S3-EP2: The View From London: Alyson Hoggart on Coping With COVID and Speeding Up Relationships
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SUMMARY
THE GAP YEAR PODCAST is looking for a sponsor! If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil. For previous episodes and more information, click here.
EPISODE NOTES
For the second episode of Season 3, Debbie Weil brings Alyson Hoggart, one of her oldest and most special friends, onto the show. She and Alyson have a transatlantic friendship of many decades. They are agemates, with almost identical birthdays in the same birth year.
They chat about what it’s been like in Europe during COVID, with some interesting detours into Alyson’s life as a widow, with a new boyfriend. They talk about how the lockdown has speeded up this new relationship.
Alyson is a retired psychologist and one of the most insightful people Debbie knows. So she picks her brain for a few tips on how to cope, psychologically, during this period of social distancing.
They chat briefly about Alyson’s children. Amy Hoggart is a well-known actor, writer, and comedian who lives in New York. Don’t miss Amy’s hilarious appearances on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. Alyson’s son Richard, a lawyer, lives in London.
They also talk about Alyson’s website, My Horrid Parent. It’s a site with resources for how to cope with a difficult parent, one who is especially critical or judgmental. It’s aimed at the young but also the not-so-young. The topic is especially relevant right now for someone younger who may be unexpectedly stuck at home with a parent. Or for those dealing with an isolated elderly parent.
It was great for Debbie to catch up with Alyson and she hopes you enjoy listening in to this conversation about life across the pond. Don’t miss the bit about Richard’s COVID cat.
Mentioned in this episode or useful:
- My Horrid Parent
- Horrible parents: a survival guide (article in The Guardian)
- Alyson’s daughter: actor, writer, and comedian Amy Hoggart
- It’s Personal with Amy Hoggart
- Amy’s best episodes on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (this is hilarious)
- Obituary of Alyson’s late husband, journalist Simon Hoggart
- United Kingdom COVID Map and Case Count (New York Times)
We are looking for a sponsor. If you are interested in reaching a smart and thoughtful audience of midlife, and older, listeners, contact Debbie Weil.
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Credits:
- Host: Debbie Weil
- Producer: Far Out Media
- Music: Lakeside Path By Duck Lake
Connect with us:
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Thanks to our media partners
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Modern Elder Academy is a program dedicated to navigating mid-life transitions. MEA, based in Baja California, Mexico, provides the place and the tools to start reframing your lifetime of experience. Grow whole, not old. Founder Chip Conley is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning hospitality entrepreneur and a rock star of the mid-life transition movement. His newest book is Wisdom @ Work: the Making of a Modern Elder.
Next For Me is an important new resource for the 50+ crowd focused on rewriting life. Taking a gap year or timeout may be the best way to figure out "what's next" when you're in this stage of life. Founder Jeff Tidwell explains, Next For Me "connects and inspires our generation to evolve our post-50 lives through new work, a new purpose, or a new social contribution."