Dr Eliza Filby is a writer, a generational historian and mum to two children aged 8 and 5.

I loved her book ‘Inheritocracy. It’s time to Talk about the Bank of Mum and Dad’ which came out in paperback last year which contains some fascinating stuff about money and the generations of today.

We talked about how children often rely on a financial springboard from their parents these days, and how that dependency can make the relationship rarther complicated going forward.

We acknowledged that the linear path we were sold in the ‘90s and Noughties - of education, university, buying a house, and then retiring - is now a lie.

We also talked about the sandwich generation - people who are looking after their children and their parents at the same time.

I shared with Dr Eliza that I once asked one of my sons if he would look after me when I get old. He replied: “Yes. But only for a day or two.”

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monisha Rajesh is a travel writer who focuses on train travel adventures.

She wrote her first book ‘Around India in 80 Trains’ after being made redundant, and she wrote ‘Around the World in 80 Trains’ just after her first daughter was born. My favourite of all though is Moonlight Express, her most recent book which is all about her experiences on night trains.

Monisha is a lovely writer, and I love so many of the pictures she paints of her journeys. One particular favourite is when she is travelling in India and the train door is open to the elements, and hearing the slap of leaves on the side of the train as it trundles along at just above jogging pace. Also I love the descriptions of dining cars. I flipping love a dining car!

Monisha talked about taking her two small daughters on train adventures and I feel very inspired to do the same. I hope if I do that I am as brave as she is in imposing a ban on screens for my small people. I want us to look out the window and see all the little worlds going by.

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a new series of Spinning Plates! My podcast where I speak to working women who happen to be mothers. We are up to episode 171 now, and fast approaching 6 years since I started the podcast with Fearne Cotton in 2020.

My first guest of the new series is Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer. She has made history as the first woman in 800 years to hold that title.

I spoke to her in December, just after the budget, and she explained the long process that leads up to a budget, and the immediate aftermath.

I must confess I was initially hesitant about taking up the invitation from Downing Street’s press office about having Rachel on the podcast. She has had a lot of public scrutiny and I know from experience that when I’ve had political guests, the comments can get fiery. That being said, I was too curious and intrigued to know what it feels like to be in that role.. the public gaze, the Westminster culture, the power of holding the UK purse strings and the reality of raising a young family alongside it all.

We’re pretty much the same age and we discussed how there were only 19 women in parliament out of 650 when we were born, compared to now when there are about 250 female MPs. I know Rachel cares about encouraging women into politics and shared her belief that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. She hopes that young girls will feel a job at the top of politics is possible after seeing her as chancellor.

We spoke about what a shock it was for her children, now aged 10 and 12, to have to move house two weeks after the election, how their home life in No 11 Downing Street differs from ‘normal’ families, and how Rachel and her husband try to shield them from the news, tuning into Capital Radio rather than the Today programme when they're all together at breakfast time.

I found our chat fascinating and I appreciate how open Rachel was, letting us get a little insight into how she navigates the pressures of work and power and motherhood.

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.