The Joy Cup

For our Christmas special 2025 we talk Christmas in hot climates, sausage advent calendars and the best Christmas tipple. Merry Christmas!

No, we haven’t gone into hibernation. We’re back with episode 24! This time we’re on location discussing the recipe for a perfect mini break. It’s a special one for us (so apologies if it gets even more self indulgent than usual!) Sara and Beth join us to celebrate our first weekend away as a foursome in 33 years ❤️

How does what you put on your chips influence your musical taste? We’ll reveal the science behind it (sort of) in Ep 23. And music is certainly the food of love for our guest, Dan, who has turned his hobby into something truly Dantastic 🪩

It’s the second in our hobbies series and there’s something fishy going on. Luckily we’re in safe hands with Alice who tells us about the challenge she set herself to try new hobbies across her wide range of interests, which to our delight includes becoming a film extra! And Gen Z have rescued knitting, so we can relax.

It’s the first in our series on the essential middle-aged possession, the hobby. While we agonise over a post-apocalyptic world without knitting, Subo joins us to reflect on what actually makes a hobby a hobby and the things that have brought her joy throughout her life.

Episode 20. The second Joy Cup panel: this time it’s serious. Can / should you separate the art from the artist? Does historical context matter? Is it easier or harder to forgive our favourites? Thanks so much to our panel for being so darn clever and honest. Turns out there are no answers, but we really enjoyed trying to find them.

We’re on the road again for Ep 19, and this week we’re talking about the joy of van life, dancing and taking over the men’s toilets.  We’re joined by Sarah and Steph who remind us about the importance of a good work-life balance, being authentic and how they found fun in acrobatic yoga.  

We're bringing you Ep 18 from a music festival in sunny Skeg Vegas. Huge thanks to our guests, Jacks and Becks, for joining us as co hosts as we discuss the joy of the tribute act, the restorative powers of an eye patch and the undeniable greatness of Gen X.

We’re all mouth about trousers this week, and chat to the energetic duo Ann and Rosie who combine power walks with a close and fun friendship, supporting each other through highs and lows. Stay tuned for their modern guide to dating, you’ll need a shopping trolley, a crystal ball and a spreadsheet. It’s a winning formula, although we’re still waiting for our prize.

Long car journeys and long walks – we’re finding the joy in both in Episode 16. We’re also reviewing the Bandwagon Barometer, and it’s down with Guinness and up with functional mushrooms. Plus our guests Liam and Andy chat to us about how their friendship blossomed over a sausage roll.

We’re rebranding January in our first episode of 2025. Despite the weather, news, financial strain and physical restraint there’s joy to be found if you look hard enough. And our special guest, Carol, absolutely embodies that spirit 🌟She joins us, on behalf of all those with a January birthday, to tell us exactly how it’s done.

No-one knows what day it is or exactly how many chocolates we’ve eaten, so join us to celebrate the magic of Christmas. Our fantastic sound editor Arthur tell us what his favourite traditions are, and we round off with our look ahead to next year.

It's Episode 13, but there's nothing unlucky about this one. We tackle everything from the war on crumpets to the joy of being able to carry heavy shopping. Plus, Matt and Bella tell us how they've found the perfect combination of fitness, fun and friendship. 

You’re all invited to join our club as we reminisce about our childhood games and toys. We’re joined by Bib who knew Sarah in the 70s and 80s, when dressing up as grown-ups was definitely a thing. Plus we hear from listeners as they share lovely memories of their favourite toys, one of which inspired a very funny boys own adventure!

Logic will get you from A to B but hormones can take you anywhere. So we’re joined by Caroline who tells us about her brilliant research into how we can harness our hormones to make it easier to get stuff done. We’ve got tips on how to be productive and plan the perfect date night. Plus we chat about everyday experiences for women and one special first for a woman at work.

This week we are celebrating our 10th episode with a panel of brilliant woman. We’re joined by Lizzie, Sophie and Jane to discuss Gillian Anderson’s 5 feminist commandments and her new book Want. All wrapped joy cup style with our pride in our parking skills. You definitely want this.

This week we’re empathising with women politicians by reliving our outfit regrets before going stateside with Lisa, who gives us an infotaining insight into the US presidential election, plus we reveal the joy cup check list for a perfect grown up mini break. Never a dull moment…literally.

It's festival season, so we're sharing our takeaways from Edinburgh and Leeds, and yes the bum cheeks are back. Long distance best friends Katie and Ursula tell us how giving their mate Liz £60 started an annual reunion in Ibiza that has inspired an alternative retirement plan, which is right up our street. But we did have to go and mention those Oasis tickets didn't we...

In this episode we give you our unique take on the Olympics, and we hear from our first (of many we hope!) male friends. Denn and Roj are two mates who turned their love of music and a good natter into a podcast. These two are really sharing the joy with us as they talk about what their friendship means to them.

In this episode we go from the classic British ‘summer’ holiday to topping up your own joy cup (no sniggering at the back), and we hear Sophie and Keri explore their friendship and how they push each other and pick each other up.

Packing tips and nailing your personal brand. Just a few things we haven’t quite mastered this week at joycup HQ. But Sara and Laura definitely bring the joy and tell us why age isn’t a number.  

Another mixed tote bag of joy this week. We've gone behind the scenes at a dog show and you can find out what (not) to buy your friend if they're over 50.  We talk to Lizzie and James about their brilliant mother-son friendship and how to find the joy in doing the washing up. 

Find out how to make the perfect Yorkshire Pudding (bold claim) and how we've become all clever and cultured by going to book launches. Plus we hear from Nic and Louise (aka Knickers and Knockers) about their gorgeous, longstanding friendship. These two seriously bring the joy!

Female artists celebrating their friendship on a global stage. How often should you wash your jeans? This and more on the second episode of The Joy Cup. Plus we hear from Subo and Kasia, friends for 13 years, on what their friendship means to them, and the joy of being silly.

Should we be behaving more like toddlers as we get older? Can you ever get a pair of cream trainers clean? This and more on the first episode of The Joy Cup. Plus we hear from Emma and Angelique, friends for 20 years, on what their friendship meant to them then, and now.