When the f**k did I become old?

About This Episode
By 2050, 2.1 billion people on Earth will be over 60. That is one in four humans globally, and one in three in Europe and North America. So what does that actually mean for how we live, how we are perceived, and how brands are (badly) trying to sell to us? In this episode we dig into some genuinely surprising survey data on aging stereotypes, generational attitudes, and the enormous economic power that the over-55 cohort holds -- power that marketers are largely still failing to tap into.
Key Takeaways
Every generation thinks "old" starts just far enough away from their current age to feel safe -- Gen Z puts it at 61, boomers put it at 72
Boomers are statistically more progressive on gender roles and trans rights than Gen Z males, which runs completely counter to the narrative we are fed
Only 8% of global ads feature a mature adult in a primary role, and when they do, it tends to be elasticated trousers, funeral plans, or Saga cruises
Over-55s are highly brand loyal and driven by quality, customer service, and peer reviews -- not advertising
The silver economy is worth $330 billion now and heading to $680 billion by 2035, yet brands are still largely ignoring it
Retirement is no longer a single life stage -- researchers are now segmenting older adults into four behavioural tribes: Simple Contentment, Strivers, Strugglers, and Chill Indulgence
Timestamps
00:09 – Opening stat: 2.1 billion people over 60 by 2050
00:45 – When did you first think someone was "old"? And when do you think it starts now?
03:30 – The Ipsos Attitudes to Aging survey: 24,000 people, 32 countries, and what each generation actually said
05:30 – Millennials think old age starts at 65; Gen Z puts it at 61
06:30 – No age is too old to get married or start a degree -- what the data says about perceived capability
08:00 – What would you still be doing at 80? Driving, mobility, and why stopping the car shrinks your world
11:56 – Exercising into your 80s and what functional fitness actually looks like
13:00 – The Silver Marketing Association survey and a preview of their July report
14:20 – AI and technology: older adults are less scared of it than younger generations
15:30 – The gender roles surprise: boomers more supportive of stay-at-home dads than Gen Z males
18:40 – The Andrew Tate manosphere effect and what it might be doing to Gen Z survey data
20:00 – If you had to work until 70, what would you do? (Record shop gets a mention)
22:30 – The silver economy: $330 billion now, $680 billion by 2035
24:42 – The midlife men and brands survey: how over-55 males actually make purchasing decisions
27:03 – Only 1.5% of TV characters are over 65, and 92% of ads cast younger adults
29:26 – Brand loyalty, what makes men switch, and why customer service matters so much
31:47 – Why retirement is no longer one life stage and age is a poor segmentation tool
33:30 – The four tribes of the silver economy: Simple Contentment, Strivers, Strugglers, and Chill Indulgence -- which one are you?

https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-generations-report-2025

https://www.ipsos.com/en/golden-years-golden-opportunities

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/ipsos-ai-monitor-2024

Jo sits down with entrepreneur and behavioural intelligence expert Daniel Akutt, who just a year ago was exhausted, foggy, and feeling like life was passing him by. He shares the turning point that changed everything, and reveals the tool he is building with us to help people stop drowning in health information and start making decisions that actually work for them.
Key Takeaways
Chronic stress can masquerade as hormonal or age-related decline. Brain fog, physical fatigue, and poor sleep are often signs of years of accumulated stress rather than simply getting older.
Nobody is coming to save you. Change only happened for Daniel when he stopped waiting and started creating the conditions for it, beginning with a spontaneous 30-minute meditation in Bali inspired by Dr Joe Dispenza.
The world does not have an information problem, it has an understanding problem. We are bombarded constantly, but rarely given tools to filter what is actually relevant to us personally.
Social media is not relaxation. Scrolling feels passive but it is controlled, addictive, and designed to keep you buying. Becoming conscious of that is the first step to taking back control.
Personality shapes your health journey. Two people given the same health plan will get different results if it does not account for how they individually think, make decisions, and stay motivated.
We are building a diagnostic tool together rooted in behavioural intelligence that creates a personalised health roadmap based on who you are, not just what you should do.
Meditation gave Daniel the answer to a business problem he could not crack logically. Quieting the mind creates space for solutions that thinking harder never will.
Timestamps
00:09 Introduction and how Daniel felt a year ago
01:15 Chronic stress, brain fog and waking up exhausted
02:30 Realising nobody is coming to save you
04:41 The Bali moment and discovering Dr Joe Dispenza
06:10 Jo's experience at a Joe Dispenza retreat in Dallas
08:00 Heart rate, measurement and the value of meditation
09:30 The world's information problem vs understanding problem
11:00 How social media controls what you see and why
13:00 Introducing profiletest.ai and behavioural intelligence
16:30 The frightening reality of ill health in later life
17:15 The diagnostic tool we are building together
21:00 Why personalised pathways beat generic advice
24:00 Measuring progress and predicting outcomes over time
26:30 Social media as false relaxation and the dopamine trap
29:00 How meditation unlocked a major business breakthrough
31:00 What is coming next and where to follow the podcast

Episode: South of France Special | Part One
About This Episode
We are officially in pre-holiday mode and could not be more excited. In this episode, we walk you through our upcoming three-stage South of France adventure — a proper bucket list trip involving an Aston Martin, a Harley Davidson, lavender fields, Michelin-level dining, and a villa with views that go both ways across the peninsula. We cover the full itinerary, the five things we are each most looking forward to, and the challenges (some of them genuinely stressful) we have had to navigate just to get here.
Key Takeaways
Sometimes you have to stop waiting for the "right time" and just do the thing — especially when funerals start reminding you that rainy days are not guaranteed
Packing for three completely different modes of travel (sports car, motorbike, villa) in one trip is a logistical challenge nobody warns you about
A golf ball through the rear window of an Aston Martin, handled by the wrong windscreen company, can spiral into a two-month ordeal and a Skoda Fabia as a courtesy car
The "I've got nothing to wear" crisis hits differently when your entire wardrobe has to fit in a motorcycle pannier
Taking your partner to places you have only ever been to with your mates is both exciting and slightly terrifying
Timestamps
00:10 – Introduction and why we are calling this Part One
00:45 – The three-stage holiday overview: Aston Martin road trip, Harley Davidson tour, villa wind-down
01:30 – Bucket list thinking: do it now before the runway runs out
02:32 – Full itinerary breakdown: Folkestone to Burgundy, Provence, Gorges du Verdon, lavender fields, Isle sur la Sorgue, Bandol, and the villa near Saint-Tropez
09:33 – Day one detail: the Eurotunnel, EES nerves, and the long haul south
12:01 – First day on the Harley: Whispering Angel vineyard, Gorges du Verdon, and 38-degree heat in bike gear
16:39 – Call to action: please like, follow, subscribe and share
17:30 – Top five things we are each most looking forward to: meals, unique activities, places, views, surprises, and the wind-down
23:34 – Chateau de la Massadier, Matsuhisa restaurant, and why this venue is about to be very famous (White Lotus fans, take note)
26:00 – The Chateau Leoub discovery: Daylesford, a coffee table book, and a beach club lunch that became a must-do
29:00 – Pre-holiday wardrobe crises, packing in miniature, and the bikini vs swimsuit debate
32:59 – The golf ball incident: how a shattered rear window nearly derailed the entire trip
35:30 – Wrap-up and what to expect in Part Two when we report back on whether it all lived up to the hype

Glastonbury is on a fallow year, so we take a trip down memory lane through the festivals and venues that shaped our musical lives. We also visit the V&A's new exhibition on lost music venues, which turns out to be more bittersweet than expected.
Key Takeaways
25% of late night venues in the UK closed between 2020 and 2025, largely in the wake of COVID
The V&A's Lost Music Venues exhibition (on until summer 2027, second floor) celebrates 50 significant UK venues that are gone forever
Several iconic London venues including the Astoria, LA2 and the Borderline were lost to the Elizabeth line development
Festival lineups from the late 90s and early 2000s were genuinely extraordinary compared to today
The Somerset area around Frome, Bruton and Pilton is seeing a revival of smaller, intimate gig venues
The best way to do a festival? Five-star hotel or a rock star motorhome. Camping is optional.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction: Glastonbury's fallow year explained
02:32 - The V&A Lost Music Venues exhibition
03:30 - The Astoria, Borderline and venues lost to the Elizabeth line
04:00 - Brixton Academy, Simon Parkes and being filmed in a Frankie Goes to Hollywood video
08:00 - Sydney in the 80s: intimate venues and celebrity encounters
10:30 - Hammersmith Palais and Knebworth 1986 (Queen, Big Country, Status Quo)
13:00 - Glastonbury 1987: sneaking in through farmers' fields, a police roadblock and a friend who later became a vicar
19:00 - V Festival 1997: an insane two-day lineup and a snoring tent companion
21:00 - Rock en Seine, Paris: the bougie festival experience done right
25:30 - V Festival 2002 stag do: Fatboy Slim and Zoe Ball's Glastonbury motorhome
29:30 - Reading Festival 2002: one song into the Foo Fighters and a tactical retreat
33:00 - The Somerset venue revival and upcoming Jo Whiley gig in Frome

What are we watching this summer? We break down four upcoming and current series worth getting excited about, all featuring actors squarely in our generation, and all landing on streaming platforms between now and autumn.

Key Takeaways
Rivals (Disney+) is the nostalgic 80s romp we didn't know we needed, with a killer soundtrack and a Waitrose food collab to match
Alice and Steve (Disney+) tackles age gap relationships with award-winning credentials before it even lands
Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV+) is back with a feel-good twist, this time centred around a women's squad
Ride or Die (Amazon Prime, 15 July) sees Hannah Waddingham go full action hero, and it sparked a streaming platform bidding war

Timestamps
00:09 - Introduction and what inspired today's episode
01:00 - Rivals (Disney+): overview, cast and 80s nostalgia
05:00 - The Rivals soundtrack, brand partnerships and Waitrose collab
07:30 - Characters we love in Rivals, fashions we did (and didn't) wear
11:30 - Alice and Steve (Disney+): plot, cast and why we're excited
14:00 - Who is Jermaine Clement? Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows
16:30 - Age gap relationships and why this show goes there
17:30 - Please like, follow and subscribe! And tell us what you're watching
18:10 - Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV+): the women's squad twist, cast and big unanswered questions
22:30 - Ride or Die (Amazon Prime): Hannah Waddingham as an international spy, Bill Nighy guest stars, out 15 July

If there is a series you think we have missed, drop us a message and tell us what you are watching and why you love it. Find us on Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Audible and YouTube.