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Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball
Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball

DIG IN: Anastacia - I Didn’t Feel I Was Good Enough

September 14, 2026 • 16m

Summary

⏱️ 7 min read

Overview

Pop superstar Anastasia joins Jo for a candid conversation about navigating midlife pressures, finding peace through spiritual growth, and learning to prioritize what truly matters. They discuss the challenges of feeling 'sorted' at any age, the importance of letting go of negativity and toxic relationships, and how getting older brings both wisdom and difficult losses. Anastasia shares her journey from feeling like a failure in her 20s to finding success and, more importantly, inner peace in her 40s and beyond.

The Myth of Having It All Together at 50

In response to a listener who feels frazzled at 51, Anastasia and Jo discuss the pressure women face to appear in control and successful. Anastasia emphasizes the importance of being kinder to ourselves and not comparing our reality to what we see others doing. She shares that her spiritual journey really began in her mid-40s when she started taking responsibility for her own reactions and choices rather than blaming external circumstances.

  • Women need to stop putting pressure on themselves to match what they see others doing and embrace what they actually want
  • Anastasia's spiritual journey to self-awareness began in her mid-40s
  • She wrote 'Stupid Little Things' about taking responsibility for her own choices rather than blaming circumstances
  • Her grandfather's question 'Did anyone die?' helps maintain perspective on daily stresses
  • Nobody feels truly 'sorted' at any particular age - it's about how you react to challenges
" As women, we have to be kinder to ourselves and not put so much pressure on trying to be what we see other people doing. Like, what do you like? What is your go-to? If your go-to is not really going out and staying at home, don't be guilty about that. Embrace it. "
" Either you change the narrative in your head or you change the narrative in the reality. And I think sometimes you can't change not having children. So you need to change the narrative in complaining about it. "
" Did anyone die? And so like, you know, like no one's like, we're fine. we're fine. "

Embracing Your 40s: Saying Yes to Life

Responding to a listener turning 40 who wants to say yes to more experiences, Anastasia reflects on her favorite decades. She identifies 45-55 as particularly good years and expects her 60s to be even more relaxed. The conversation emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and not stressing as much, since life moves incredibly fast and you never know when your time is up.

  • Anastasia's best years were from 45 to 55 and she's optimistic about her 60s
  • After 40, it's about seizing the day because life goes so fast
  • At 40, you should turn the page on stressing yourself out as much
" There's nothing wrong with that adventurer side of after 40. That's all about seizing the day because life goes so freaking fast it really really does and you never know when your time is going to be up so my god just do everything when you get the opportunity if you've got the energy and you want to. "

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