This Sunday 10th October marks World Mental Health Day. This year, more than ever, it is important to look after your mental health. In this episode I discuss environmental depression. Who are you spending your time with that could be making you feel drained? Are you over committing to meeting people each week? Are you a people pleaser? How many of your friends who comment under your pictures on instagram actually check in on you outside of public social media posts? Could small tweaks to your l...
Oct 05, 2021•55 min
Martine & Sean moved to Australia from Belfast 7 years ago and live in Sydney with their beloved dog Bruno. In May while on a trip to Hamilton Island to celebrate what should have been her Wedding Day which has been postponed due to Covid, Martine found two lumps in her breast. At 29 years of age, extremely fit & healthy it was a huge shock to Martine, her fiancé Sean, their families and wide circle of friends when she received confirmation that it was breast cancer. Thousands of miles a...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Ryan is a local lad, not too far up the road from me. His story is very similar to many of us, plays GAA, he went to Uni, travelled Australia and spent some time in the USA during his studies But something magic happened. He became one of the biggest singer and song writers to come out of Ireland and has toured all over the world with Ed Sheeran, Kodaline, Snow Patrol, Foy Vance The Corona’s and Dermot Kennedy. I caught up with Ryan just before he performed to 40,000 people over the weekend, hea...
Sep 21, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 7
PART TWO: Ciara and her boyfriend David Gavin moved to Canada from Mayo in 2017. They were childhood sweethearts, madly in love and excited to start a new adventure together. A few months after settling into their new lives, David travelled to a GAA match with his teammates. They stopped at a lake to cool down but tragedy struck when David was pulled under the water and never resurfaced. This is a heartbreaking story but Ciara emphasises the importance of having a community abroad and discusses ...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today on the episode I am delighted to have Keith Donnelly on. If you ever need inspiration or a kick up the ass to do something you always dreamed of, this is the episode for you. Keith is a true inspiration and beacon of hope for those who have always dreamed of living in Australia but feel they left it too late. Keith discusses going back to University later in life to study Mental Health Nursing in Dublin and then moving his family to the other side of the world to start a new life in Sydney...
Sep 09, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week I speak to Ciara O'Malley. Ciara and her boyfriend David Gavin moved to Canada from Mayo in 2017. They were childhood sweethearts, madly in love and excited to start a new adventure together. A few months after settling into their new lives, David travelled to a GAA match with his teammates. They stopped at a lake to cool down but tragedy struck when David was pulled under the water and never resurfaced. This is a heartbreaking story but Ciara emphasises the importance of having a comm...
Sep 07, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Today on the episode I am honoured to be joined by Niall Breslin, also known as Bressie. Bressie is one of Ireland’s most formidable and inspiring mental health advocates and public speakers. An active polymath, he is also a bestselling author, podcaster, musician, philanthropist, and a former professional athlete. Today we discuss his journey with mental health and his latest challenge, Marathon Mind. A challenge for four individuals, each with their own unique challenges in life, on a nine-mon...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Today on the podcast I am joined by Jack Sheehan. Jack is an experienced and professional Counsellor and Psychotherapist. Originally from Ireland, Jack moved to Sydney this year leaving one lockdown in Ireland, to enter another lockdown in Sydney. Jack is here to answer some of the questions many of you asked for help with on my instagram. Get in contact with Jack, if he cannot find a slot to fit you in, he will pass you on to some of his other recommendations. http://www.jacksheehan.id.au IG@ j...
Aug 26, 2021•58 min•Season 3Ep. 2
It has been one hell of a journey this past year of A County Down Under. You have all been through each step with me, the good, the bad and the ugly. I thought i would kick start the new season with an update on my life, lockdown in Sydney and finding love again. I hope this episode teaches you that everything happens for a reason and that you are stronger than you think. Remember you have survived a 100% of your toughest days so far and everything in life leads you to the best moments, trust th...
Aug 24, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Mary left Ireland like many of the rest of us, with a dream and no expectations. Her story mirrors the story of the movie 'Brooklyn'. She fell in love with an Australian man and never moved home. Over 30 years later, Mary is one of the leading solicitors in Sydney, Australia. She began MTM Legal in 2014 to offer the best in accident and injury legal services and advice, with a personable and approachable touch. Mary discusses her life in Australia, the struggles of not returning home due to COVI...
Aug 18, 2021•49 min
Today on the podcast I am joined by Ronan O'Brien founder of Breathwave Ireland. Breathwave is used in a meditative setting whereby people are guided through a process of relaxing and allowing their mind to be still whilst focusing on their breathing, which brings many benefits including anxiety management, detoxification, nervous system repair, and sometimes trauma release. Through a Breathwave practice, the breath is accessed as the vehicle to achieve deeper insight and clarity to one’s own qu...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on the podcast, I am joined by Mark Eaton. Like many of us, Mark moved abroad for a better life and a change. Unfortunately, not long into his new life in Melbourne, the country went into lockdown. Melbourne had one of the toughest lockdowns in the world. He stuck it out for many months and after lots of difficult discussions, Mark decided to head back to Ireland. Only days later, Melbourne came out of the lockdown. We discuss life during lockdown and bringing the Aussie lifestyle back hom...
Aug 02, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Pat Divilly is a speaker, coach and author from Galway Ireland who shares a practical approach to emotional and mental fitness. Pat initially got his start in the fitness industry where his business grew from five clients on his local beach to over twenty thousand clients globally in a five year period. Working with such a wide demographic of people Pat became more interested in an holistic approach to wellness and went on to study yoga, meditation, breath work, cognitive behavioural therapy, lo...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this episode I was joined by Tony McAleavey who is an extremely successful PT with body transformations that have gone viral, podcast host and all round sound guy. We discussed his story, dealing with trolls on social media, finding his reason to help people, living in Ireland and being happy! Tony's IG - @tonymcaleavey Tony's Podcast - The Muscle & The Hustle Podcast This podcast is sponsored by Gym+Coffee Gym+Coffee is Ireland’s leading athleisure brand and community. They believe in so...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Last week, we had the annual Darkness Into Light Walk. Each year the walk provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to show their support for those who have been impacted by suicide. Their team of dedicated volunteers, in Ireland and overseas, return year on year to make the event a success and to help us all continue to raise awareness in the global fight against suicide and self-harm. In this episode I discuss grief and loss; how we can begin to heal followin...
May 16, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 19
In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the Co-founders of Ireland's largest and leading athlesiure brand Gym+Coffee, Diarmuid McSweeney. Diarmuid, alongside his friends Karl Swaine and Niall Horgan had lived abroad for a few years (Karl and Diarmuid in Sydney and Melbourne, Niall in San Francisco). They all noticed something really nice about the lifestyle there – people socialised in a very different way than they had previously tended to in Ireland. It wasn't until his retu...
May 10, 2021•58 min
Dave Driskell is the owner and founder of Wanderlust Fitness Village Bali, arguably one of the busiest CrossFit gyms in the world. He has built a fitness empire in Bali Indonesia attracting over 300 hundred members daily. He is a businessman, educator, and competitive athlete (IF3 World Champ 2019 and Fittest Male Asia 2017 ) empowering others to live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. On this episode we discuss why he chose to leave sunny California for a minimalistic life in Bali and what ...
Apr 22, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 16
This episode was based off a recent live I did with Olivia Martin. Olivia is a certified life coach who specialises in helping hundreds of women worldwide heal from their heartbreak, get over their ex and live their dream. Find her on @oliviamartincoach We did things a little bit different, this time I was in the hot seat. It was a very raw and honest discussion on how I found myself in the darkest place while in Australia. I had spent months trying to mask it to everyone, but as the weeks and m...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 16
Today on the podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with Annette Kelly on her adventures in Australia and how a little seed planted from a Facebook page of positive quotes in 2015 by Annette is still going strong five years on with nearly half million followers across her social media platforms. Everyday Little Penny Thoughts share uplifting quotes and inspiring mantras with an aim to encourage confidence and promote wellbeing within others. They believe in taking it “One day at a time” and that...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This was an episode I recorded a few months ago. I had a lot of requests from people to do this episode. I hesitated releasing it, I hate going back to that place when I struggled, it opens up wounds that have only just healed. But it is something I wish I had to help me when I was going through a tough time and I want to help anyone who is struggling right now. I chose this picture as my episode cover (head to @acountydownunder to see ). At first glance it looks like paradise. What you can’t se...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 14
My guest today on the podcast is a great friend of mine from County Down, Natasha. She is well known as the Gym Guru. This is a raw insight into how Tash found Australia to be very isolating. She struggled to find work in the fitness industry and even though she is such a bubbly and outgoing person, she struggled to make friends too. Tash discusses the highs and lows of her time in Australia, finding herself battling anxiety . She discovered that living back home is where she is happiest and the...
Mar 16, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Deirdre Maguire helps people get happier. She eliminates burnout for stressed out over achievers and fast-tracks them so they easily claim back their lives for good. She’s known for radically transforming people’s lives in 20 minutes. Deirdre is a World Class Mind Wellness Expert, Life Coach, Author and Master Change Agent. She has worked with people all over the world and facilitates transformation at the deepest level using her Stress Solution System. Sponsored by Tourism Ireland Tourism Irela...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Today I am joined by the talented Tom Brandon. Tom grew up in Rostrevor, County Down and has travelled the world as a singer and actor. He is currently performing in the iconic Sydney Opera House with The Choir Of Man. Tom and I discuss all things from how he got to where he has in his career, what life was like when his industry shut down during COVID, being the first international show to come to Australia to perform after the pandemic, quarantine in Australia and what to expect at the amazing...
Mar 08, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Today on the show I have the owners of the successful Railway Street Cafe in County Down, Stephen and Hannah Barker. The couple set out on a working holiday visa to Melbourne a few years ago and it changed their life forever. They found a love for the Australian coffee, also known as the best coffee in the world. They decided that Ireland needed to be in on the secret, and when they returned from Australia, they opened up Railway Street Cafe at the young age of 24. They have created a mini Austr...
Mar 02, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 10
On today’s episode I am joined by the fantastic and funny Terence and Roisin from the Irish Support Agency. Since 1995 The Irish Support Agency have provided front-line support, to anyone in the Irish Australian community who finds themselves in circumstances of crisis or distress. They also run programs to help promote mental health and well-being, social inclusion and a sense of connection in our community. But so many people abroad do not know about them. So listen to this and educate yoursel...
Feb 23, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 9
My lovely friend Amber joins me today on the podcast. She talks about the reality of moving home from Australia during the pandemic and how hard it can be watching all of her friends living the high life in Oz through social media, while she deals with lockdown at home. She discusses the highs and lows about moving home and how she has managed to find peace with her decision of leaving Sydney. We had a lot of technical difficulties with this episode, so Amber can be hard to hear at times. So go ...
Feb 15, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 8
So many of you have asked for this podcast, so here it is. My top tips on how to become a teacher in Australia Check out @acountydownunder for more information and see what it's really like to live the life abroad The podcast is proudly sponsored by Gym+Coffee: Discount code: DOWNUNDER Follow @acountydownunder on Instagram and TikTok and visit www.acountydownunder.com for all you need to know about life abroad . Join Caroline's amazing weekly Sunrise Social clubs across the world....
Feb 07, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Today on the podcast I had the honour of speaking with Brian Keane. Over the past seven years, Brian has gone from working full-time as a primary school teacher and playing GAA to one of the most recognised faces in the Irish health and fitness industry. In this episode, Brian delves into the importance of failure, changing your environmental circumstances to improve your mental health, fitness being a coping mechanism and how to stay headstrong during the pandemic. Check out his amazing podcast...
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 7
Today I was joined by Nathan Joseph. Nathan was one of the cast members of Love Island UK 2017. On this episode Nathan discusses what it is REALLY like to be on Love Island, the process before and the reality of coming out of the villa and his whole life changing overnight. Nathan opens up about how there was no after-care and the tragic suicides from cast members Caroline Flack, Sophie Gradon and his good friend Mike Thalassitis. He opens up about his own battle with depression and how his deci...
Feb 02, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 5
This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Mark Toner. Mark has been on the podcast before and he agreed to come back on this time under one condition, there was no time limit and no script. We went Joe Rogan style. We ended up diving into a DEEP conversation on everything and anything. This has to be one of my favourite podcasts to record. I just let go and spoke from the heart and so did Mark. We discussed everything from life after Australia, depression, suicide, Instagram haters, Conor Mc...
Jan 27, 2021•2 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 4
