I am always on the lookout for insightful and thought-provoking conversations that push the boundaries of how we think about the challenges and opportunities facing our sector. Grey Areas, hosted by Petra Bagust, stands out as an exceptional resource in this regard. Petra’s approach to interviewing is both engaging and deeply informed, consistently drawing out meaningful perspectives from her guests.
What I value most about Grey Areas is its commitment to exploring the nuances of health, ageing, and innovation all topics that are very relevant to our work at the Digital Health Association. Petra brings warmth and authenticity to every episode, ensuring that even complex issues are accessible and relatable to a wide audience. Each episode inspires reflection, and I often find myself sharing new learnings with my colleagues and friends and referencing discussions from the podcast in strategic conversations.
Across the series, Petra interviews an impressive range of guests and topics that sit right in the “chewy” middle ground of midlife and ageing – health, identity, relationships, grief, women’s wellbeing, neurodiversity, leadership and resilience and what it means to live well as we get older. Recent conversations include episodes with Sir John Kirwan and Francesca Kirwan on intergenerational living, Dr Lara Briden on hormones and HRT, Dame Jacinda Ardern on leadership and resilience under pressure, Dame Anne Salmond on relational ways of seeing the world, Dr Greg Finucane on ADHD and perimenopause, and Barbara Dreaver on courage and telling the truth under pressure.
Petra’s leadership is a consistent thread: she creates a calm, respectful space for honest stories, asks brave and thoughtful follow-up questions, and brings both warmth and rigour to the kōrero. She leads with a values-based approach compassion, curiosity, and deep respect for the whole person which is especially evident when conversations move into vulnerable territory around mental health, ageing, identity, or grief.
I highly recommend the Grey Areas podcast to anyone interested in the evolving landscape of health and social care. Petra’s dedication to quality dialogue and forward-thinking ideas makes this series a must for professionals and the broader community alike.
