Lucy Adams is the CEO of Disruptive HR, an agency dedicated to challenging conventional practices, reimagining HR strategies, and inspiring leaders and HR professionals to bring fresh vision and energy to their roles. With a wealth of experience in senior HR positions, including serving as Director of HR at the BBC, Lucy is not only one of the leading thinkers in HR, but also a bestselling author of HR Disrupted and The HR Change Toolkit.

Victoria’s book, Expiry Date Never, says age is the new superpower. Lucy Adams, former BBC HR Director and founder of Disruptive HR, came on to test that. She doesn’t hold back. She challenges Victoria about the 50+ generation for their ego, lack of curiosity and why “diversity” on a board isn’t enough. She also explains why AI could put experienced people back in demand. Lucy’s new book, Influential HR, is out on 24 November.

Michael Clinton spent 23 years at Hearst Magazines - home to titles including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar and Esquire - rising to President and Publishing Director and taking the business from print into a social following of over 32 million. Since leaving Hearst, he's founded ROAR Forward, a media and insights platform focused on the 50+ generation, and written ROAR: Into the Second Half of Your Life and his forthcoming book, Longevity Nation (Atria Books, May 2026). He sits on the board of The Stanford Center on Longevity and was named to Estée Lauder's inaugural Longevity Collective in 2023.

In this episode, Victoria Tomlinson talks to Michael about what his years at Hearst taught him about who publishing has - and hasn't - served, how the 50+ market breaks down into very different life stages, where he sees publishing heading next and how ROAR Forward has developed since launch.

Expiry Date Never is the podcast from Victoria Tomlinson's book of the same name (Pearson, September 2026), making the case that the 50+ generation is an under-used advantage for business, not a problem to manage.

This podcast builds on Rethink Retirement - listen to the original series here