My Unlived Life

Miriam and Sandra discuss what her life might have looked like if, as a teenager, she’d not been afraid to answer honestly when a friend asked her a question about her sexuality. Along the way they discuss the American suburbs, open relationships and the particular joy of bottomless cups of coffee. Sandra Newman is the author of four novels including The Heavens and The Country of Ice Cream S...

Andrew and Miriam discuss what his life might have been like if, a year after graduating from university in Oxford and getting a job in London, he had done a complete 180 and moved back to Oxford to write sketch comedy with a friend. Along the way they invent a fictional sandwich chain, narrowly avoid petty theft and helicopter Philip Larkin into the 2012 olympics. They also laugh A LOT. Andrew Hu...

Miriam and Deesha discuss what her life might have been like if, after catching the man who she’d just started dating in a devastating lie, she had walked away instead of staying with, and ultimately marrying him. Along the way they discuss the shame that exists around loneliness, the importance of small surprises, and some handy tips for spotting dating app red flags. Deesha Philyaw’s debut short...

Miriam and Edward discuss what his life might have looked like if he’d never been selected for a certain large book retailer’s prize in America, and thus never flown to New York and never met his wife, the novelist Elizabeth McCracken. Along the way they discuss the lives of objects, the original, and much darker, version of Pinocchio (not for the faint of heart) and at least one way to get yourse...

Louise and Miriam discuss what her life might have been like if she hadn’t lived in Beirut for two years in her late twenties - two years she credits with getting her out of a rut but also which she feels, given the amount of time she spent in the sun while there, sowed the seeds for the melanoma for which she is currently in treatment. Along the way they discuss how adversity can lead to creativi...

Miriam sits down to chat with Tanya Shadrick about what her life would have been like if, at the age of 13, she’d felt confident enough to attend a pool party being thrown by a very intriguing, very bohemian new boy at her school. Along the way they discuss what opening up to others can teach you about yourself, the importance of methodical movement in a world that values speed and the economics o...

Miriam sits down with comics artist Karrie Fransman to discuss what Karrie’s life may have looked like if her IVF treatment had failed and she’d never managed to conceive a child. Along the way they talked about the mismatch between our perceptions and the reality of motherhood, Karrie’s obsession with communes; and the beauty of animatronic storytelling machines.   Karrie Fransman is a...

Renowned psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry explores what her life would have been like if, as a teenager she had been encouraged to go to university as opposed to being dismissed because of her (then undiagnosed) dyslexia. Along the way, she and host Miriam Robinson also discuss the importance of setting boundaries, what it means to find your tribe, and a counterintuitive way to get your k...

Internationally bestselling author John Boyne speaks to host Miriam Robinson about what his life would have been like if, at the age of 16, he would have had the confidence to audition for his school production of Hamlet . Along the way we discussed his creative and sexual awakening, what it means to be a success; and his long standing crush on singer-songwriter Will Young.  John has publishe...

Nigerian-British writer Irenosen Okojie and host Miriam Robinson discuss what would have happened if, in her early 20s, Irenosen had accepted a job as an editorial assistant at a magazine in New York. Along the way they discuss why mentors matter, the importance of embracing mess and why everything good starts with a fabulous lunch. Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian-British author. In 2021 she was awa...

Journalist Molly Flatt sits down with host Miriam Robinson to discuss her tangled love affair with London, the limits of rational thought, how to combat perfectionism and the unexpected upside of a Hackney bar fight. Together, they explore what Molly’s life would have been like if, in 2014, the sale on the house she intended to buy in the countryside hadn’t fallen through and she’d left London for...