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Standard Issue Podcast

Poorna Bell wants more

Standard Issue Podcast

Standard Issue

Society & Culture

4.71.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When she turned 40, journalist and author Poorna Bell decided she’d had enough of being told her best years were behind her – not least because she was seeing so many older women absolutely killing it in their various and varied arenas. With that in mind she set about looking at the rules set for women by society, questioning how and why they’d come to be, which in turn became the basis for her new book: She Wanted More: Reimagine your future and live by your rules. Jen chats to Poorna about why society writes off older women, our fears around ageing, and the art of not giving a shit. Want to support us and enjoy additionalcontent? Of course you do. And you can: patreon.com/standardissue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Want to make a difference in your community, but not sure how.

0:03.1

Go to gofundme.com right now and start a GoFundMe.

0:07.3

Seriously, your next fundraiser doesn't have to start in a school hall or a church.

0:12.0

You can start a GoFundMe today in just minutes.

0:15.1

Fundraise for yourself, a friend or family member or a charity.

0:18.8

All that matters is that you care about them. GoFundMe is the

0:22.4

trusted place to fundraise for what you care about. With no pressure to hit your fundraising goal,

0:28.1

but tons of tools to help you reach it, you can confidently start fundraising right now. Whether it's

0:34.1

creative, local or critical, your cause matters. There's a reason why GoFundMe is backed by millions and chosen by fundraisers everywhere. It works and it matters. GoFundMe helps you make a real difference. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com. That's gofundme.com. G-O-F-U-N-D-M-E.com. This is a commercial message brought to you by GoFundMe.

1:00.5

Standard Issue for all women. Hello, Jen here to tell you all about today's podcast and welcome you to a new week here at Standard Issue.

1:08.4

Before I do that, let me tell you all about what else we've

1:11.8

got coming up this week. Tomorrow we're rating or dating 1996's lone star. Are we finally about

1:19.1

to agree with Peter Bradshaw on something? On Thursday, Mick and I will be taking a deep dive into

1:25.0

the week's hot news stories in the Bush Telegraph.

1:32.7

And on Friday, resident film Bafiosra Osman returns to chat with Mick and Hannah about icewear in a brand new episode of Flicking. Look at us, being all accidentally topical.

1:38.6

But back to today, as she turned 40, journalist and author Pornabelle was a bit over being told that her best years were behind her,

1:46.9

not least because large parts of her 20s and 30s definitely hadn't felt that way, and when she was

1:52.7

seen so many women older than her years, absolutely killing it in their various arenas.

1:58.6

With that in mind, she set about looking at the rules set for women

2:01.9

by society, questioning how and why they'd come to be. I chat to Pornah about her new book,

2:08.2

she wanted more, reimagined your future and live life by your rules, why we're writing older

2:13.1

women off, and how we can reclaim our own futures. If you're a £5 or above Patreon as ever,

...

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