Topics covered : her childhood, the power of journaling, self-worth, being wronged, sitting with pain, authenticity, gaslighting, boundaries, growth, inner child, healing. In this episode I speak to Lebanese-Canadian author, poet, speaker, activist and educator, the incredible Najwa Zebian. Najwa being a guest on ‘Ready to be Real’ is a dream come true for me as she is someone I have long admired. She grew up in a conservative Muslim household and writing helped her process and heal from past pa...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Topics covered : Fertility, miscarriage, IVF process, fear, the power of words, motherhood, parental anxiety, shift in perspective, stage of life, acting, integrity. In this episode I speak to actor and mother Caroline Morahan. Caroline lives in LA with her husband Dáithí 0r Doc as he’s better known and their 2 kids, Rowan who’s 3 and Ava who’s 2. They moved to LA 15 years ago and at the time she left a very successful TV in Ireland to pursue acting. Last month when she was back in Dublin, we sa...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Topics covered : Army life, body boarding accident, incomplete quadriplegia, recovery, controlling the controllables, perspective, gratitude, mindfulness. Billy Hedderman is married to Rita and they have 2 girls, Lana who’s 5.5 and Isobel who’s 3.5 and they live in Australia. Originally from Cork, he served in the Irish Defence Forces for 13 years which included successfully completing the Army Ranger Selection Process when he was only 20. And his greatest challenge came in the form of a body bo...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Topics covered : Impressions, talent, hard work, brain tumour, health, relationship with his wife Fiona, learning, thinking ahead, manifesting, business savvy, tour. It's Friday and time for another real chat, this time with impressionist Conor Moore aka Conor Moore (@conor_sketches) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram. We sat down a couple of weeks ago and he spoke about something he rarely if ever speaks about...finding out he had a brain tumour 10 years ago, something that changed his ...
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Topics covered : Imbolc and the symbolism and significance of Brigid. In this episode, I speak to historian and artist Shelly Mooney who runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland. She lives in the countryside in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their baby Ferdia and Lola their dog. After several years of campaigning, St Brigid’s Day has finally become a public holiday in Ireland and it’s the first one to be named after a woman...
Jan 27, 2023•16 min
Topics covered : authenticity, self-worth, the power of play, fear, love, relationships, family dynamics, anxiety, triggers, trauma, expectations, suicidal thoughts, purpose, forgiveness, change, personal responsibility, healing, being in flow. Gerry Hussey otherwise known as 'The Soul Coach' is a performance psychologist who has been working in the fields of health and performance for almost twenty years. He and his wife Miriam are the founders of wellness platform ‘Soul Space’ and along with t...
Jan 20, 2023•56 min
Topics covered : The Law of Attraction, taking action, letting go, inner critic, inner cheerleader, victimhood, gratitude, self-talk, beliefs, power of intention, change, difficulty, ah-ha moments, persistence, growth, transformation, awareness, awakening. I’m back with a brand-new episode and I speak to author, musician and wellness guru, Dr Joe. Vitale. Once homeless, Joe is now one of the world’s best known personal development experts and was also one of the main contributors on the hit movi...
Jan 13, 2023•46 min
Topics covered : Sexual confidence, connection, shame, blame, self-pleasure, communication, fantasies, desire, dirty talk, sex toys, orgasm. This episode with holistic sex educator Jenny Keane was a big hit with listeners in 2022 which is why I am sharing it again. She talks about sexual confidence, the importance of connection, self-pleasure, shame, blame and dirty talk. She also answers your questions on fantasises, sex toys and she gives us a fascinating insight into orgasm too. She’s so know...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Topics covered : Anxiety, the inner critic, anorexia, bulimia, attempted suicide, cancer diagnosis, baking, starting a business, success, wellbeing. 2022 was a massive year for Una Leonard. She turned 30 on Christmas day and she used to joke to her family and say... "I’ll have a cookbook before I’m 30!" ...and she did exactly that! Her book 'Sweet Therapy – The Joy of Baking' released this September. We sat down and chatted in June this year and the episode was released 3 months later. It was on...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Topics covered : Meditation, fears, regrets, acceptance, death, present moment awareness, compassion. I hope you’re having a lovely Christmas break and I’ll be back with a brand new episode on the 13th of January but over the coming weeks I’m going to re-release some episodes that resonated with listeners. Starting with this one…with Brother Richard Hendrick. Brother Richard has been a priest-friar for over 20 years and during the Covid 19 pandemic he wrote a poem called ‘Lockdown’ which went vi...
Dec 23, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Topics covered : Failure, faith, religion, awareness, meditation, death, compassion, love. In this episode I speak to author, playwright, podcaster, poet and all-round wonderful human being, Michael Harding. Michael is someone I’ve wanted to speak to for years and I’m so happy to be releasing this episode in time for the Christmas break. In this enlightening conversation we talk about his love of religion, the power of failure and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. His latest book ‘All t...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Topics covered : Boundaries, the power of NO, core values, toxic relationships, gaslighting, red flags, people pleasing, narcissism, inner work, breaking a negative cycle of behaviour, positive change. In this episode I speak to life coach Jennifer Davy, about boundaries. Jennifer is married to Wayne and they have two boys Oliver who’s 8 and Freddie who’s 5 and they live in County Waterford. And in this conversation she breaks down what a boundary is and how to implement one, how to manage toxic...
Dec 09, 2022•45 min
Topics covered : Space, childhood dreams, possessions, freedom, starting over. In this episode I speak to engineer, scientist, writer and performer, Niamh Shaw who is dedicating her life to fulfilling a 40 year old dream – to become an Irish space explorer on a real life mission. Today, she divides her time between Strasbourg, home of the International Space University, Ireland and the US, where she is building up contacts in the space community. You’ll find her on Instagram @dr_niamh_shaw and h...
Dec 02, 2022•55 min
Topics covered : Drug use, teenage pregnancy, motherhood, death, grief, further education, stereotyping, privilege, creativity, authenticity, philosophy, visualisation, Miriam Margolyes. Senator Lynn Ruane is my guest this week. She lives in Killinarden in Tallaght with her two daughters, Jordanne who’s 22 and Jaelynne who’s 15. And in this conversation she talks about her childhood; experimenting with drugs from the age of 12, finding out she was pregnant at 15 and how a community education ini...
Nov 25, 2022•56 min
Topics covered : Living without money, social media/technology, sustainability, being in flow, climate change, economy, marketing, community, vasectomy and toilets! Originally from Donegal, Mark made a life changing decision to give up money entirely in 2008 and he lived completely without it for 3 years. He's the author of four books including ‘The Moneyless Man’ and ‘The Way Home; Tales from a Life without technology’. And this conversation is a fascinating insight into his life and the reason...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr
In this bonus episode I speak to international numerologist Gráinne Tyndall about 1111. It’s being released on Friday the 11th of November, the day that my baby girl Clíodhna turns one so obviously it means a lot to me personally, but I asked Grainne to share her thoughts on 1111. If you’d like a personal reading with Gráinne, feel free to reach out to her. HOME - Numbers 4 Success And if you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for y...
Nov 11, 2022•15 min
Topics covered : Sexual confidence, connection, shame, blame, self-pleasure, communication, fantasies, desire, dirty talk, sex toys, orgasm. Holistic sex educator Jenny Keane is my guest this week. It's an episode I had been looking forward to recording for ages and it did not disappoint. She talks about sexual confidence, the importance of connection, self-pleasure, shame, blame and dirty talk. She also answers your questions on fantasises, sex toys and she gives us a fascinating insight into o...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Topics covered : Childhood, starting a business/brand, taking chances, creating, success, failure, conflict, motherhood, gardening. In this episode I speak to trailblazing entrepreneur Marissa Carter. Marissa lives in Dublin with her husband Ronan and their kids; Charlie who’s 10 and Isabelle who’s 7 and their much loved dog Cherry. Her brand ‘Cocoa Brown’ was born 10 years ago this month and like all successful entrepreneurs she’s not afraid of taking chances. The past few years have been parti...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Topics covered : Confidence, courage, anxiety, affirmations, bullshitting, self-talk. In this episode I speak to Professor Ian Robertson about confidence. Ian is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist and he is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in neuropsychology and he’s also the author of several best-selling books, including ‘ How Confidence Works’ . In this conversation he tells us what confidence is, what makes someone confident, how we can improve it, the diff...
Oct 27, 2022•52 min
Topics covered : Confidence, being in flow, authenticity, integrity, music, style, love, grief. In this episode I speak to Cork powerhouse Lyra, who’s a singer-songwriter known for her distinctive voice, striking outfits and electrifying live shows. In this conversation we speak about confidence and staying true to yourself, the special bond she had with her Nan Kitty and the absolute joy she feels when she’s performing. She’s independent, great craic and full of integrity and it was brilliant t...
Oct 14, 2022•47 min
Topics covered : parental separation, abandonment, depression, violence, racism, homelessness, shame, teenage pregnancy, suicide, grief, independence, support, resilience, representation, forgiveness, compassion. In this episode I speak to the phenomenal Deborah Somorin. Deborah, or Debbie as she’s better known as, has experienced so much in her life; she was in and out of care homes from a very young age, at 13 she became homeless and at 14 she found out she was pregnant. In this conversation w...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Topics covered : Anxiety, the inner critic, anorexia, bulimia, grief, attempted suicide, cancer diagnosis, baking, starting a business, success, wellbeing. Una Leonard is the owner and founder of 2210 Patisserie , a very successful bakery business and she has a gorgeous, upbeat personality that at one point, hid a deep unhappiness. In this conversation we get a beautiful insight into her relationship with her Mam, the bond she also had with her Granny, fondly known as Dotie; and how baking and o...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Topics covered : Meditation, fears, regrets, acceptance, death, present moment awareness, compassion. Brother Richard Hendrick has been a priest-friar for over 20 years and during the Covid 19 pandemic he wrote a poem called ‘Lockdown’ which went viral. In this conversation he gives us a fascinating insight into the life of a monk, he explains the difference between having purpose in life and finding meaning, he speaks of Celtic spirituality, the power of apologising…and death, in the most beaut...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Topics covered : Menstrual cycle, pelvic floor, heart disease. In this episode I speak to doctor, nutritionist and best-selling author Dr, Hazel Wallace, aka The Food Medic. Originally from Dundalk, Hazel lives in London and currently has over half a million followers on Instagram. Her third book – The Female Factor is a deep dive into women’s health and in this conversation she answers things like….why we crave chocolate before our period and what our pelvic floor is and why it’s so important? ...
Sep 16, 2022•29 min
Topics covered : Self-worth, the legal system in Ireland, rehabilitation. In this episode I speak to one of Ireland’s first female judges; Gillian Hussey. When she started out little did she know that she would deal with some of the most notorious criminals in Ireland, the likes of the Kinahans, the Cahills, ‘The Monk’ and John Gilligan. In this conversation she gives us an insight into her courtroom, her reflections on the legal system in Ireland and the importance she places on rehabilitation....
Sep 08, 2022•42 min
Topics covered : Launching a brand, clothing sizes, vulnerability, body acceptance, confidence. This week I speak to makeup artist and influencer, Aideen Kate. Aideen lives in Dublin with her boyfriend Dave, she currently has 158 thousand followers on Instagram and is Stellar magazine’s cover girl for the month of July. This conversation is an insight into the life of an influencer/content creator as we talk about her rise to fame and launching her own makeup brand earlier this year (True Beauty...
Jun 30, 2022•27 min
Topics covered : Manifestation, embracing change, impact of the pandemic, surrogacy journey, pregnancy. In this episode I catch up with powerhouse couple Brian Dowling Gourounlian and his husband Arthur. They live in Kildare and will soon be parents for the very first time and this conversation picks up where we left off when we last spoke in January 2020 (released March 2020). So much has happened in their lives since then and if you haven’t heard our earlier chat I highly recommend you check i...
Jun 25, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Topics covered : animal welfare, conservation, having a baby during Covid restrictions, heart condition, major surgery, scar, healing. In this episode I speak to Killian and Katie McLaughlin who run a wildlife sanctuary in Donegal called ‘Wild Ireland’. They met in college when they were both studying law and they’re now married and are parents to Rígan who’s almost 2. In this conversation we talk about their love of animals, their passion for what they do and their plans for the future. We also...
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Topics covered : Anorexia, grief, shame, perfectionism, recovery, gratitude, the inner critic, CBT, social media, filters, boxing, meditation, femininity, spirituality, letting go. In this episode I speak to one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met, boxer Mary Kate Slattery. Originally from Dublin, Mary Kate spent parts of her childhood in Lahinch in Co. Clare. She’s the eldest of three girls, a law graduate from Trinity College Dublin and when she was only 9 she developed anorexia. She s...
Jun 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Topics covered : Dancing with the Stars, life during lockdown, their relationship. In this episode I speak to couple Jake Carter and Karen Byrne. They live in Dublin with their dog Lenny and they started dating after they won series 2 of Dancing with the Stars in Ireland. Jake is a singer songwriter whose brother Nathan is also in the business. He’s outgoing and optimistic and Karen is a professional dancer with her own dance studio who’s a straight shooter and naturally more introverted by natu...
May 27, 2022•46 min
