Trigger warning : Disordered eating. This week I speak to Aoife O’Brien about life with and after an eating disorder. Originally from County Clare, Aoife now lives in Mayo with her fiancé Damian and their son Liam, who’s nearly 2. She works with the GAA/ Croke Park co-ordinating the Healthy Clubs project which promotes health and wellbeing within clubs. But for years she was controlled by an eating disorder which went unnoticed for a long time. Now having fully recovered she is passionate about ...
Jun 04, 2021•58 min
Trigger warning : Disordered eating, depression. This week I speak to former model and media personality, Holly Carpenter. She lives in Stoneybatter in Dublin with her dog Max, and has been in a relationship since October, but over the past 14 months she has had many ups and downs and she’s been very honest about her struggles with her mental health and the impact the pandemic had on her overall wellbeing. She’s genuine, sensitive and naturally funny and in this candid conversation she talks abo...
May 28, 2021•55 min
Trigger warning : Infant loss, grief, depression, disordered eating, weight loss. This week I speak to father and ultra marathon runner, Ian Lawton. He lives in Navan in County Meath, is married to Jennifer, and is the father of two sons, Ike who’s 12 and Hank who passed away 10 years ago, the day after he was born. In this conversation he gives us a profound insight into infant loss, and the pain of a bereaved father. Not alone does he speak about loss and grief but also about rebirth and movin...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Trigger warning : Tragic death, complex grief, severe injuries, PTSD. This is my conversation with the incredible Zoe Holohan. On the 23rd of July 2018, Zoe and her husband Brian were on their honeymoon when disaster struck. Wildfires swept through the seaside town of Mati in Greece where they were staying and claimed the lives of 102 people. She miraculously survived despite her extensive injuries, while Brian, unfortunately didn’t. In this conversation we hear how she and Brian met, what a won...
May 14, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Trigger warning : Postnatal depression, anxiety, sudden death, grief. This week I speak to entrepreneur and mother, Sharon Keegan. She lives in Dublin with her partner Seán and their two boys, Liam who’s 5 and Bob who’s 2. As the founder of female empowerment clothing brand ‘Peachylean’, Shar’s USP is ‘being real’ so obviously she was the dream guest for this podcast. Last December we sat down to have a chat and it was powerful. 2020 was a year with some wonderful highs but also some terrible lo...
May 07, 2021•55 min
Trigger warning : Multiple rounds of IVF, miscarriage. Denise Phillips lives in Newbridge, Co. Kildare with her husband Mark, their 6 year old daughter Beth and she’s also step mother to 16 year old Ellie. She’s hugely successful in her career as the owner of Pelo hairdressing and the co-owner of Irish hair brand Voduz and last week she got the surprise of her life when she found out she was over 6 months pregnant! For the past 10 years, she had lived with unexplained infertility, no periods, no...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Trigger warning : Religion, IVF. I speak to writer, podcaster, activist and mother, Ranae von Meding this week.Ranae lives in Dublin city centre with her wife Audrey and their two daughters, Ava who is 4, and Arya who is 2. She spoke about so much during our chat…from growing up in an extremely religious household, the importance of having boundaries, her struggles with an eating disorder, how she met and fell in love with Audrey and their beautiful but challenging journey to Motherhood.She’s al...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 24 min
This is the second part of the conversation I had with Menopause coach, Catherine O’Keeffe.And in this episode, she talks about HRT, early menopause and she also answers a selection of your questions that were sent in on Instagram, including, advice on supplements.Menopause is a complex topic, and the experience of it, is different for every woman so I do hope you find these episodes helpful.You can email her directly on [email protected] you can also sign up to her newsletter here...
Apr 16, 2021•43 min
This is a conversation I’ve wanted to record for ages and I’m so glad it finally happened.I sat down with Menopause coach Catherine O’Keeffe, who goes by the name WellnessWarrior.ie and we spoke about so much that I’ve decided to split the conversation in two, to allow you to absorb the information as it’s such a complicated and sensitive topic and the experience of menopause is so different for every woman.Originally from Kilkenny, Catherine lives in Dublin with her husband Tom, their three boy...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Proudly from Newry in Northern Ireland, Maeve lives in London with her fiancé and her Instagram following grew massively in the past year due to her virtual workouts which led to her creating her online community ‘Queens Don’t Quit’.In this conversation, she talks candidly about a whole load of topics…periods, fibroids and PCOS, her former dance career, having Covid 19, wedding plans, the downsides of Instagram filters and her dislike of cats!She’s hilarious, genuine and I absolutely loved chatt...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Trigger warning : Religion, Catholic Church. This week my guest is Redemptorist priest and religious writer, Tony Flannery.Tony has gained a reputation for being a controversial figure within the Catholic Church but when you examine what he talks about, he is simply speaking the truth. In 2012 he was summoned to the Vatican and told that he would be allowed to return to ministry only if he agreed to sign a statement stating, among other things, that women could never be ordained priests and that...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Trigger warning : Knife attack, Murder, PTSD.Sinéad O’Leary was only 19 when her life changed forever.She and her friend Nichola Sweeney, were getting ready to go out, when a neighbour (Peter Whelan) broke into Nichola’s home and attacked them both.Sinéad was stabbed 20 times and managed to survive the onslaught, while her friend Nichola unfortunately died, due to her wounds. In this conversation, Sinéad speaks about her friendship with Nichola, the night itself, the court case and how 19 years ...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 12 min
This Tuesday I recorded a conversation with a woman I’ve admired for many years.Singer, musician and poet, Imelda May is my guest this week.She lives in London with her 8 year old daughter, Violet, and is now dating fellow musician Niall McNamee. Proudly from the Liberties in Dublin, she has lived in England for over 20 years and in this conversation we talk feminism and paganism, she talks about her wonderful parents and her upbringing. We also reminisce about the late Gerry Ryan, she talks abo...
Mar 13, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Trigger warning : death by suicide, injury, sudden death, grief.Last December I travelled to Cork and spoke to the incredible Dessie Fitzgerald.His world was turned upside down on the 8th of August 2011, and he continued to face unimaginable difficulty over the 14 months that followed.But since then, he’s turned his pain into a positive and is now helping people every day in his role as a Life Coach.Dessie is married to Sarah and they have two sons, MJ and Jack and they live in Charleville, in N...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 17 min
A former journalist and TV Producer, Yasmin Boland is now a best-selling author and is considered one of the most respected voices on the spiritual importance of the moon.In this conversation she talks through the phases of the moon (20 mins in approx), it’s historical significance, New Moon and Full Moon rituals (24 mins), manifesting (33 mins) and of course the divine feminine. And for more on Yasmin, simply go to her website…https://www.yasminboland.com/Moonology Manifesting Challenge...https...
Feb 26, 2021•47 min
Trigger warning : Seizures, cancer, terminal diagnosis. This week I chat to the incredible Alannah Sheehan who goes by the Instagram handle https://www.instagram.com/worth_fighting4/Alannah is married to Martin, they live in Tipperary and they have 3 kids; Finn who’s 5, Luca who’s 3 and Phoebe who’s 1 and has just started to walk.But last year her world changed forever when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of brain cancer.In this conversation you’ll hear how tough it’s been for ...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Trigger warning : Religion, depressionActor and comedian Mario Rosenstock is my guest this week.Best known for his Gift Grub impersonations on Today FM for the past 22 years, he's married to Bláthnaid and they have two kids, Dash who’s 13 and Bellamie who’s 8.He’s wonderfully eccentric and as you can imagine has plenty of hilarious stories but he’s also incredibly honest and reflective and I absolutely loved our chat.In this conversation, he talks about the night he met his wife for the first ti...
Feb 11, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Trigger warning : Childhood disability, breakdown. This week I chat to Sharon Myers, a warm and genuine woman who I absolutely loved chatting to.She’s married to Denis and they have two children, Sophie who’s a teenager and Noah who’ll be ten in March and they live in Mitchelstown in North Cork.Noah was born with a rare condition called Escobar syndrome and in this conversation she talks through the ups and downs of coming to terms with it but she also talks about that time they climbed the Galt...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Trigger warning : Depression, grief, addiction.This week I chat to writer, communicator, strategist and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell.He’s probably best known for his role as the official spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy for the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.Now splits his time between writing, speaking, charity work and consultancy.He lives with his partner Fiona and they have three children, Grace, Calum and Rory. A self-confessed a...
Jan 28, 2021•55 min
As we all know, 2020 was a year like no other so I wanted to put together a sort of ‘look back' at the year gone by.I learnt so much from all of the guests I had the honour to chat to, throughout the year.I didn’t include every conversation from 2020 here but I’m so thankful to each and every one of my guests for giving their time so generously.We covered so much in the conversations from realising what really matters in life, the healing power of nature, believing change can happen, letting go ...
Jan 21, 2021•27 min
TV presenter and podcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin is my guest this week.Navan born and bred, Hector has been living in Galway for the past 26 years.He’s married to Dympna and they have two teenage sons, Rian and Shane.He’s been creating and presenting TV and radio shows for over 20 years and he’s filmed in over 60 countries worldwide so far, with many more on the horizon.In this conversation he talks about fatherhood, the pride he feels working for TG4, his brilliant podcast with friends Tommy Tier...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Trigger Warning : references to miscarriage, grief. This week I chat to fitness trainer, gym owner and entrepreneur Leanne Moore Behan.Leanne lives in Kildare with her husband Dave and their adorable dogs, Toby and Ben.And in this conversation we reminisce about that time she won singing competition and hit TV show ‘You’re a Star’, her Mam and the beautiful legacy she left behind, the close bond with her sister, her new morning routine and how it’s improved her life, following her instincts and ...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Trigger Warning : references to conception, pregnancy, IVF, grief.This week I chat to fertility coach and psychotherapist, Helena Tubridy.Helena is a Mother and Grandmother and she has been helping women and men to achieve pregnancy naturally and those who are preparing for IVF, for over 30 years.She also offers support to people experiencing the pain of miscarriage, stillbirth, birth trauma, and subfertility.She’s an independent professional and not affiliated with any brand or company so any m...
Dec 11, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Trigger Warning : references to drug use, addiction, childhood trauma, anxiety, alcoholism.Brian Pennie is a Neuroscience lecturer at Trinity College & UCD, a PHD student, radio presenter and author and he’s one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met.On the 8th of October 2013, Brian experienced his first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction and since that day he has radically turned his life around.Now at 42, life is good. This year he released his compelling memoir ‘Bo...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 12 min
This week I chat to TV presenter and podcaster Muireann O’Connell.A self-confessed insomniac and TV buff, she grew up in Limerick with her parents and her three siblings.And in this conversation we talk about the ups and downs of working in the media in Ireland, life with her ‘housemate’, the bond with her family and her recent health scare.She’s great craic and as smart as a tack, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This episode was brought to you in partnership with Revive Active, your d...
Nov 20, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Irish designer and proud Kerryman Don O’Neill is my guest this week.Don and his husband Pascal have been living in New York for 26 years and I am fortunate to call them my friends.As a designer, Don has dressed some of the most powerful women in the world; Oprah Winfrey, Khloe Kardashian and Meghan Markle to name but a few, with many Irish women also falling in love with his designs.My sister Gráinne and I have been lucky enough to wear many of his gúnas down through the years, with Don also des...
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Níall is a certified Level 3 Wim Hof Method instructor and in this episode we talk about the Ice Man himself, cold showers(from about 22mins) and swimming in the sea(from 39mins).He explains why the cold is good for us and how to do it effectively and carefully. Some of the benefits include strengthening the immune system, balancing hormones, lowering stress and anxiety and improving sleep quality.This podcast is suitable for complete beginners or the more experienced as Níall tells us how we ca...
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Trigger Warning : references to self-harm, suicide, alcoholism, drug use. Janet Devlin is a singer-songwriter who was catapulted to fame at the age of 16 when she was a contestant on reality talent show The X Factor.But behind her beautiful performances was a teenager who was really struggling.The youngest of four, Janet grew up in Tyrone and always had a desire to perform but a negative self-image from an early age proved destructive.She started self-harming at 12 and at 20, she was an alcoholi...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Dr. Billy Mag Fhlionn is a folklorist, lecturer and musician and he lives in Dingle with his wife Muireann and their daughters Sadhbh and Líse.In this conversation he talks to me about the significance of Halloween, the stories of old and their meaning and we talk about the games and traditions associated with this mystical time of year. He talks through Halloween games like 'bobbing for apples', 'shave the fryer', 'snap apple', he tells me what was originally in the báirín breac (you may be sur...
Oct 23, 2020•50 min
Joanne O’Riordan is only one of seven people in the world living with a rare physical disability known as Total Amelia. This means she was born without all four limbs and even though there is no medical explanation as to why this happened, Joanne or indeed her family, has never allowed it to hold her back.During the week of her sixteenth birthday she made a speech at the United Nations and challenged the body to create technology to help disabled people.She’s the youngest in her family and at tw...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
