 2025, as we wave goodbye to a year that's been, well, how would we describe it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adventure, nostalgia, trains, Cribbens and three elderly children posher than a lobster in a cravat: HOW JOLLY! Lionel Jeffries’ period piece based on E Nesbit’s 1906 book is a wholesome slice of classic British cinema, but what will filthy commoners Mick, Hannah and Jen make of it? And how will it go down with our resident five year old? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Swale is a busy woman, so Hannah was surprised to discover the writer and director did have the time for a chat about some of her latest projects. They cover getting the tone right for Paddington: The Musical, working with children and dogs in Amazon's new Christmas film Merv, and Jessica's new book aimed at making sure we can all have A Year of Creative Thinking. Find out more about supporting Standard Issue here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working in the 17th century gothic library at St John's College puts Tanya Kirk in an ideal position to talk about book-based ghost stories. She's just edited the latest in a series of short story collections - The Haunted Library: Tales of Cursed Books and Forbidden Shelves - so Hannah got on the Zoom to chat about why old books are spooky, why Christmas is a rich source of ghost stories, and the white gloves myth. Tanya's latest book is available here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-haunted-library/tanya-kirk/9780712355292 * You can support Standard Issue here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Benjamin’s coming-of-age comedy-drama has a (sort of) dream cast, but how much will Jen, Hannah and Mick love central character Mrs Flax? Does the character even matter when she’s played by Cher? And can we get over a ropey age-gap and a real lack of DIY prep to allow Mermaids to shoop-shoop into our hearts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Padel might well be one of the fastest growing sports in the world, right now, but what exactly is it? And how is it different to tennis, squash, or pickleball? Jen wanted to find out more, so she got on the Zoom with Alex Brodie, PR and sponsorship manager at UK Padel, one of the UK’s leading tournament organisers in the sport, to chat about the who, what and where of the game – and why it’s so good for women and girls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s bring some cheer to the end of the year with Dr Suze Kundu – that’s right NASA’s Dr Suze Kundu. She and Mick* debunk some bad science, celebrate some impactful and robust research and tech, and create some positive associations with the work of millions. With added Katy Perry and a plea to outer space-related height restrictions.  *mostly Suze, to be fair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just five per cent of people with a learning difference are in paid work, something highlighted by the recent case of Tom Boyd, who was let go by Morrisons after his family asked that he be paid for his work. That case spurred Liz Warner, a former CEO of Comic Relief, into action. Because the same thing had happened to her son and, we can all agree, needs to stop happening. Liz is launching a new initiative in the new year aimed to double the amount of people with a learning difference in paid work, so Hannah got on the Zoom to find out more. You can find out more about The Different Kind here: https://thedifferentkind.com More information on how to support Standard Issue is here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices