Two friends in their 50s have launched a podcast for midlife women who do not consider themselves over the hill yet.
Melinda Salmond and Tricia Gordon’s Don’t Give a Fifty kicked off on August 23 and was number six in the self-improvement category of the Australian charts after only its second episode.
With lines like “old is gold,” and “if you’re ripe you’re rotten, if you’re green you’re growing,” the women are keen to inspire, inform, encourage and motivate midlife women.
“We both love having a conversation, but it was something we thought could help women feel better about their lot in life and what they are going through,” said Trish.
Mel and Trish, who both went to Maroochydore High, have been friends for 35 years and are well known on the Coast.
Over the years, Mel, the sister of ironman legend Grant Kenny, has worked as a high school English and humanities teacher, fashion blogger and stylist, and Trish has worked in promotions and marketing.
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The idea for a podcast caught Mel’s attention when, after a bad year, she undertook a start-up course with digital media entrepreneur Mia Freedman.
A mutual friend suggested that she and Trish would be a great podcast pair so she approached her old mate.
Trish was facing a virtual empty nest on a farm at Hatton Vale, in the Lockyer Valley, and as a big podcast consumer, was immediately interested.
“I always said over the years that I would love to do something again but I didn’t want to just do a job,” she said.
“If a project was going to take up my spare time, I wanted it to be something creative and something that had passion.”
The pair work up podcast ideas, talk on the phone every day, do their research at home, and then meet in a studio at Sippy Downs fortnightly to record the podcasts with Dave Matthews, of Podspot.
“It’s a steep learning curve,” said Trish, before Mel corrected: “Learning vertical.”
The podcast speaks to a group of women that both Mel and Trish feel are forgotten — women who are in a transitional phase of life.
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Mel said women of past generations were often grandmothers by their mid-50s which may have influenced society’s notion of middle-age.
“I reject the idea that I’m invisible,” she said.
She said mid-life women had life experience, were capable of contributing to society, and had every intention of living their lives as fully as possible.
Trish said Baby Boomers and Generation X were re-shaping society’s idea of mid-life and that was reflected in the podcast.
“This is part of the evolution of women. We are going to be heard,” said Trish.
She and Mel will use feedback for story ideas and plan on having other women, both well-known and not, on the podcast to tell their stories.
They will also tap into their own networks.
“We also have our conversations with our 50-ish friends — what upsets them, what they need to hear more about, what we are talking about in everyday stuff,” she said.
If Don’t Give a Fifty goes so well that Mel and Trish are still podcasting beyond their 50s, they are not worried.
“I have no problem with Don’t give a 60, Don’t give a 70,” said Trish.
To check out the podcast go to www.thepodspot.com.au/podcasts/brushy-2-5-2/
