Life on the B Side
Life on the B Side is where the raw, real, and often humorous side of Gen X life gets talked about. Hosted by Maria, this podcast dives into the ups and downs of being a grown-up whose A Side played out in the 90s. With a mix of personal stories, (mildly questionable) advice, and reflections on how life has changed since the 80s and 90s, tune in for stories that resonate with anyone who’s walked the line between cassette tapes and smartphones. If we learned anything from B sides, it’s this: don’t underestimate them. You might just find a hidden gem, and they’re always worth a listen.
Episodes
It's a bit of a stretch to say that there are life lessons to be found in foam parties and champagne diving in the Med. But as I've had cause to think about the holidays I took in my twenties, I thought there MUST be something in those escapades, something that is more than just memories of questionable decisions, cheap cocktails and painful sunburn.
And I am I the only one dreading the sound of that Saga Holiday brochure hitting t...
Need some life coaching? Best place to start? Classic 1980s John Hughes films…
What does a day off with Ferris Bueller have to do with how we see our own lives?
Quite a lot, actually. In this episode of Life on the B Side, I explore the power of perspective — from standing high above Newcastle at Grey’s Monument, to gazing at dots in an art galle...
Camping isn’t just a holiday — it’s a crash course in family life. From sleepless nights in a teepee tent to teens glued to campsite WiFi, and one unforgettable trip with a stubborn VW campervan named Albert, I’ve camped through every season of parenthood.
Join me for campsite characters, family mishaps, and a reminder that sometimes the soggiest trips make the best stories ...
Bit of a nostalgia trip in this episode — but not the dreamy, golden kind.
Today I’m taking you back to the summer I was 16. A holiday that was meant to be a break from real life... but turned into two long, emotional weeks that I’ve never quite forgotten.
It involved:
- One well-meaning but emotionally unavailable dad ...
Ever feel like you're the glue holding everything (and everyone) together?
Same.
In this episode, I dive into the reality of being the family linchpin and the trap of being a ‘capable woman’. And I accidentally discover what drove me to become the Carlsberg Wife and the decision I have taken to step into something new, whatever that might be…
I gave up booze – and it wasn’t all gains.
In this episode, I talk honestly about what I lost, what I found, and what surprised me when I stepped away from alcohol.
No preaching, just real talk about sober curiosity, social shifts, and what’s left behind.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction issues,...
This episode is 4 days late. 4 days! And that’s all down to the one skill I have comprehensively mastered, honed and turned into an art form. Procrastination.
Come with me to discover how you too can achieve boss-level procrastination. You might never get anything done again, and you will feel uncomfortable the whole time but then where’s the fun in feeling accomplished?
Yes, I have been missing for two weeks!
But I come back and bring you tales of post-natal ghosts, house-buying and my very own Nurse Ratched.
And yes they are all linked!!
Just because school’s out doesn’t mean we don’t keep learning a thing or two.
What a f*cking ramble this is! It’s been like a parent therapy session for me :)
The ‘lessons’ and observations in here apply to school life whether your child has just finished formal education or they’re just starting out.
TBH they probabl...
What do a broken penis, a bad acid trip and a gun have in common?
Answer is they are all stories from one 6-month house-share.
These are absolute A-side stories because I’m not sure my B-side brain could cope with this level of drama these days. There are definitely some lessons to be learned from these events but some took longer than others to ...
There was a time I had a look. I was styled, curated, possibly even iconic (in my own head). But now? My wardrobe won’t return my calls.
In this episode, I’m digging through my style history — from the fashion highs of the 90s to the current-day chaos of not knowing what to wear... at all. Was there a peak? Did I miss it? And what do you do when your clothes no longer feel l...
This week on Life on the B Side, I’m taking a nostalgic trip back to the 80s and 90s — the mixtape years where we learned about patience and the lost art of just being bored.
Join me as I share three things I genuinely miss from those decades, and why they still echo in my life today.
Whether you grew up in that era or just love a bit of retro co...
Is it just me, or does life start to feel... compact as we get older? Not in a minimalist, Zen kind of way — more like, “When did my idea of a big night out become a garden centre café and a browse in B&M?”
As the world quietly shrinks — fewer last-minute adventures, more “meh, it’s too far” — I’m wondering: am I being charmed into becoming a local lifer? Or is there a c...
It’s really easy to let encouraging and supporting your child to reach their potential turn into living through them and their achievements. In doing so you can end up claiming victory for yourself while your child is left pursuing a dream that is no longer theirs.
But don’t panic! It’s never too late to let that inner child out to play…
You don’t get to this age without the odd look around to see how successful you are in comparison to others.
But wait!
Should we really be measuring our life’s success in monetary value and volume of possessions?
Even if you think you should have been more ‘successful’ in life by now (whatever that means), there is st...
PART ONE: Getting Your Timing Right
From talking to teenagers, sliding doors moments and bank robberies. Adulting is all about timing. And that’s not sexy. Or fun.
While this episode started off under the guise of being about GCSEs and real-life work experience, it ended up using the phrase ‘faecal chatter’ more than once.
All I can do is apologise for this one.
We all chase a dream – the dream life, the dream bod, the dream relationship, the dream bank balance! And in pursuit of these goals, we invest HEAVILY. We invest our money, our energy and our time. But sometimes the goal shifts or it just gets trickier to attain, and the amount we have already invested becomes a dead weight, anchoring us to the spot, to the dream.
“If you st...
There’s a saying - "What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while". But sometimes, what you do once in a while can have a profound effect on what you do every day.
It can be hard to reset yourself but if you’re lucky enough, you might have a Factory Reset Friend who comes along and pushes the right buttons to get you back to what was normal before norma...
Moments of disconnect happen to everyone, right?
Join Maria as she takes on a little exercise to identify why she can’t create a vision for her life and what the biggest barrier to discovering her purpose is.
The 5 why’s exercise: https://www.oakland.edu/Assets/upload/docs/Pawley/Lean-Enrichment-Activities/LEA---5-Whys.pdf
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