A County Down Under

In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the Co-founders of Ireland's largest and leading athlesiure brand Gym+Coffee, Diarmuid McSweeney. Diarmuid, alongside his friends Karl Swaine and Niall Horgan had lived abroad for a few years (Karl and Diarmuid in Sydney and Melbourne, Niall in San Francisco). They all noticed something really nice about the lifestyle there – people s...

Dave Driskell is the owner and founder of Wanderlust Fitness Village Bali, arguably one of the busiest CrossFit gyms in the world. He has built a fitness empire in Bali Indonesia attracting over 300 hundred members daily. He is a businessman,  educator, and competitive athlete (IF3 World Champ 2019 and Fittest Male Asia 2017 ) empowering others to live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. On thi...

This episode was based off a recent live I did with Olivia Martin. Olivia is a certified life coach who specialises in helping hundreds of women worldwide heal from their heartbreak, get over their ex and live their dream. Find her on @oliviamartincoach We did things a little bit different, this time I was in the hot seat. It was a very raw and honest discussion on how I found myself in the darkes...

Today on the podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with Annette Kelly on her adventures in Australia and how a little seed planted from a Facebook page of positive quotes in 2015 by Annette is still going strong five years on with nearly half million followers across her social media platforms. Everyday Little Penny Thoughts share uplifting quotes and inspiring mantras with an aim to encourage co...

This was an episode I recorded a few months ago. I had a lot of requests from people to do this episode. I hesitated releasing it, I hate going back to that place when I struggled, it opens up wounds that have only just healed. But it is something I wish I had to help me when I was going through a tough time and I want to help anyone who is struggling right now.   I chose this picture as my episod...

My guest today on the podcast is a great friend of mine from County Down, Natasha. She is well known as the Gym Guru. This is a raw insight into how Tash found Australia to be very isolating. She struggled to find work in the fitness industry and even though she is such a bubbly and outgoing person, she struggled to make friends too. Tash discusses the highs and lows of her time in Australia, find...

Deirdre Maguire helps people get happier. She eliminates burnout for stressed out over achievers and fast-tracks them so they easily claim back their lives for good. She’s known for radically transforming people’s lives in 20 minutes. Deirdre is a World Class Mind Wellness Expert, Life Coach, Author and Master Change Agent. She has worked with people all over the world and facilitates transformati...

Today I am joined by the talented Tom Brandon. Tom grew up in Rostrevor,  County Down and has travelled the world as a singer and actor. He is currently performing in the iconic Sydney Opera House with The Choir Of Man.  Tom and I discuss all things from how he got to where he has in his career, what life was like when his industry shut down during COVID, being the first international show to come...

Today on the show I have the owners of the successful Railway Street Cafe in County Down, Stephen and Hannah Barker. The couple set out on a working holiday visa to Melbourne a few years ago and it changed their life forever. They found a love for the Australian coffee, also known as the best coffee in the world. They decided that Ireland needed to be in on the secret, and when they returned from...

On today’s episode I am joined by the fantastic and funny Terence and Roisin from the Irish Support Agency. Since 1995 The Irish Support Agency have provided front-line support, to anyone in the Irish Australian community who finds themselves in circumstances of crisis or distress. They also run programs to help promote mental health and well-being, social inclusion and a sense of connection in ou...

My lovely friend Amber joins me today on the podcast.  She talks about the reality of moving home from Australia during the pandemic and how hard it can be watching all of her friends living the high life in Oz  through social media, while she deals with lockdown at home. She discusses the highs and lows about moving home and how she has managed to find peace with her decision of leaving Sydney. W...

So many of you have asked for this podcast, so here it is. My top tips on how to become a teacher in Australia Check out @acountydownunder for more information and see what it's really like to live the life abroad The podcast is proudly sponsored by Gym+Coffee: Discount code: DOWNUNDER Follow @acountydownunder on Instagram and TikTok and visit www.acountydownunder.com for all you need to know...

Today on the podcast I had the honour of speaking with Brian Keane. Over the past seven years, Brian has gone from working full-time as a primary school teacher and playing GAA to one of the most recognised faces in the Irish health and fitness industry. In this episode, Brian delves into the importance of failure, changing your environmental circumstances to improve your mental health, fitness be...

Today I was joined by Nathan Joseph. Nathan was one of the cast members of Love Island UK 2017. On this episode Nathan discusses what it is REALLY like to be on Love Island, the process before and the reality of coming out of the villa and his whole life changing overnight. Nathan opens up about how there was no after-care  and the tragic suicides from cast members Caroline Flack, Sophie Gradon an...

This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Mark Toner.   Mark has been on the podcast before and he agreed to come back on this time under one condition, there was no time limit and no script. We went Joe Rogan style.   We ended up diving into a DEEP conversation on everything and anything.   This has to be one of my favourite podcasts to record. I just let go and spoke from the heart and so di...

Today I am joined by the wonderful  Sophie who emigrated from Ireland to New York for a better life after getting a taste of what America was like on a J1 Visa summer experience. This is a different type of episode today as we look at what it's like to live in other countries around the world as an expat. New York opened so many doors of opportunities for Sophie including being crowned the Ne...

Michael Nugent came to Australia for a holiday with a few of the lads. He saw a business opportunity while out here and turned a seed planted in his head, into a very successful franchise back in Ireland boasting over 27k followers on instagram A great story on how there is life beyond living abroad and that the land of opportunities could actually be on your door step in Ireland. This is the stor...

My first guest to kick off the brand new season of the podcast is Siobhan O'Hagan. Siobhan gave up her full-time job in Ireland to pursue a simple life in paradise-Bali! We discuss the highs and lows of living abroad, the pressure of going home and why she fell in love with Bali.  Head over to @acountydownunder for more tips and tricks on living abroad and how to attend one of my monthly even...

This is just a short episode on what it is like to experience Christmas in Australia. I share my tips on how to make sure your Christmas is still special and how this year especially is a tough one for many of us. I am joined by some special guests sharing their Christmas messages to their families back home, get the tissues ready! Music by the talented Amy O Riordan who is an Irish Nurse living i...

Today I am joined by the beautiful Mummies Aisling and Laura-Jayne (LJ). Both girls travelled to Australia from County Tyrone a few years ago on a very different type of journey. Aisling and her fiancé James are now parents to a beautiful two-year-old called Sean. Laura-Jayne and her husband Oisin are proud parents to six-month-old Conal. Today they discuss the highs and lows of living abroad rais...

Marty was, without doubt, the best Gaelic football player of his age group.  People came from all over Ireland to see him play. His performances for St Louis Grammar School, An Ríocht and County Down lead to him being scouted by the Australian Football League (AFL) and landing a dream contract with one of the top teams Collingwood, also known as 'The Magpies'.   Marty spent seven years a...

I met Rob In Thailand last year when I went to Unit 27 Fitness Camp to train. Rob was just like me, Irish and chasing the Australian dream, working hard and playing harder.   Rob worked in the Mines in Australia for years when the economy was booming and then spent his days off partying in Kings Cross, Sydney when it was like the Las Vegas Strip before the lockout laws were introduced. To his frie...

All Your Visa Questions And COVID-19 Worries Answered Joy, Maryanne and Fiona join me from True Blue Migration Services to answer all the questions you listeners have sent in. They offer FREE visa assessments and eligibility checks. They have offices on the East and West Coast helping people all over Australia and the world. Contact them today through @true_blue_migration_services , facebook or th...

Last Year I Came Across A Very Unexpected Crossroad In My Life Where My Five Year Relationship Had Ended In Australia. I Didn't Want To Move Back To Ireland, But I Didn't Know If I Could Start All Over Again In Australia. The Scariest Part Was I Didn't Know Who I Was As A Person And I Needed To Find Myself. The Only Thing I Knew Was That I Loved Exercising. So I Booked A Trip Comple...

Marty left County Down, Ireland, seven years ago to search for the American dream. He went from working on building sites in Boston, playing GAA and struggling to pay rent most weeks, to becoming one of the most sought out fitness trainers in New York City. Marty has been in Conor McGregor's corner for fight night and he trains some of the world's most famous celebrities and some of the...