The systems we live under are having such a massive impact on our collective wellbeing, but are not inevitable — they were built, and they can be unbuilt. This week, Niall Breslin sits down with someone who has been helping him make sense of the world. Pissed Magistus is a powerful cultural critic and digital creator whose work has helped countless people make sense of the modern world. Known for their ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, emotionally resonant insights, Pissed Magi...
Apr 14, 2025•59 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In the modern world, being “flat out” has become a way of life—but it’s leaving us burned out, disconnected, and running on empty. In this episode, Niall sits down with Dermot Whelan—TV and radio broadcaster, comedian, author, mindfulness teacher and long time friend of the podcast—to unravel Ireland’s obsession with busyness and the toll it’s taking on our well-being. Dermot’s new book, Busy and Wrecked, explores how we’ve come to wear exhaustion like a badge of honor, why we struggle to slow d...
Apr 07, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Many of us sat down to watch Netflix’s latest drama series this week and were immensely affected by the show Adolescence. Niall was hit with some really big emotions watching the show, and sits down this week to put his cultural lens on some of the cracks in our society that he believes are having a massive impact on our young men. He reflects on the deep-rooted challenges they are facing today, from the scarcity of positive role models to the pressures of masculinity in an era of toxic le...
Mar 31, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 13
What if the greatest act of courage in our modern world that demands ‘yes’ is simply learning how to say ‘no’? In this episode, Niall sits down with Dr. Sunita Sah, an organizational psychologist, former physician, and author of Defy, whose groundbreaking research explores the psychology of compliance, ethical resistance, and decision-making under pressure. Together, they dive into the forces that shape our willingness to conform, from the Milgram Experiment to the silent pressures in society. T...
Mar 24, 2025•58 min•Season 3Ep. 12
What if the wisdom we need to navigate modern life isn’t ahead of us, but behind us—hidden in the land, language, and traditions of our ancestors? In this episode, Niall sits down with Manchán Magan—writer, documentary maker, and explorer of ancient cultures—to uncover the deep-rooted wisdom woven into Ireland’s history. Manchán has spent years traveling the world, living with indigenous communities, and delving into the lost traditions of our own land. Together, they discuss the Irish connectio...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 11
Our collective human psyche has for a long time been impacted by the happenings of the world, from politics to war and the economy. In this week’s episode, Niall sits down to talk about just how much suffering we have witnessed in society and how that can leave us feeling helpless. Speaking about the work of Thich Nhat Hanh, whose work on non-violence came from the front lines of the Vietnam war, Niall explores the fear and power driving the chaos and the deep spiritual crisis it is causin...
Mar 10, 2025•49 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Facing the parts of ourselves we avoid—our shame, fear, and self-doubt—can sometimes bring us out of darkness and into the light. In this episode of Where Is My Mind, Niall Breslin sits down with Pat Divilly, coach, author, and breathwork facilitator, to explore the transformative power of shadow work. Pat’s new book, Shadow Work, unpacks how Carl Jung’s theories can help us uncover the unconscious parts of ourselves. Together, Niall and Pat explore the roots of shame in Irish history, how...
Mar 03, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Prescription drugs have long been relied on in all areas of healthcare, and while modern medicine can have incredible benefits, we also need to start looking at the bigger picture when it comes to our physical and mental health. In this week’s episode Niall sits down with journalist and author Julia Hotz to explore a growing movement in healthcare: social prescribing. Julia’s book, The Connection Cure , delves into the science, into the science and stories behind this practice, where docto...
Feb 24, 2025•56 min•Season 3Ep. 8
We, like many of you, have been deeply affected by the atrocities playing out everyday in the Middle East. It can feel overwhelming—too complex, too distant, too painful to fully grasp. In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Declan Power, an independent security and defence analyst, former career soldier, UN peacekeeper and author of ‘Siege of Jadotville’. Having spent a large portion of his career in the Middle East and as a renowned expert in international security, negotiations, crisis pla...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 7
If you’ve been here a while you’ll know masculinity is something we find both fascinating and necessary to talk about, and more so as the worst kind of men are finding power in society. In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by Logan Cohen, a therapist, clinical supervisor and author of ‘How to (Hu)Man Up in Modern Society’. Logan believes men have lost their way in modern society, particularly as we are still stuck in the traditional roles that have not evolved to suit our current world....
Feb 10, 2025•50 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Sometimes you hear a person’s story and wonder how they have not only overcome but transformed their pain into something positive to help the world. In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Robin Grace, a Garda who has turned his own difficult experiences into helping others in their crisis moments. While travelling India in his early twenties, Robin had a flashback to a traumatic event from his childhood that would change the course of his life. It was also at this time that he found a p...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 5
There are so many things happening in the world right now that are making us question who we are, what we’re doing and, to be honest, our sanity. In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Emma Kehoe, who through her own self-development journey has turned into a coach and teacher for others. Emma hit rock bottom in her early thirties, when everything she knew came crashing down around her and the realities of her early years conditioning came to the forefront. Emma shares her story of how ...
Jan 27, 2025•56 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Navigating the modern world can be a trying and tiring thing as we’re all merely trying to exist in the chaos. Politically, socially and even online, we’re experiencing a lot of disconnect and whataboutery. In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by Jeff Guenther, who may be better known to you online as Therapy Jeff. With almost 4 million followers, Jeff has become known and loved for his thought-provoking videos and nuggets of therapy wisdom, but is no stranger to the darker sides of onl...
Jan 20, 2025•50 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Our relationships make up the very essence of who we are, but they can test us, push us and trigger us more than most things in life. In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by one of the podcast’s nearest and dearest return guests, renowned psychologist, Louize Carroll. Louize also happens to be Niall’s partner and has focused her passion on relationships, the ways we show up in them, the hurt and healing they can cause and how we can reclaim ourselves when we’re feeling a bit lost. We he...
Jan 13, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Happy New Year! As we enter into 2025 you’re no doubt being bombarded with ‘New Year, new me’ BS that comes around every January. As you may know, here at Where Is My Mind we’re not for that pressure. In this week's episode Niall takes you through his reflections as we begin a new year and the approach he’s taking to support himself physically, mentally and emotionally. One of the biggest lessons you can learn is what works for you, and what you really need. For Niall, that’s discipline, c...
Jan 06, 2025•56 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We’ve made it! We’re in that lovely lull between Christmas and the New Year where no one knows what day it is, you’re full of chocolate and cheese and the world has slowed down a little. It’s also a great time to reflect on the year that has been, and it’s been a great one for Where Is My Mind as we reached new listeners, took the podcast on tour and got to meet some of you guys. We’ve also had a year of phenomenal interviews, with some of the world’s best thinkers and souls. This week we’...
Dec 30, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 95
A very happy Christmas to you, from all of us here on the Where Is My Mind team! Well, that is if you’re not tearing your hair out. While all the festivities, catch ups, presents and family time can be lovely, it can be a really overwhelming time of year too. Whether you’ve got something going on in your life like stress, grief, loneliness, Christmas is a time that can amplify all of that. This week, Niall takes you through ways to approach the chaos of Christmas. He talks through some of ...
Dec 23, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 94
This year we took Where Is My Mind to 20 counties around Ireland and met some of the soundest souls and audiences along the way. In this week’s episode, Niall brings you some of our highlights from the October leg of the tour. From Eurovision legend Charlie McGettigan to social media star Kayleigh Trappe, we’ve had an eclectic mix of guests who brought so much craic but also their honest vulnerable selves to the shows. Charlie shared the grief he experienced losing his son, while Kayleigh ...
Dec 16, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 93
Music is one of the most powerful mediums in the world, and as we’ve heard from many people on this podcast, it has saved them. In this week’s episode we’re taking you along to one of the Where Is My Mind? Live shows. In the Mermaid Theatre in Bray Niall was joined by two long-time friends from the music industry, Kieran McGuinness and James Vincent McMorrow. The trio talk about how music has changed thanks to the never ending metrics of social media and how it’s now even being tailored to...
Dec 09, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Where Is My Mind is back! You might have been wondering where Niall has been over the last while but after a short hiatus and well needed break he’s back to fill you in on where his mind has been. After undertaking The Rising, the launch of The Madman’s Hotel and a month-long podcast tour, it’s safe to say burnout was on the brink. Niall shares how he was feeling after such a busy time, all while existing in a world that feels like everything is on fire, and what he did to get himsel...
Dec 02, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 91
A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Produced by Niall Breslin and Aoife Plunkett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 28, 2024•28 sec•Season 3Ep. 1
They kayaked Ireland’s longest River Shannon, cycled 160km and climbed Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil, all over 8 days to raise funds for better mental health literacy for young people. The Rising 2024 is complete and this week Niall reminisces on the journey, everything he and the team learned along the way and what it means to complete it. Although there were challenges along the way, from injuries to capsizes, and moments where they had to dig deep, we have almost reached the ...
Sep 30, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 90
How we listen to music has changed. With streaming, social media and 15 second TikTok’s it’s rare we listen to a full album anymore. Sometimes, though, a body of work comes along that stops you in your tracks. This week, Niall is joined by Gary Lightbody, lead singer and guitarist with Snow Patrol. The Irish band have just released their first album in 6 years, ‘The Forest Is The Path’, which may be their most vulnerable record to date. The band approached this album in a different way tha...
Sep 16, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 89
If you’ve been following Niall on social media you’ll know he’s spent the last number of months training for another intense fundraiser to improve mental health supports for young people in Ireland. Niall and the team are back for the second year to take on the grueling challenge of The Rising. This year consists of a kayak of the Shannon, followed by a 160 km cycle from Limerick to Carrauntoohil, and culminating in a climb up Ireland's highest peak, Carrauntoohil, totaling 393km. In this ...
Sep 09, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 88
Anxiety can feel like something that is there to ruin our life, but the little alarm system going off inside us is actually incredibly important in giving us warning signals and keeping us alive. In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Dr. Richard Hogan, renowned psychotherapist and clinical director of Therapy Institute. Richard’s work as a family psychotherapist has given him a deep understanding of anxiety and the function it provides. From sleep to screens, environment to emotions, t...
Sep 02, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 87
We’ve talked a lot about connection and relationships recently on the podcast, but they are at the beating heart of our very being. In this episode Niall is joined by our very own Louize Carroll of The Therapy Room, to dive deeper into how relationships mould and mirror our psychology. Louize has a deep passion for understanding how we relate to each other and how that impacts our own inner world. She has created a 12 week programme that helps individuals heal wounds, master triggers and t...
Aug 26, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 86
We now have solid evidence that social connection is vital to our wellbeing and as crucial to our health as our diet and exercise. So is our modern divided world making us sick? In this week’s episode Niall is joined by David Robson, science journalist and author of ‘The Laws of Connection’. We are living in times of great tension that is only exacerbated by our reliance on social media. Unfortunately, this is pushing us further and further away from each other, creating a deficit in our m...
Aug 19, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Sometimes life throws us challenges that can seem impossible to overcome, but something innately in us somehow keeps us going. In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by Rachel Gotto, a hypnotherapist and mid-life crisis coach who has overcome immense tragedy in her life. Just two years after losing her brother to cancer, Rachel was shocked by the death of her husband while six months pregnant. Numb with grief, Rachel spent the next few years raising her daughter and trying to cope until s...
Aug 12, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 84
In the head-melty chaos of the modern world, sometimes all we need is to get through the next five minutes. In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by author James Parker, whose new book ‘Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive’ is a dedication to finding gratitude in unexpected places. As the unofficial “gratitude correspondent” for the Atlantic, James’ often hilarious odes range from moments of self-discovery to life-changing music to mundane everyday things. Niall and ...
Aug 05, 2024•55 min•Season 2Ep. 83
The sheer amount of information we are exposed to and are absorbing everyday is beyond overwhelming, and in a media landscape now flooded with misinformation and disinformation it can be difficult to decipher what’s real. Niall is joined by Steven Brill, journalist and author whose latest book ‘The Death Of Truth’ looks at how social media has given snake oil salesmen and demagogues the power to destroy trust and polarise our society. Steven is also co-founder of NewsGuard, which rates the...
Jul 29, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 82
