The Care Break

This episode examines why the conversation about care needs to change and why care deserves greater attention as a workforce, participation and societal issue. In this milestone tenth episode, I reflect on the three key insights that have stood out across the nine previous episodes: • Why work is often an anchor during periods of caring • How connection shapes people's experiences • Why there...

Why Caring Impacts People Differently: Work, Care and Chronic Stress In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary Daynes Kearney speaks with Professor Stephen Gallagher about stress, caregiving, work, and the diversity of caring experiences. the difference between acute and chronic stress why treating all carers as one group misses those most at risk how systems and structures are major sources of...

In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary Daynes Kearney speaks with Damien Connolly about the reality of trying to support employees while also running a business. This is a conversation about tension. The tension between wanting to be a good employer and needing to deliver for clients, manage costs, and keep a business running. Damien shares his experience of navigating flexibility, fairness,...

In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary Daynes Kearney continues her conversation with Sinead O’Donovan, exploring stress, leadership, and what is happening underneath how people show up at work. A central idea runs through this discussion: the body andmind are one integrated system and both need to be cared for. Stress is carried in the body, shaping energy, sleep, clarity, and how people re...

A real conversation about leadership when care changeseverything . Episode 6: What does good look like? Leadership wheneverything changes. In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary DaynesKearney speaks with Sinead O’Donovan about a real leadership experience thatbegan with a single conversation and how that moment shaped her approach as aleader. This conversation explores how leaders can naviga...

When caring enters someone’s life, the path they expected can change overnight. Episode 5: When Care Changes Your Path Many of us imagine our lives and careers unfolding in a particular way. For family carers, that path can change suddenly. In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary speaks with Caroline Lawless about her experience of becoming a family carer and how that reshaped her plans, iden...

In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary is joined by Jean Evans to explore the role connection plays in sustaining confidence, adaptability and engagement with work over time. Drawing on Jean’s lived experience and professional insight, the conversation examines how caring and career interruption can reduce confidence, and how connection helps rebuild it. This episode shows that connection un...

Care, confidence and the path back to employment. In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary is joined by Amy Lavelle from Care Alliance Ireland to explore the practical and emotional challenges carers face when returning to work and the actions that make a meaningful difference. Amy has numerous family members who require additional support and has gained an understanding of the importance of e...

A practical look at caring responsibilities, intermittent absence, and early intervention in the workplace. In this episode of The Care Break , Rosemary speaks with HR and workplace resolution specialist Louisa Meehan about the realities of family caring and work , and the threads that often go unnoticed in workplace conversations. Louisa unpacks the difference between caring responsibilities and...

In this first episode of The Care Break , Dr. Rosemary Daynes Kearney speaks with Mary Seery Kearney , barrister, former senator, and Managing Director of Purple Tree HR, about why caring must become a workplace conversation. Together, they explore the reality of family caring in the workplace, the impact of hidden caring, and why so many working carers remain unseen. Mary shares insights from yea...