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The Shift with Sam Baker

Clare Grogan on the superpower that helped her survive her most difficult decade

The Shift with Sam Baker

Sam Baker Ltd

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.8525 Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2022

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I can’t remember the first time I met my friend Clare Grogan. But like many Gen-Xers, I remember the first time I saw her in the cult movie Gregory’s Girl, and then, later the same year, on Top of the Pops with Altered Images, performing the band’s top 10 hits Happy Birthday and I Could Be Happy. (I have a bit of a soft spot for that last one.) Still in her teens, she was living a life the rest of us could only dream of. Until, at 25, with three top ten albums under her belt, she left it all behind so she could, as she puts it, “feel where I came from again”. Since then she has had countless presenting and acting roles in everything from Eastenders to Skins. And now, 38 years after her last outing!, she’s back with a new Altered Images album Mascara Streakz. Clare zoomed in to talk about deciding where you want to go in life, doing every show like it might be your last and being back on the road at 60. We discussed the unexpected impact of her daughter hitting the age she was when Altered Images hit the big time, her “difficult 40s” and why it’s never too late to start a band. *Mascara Streakz is released on 26 August.* * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at Bookshop.org, including the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me! * And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including transcripts of the podcast, please join The Shift community. Find out more at https://steadyhq.com/en/theshift/ • The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Emily Sandford. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is a paid message from GoFundMe.

0:02.9

My name is Ashley Kane.

0:04.6

I'm the daddy of a little girl in heaven and a father to two boys on earth.

0:09.9

I've got an incredible relationship with GoFundMe, both personally and via our daughter's foundation, the Azalea Foundation.

0:17.4

GoFundMe has allowed me, the foundation, and thousands of people out there to give hope to others in need.

0:25.5

You'd actually be surprised how many people out there are willing to show love and support you in your time of need.

0:33.3

My advice for anyone that needs to stop a GoFundMe would be do it.

0:38.6

You don't need to feel shame.

0:40.1

You don't need to feel guilt.

0:41.3

You don't need to feel embarrassment.

0:43.1

If you need GoFundMe, use GoFundMe.

0:46.8

Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com.

0:50.7

That's gofundme.com.

0:56.7

This message reflects one. That's go fund me.com. G-O-F-U-N-D-M-E.com.

0:59.8

This message reflects one person's experience.

1:02.4

Hello, it's me, Sam Baker.

1:07.5

And before we go on with the show, I want to tell you about an exciting new initiative coming from the shift.

1:11.3

Many of you have asked how you can support the podcast further and get more shift into the bargain. Well, now you have the opportunity to do just that by joining the shift

1:16.1

community. You can go to study.comedia forward slash the shift and become a member of the shift.

1:22.4

In return for supporting the podcast, you'll receive exclusive weekly newsletters, community membership,

1:28.5

and plenty of other perks aimed at bringing us all closer together. That's steady.media

1:33.3

forward slash the shift.

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