Melissa Jane Doyle needs no introduction in most circles, being a celebrated Australian television presenter from Sunrise, author, journalist and most recently, a podcaster.

Mel's latest project, the podcast Age Against the Machine is where she tackles the taboo topic of ageing women with her friend Naima Brown and special guests.

The 51-year-old mother-of-two said she started the podcast to probe why some women start to feel “invisible” as they get older.

“In a workplace when a major company is downsizing, it’s women over 50 that’s the first group to go, the fastest group of homelessness in Australia is women over 50, women retire with just over half of the superannuation as men,” she pointed out.

“We were fascinated to find out why does this happen to women as they get older and what are the things we can potentially do to change the conversation and raise a little awareness.”

So she connects with women from different cultures to learn about how growing older can mean forging deeper connections (New Zealand), getting more power (Ghana), more opportunities (Finland) and sometimes more plastic surgery (South Korea). They discuss everything from menopause to sex, political representation to financial security. They find out how to Age Against the Machine.

This podcast is incredibly relevant, speaking of topics generally not spoken about in many circles of women which makes it even more important, bringing another evolving stage of life into the light as something to celebrate, not commiserate.

We are very lucky to have Mel come online and join us to discuss the podcast and also her own journey around this subject.

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Listen to Mel's Podcast on Audible - if you don't have the app yet, it's available on both IOS & Andriod AND there's a 30-day free trial!