Would you date someone your dog doesn't like? And is sharing custody of a pet with an ex a relationship red flag?

PETA's Ashley Byrne is back on The Iconic Midlife with host Roxy Manning for a hilarious round of Dealbreaker or I'll Allow It?—a dating game where love, relationships, and our four-legged companions collide.

After tackling some of the most pressing animal-welfare issues in her full interview, Ashley is showing us her lighter side as Roxy puts her on the spot with a series of dating scenarios involving pets, partners, and some potentially questionable relationship habits.

From dogs sleeping in the bed to dating someone who isn't an animal lover, Ashley has to decide: Is it a dealbreaker, or will she allow it?

• Dating someone who loves animals but doesn't want pets
• Dogs in the bedroom—and possibly between you and your partner
• When your dog doesn't approve of your date
• Sharing custody of a pet with an ex
• Dating someone who doesn't share your views on animal welfare
• The relationship habits that might make an animal lover think twice

It's a playful look at dating, compatibility, and just how much our relationships with animals influence our relationships with people.

And don't miss Ashley's full episode of The Iconic Midlife, where we discuss animal cruelty on L.A.'s Skid Row, New York City's carriage horses, overcrowded animal shelters, and what we can all do to help protect animals.

Ashley Byrne / PETA: https://www.peta.org

The Iconic Midlife: @theiconicmidlife

Roxy Manning: @redcarpetroxy

Love this game? Subscribe to The Iconic Midlife on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Download the episode, leave a rating and review, and share it with your favorite animal lover.

Subscribe to The Iconic Midlife on YouTube for the full video episodes, games, and more candid conversations about life, relationships, and everything in between.

And tell us: Would you date someone your dog didn't like?

What's really happening to animals on Skid Row in Los Angeles—and who's protecting them?

From reports of animal abuse and illegal breeding on the streets of Los Angeles to the controversy surrounding New York City's carriage horses and overcrowded animal shelters nationwide, the fight for animal welfare has never felt more urgent.

This week on The Iconic Midlife, Roxy Manning sits down with Ashley Byrne, Director of Outreach for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), for an eye-opening conversation about animal cruelty, rescue, advocacy, and the changes needed to protect vulnerable animals.

As a lifelong animal lover and rescue dog mom, Roxy has always felt a deep connection to animals and a responsibility to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Ashley shares how her passion for animals became her life's work and takes us behind the headlines of some of the most pressing animal welfare issues in America.

• The Skid Row animal crisis: Reports of abuse, neglect, and illegal breeding in Los Angeles, and whether city officials are doing enough to intervene.
• NYC carriage horses: The realities of the horse-drawn carriage industry, concerns about working and living conditions, and efforts to ban carriage rides.
• America's overcrowded shelters: Why shelters are struggling, what contributes to euthanasia, and what needs to change.
• Adopt, don't shop: The impact of puppy mills, breeding, and consumer demand on animal homelessness.
• Vegan fashion and cruelty-free beauty: How to make more compassionate choices without sacrificing personal style.
• Advocacy at every age: How our priorities and willingness to speak up can evolve in midlife.
• How you can help: Practical ways to support animal rescue, report suspected cruelty, foster, volunteer, and advocate for stronger animal protections.

This conversation isn't just about the heartbreaking realities facing animals. It's about accountability, compassion, and understanding how individual choices can contribute to meaningful change.

Because loving animals is one thing. Taking action to protect them is another.

Learn more about PETA's animal advocacy work: https://www.peta.org

Explore animal adoption and fostering opportunities through your local shelters and rescue organizations.

Social Media (show): @theiconicmidlife

Social Media (host): @redcarpetroxy

YouTube: The Iconic Midlife

Love this conversation?

Subscribe to The Iconic Midlife on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or your favorite podcast app. Download the episode, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who cares about animals.

And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for the full video interviews and exclusive content.

Your voice matters. And so do theirs.

Links referenced in this episode:

• peta.org

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• PETA
• Starts With One Today
• Los Angeles Animal Services
• Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Central Park Conservancy
• Cirque du Soleil
• Gucci
• Stella McCartney
• Marie 1998
• Sans Beast
• PETA Business Friends
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Iconic Midlife

What counts as financially smart—and what’s just plain cheap?

In this bonus game episode, financial expert Pattie Ehsaei is putting her money philosophy to the test with Rich Move or Broke Move?

I give Pattie a series of deliberately tricky money, dating and lifestyle scenarios where the “right” answer isn’t always obvious. From living with your parents at 45 to refusing first class, insisting on a prenup, buying a dream house in cash, splitting the check and deciding how much luxury is too much, Pattie has to make the call.

And because this is Pattie, she doesn’t just choose a side—she explains exactly why.

• When saving money is smart versus simply cheap
• Whether living with your parents in midlife can actually be financially savvy
• First-class travel, luxury spending and knowing what’s worth it
• Prenups, financial independence and protecting your own money
• Dating someone with very different financial habits
• Buying a home in cash versus keeping your money invested
• Why appearances can be completely misleading when it comes to wealth
• The money decisions that get much more complicated in midlife

Pattie is the author of Never Date a Broke Dude: The Financial Freedom Playbook and is known online as the Duchess of Decorum.

Follow Pattie:

@duchessofdecorum

PattieEhsaei.com

If you enjoyed this game, follow The Iconic Midlife wherever you listen to podcasts, subscribe on YouTube, and follow @theiconicmidlife and @redcarpetroxy on social media.

And if you haven’t heard Pattie’s full episode yet, go back and listen to:

Financial Expert Pattie Ehsaei: Money, Marriage & the Cost of Giving Up Control

The Iconic Midlife

Hosted by Roxy Manning

New episodes weekly.

What does it really mean to be financially independent—and how much control are women giving up without even realizing it?

Financial expert, attorney, former banking executive and Never Date a Broke Dude author Pattie Ehsaei joins me for a sharp, funny and unapologetic conversation about money, marriage, power and the financial decisions that can shape a woman’s future.

We get into the difference between looking wealthy and actually building wealth, why money can quietly become leverage inside a relationship, the complicated reality of prenups, financial dependence, retirement, and why even smart, successful women can have major blind spots when it comes to their own finances.

And because Pattie never misses a good pop-culture money lesson, we also break down what the very public relationship splits of Dorit Kemsley and PK Kemsley, Lisa and Lenny Hochstein, and Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky reveal about money, assets, financial independence, and what can happen when a marriage ends.

We also talk about the cultural double standard around women wanting financially successful partners, whether financial equality is possible when one person earns significantly more, and why reaching midlife can be the moment you finally ask yourself:

Where is my money—and how much control do I actually have over it?

• The difference between appearing rich and actually having wealth
• Why financial independence is about more than income
• Money, power and control inside marriage
• The financial risks of relying entirely on a partner
• Prenups, ownership and protecting yourself
• Why successful women are still judged for caring about a partner’s finances
• The biggest money mistakes women make in midlife
• Whether it’s ever too late to start building wealth
• What financial freedom can look like after 40 and 50
• Why having options may be the ultimate form of wealth

Pattie is also the author of Never Date a Broke Dude: The Financial Freedom Playbook and is known online as the Duchess of Decorum.

Follow Pattie:

Instagram: @duchessofdecorum

Website: PattieEhsaei.com

If you loved this conversation, follow The Iconic Midlife wherever you listen to podcasts, subscribe on YouTube, and follow @theiconicmidlife and @redcarpetroxy on social media.

And come back Thursday for Pattie’s game episode:

Rich Move or Broke Move?

I’m giving her financial dilemmas where the answer is definitely not as obvious as it sounds.

The Iconic Midlife

Hosted by Roxy Manning

New episodes weekly.

Juliet Mayhew is back — and this time, we’re getting a little cheeky.

The Real Housewives of London star returns to The Iconic Midlife for a very British game of “Posh or Tosh?” — where Roxy gives Juliet a series of questionable social behaviors, friendship dilemmas and Housewives-worthy situations, and Juliet has to decide: perfectly posh… or absolute tosh?

We’re talking frenemies, keeping receipts, cosmetic secrets, red-carpet etiquette, telling uncomfortable truths on camera, marriage, ambition — and yes, even social climbing.

And Juliet definitely has opinions.

If you haven’t heard Roxy’s full conversation with Juliet yet, download Tuesday’s episode, where they get candid about The Real Housewives of London, reinventing yourself at 49, marriage and motherhood, being misunderstood, returning to performing and why women don’t need permission to decide it’s finally their turn.

Download this episode, subscribe to The Iconic Midlife, and follow the show so you never miss a new conversation or game. And if Juliet’s answers make you laugh — or you strongly disagree with one of them — send the episode to a friend and see whether she thinks it’s posh or tosh.

Follow Roxy Manning and The Iconic Midlife on social media for more clips, conversations and behind-the-scenes moments from the show.

In this episode: Juliet Mayhew • The Real Housewives of London • Posh or Tosh • Housewives • female friendship • frenemies • social climbing • midlife • marriage • reality TV • London society

What happens when you’ve spent years being a wife, a mother, and everything everyone else needed you to be — and suddenly decide it’s your turn?

This week, Roxy sits down with Juliet Mayhew, star of The Real Housewives of London, for a conversation that goes far beyond reality TV.

At 49, Juliet is stepping into one of her most public chapters yet. She opens up about rediscovering herself as her children grow up, returning to her roots as a performer, and what reinvention looks like when you’re doing it in front of an audience that has plenty of opinions about who you are.

Juliet also gets candid about marriage and how a long-term relationship evolves when you evolve, being misunderstood and judged by other women, navigating friendship in midlife, her Australian roots and life in London, and what becoming a Real Housewife has taught her about herself.

Plus, we get into a question so many women wrestle with in midlife: Why do we wait for permission to make it our turn?

And come back this Thursday when Juliet returns to The Iconic Midlife for a very British game of “Posh or Tosh?” Roxy puts her on the spot with questionable social behavior, friendship etiquette, red-carpet politics and a little Housewives shade. You’ll definitely want to hear which ones Juliet declares perfectly posh — and which are absolute tosh.

Download this episode and subscribe to The Iconic Midlife so you don’t miss Juliet’s “Posh or Tosh?” game this Thursday. And if this conversation reminds you of a woman who needs to hear that it’s not too late to make it her turn, send it to her.

Follow Roxy Manning (@redcarpetroxy) and The Iconic Midlife (@theiconicmidlife) on social media for more conversations, clips and behind-the-scenes moments from the show.

What’s your parenting hill to die on—and what are you willing to let go?

Dr. Siggie Cohen is back for a game of “Parenting Hill to Die On,” where Roxy throws her a series of everyday parenting dilemmas and Dr. Siggie has to decide: is this a battle worth fighting, or one parents should simply let go?

From kids refusing to wear a coat and quitting activities to bad grades, swear words, smartphones, and saying no to Grandma’s hug, Dr. Siggie weighs in on when parents should hold the line—and when giving kids autonomy matters more.

Along the way, she explains why not every uncomfortable parenting moment requires intervention, why some boundaries are non-negotiable, and how knowing which battles matter can help us raise more independent, resilient kids.

And yes, there are a few answers that might surprise you.

🎧 Missed our full conversation? Listen to Dr. Siggie Cohen: Has Gentle Parenting Gone Too Far? on The Iconic Midlife.

➕ Follow The Iconic Midlife and follow Roxy Manning on social media (@theiconicmidlife and @redcarpetroxy) for more conversations about parenting, relationships, health, identity and navigating midlife.

What’s YOUR parenting hill to die on? Tell us.

Has gentle parenting gone too far?

Dr. Siggie Cohen thinks somewhere along the way, gentle parenting started getting confused with permissive parenting—and in our effort to raise emotionally aware kids, some parents have become afraid to actually parent.

In this episode of The Iconic Midlife, Roxy sits down with renowned child development specialist and parenting expert Dr. Siggie Cohen for a candid conversation about raising resilient, emotionally secure kids without losing boundaries, authority—or yourself in the process.

Dr. Siggie explains why validation doesn’t mean accommodation, why parents don’t need to fix every uncomfortable feeling, and why allowing kids to experience frustration, boredom and disappointment can actually help build the emotional muscles they’ll need later in life.

They also get into parental guilt, screens and technology, what modern parenting may have overcorrected, and how to stay connected to your child while still being the person in charge. Roxy also opens up about navigating grief with her daughter after losing her father, and Dr. Siggie shares how parents can make space for difficult conversations about death and loss even while processing their own emotions.

Because your child can have big feelings about a boundary—and the boundary can still stand.

In this episode:

• When gentle parenting crosses into permissive parenting
• Why validation does not mean accommodation
• How to hold boundaries without dismissing your child’s feelings
• Why frustration and discomfort are essential to building resilience
• The difference between supporting your child and fixing everything for them
• What to do when your child says, “I’m bored”
• Screens, technology and creating realistic family rules
• Parenting through guilt and the pressure to get everything “right”
• Talking to children about death, grief and difficult emotions
• Why being an emotionally connected parent doesn’t mean giving up your authority

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode of The Iconic Midlife now.

Follow The Iconic Midlife and Roxy Manning on social media (@theiconicmidlife and @redcarpetroxy) for more conversations about navigating midlife, parenting, relationships, health, reinvention and everything in between.

And come back Thursday for Dr. Siggie’s game, Parenting Hill to Die On.

Subscribe, follow and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts—it helps more women discover The Iconic Midlife.