Begin Again Moments: Ageing Disgracefully | Trinny Woodall & Prue Leith

In this joyful episode of Begin Again Moments, Trinny Woodall and Prue Leith challenge everything we're told about getting older. In two inspiring conversations, they share why ageing shouldn't mean becoming quieter, safer or less ambitious and why they both intend to grow old disgracefully. From embracing confidence and taking risks to continuing to work, create and have fun, they prove that getting older can be about gaining freedom rather than losing it. A celebration of ageing boldly, living fully and refusing to let a number define what comes next. To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Ancient + Brave - https://ancientandbrave.earth/pages/planet and use code BEGINAGAIN for 20% off your order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

• 0:00Speaker 00

  When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset. And new pieces from Lululemon's Fall Drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines. As your calendar fills, easy-to-layer styles meet the demands of your day. And as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon Fall Lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence, whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over. Check out the latest arrivals in-store and on lululemon.com now.

• 0:30Speaker 01

  Healthy-looking skin is anti-aging in the...

• 0:33Speaker 02

  Don't say the word "anti-aging."

• 0:34Speaker 01

  Oh, go on, tell me, what do I say?

• 0:36Speaker 02

  I wouldn't say "pro-aging" either. I would just say, I think...

• 0:41Speaker 01

  Euthifying.

• 0:42Speaker 02

  It's the perception, no.

• 0:43Speaker 01

  Oh, yes, that we shouldn't want to look younger. Is that what you're saying?

• 0:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, because I think... I have these people on social who might say, "Oh, why can't you age gracefully?" Because I put a lot of effort into being well, you and I, fitness, supplements, skin, everything, all right? So I think it's about... I think it's actually more to do with menopause. Because I feel that we have been many years where, you know, we didn't talk about menopause, then we talked about menopause. I went into menopause 17 years ago, so I've been researching it for a long time. But I do believe in it, that our bodies traditionally would be a certain age, at 14 or fertile, have babies, then hit menopause, and then slowly die.

• 1:31Speaker 02

  Because all of those hormones are coming out of your system, and you will age, you will accelerate your aging. Men, slightly different, but you know, they have andropause. But the idea for me is, should I go against that natural biological determination? Fuck yes. And should I have all the estrogen, testosterone, progesterone until I'm in my cavern? Absolutely. There's receptors all over my body, so I should. It's not just in my ovaries. And will it make me have more energy and life and vitality? Yes. And therefore, do I want my skin to look good?

• 2:07Speaker 02

  And do I want to feel that total physical, attitudinal, and aesthetic energy? So that's why, for me, all of these things are important, you know?

• 2:20Speaker 01

  And I think that's the important thing that you've just said. That's why all of these things, for me, are important. But if the lady who's writing in going, "Why don't you grow gracefully?" If that's what you want to do, then you do it, and we will stand here going, "Well done."

• 2:34Speaker 02

  But you see, I don't believe that.

• 2:36Speaker 01

  Oh, you don't?

• 2:37Speaker 02

  I mean, the thing is like...

• 2:38Speaker 01

  Trinity, I love this!

• 2:39Speaker 02

  Okay, Mel Robbins is like, "Let them."

• 2:41Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:42Speaker 02

  I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that.

• 2:48Speaker 01

  Oh, my God!

• 2:49Speaker 02

  So I'll tell you what I feel about this, just for a second, for the perspective. So I did actually go and listen to Mel Robbins, and I even read her book and stuff. But, and I think she has a podcast with some really good guests on it.

• 3:03Speaker 01

  She is an amazing person. She's a good woman who wants to do good in the world.

• 3:06Speaker 02

  But this concept, "Let them," is an interesting one, because it's sort of, we can drive ourselves to torturous illness by trying to control situations. And therefore, "Let them" is to release in yourself that sense and that need to control.

• 3:24Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 3:24Speaker 02

  Okay, so I 100% get that. And it's like with our children, everything, we can just let go. But I think, when I see women who comment negatively, it reminds me of when Susannah and I did What Not to Wear, and we were in situations where, Sonny's, we had a whole load of people to choose from. I always know, because I have a little, I am slightly psychic, of knowing who was the most challenging person in the room for me to makeover, who needed it the most. I always knew who that person was. And when I read my DMs, and sometimes I go from primary to general, to the weird requests, where I'll always look there, because there's somebody who always wants to get in touch.

• 4:08Speaker 02

  And I feel sometimes, when I scroll through, and I'll open the 50th, and there's thousands that will come in, there's a reason that my finger will click on that. So if I then see a woman saying, "Oh, why can't you old-age gracefully?" I actually write back, and I say, "I want you to ask yourself what triggered in you when you saw that? And ask yourself what makes you feel uncomfortable about what you see, and why? Because you need to ask yourself that." And that's the messages I leave. And I'd never do it on the public Instagram, because I think that's insulting. But I will do it on a DM.

• 4:53Speaker 02

  Because I do feel, or like, even at the weekend, somebody did a, one that I screen grabbed, actually, but I was wearing a plastic belt. And I loved it, it brought me such joy. And it was so obvious when I was putting it on, this weird, big, peplum belt, that I loved, I'd seen on social, "That's mad." But that would challenge me. Challenge how I dress, you know? I love to continue to be challenged. And this woman said, "I mean, that was just clickbaity, and you have responsibility to women, and it was a disservice to women of what you did." I mean, it was so aggressive. And I wrote back, and I said, "I dress to bring myself joy." So what did you find difficult? You know, it's about what you find difficult.

• 5:36Speaker 02

  And I took her name away, put a little cloud there, and I posted it on my stories. Because I wanted her to see it. I didn't want to reveal who she was, but I wanted her to see it. And I, I've never done that before. And I don't know if I would do it again, because I think it's something that should be private. Somebody's DM'd you privately, but they, but they wrote those words for a reason. And sometimes, we, it's much easier for us to leave well alone the people who we feel are tormented in life. But I have a fucking beacon towards them, and it's for a reason. And I will know that in some instances, I might shift somebody's perception of themselves, or make them look at something that they found challenging to look at. And that's a part of the reason I'm here.

• 6:22Speaker 01

  Every single woman that I talk to, I was going, I'm interviewing Prue Leith, they'd all be like, "Oh, my God, she makes like..." And I hope you don't mind me using the phrase, like, "getting older, okay." Like, you are flying the flag. I look at you, and I go, "Oh, it's, it's gonna be okay."

• 6:40Speaker 03

  Absolutely.

• 6:41Speaker 01

  Like, you are so happy. Oh, yes.

• 6:43Speaker 03

  Now, I want to read the dedication. We've got a lot of grandchildren between us, John and me, so it's to, for our grandchildren, Hugo, Harry, Malachi, Scarlett, Gabriel, Grace, Roman, Max, Alexander, Teddy, and Bertie.

• 7:00Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 7:01Speaker 03

  And the most important is, who need to know that getting old is not as gross as they think? You know, children think that old people are so gross.

• 7:12Speaker 01

  Yes, yes. But you are giving, not just children, but everybody, hope for the future. And this is, I mean, I may as well just reference this now, because this is what this book actually is all about. It's like, how do you do it? Being old and learning to love it.

• 7:33Speaker 03

  I didn't write it as a manual. I didn't write it, I didn't set out to say, you know, "This is the best way to get old," or "the only way to get old," or something. But I just wrote about various aspects of age. There are lots of rants in it, but my main thing is the joys of old age, and the hilarity, you know? Things like, you know, I suppose it's a bit, a lot of people will think that I shouldn't laugh at people who are senile. But my mom was senile for 20 years. And to be honest, senility is fine for the person who's crackers. They're away with the fairies, they're as happy as Larry. It's the queers who have the hard time.

• 8:16Speaker 03

  And I mean, we had hilarious moments with my mother. For example, she, she was vegetarian, she'd been vegetarian all her life, or a long time, since I was a child. And when she turned 80, we, my brothers and I took her out to lunch, to a restaurant we'd often been to, because it had a separate vegetarian menu, but it also had steak and stuff. Because my brother's a great carnivore. So I asked for the vegetarian menu, and I gave it to my mom. And she looks at it, she says, "This is all vegetarian." So I said, "Yeah, Mom, you're vegetarian." She said, "Oh, greenies, sandals, lot, I have nothing to do with them. Terrible people, I don't want..."

• 8:59Speaker 01

  She'd forgotten she was vegetarian.

• 9:00Speaker 03

  Completely forgotten she was vegetarian. Just overnight, she'd forgotten, she'd been eating veg the day before. And so I said, "You have been a vegetarian for 40 years." She said, "Absolutely nonsense, give me a steak." So she had a steak, enjoyed it.

• 9:15Speaker 01

  Wow, isn't that so funny?

• 9:19Speaker 03

  It's hilarious.

• 9:21Speaker 00

  When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset. And new pieces from Lululemon's Fall Drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines. As your calendar fills, easy-to-layer styles meet the demands of your day. And as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon Fall Lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence, whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over. Check out the latest arrivals in-store and on lululemon.com now.