Topics covered : Failure, faith, religion, awareness, meditation, death, compassion, love. 

This is a re-release of an episode I recorded with author, playwright, podcaster, poet and all-round wonderful human being, Michael Harding in December 2022.

Michael is someone I had wanted to speak to for years so it was an absolute pleasure to speak with him.

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 the things left unsaid – confessions of love and regret’ is a stunning collection of letters he wrote for the people who deeply affected him over the years and it’s available now in all good bookshops.

He's charmingly self-deprecating, reflective and his voice is one I could listen to forever. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shelly Mooney is a historian and artist who lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their sonFerdia 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 - The Sacred Centre of Ireland.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Illness, grief, miscarriage, motherhood, divorce, diet culture, overcoming challenges, self-regulation, thriving.  

This week I speak to author and midlife coach, Alana Kirk.

Originally from Belfast, Alana lives in Dublin with her three teenage daughters, Daisy (18), Poppy (16) and Ruby (13), their 2 cats, Tiggy and Puka and their rescue dog Mojo.

She works as a midlife coach and is in the process of writing her third book.

And in this conversation she shares her own story with us which is really powerful. We also talk about how much our lives have changed in the 16 years since we first met, and throughout our conversation she shares nuggets of wisdom and practical tips to bring into our own lives.

Alana is a gorgeous person, she’s compassionate and quick witted and I took so much from this chat.

Her current book is ‘Midlife, redefined: Better, Bolder Brighter’, a self-guided exploration of you and your midlife, with exercises so the reader ends up with her own bespoke midlife (wo)manual.

She can be found at www.themidlifecoach.org and on Instagram @midlifecoach and for Alana's next online workshop Revive & Thrive, which is focussing on overwhelm, click https://www.themidlifecoach.org/revive&thrive

If you like this pod, you might appreciate previous episodes like the one I recorded with visibility coach Kate O’Dwyer from October 2023, and the Menopause episodes with Catherine O’Keeffe from April 2021.

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : the factors that impact our sleep, the benefits of good sleep and how to improve it.

This week I speak to clinical hypnotherapist and bestselling author, Fiona Brennan.

She lives in Dublin with her husband and business partner Ciarán, teenage son Luca and their dog Rosie.

And in this conversation she explores some of the elements in her latest book ‘Sleep well - 8 habits to help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up refreshed’,

our individual chronotypes, the power of napping and what to do if we’re in a negative feedback loop when it comes to our sleep.

For Fiona’s one day retreat on the 19th of May in Wicklow, click here…

https://thepositivehabit.com/the-sleep-well-experience-one-day-retreat-wicklow/

And if you enjoyed this episode, please search previous sleep episodes with sleep coach Tom Coleman, from August 2020 along with a 7 minute sleep meditation I recorded also back in 2020.

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Palestinian heritage, injustice, speaking up, Zionism, artwashing.

This week I speak to Irish Palestinian artist, Róisín El Cherif and it's a powerful conversation.

She lives in Galway with her parents, her Mom is Irish and her father is from Gaza and she has lived in Ireland for 18 years now.

She talks about growing up as an Irish-Palestinian and she shares her perspective on the past 6 months, in particular.

This month Róisín will also be releasing a very special song with all the proceeds going to Palestinians causes, so keep an eye out for that.

Book mention : Becoming Pro-Palestinian edited by Rosemary Sayigh

The song that Róisín sings at the end of the conversation :

Zahret El Madaen (Flower of cities ) Fairouz - 1967

‎لأجلك يا مدينة الصلاة أصلي

‎لأجلك يا بهية المساكن يا زهرة المدائن

‎يا قدس يا قدس يا مدينة الصلاة

‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم

‎تدور في أروقة المعابد

‎تعانق الكنائس القديمة

‎و تمسح الحزن عن المساجد

‎يا ليلة الأسراء يا درب من مروا إلى السماء

‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم و انني أصل​

​'It is for you O city of the prayer that I pray

It is for you O splendid home, O flower of the cities

O Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O city of the prayer

Our eyes are set out to you everyday

They walk through the porticos of the temples

Embrace of the old churches

And take the sadness away from the mosques

O night of Al asra O path of those who left for the sky

Our eyes are set out to you everyday and I pray​'

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : The power of play in building connection with kids, touch, secure attachment, body acceptance, positive modelling, rupture and repair, breaking negative behaviours, resilience building.

This week I speak to child and adolescent psychotherapist Debbie Cullinane.

She lives in Mayo with her husband James and their two kids, Elsie and Freddie.  

And in this conversation, she talks about the power of play in building connection with our children and why positive modelling and apologising is so important.

It’s an episode full of practical advice. I loved it and I hope you will too!

To connect with Debbie…

Home - Debbie Cullinane

Debbie Cullinane Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist MA (@debbiecullinane_) • Instagram photos and videos

Book mention : Colleen Hoover ‘It ends with us’

If you like this episode, check out previous conversations with Richard Hogan and Sarah Nicole Landry (The Birds Papaya).

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Perfectionism, people pleasing, the impact of the Covid pandemic, anxiety, loneliness, marriage breakdown, grief, guilt, therapy, change, freedom, same-sex relationship, rumours, finding joy, childfree by choice.

This week I speak to Cat Lawlor, baker and owner of 'The Cake Cuppery' and it’s a gripping conversation.

Originally from Dublin, Cat now lives in Wexford with her girlfriend Louise and their two cats.

In this conversation we chat about listening to your gut instinct, overcoming challenges in life and ultimately finding joy.

Cat speaks openly about the end of her marriage, obviously from her perspective, and out of respect for her ex-husband, he is not named during the conversation as we fully appreciate how difficult hearing a conversation like this, might be for him.

To connect with Cat or Louise…

Cat L. Walsh (@thecakecuppery) • Instagram photos and videos

Email [email protected]

Louise O Brien | Online Coach (@louise_badasscoaching) • Instagram photos and videos

Book mention : ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ by Susan Jeffers

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Palestine, protests, social justice, community, paradigm shift, hope.

This week, my guest is Caoimhe Butterly who is an educator, a human rights activist, filmmaker & trained therapist, who has worked as a volunteer ambulance worker in Gaza, alongside Palestinian paramedics, and has also spent years in the West Bank.

She was born in Ireland to Irish parents who migrated to Canada when she was a baby, where she spent the first 10 years of her life and then she lived in Mauritius and Zimbabwe for 8 years.

She has worked with refugee and displaced communities for over 25 years in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Ukraine, Greece, Calais and elsewhere & currently works in psychosocial and trauma support work, with humanitarian responders and refugee communities.

In this conversation she shares her perspective on the now which includes the global shift in consciousness, the power and benefit of connecting to liked minded people, Palestinian joy and the importance of collective care.

If you enjoyed this episode you might appreciate previous conversations with Ruth Smith, Daniel Maté and Dr. Myriam François.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Betrayal, heartbreak, breakdown, trust, prevention, repair, connection, healing. 

Originally from Douglas in Cork, psychotherapist Richard Hogan lives in Dublin with his wife and their 3 daughters.

He writes a weekly column with the Irish Examiner and often appears on TV and radio and he specialises in working with families.

He’s also written two brilliant books ‘Parenting the screenager’ and ‘Home is where the start is’ and during this conversation he talks about affairs.

Why people have them, the heartbreaking impact of them on a relationship and if it’s possible to heal after betrayal.

If you connected with Richard during this conversation, you can check out his previous episodes from last summer and the one he recorded earlier this year about anxiety, especially in kids and teenagers.

Book mention : ‘The 5 love languages’ by Gary Chapman

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Palestine, people power, social justice, privilege, culture, indigenous languages, Gaeilge, patriarchy, oppression, being Muslim, Brené Brown, whiteness, female empowerment.   

This week, journalist, filmmaker, podcaster, presenter and writer, the remarkable Dr. Myriam François is my guest.

Myriam is a Londoner whose mother is Irish (she's from Leitrim), and her father is French. Her award-winning, directorial debut documentary is ‘Finding Alaa’ and her podcast is ‘We need to talk about whiteness’. She’s been a Muslim since she was 21 and when she was younger she also starred in a number of films, including acting alongside Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet in the Oscar winning ‘Sense and Sensibility’ when she played the role of younger sister Margaret.

In this conversation though, we talk about the recent Sky interview she did that went viral ('I'm so sorry your Amazon packages are delayed!'), the importance of indigenous languages, Palestine, Brené Brown’s recent statement on what’s happening there, and why she’s not really a fan of the word activist.

She’s a woman of integrity and intelligence and it was an absolute honour to speak to her.

Book mention : ‘Black faces, white masks’ by Frantz Fanon

And if you connected to this episode, other Ready to be Real podcast recommendations are :

'Daniel Maté : Dismantling blindspots', 19th January 2024 and 'Ruth Smith : Love and Justice', 15th December 2023.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Fear, regret, fertility journey, acceptance, career change, anxiety, toxic positivity, triggers, comparisons, peak performance.

Life coach Mark Fennell is back on the pod!

Mark is married to Fiona and has spent over 20 years helping people through his coaching business.

His online following has grown massively over the past few years too and on Instagram, he currently has 160K followers and is known for his video content.

We last spoke over 2 years ago and his episodes are still hugely popular with listeners.

In this conversation, he talks about his brand new book ‘Breakthrough - practical steps for moving from stuck to unstoppable’.

Mark is speaking of his own experience in this episode and is certainly not advising not going to therapy.

If you're struggling, reach out and speak to a professional.

Mentions:

Book ‘Man's search for meaning’ by Viktor Frankl

Men in Black movie reference : Neuralyzer

Nick Vujicic

Home - Nick Vujicic

To contact Mark, go to…

https://markfennell.ie/

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.