Inclusivity, parity, acceptance, fairness, equality, diversity – these are common descriptive labels that we hear and see every day. As we begin 2023 a question that needs to be asked – are we making enough progress?

Last summer the England womens football team, known as the Lionesses, won the European Championship for the first time. It was an amazing tournament and one that will hopefully inspire younger generations to break through glass ceilings everywhere. But where do we go from here. The title of the episode today, “They think its all over, its only just begun” was an amazing way to summarise the success of the Lionesses, but also the tournament as a whole and what it could mean for womens football. Nearly 12 months on and the women’s game has gone from strength to strength with games taking place in landmark stadiums and achieving record crowds but the question still persists – why has it been so hard to achieve?Achieving parity has been an issue for many years, but creating the climate and conditions where people are treated equally and inclusively remains a perennial challenge.

In addition we have the ongoing debate surrounding generational shifts and the significance of the England women’s team winning the Euros and its ability to inspire the next generation should not be lost, But rather than just focus on the younger generations, we should also consider the transition from younger generation to middle age and how does age change our mindset. Do our life goals and priorities change when we reach mid-life? Is enough done to support people through the mid-life stage to enable it to be more productive and less disrupted.

We will be discussing these important topics and more with Gabby today and delving into her experiences of growing up in a sporting family and observing first hand her own experiences relating to inclusivity, achieving parity and also what it means for people when they approach mid-life.