Topics covered : Parents separating, trauma, guilt, alcoholism, addiction, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, success, rock bottom, hope, finding meaning, love, purpose. I’m on a break over the Christmas period so I am re-releasing a few episodes over the next few weeks that really connected with listeners from 2023. In September I spoke to dog lover and activist Niall Harbison. If you’re an animal lover and you’re on social media, there is a strong possibility that you already follow Niall. Or...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Topics covered : Gaza and the occupied territories, Palestine, occupation, Gabor Maté, trauma, visibility, activism, grief, social media, compassion, truth, change. In my final conversation of the year and one of the most important I’ve ever had, I speak to Ruth Smith. Ruth is a multi-disciplinary artist, teacher and body worker who lives in Galway with her husband Fergal, her Mother-in-Love Marie and their pack of 3 schnauzer dogs and their 3 legged cat. And during this topical conversation she...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Topics covered : Gay Byrne, nostalgia and memories, the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in Ireland, love and grief. In the penultimate episode of the year, I speak to Suzy Byrne about her Dad, legendary broadcaster, Gay Byrne. Suzy is married to Ronan and they have three children Cia, Sadhbh and Saoirse. Being the daughter of one of our best-known broadcasters, this conversation gives us an insight into the man Gay Byrne was at home, from one of the people who knew him best. She also talks about a book she ...
Dec 08, 2023•45 min
Topics covered : Fame, trolling, overwhelm, mental health, faith, spirituality, pregnancy announcement, joy, self-care. Last Friday in Galway, I sat down with dynamic duo Tadhg and Derry Fleming and had this wonderfully open conversation. Tadhg and his Dad, Derry are part of the Fleming family that we know and love from Kerry, who shot to fame when a bat flew into the family home 6 years ago and the video went viral. Mother Maureen and sisters Sadhbh and Maryanne, along with Tadhg’s wife Alannah...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Topics covered : Secrecy, shame, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, friendship, recovery, honesty, grief, love, polyamory, fatherhood. This week I caught up with comedian and radio presenter PJ Gallagher. PJ lives in Clontarf in Dublin with his partner Kelly and their 12-week-old twins Milo and Stevie. He presents the breakfast show on Nova with his friend Jim McCabe, he’s also currently working on a documentary for RTÉ and his book ‘Mad House – The naked truth about my chaotic childhood, losing m...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 19 min
Topics covered : Poverty, heroin addiction, neglect, abuse, childhood rape, dysfunction, shame, positive influences, kindness, breaking negative cycles, therapy, recovery, attachment, opportunities, motherhood, education, academia, love, compassion, forgiveness, healing. This week I speak to the phenomenal Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan. She lives in Blanchardstown in Dublin and is married to Dave and she has 3 boys, John who’s 30, Seán who’s 18, and Tadhg who’s 15 and she’s also a proud grandmother. S...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Topics covered : Human emotions, family dynamics, emotional triggers, trauma, expectation, spirituality, parenthood, attachment, regulating emotions, the importance of repair, change, evolving, current situation in Gaza, shame, guilt, forgiveness. 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 wit...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Topics covered : Celtic calendar, Samhain, An Chailleach, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, The Hill of Tara. Historian and artist Shelly Mooney is back on the pod once again, this time to tell us all about Samhain. Shelly lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their son Ferdia and Lola their dog and she runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland. And in this bite-sized episode she talks to us about the ancient festival of Samhain and its...
Oct 31, 2023•16 min
Topics covered : Divine timing, hope, fear, trolling, homophobia, birth experience, surrogacy, legal process, parenthood, grief, social media, manifesting, destiny. In this episode I catch up with Brian and Arthur on the release of their book, ‘Modern Family’. This is the third time I’ve recorded a conversation with them both, and if you fancy tuning into the earlier episodes (released 20th March 2020 and 25th June 2022) feel free to listen back. We sat down to speak a few weeks ago on the 4th o...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 35 min
Topics covered : Gut instinct, emotional unavailability, people pleasing, boundaries, toxic relationships, fear, conditioning, perimenopause, health concerns, parenting, breaking the cycle of dysfunction. In this episode I speak to author and relationship expert, Natalie Lue. She lives in Surrey with her husband Emmon and teenage daughters, Saria (16) and Nia (14) and I’ve been a fan of her work for many years now. When she was 10 she came to live in Ireland and when she was 23 she moved to Lond...
Oct 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Topics covered : Grief, trauma, legacy, divine timing, signs, menstruality, spirituality, shedding shame, woman wound, trauma resolution, healing, honouring the stages of life, power of retreat. In this episode I speak to menstrual mentor Kitty Maguire. Kitty lives in Dublin with her partner Sam, her two nephews, their dog Winnie Wagtail & Bertie the cat. She has pioneered menstruality work in Ireland for almost 10 years, providing therapeutic sessions, rituals and circles for women, girls a...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Topics covered : Imposter syndrome, vulnerability, shedding shame, triggers, self-sabotage, apologising, blocks, boundaries, self-worth, ADHD, conditioning, reclaiming. In this episode I speak to body-based visibility and business coach, Kate O’Dwyer. She lives in Dublin with her partner Jim and their 1.5 year old son, Ned. She's been the senior guest booker on The Tommy Tiernan Show on RTE for the past 7 seasons and her passion is in supporting women to step into their fullest self-expression s...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Topics covered : Celtic calendar, Autumn equinox, Loughcrew cairns, equinox stone, Megalithic Ireland, Newgrange, An Chailleach. Historian and artist Shelly Mooney is back on the pod once again, this time to tell us all about the Autumn equinox. Shelly lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their son Ferdia and Lola their dog and she runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland. This year, the Autumn equinox will begin tomorro...
Sep 21, 2023•15 min
Topics covered : Mindful awareness, meditation, reframing distractions, depression, anxiety, long covid, recovery, technology, smart phones, overcoming suffering, spiritual growth, personal development, reflection, wisdom. In this episode I speak to Buddhist monk, the wonderful Gelong Thubten. Gelong is a title meaning monk and Thubten is hugely respected for his work in the area of spiritual growth and personal development. His first book ‘ A Monks Guide to Happiness’ was a global bestseller an...
Sep 14, 2023•48 min
Topics covered : Parents separating, trauma, guilt, alcoholism, addiction, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, success, rock bottom, hope, finding meaning, love, purpose. It's great to be back after the summer break and what a perfect episode to kick off the new series! If you’re an animal lover and you’re on social media, there is a strong possibility that you already follow Niall Harbison. Originally from Co. Tyrone, he grew up in Brussels and over the past 18 months he has been devoting his t...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Topics covered : Family dynamics, dyslexia, addiction, alcoholism, inner critic, secrecy, shame, labels, attachment styles, genogram, parenting, healthy boundaries, position in the family, breaking negative patterns, positive and negative family legacies, forgiveness. In this episode I speak to psychotherapist Richard Hogan about family dynamics. Originally from Douglas in Cork he lives in Dublin with his wife and their 3 daughters. He writes a weekly column with the Irish Examiner and often app...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Topics covered : What is Human Design, understanding your chart, energy types, profile lines, centres. In this conversation Human Design practitioner Nicole Crosbie explains what Human Design is and how to get your unique chart. She also gives us an overview of the chart which includes the energy types and the profile lines and she also touches on the centres…this is all stuff that will hopefully make sense once you listen to the episode. And to get the most out of it, I’d recommend that you do ...
Jun 23, 2023•58 min
Topics covered : Psychotherapy, music, management, her relationship with her husband Tommy, motherhood, self-acceptance, social media. In this episode I speak to singer, manager, producer and psychotherapist, Yvonne Tiernan. Originally from Dublin, Yvonne has lived in Galway with her husband Tommy for 20 years and they have 3 kids together. She is such an impressive person (a label we unpack during the conversation) who is gifted in many different areas of life. ‘The Raines’, the folk trio she’s...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Topics covered : Best foods to eat and when to eat them, genetics, blue zones, impact of Covid, exercise, sleep, sex, connections, engagement, laughter. Professor Rose Anne Kenny has 35 years of experience at the forefront of ageing medicine and in this conversation she shares some of the proven adjustments we can all make regardless of our age, to live longer and happier lives. Her book is ‘Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life’ and it’s a fascinating read. If you enj...
Jun 09, 2023•43 min
Topics covered : Boundaries, burlesque, reclaiming the past, safety, art, nature, balance, grounding, facing fears, sensuality, purpose, movement meditation, hypermobility, fibromyalgia, selfcare. In this episode I speak to dancer and choreographer, event organiser and producer and recently wedding celebrant, the brilliant Bonnie Boux. Bonnie is a nature lover who lives in Waterford and in this conversation she tells us how dance was a big part of her healing journey, she talks about her path to...
May 26, 2023•52 min
Topics covered : Authenticity, vulnerability, hard work, leadership, purpose, reflection, communication, effort, preparation, emotional intelligence, true success, meditation, trust, re-invention, mental health, responding instead of reacting, self-care. In this episode I speak to high performance coach and author Enda McNulty. Enda is married to Julia and they live in Dublin and when he played football for Armagh, he won an All-Ireland medal and an All-star Award. Now he’s regarded as one of th...
May 19, 2023•56 min
Topics covered : Sister bond, Cancer, terminal diagnosis, freak accident, grief, perspective. This week I am re-releasing one of the most listened to episodes ever of Ready to be Real. Three years ago I spoke to someone who has since become a very good friend, the wonderful Kathie Stritch. Kathie is from Cloonfad in Co. Roscommon but she lives in Galway with her soon to be husband Stephen and their little boy Freddie who’s 4.5 yrs. 9 years ago her world changed forever when her sister Elaine was...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Topics covered : Body acceptance, shedding shame, diet culture, disordered eating, body image, unlearning, motherhood, loss of identity, blended family, love, responding over reacting, self-talk, respect, bouncing forward, self-worth, stretch marks, regret, healing, empowerment. In this episode I speak to the truly wonderful Sarah Nicole Landry. She’s a body acceptance advocate, a speaker, a writer, an occasional model and podcaster and she’s better known online as ‘The Birds Papaya’. Sarah Nico...
May 04, 2023•55 min
Shelly Mooney is a historian and artist who lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their baby Ferdia and Lola their dog and she runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland. In this bite-sized episode she talks to us about the ancient Celtic festival of Bealtaine. She speaks of the importance of the Hill of Uisneach, the tradition of handfasting at this time, and the significance of the Hawthorn tree. The Hill of Uisneach - Th...
Apr 27, 2023•16 min
Topics covered : Mental health, shame, judgement, Irish psychiatric system, progression, early intervention, social media, education, TV show The Voice, panic attack, values, gaslighting, dealing with conflict, labelling, music, podcasting, therapy, meditation, breathwork, emotional intelligence. In this episode I speak to musician, podcaster, author, activist and all-round great human, Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin. He lives in Wicklow with his girlfriend Louize and their new puppy Stevie and in this...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Topics covered : Childhood, mother, alcoholism, complicated relationship, childbirth, loss of identity, suicide, numbness, grief, power of writing, compassion. In this episode I speak to author and mother, Anne Tiernan. Anne is married to Matt and they have 3 kids, Molly who’s 17, Oscar who’s 14 and Jack who’s 13 and they’ve lived in New Zealand for the past 18 years. Born in Zambia, she grew up in Navan from the age of 3 and is one of 4 kids and one of her brothers happens to be well known come...
Apr 03, 2023•59 min
Topics covered : Authenticity, people pleasing, boundaries, compromise, visualisation, freedom. In this episode I speak to New York Times best-selling author, Sarah Knight. With more than 3 million copies in print, Sarah Knight’s ‘No Fucks Given’ guides have been published in thirty-one languages worldwide and her TEDx Talk on "The Magic of Not Giving a Fuck" has over 10 million views. In this conversation she talks us through how best to live an authentic and fulfilling life by embracing the po...
Mar 24, 2023•40 min
Topics covered : Patrick, historic and legendary; the myth of Síle and Sheela na Gigs. Shelly Mooney is a historian and artist who lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their baby Ferdia and Lola their dog and she runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland. And in this conversation she talks to us about St. Patrick, the man he was before the title of Saint was bestowed upon him. But even more interesting than that, she talk...
Mar 17, 2023•36 min
Topics covered : Fertility, IVF, love, abnormalities, law in Ireland, disappointment, dilemma, termination, impact of covid restrictions, grief, loss, trauma, compassion, support, healing, acceptance. In this episode I speak to salon owner and entrepreneur Anna Hosty. Anna is married to Dave and they live in Galway with their daughter Henrietta who is 6 next month and their dog Ozzie. She’s also the co-owner of hairdressing group ‘Yourells’ and co-founder of the hair supplement for Mums called ‘...
Mar 12, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Topics covered : Motherhood, loss of identity, finding yourself again, modelling, eating disorder, social media. In this episode I speak to online sensation Louise Boyce, better known as Mama Still Got It. Louise is a Mum of 3 who’s online content on motherhood is hilarious and her book Mama Still Got It is coming out on the 8th of June. During our conversation we naturally speak about motherhood, the loss of identity that can often happen when becoming a mother…and finding yourself again, but w...
Mar 03, 2023•51 min
