The Middling Along podcast is for those of us navigating the Messy Middle bit of life - whether that is peri/menopause, the midlife collision of caring upward and downward, overwhelm, burnout, health challenges, and gendered ageism... Often, we find as women hitting a ‘certain point’ in life, that we are so used to people-pleasing, and making sure that everyone else is OK, and their needs are met, that we have lost touch with what we want, what we need, who we are… I started Middling Along with the aim of reclaiming my own ‘midlife’ and finding my happy.
Along the way we’ve covered stories of people starting new businesses, changing careers, and taking up new hobbies that have changed their lives forever.
We also cover topics such as peri/menopause, midlife wellbeing and positive aging.
Join us for a dose of inspiration - and make sure you spend your ’messy middle’ years thriving too!
All content for Middling Along is the property of Emma Thomas and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The Middling Along podcast is for those of us navigating the Messy Middle bit of life - whether that is peri/menopause, the midlife collision of caring upward and downward, overwhelm, burnout, health challenges, and gendered ageism... Often, we find as women hitting a ‘certain point’ in life, that we are so used to people-pleasing, and making sure that everyone else is OK, and their needs are met, that we have lost touch with what we want, what we need, who we are… I started Middling Along with the aim of reclaiming my own ‘midlife’ and finding my happy.
Along the way we’ve covered stories of people starting new businesses, changing careers, and taking up new hobbies that have changed their lives forever.
We also cover topics such as peri/menopause, midlife wellbeing and positive aging.
Join us for a dose of inspiration - and make sure you spend your ’messy middle’ years thriving too!
Dr Jackie Gray on the growing number of Carents and how her platform can support us
Middling Along
30 minutes
1 week ago
Dr Jackie Gray on the growing number of Carents and how her platform can support us
In this episode I chat with Dr. Jackie Gray about Carents, a UK-based platform she created to give a voice and practical support to unpaid adult carers — the large, often invisible group caring for ageing parents. Jackie shares how the platform started as an information site in 2020 and has evolved into a free, comprehensive hub offering legal guidance, NHS navigation, peer support, and proactive information delivery. The discussion covers the growing demand as the population ages, the emotional and practical burdens on carers, the impact on workplaces, and how Carents addresses these challenges through community, education, and collaboration with partners.
Carents began as an information website in 2020 to provide objective, non-commercial guidance for carers who were overwhelmed by sales-led options. It has expanded to include a thriving community, proactive information delivery (emails, e-booklets, webinars), and access to wider expertise, all offered for free.
The research highlights the distinctive challenges of caring for older adults at home, including managing two homes, long travel for care, and a substantial emotional load. In their ‘Carents in the Workplace’ study, 71% of respondents reduced hours, changed roles, or left work due to caregiving responsibilities, underscoring the economic and personal impact.
National data show about 60% of carers are women (40% men), with women often taking on the heavier, more time-consuming tasks. Increasingly, caregivers juggle multiple generations (so-called ‘club sandwich carers’), menopause-related health issues, and retirement/pension implications—creating long-term health and financial inequality. There are currently 1.5 million sandwich carers in the UK.
The number of adults aged over 85 is projected to DOUBLE over the next 15 years - putting additional strain on the NHS, social care, individuals and families.
Carents is free to access, offering both peer support and practical resources (legal basics, care service selection, dementia info, arthritis care, etc.). In five years the platform has grown to 7,000+ community members and 55,000+ email subscribers.
Jackie continues to push for systemic improvements in how society, workplaces, and services recognize and support carers, including workplace rights and flexible arrangements.
Visit carents.co.uk to access information, join the community, or participate in events and webinars.
You can also reach Jackie at hello@carents.co.uk
If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.
You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org / www.managingthemenpause.com / www.holdingupthesky.com
connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/
follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/
or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/
Middling Along
The Middling Along podcast is for those of us navigating the Messy Middle bit of life - whether that is peri/menopause, the midlife collision of caring upward and downward, overwhelm, burnout, health challenges, and gendered ageism... Often, we find as women hitting a ‘certain point’ in life, that we are so used to people-pleasing, and making sure that everyone else is OK, and their needs are met, that we have lost touch with what we want, what we need, who we are… I started Middling Along with the aim of reclaiming my own ‘midlife’ and finding my happy.
Along the way we’ve covered stories of people starting new businesses, changing careers, and taking up new hobbies that have changed their lives forever.
We also cover topics such as peri/menopause, midlife wellbeing and positive aging.
Join us for a dose of inspiration - and make sure you spend your ’messy middle’ years thriving too!
