Parenting fails: why the mess is worth it
Let’s not pretend parenthood is glamorous. It’s not in our household. There’s no serene Instagram shot of me sipping a latte while Cyrus colours in neatly in the background. Nope.…
EXPLORE SAFFRON & CYRUS
The Edit.
Stories, questions and things currently occupying my slightly overactive brain.
Midlife & Reinvention
Confidence, identity, ambition, relationships, change and reinvention, without treating age as a problem that needs fixing.
My 50th birthday year Botox disaster and how to avoid the same mistake →
Women’s Health & Wellbeing
Changing bodies, energy, health and the questions women are often left to work out for themselves.
Giving birth at 40: my induction and forceps birth story →
Family & Motherhood
Pregnancy, parenting, family life and the cultural differences that can make motherhood complicated, funny and occasionally bewildering.
My BMI Said Obese. My Persian Family Thought I Looked Healthy →
Fitness & Strength
Movement, strength, gym life and what happens when staying active becomes as much about belonging as exercise.
Gym motivation in midlife: Should I give up the gym? →
Culture & Identity
British and Persian influences, family traditions, food, identity and belonging.
How we brought Shab-e Yalda from Iran to Newcastle →
Lifestyle & Experiences
Travel, places and experiences that genuinely add something to everyday life.
When did knowing everything become part of being a good parent? →
SAFFRON & CYRUS
Life, actually.
Health headlines worth questioning, numbers that don’t tell the whole story, and the things that look rather different from this side of 50, from childhood stories to the family moments modern life has a habit of squeezing out.
MIDLIFE & REINVENTION
At 50, I finally understand the film ‘Labyrinth’
I thought it was about finding Prince Charming. At 50, I see a story about getting lost, finding yourself and realising you had more power than you thought.
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WOMEN’S HEALTH & WELLBEING
HRT and dementia risk: what a new UK study means for women in midlife
A promising headline, a large UK study and one rather important question: what does the research actually prove?
FITNESS & STRENGTH
Biological age in midlife: why your BMI doesn’t tell the whole story
We measure our bodies constantly. The more useful question may be what they can actually do.
FAMILY & MOTHERHOOD
No time for the bedtime story? How modern life is stealing our family moments
What happens when ordinary family moments are the first things squeezed out?
Ideas worth talking about
The Conversation
One story. More than one side. What do you think?
Maternity care / Women's health
Who looks after the people looking after us?
We talk about women's experiences of maternity care, but much less about what happens on the other side of the curtain. One midwife shares the reality of staffing pressures, emotional strain and what those pressures can mean for the women in her care.
Read the conversation →
Your turn
Who looks after the people looking after us?
THE SAFFRON EXPERIMENT
I wondered what would happen if… so I tried it.
Products, health claims, trends and ideas. I try them, look at the evidence and work out what’s useful, what isn’t and what probably wasn’t worth the bother.
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BEHIND THE WORDS
Meet Saffron.
Saffron is a former newspaper journalist and PR professional writing about midlife, women’s health, fitness and the things she tests for herself through The Saffron Experiment.
MORE ABOUT ME →
TRAVEL & PLACES
Places we’ve been.
Family escapes, hotels and the places that leave us with something worth talking about when we get home.
CRETE, GREECE
Celebrating 50 in Crete
Nine days at the Mitsis Royal Mare, with family beach days, moussaka, cats and a little midlife indulgence.
READ THE STORY →
STRATHYRE, SCOTLAND
A family escape to the woods
A log cabin, Loch Lubnaig, canoeing, cycling, Persian barbecue and an unreasonable number of wasps.
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RHODES, GREECE
Atrium Prestige, Rhodes
A family stay in Rhodes, looking beyond the glossy photographs to see what a hotel actually feels like with a child.
READ THE REVIEW →
FOR TRAVEL PRs & TOURISM TEAMS
Planning your next travel campaign?
I’m interested in thoughtful family travel, hotels, destinations and experiences that give readers something worth talking about.
WORK WITH ME →