Ireland has been experiencing a housing crisis for the last number of years and it’s having a devastating effect on the wellbeing of children and young people. In the episode, Niall is joined by Rory Hearne, a leading expert on the Irish housing crisis and an Associate Professor of Social Policy at Maynooth University. Rory is a candidate for the European Parliament Elections in 2024, under the Social Democrats party in Midlands-North West. Having spent most of his career working on housin...
May 27, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Mental health experiences can be deeply personal, but we need to look for the solutions at a political level. Mental health is connected to capitalism and social issues and we need change in these areas to see change in ourselves. In this episode, Niall is joined by Micha Frazer-Carroll, an award-winning journalist, culture commentator and author of ‘Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health’. Having grown up with mental health issues all around her, Micha is passionate about changing the n...
May 20, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mental health stereotypes can often show the experience in just one way, debilitating, unable to get out of bed or function. Although this can be the case for some, there are many of us battling our minds while living a fully-functioning life. In this episode, Niall is joined by Dr. Lalitaa Suglani, a psychologist and author of ‘High-Functioning Anxiety’. Lalitaa coined the term after experiencing this herself, along with seeing her patients appear accomplished and successful on the outsid...
May 13, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve just landed back from our tour around many beautiful parts of Ireland and we’ve got some great live guest interviews to bring you over the coming months. One particular stand out interview was in The Source Arts Centre in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, with an incredible man, Aidan Loughnane. After a lengthy battle with grief, anxiety and an eating disorder, that almost pushed him to the brink of death, Aidan decided to turn his life around. He found a love for running and began sharin...
May 06, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we pursue the radical reimagining of Ireland, and the world’s, mental health frameworks, we must be open minded to new ideas and treatment models. In this episode, Niall is joined by Dr. Jessica Schleider, Founding Director of the Lab for Scalable Mental Health and author of ‘Little Treatments, Big Effects’. Jessica’s mission is to create evidence-based solutions that bridge previously-unfillable gaps in mental health ecosystems. Based on research that most people seeking support will o...
Apr 29, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast As some of you may know, we’re on tour with the podcast across Ireland. It’s been great to get out and meet some of you guys, to share space with you and of course our incredible guest interviews. Today, we thought we’d share one of our live interviews with a long-time friend of Niall’s, Danny O’Reilly, front man of The Coronas. Niall and Danny have come up through the music industry together over the last 15 years and share some of their stories from ‘the good old days’ before 15 second T...
Apr 22, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast We have spoken many times on the podcast about masculinity, something that has come under constant scrutiny in recent years as men try to navigate the problems, struggles and strengths of their being. As masculinity is being redefined, how can we raise young men in a supportive, encouraging manner so they can thrive? Niall is joined by Jordan Conroy, Olympic athlete, Rugby 7s player and host of new RTE show 'Man Up'. Jordan has spent time working with young men from all different backgroun...
Apr 15, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we dive deeper into the social structures around mental health it is becoming abundantly clear that we need to find a new approach to treating people. In this episode, Niall is joined by Robert Whitaker, a medical journalist, author and founder of Mad In America. Robert has dedicated his career to turning a critical lens on the work of psychiatry, debunking the claims of chemical imbalances and miracle treatments and tracing back the unimaginable history that still casts a shadow of sti...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are many phases to move through when processing a difficult event or experience in your life. A good therapist will guide you as you encounter difficult emotions, learn to really feel them and then let them go. One of the most difficult and sometimes resisted parts of this process is forgiveness. Niall is joined by our expert psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates as they dissect the complexities of forgiveness. Although forgiveness can be incredibly freeing, it needs to be ...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Title: What We’ve Become with Jonathan M. Metzl Every single day we are seeing unbearable atrocities across the world and we have a front row seat to them through our phones and the media. When you add this to the cultural tensions and division being driven in our society, how does our psyche adapt? Today Niall is joined by Jonathan M.Metzl, a psychiatrist and sociologist who has done immense work in researching and writing about gun violence and race in America. Jonathan’s unique le...
Mar 25, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dealing with uncomfortable situations, conversations and feelings can be incredibly difficult and make us want to run for the hills, but getting comfortable with discomfort is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself. Having just presented at his first academic conference in Trinity College, Niall became engulfed by uncomfortable feelings when he got the call and in the month leading up to it. However, his mindfulness practice has taught him how to welcome these difficult ...
Mar 18, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Although many of us want to leave the Covid-19 pandemic in the past, it’s important we reflect and really consider the impact it had on us individually and societally, and the incredible coping skills it highlighted in us all. Niall is joined by Dr. Brendan Kelly, a psychiatrist and author with a list of degrees as long as your arm, including epidemiology, health management, history and Buddhist studies. Brendan’s new book ‘Resilience’ looks back on the profound impact that Covid had on ou...
Mar 11, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s society we come across a lot of grandiose characters. From politicians to social media gurus, in our careers and in our personal relationships, we’re bound to encounter people who have the biggest voice in the room and want everyone to believe their ideas and opinions are best. In this episode of The Therapy Room, Niall is joined by our expert psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates to break down the complexity of grandiosity in all its forms. They discuss the difference...
Mar 04, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is a paradigm shift happening in how we view our mental and physical health, recognising the innate link between our brains and our bodies. Physical health issues can impact our mental health and our mental health can impact our physical health. New emerging research is also beginning to show a link between trauma and chronic conditions like autoimmune disease. Niall is joined by friend of the podcast Dr. Sara Gottfried, who you may remember from our ‘Hormone Health’ episode. Sara’s ...
Feb 26, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast At a time when the events happening in the world are terrifying and overwhelming, it’s important we focus on what is in our control. Niall is joined by renowned performance psychologist, coach and co-founder of ‘Soul Space’, Gerry Hussey. Gerry has a unique and holistic approach to personal development, which combines elements of psychology, mindfulness, spirituality, and physical health. Niall and Gerry, like the rest of the world, have been deeply affected by the atrocities happening in ...
Feb 19, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most of us end the year feeling burnt out and a little bit b@ll*xed and make promises to ourselves that next year will be different. Although a lot of us have felt or relate to being burnt out, it’s important we get to the route cause of what it actually is and what’s causing it. Niall is joined by Dr. Sharon Grossman, aka The Burnout Doc and author of The 7E Solution to Burnout. As a self-professed over-achiever, Sharon has worked through her own experiences with burnout and now works wit...
Feb 05, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck? We can get lost in relationships, work, addiction issues, body struggles or other situations that leave us dealing with immense guilt and shame when we can’t shake ourselves out of it. Niall is joined by Britt Frank, a neuropsychotherapist, teacher, trauma specialist and author of ‘The Science of Stuck’, a practical guide on the neuroscience of stuck-ness and how we can break free from the patterns that keep us there. Having experienced immense trau...
Jan 29, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we grow from babies into adults we learn to adapt ourselves to fit the environment we’re in. If we grow up in a space where our needs are not met emotionally, we can develop what has been coined the ‘Survivor Self’ or the adaptive self. Niall is joined by our resident expert psychologists, Dr. Tony Bates and Louize Carroll, as we step inside the therapy room to see how our survival self can come to hurt us later in life. These patterns of behaviour can come to harm our relationships, wo...
Jan 22, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast January can be a difficult month for a lot of people, but we must hold onto hope even in the longest and darkest days. Niall is joined by Dan Murphy, lead singer of Irish band Hermitage Green. The band’s latest single ‘Younger Days’ comes with a profound and timely message about our current mental health crisis, something Dan has seen burgeoning in his own hometown of Limerick, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. Dan explains why now felt like the right time to addre...
Jan 15, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we take a slow approach to January Niall sits down to meander through his thoughts ahead of the new year. After a health scare over Christmas, Niall reiterates his feelings on the ‘new year, new me’ b*llsh*t that gets thrown at us every January. Life isn’t a straight line and Niall shares how he navigated the intense emotions, the shift in perspective he stumbled upon in the process and why accepting change as the only certain thing in life can be very freeing. Check out our 31 Da...
Jan 08, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A very happy new year to all of our listeners. Before we move forward into 2024, we’re taking a look back at some of our biggest episodes of 2023. From deeply moving conversations in the Men’s Shed in Ballybrack, to interviewing one of the world’s biggest rock stars live in the 3Olympia Theatre, we’ve had quite the eclectic year. However, at the core of every single one of our episodes is an immense passion to find out more about our human experience and the beautiful messiness of our head...
Jan 01, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast A very happy Christmas to our wonderful Where Is My Mind? listeners, we hope you're enjoying a great festive break. Hopefully most of you will be winding down and taking a much deserved rest, but we know this season can bring a lot of rush, full on family moments and it's own level of exhaustion. That's why Niall is bringing you this moment of calm to help you through, to encourage to have a half hour to yourself, take some space or go for a walk. We hope you enjoy. From all of...
Dec 25, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast For some people it’s the most wonderful time of the year but for other’s Christmas can be a time of great overwhelm, stress or sadness. It’s also a time when we’re thrown into all sorts of festivities, Christmas parties and meet ups, 12 pubs and pints with your mates, which all tend to centre around alcohol. Although all of these events can be fun, December can really highlight our culture’s complicated relationship with alcohol. Niall is joined by psychotherapist, Olympic medalist and rec...
Dec 18, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the last number of months we’ve been exploring how social and societal factors impact the little piece of meat between our ears. Our biggest question, and challenge, is to break down barriers with governance to create better systems for mental health and wellbeing. Niall is joined by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, to ask what the missing links are when it comes to Ireland's governance and our collective wellbeing. They discuss why policies often feel like t...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Whether you’re a parent, guardian, teacher or anyone with children in your life, you have the power to do the work and build secure attachments that will support and bring safety to young people. Raising children is probably the most difficult job you will ever do, and most people don’t want to pass on the pain they experienced in their own childhood. Niall is joined by one of Ireland’s top experts in child and adolescent mental health, Dr. Malie Coyne, who does immense work with children ...
Dec 04, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast If we are ever going to truly help people, we need to change the way we look at people’s wellbeing and mental health. Exercising, breathwork, yoga, self help books and even mindfulness are all great tools, but they are not going to be the fix when our whole foundation is in tatters. We’re back in the Therapy Room with our expert psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates, taking a look at Gallup’s ‘Five Essential Elements of Well-Being’. These are career, social, financial, phys...
Nov 27, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Where is My Mind? has been on a tour of Ireland over the last number of weeks and we promised we'd bring you some of our most moving conversations from the road. We have spoken many times about the harrowing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) report that came out earlier this year and how detrimental some of the treatment has been to children and young people. When Niall took the podcast to a stage in Listowel, Co. Kerry he knew he wanted to speak to local man Davin Godfre...
Nov 20, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rejection is a part of life, but it is one of the most difficult things to process and deal with. Niall gives an insight into his own experience with rejection, as a musician, podcaster and personally. He tells the story of a very recent personal rejection, dissecting the emotions and reactions while appreciating the learnings and new directions it brought. He also presents one of his rejected projects, a guided meditation with music from the incredible Nick Zinner of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs...
Nov 13, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast We live in an unequal society, one that doesn’t support or protect our most vulnerable and marginalised people. We can have all of the mental health programmes and motivational talks we want, but if people’s most basic needs aren’t being met how can we expect them to survive, never mind thrive? Niall is joined by Katriona O’Sullivan, a Doctor of Psychology and Senior Lecturer who grew up in deep poverty. Having endured abuse, addicted parents, a teenage pregnancy, homelessness and a societ...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we become more trauma-informed it is becoming clear that we are all impacted by things way outside of ourselves. Generational trauma is experienced through families, communities and collective experiences in the world, so how can we begin to unravel the pain that we carry? Niall is joined by Dr. Mariel Buqué, psychologist, intergenerational trauma expert and author of upcoming book, ‘Break The Cycle’. Mariel came to working in this space through the experiences of her clients but soon r...
Oct 30, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
