Mel Giedroyc and AJ Odudu on Body Confidence, Midlife Reinvention and Female Friendship

Welcome to the FIRST EVER How To Fail Roundtable - a format we enjoyed so much we might just keep it. Today, Elizabeth is joined by broadcaster, actor, author and comedian Mel Giedroyc, and presenting powerhouse AJ Odudu for a candid conversation about body confidence, midlife reinvention and self-acceptance. Brought to you by Dove Whole Body Deodorant, they discuss navigating public scrutiny, aging, personal experiences of the menopause and the importance of friendship. 

Together, they explore how honesty, resilience and everyday rituals can help us feel more confident and comfortable in our own skin.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 

00:00 Intro

02:39 Mel on body confidence

05:50 AJ on self appreciation

06:53 Freshness and shoot day hacks

09:08 Mel career and live TV

11:46 Screen scrutiny and representation

18:05 Midlife reinvention begins

22:15 The Power of Invisibility

23:51 Slowing Down to Go Deeper

24:58 AJ on Reinvention and Grief

27:32 Daily Rituals as Survival

28:45 Perimenopause Reality Check

30:47 HRT and Finding Relief

33:46 Owning ‘No’ and the Crone Era

35:42 Women Supporting Women Finale

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

Mel: Body confidence, to me, is literally getting closer to the mirror.

AJ: We don't worship ourselves and honour our bodies in the way that we should. 

Elizabeth: Everything is data acquisition about the thing that went wrong… you can do better next time or make different choices.

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

• Dove Whole Body Deodorant: www.dove.com/uk/collections/whole-body.html
• Join the How To Fail community: www.howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
• Elizabeth’s Substack: www.theelizabethday.substack.com

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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan  

Engineer: Matias Torres

Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson

Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot

Executive Producer: Alex Lawless

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