Hearts+Minds

Mark Twain once said, “The 2 most important days in your life: The day you were born and the day you discover why.” Core values point to our 'why'. Without core values, we don’t know what we live for and we don’t know where we are going.  We cannot live off someone else’s values. We need to own our values. In this podcast episode, we explore why we need to understand our values more deep...

In this episode, we explore why perfectionism oftens hijacks our growth in the Christian life. We discuss how this misconception can make God’s will something rigid and unattainable and all the more exhausting.  We explore the hallmarks of perfectionism and why love is the missing ingredient. We discuss the importance of focusing on the journey and on the opportunities and less on the failures. Fi...

Our conversations about marriage often focus on practicalities, the mortgage, house, date, hotel booking. The excitement around the couple, the relationship itself, often gets lost. We are joined by Maria Kilcommins on this episode to talk about how to best prepare for marriage or remain happily married.   Maria has spoken on this topic at a recent retreat for women in Lismullin Conference Centre....

There are a plethora of spiritual books out there. It can be hard to know which one is right for you now! In this podcast episode, Catherine McMahon will share some of the ideas from a talk she gave on a recent Hearts+Minds overnight in September. We discuss why reading spiritual books are so essential to a healthy spiritual life.  Catherine explores the variety of spiritual books out there, each...

Some months back one of our listeners requested we cover the topic Mind, Body and Soul on our podcast series. With over 18 months of the pandemic under our belt we are more convinced of the connection between healthy mind, healthy body and healthy soul.  Today my guest is Dr. Norella Broderick.   We explore studies which indicate that religion and religious practise can help reduce levels of depre...

Do you sometimes wish you had a different personality? But how do we truly know ourselves? We are joined by Jennifer Kehoe. She is a mother of 6 married to John. She speaks regularly on topics such as relationships, parenting, and marriage to couples and groups around the country. In this rebroadcast of this popular episode, Jennifer talks to us on Zoom about the 4 temperaments. We discuss how you...

Many of us would agree that it is important to try to do our work well, to get tasks done efficiently, and to meet our many deadlines.  Christians are called to find holiness in their every day, which means being able to find God in and through our daily lives. This means not only doing our work well but doing so for the love of God and for the love of those who we serve through our work. We explo...

Do we fill our hearts with the right things? In this podcast, we discuss what the human heart is made for. Do we fill it with the right things? We discuss how our hearts are made for greatness. We explore how to declutter our hearts and how practising soul care can help us to ensure that the stuff we have is at the service of what we value. We discuss how your bank account can tell a lot about the...

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?  In this podcast episode, Helen Hughes, the first woman Director appointed to Transport Infrastructure Ireland.  shares with us why self-advocacy is not the same as bragging. Why women do networking particularly well and why self-confidence is not enough – we need to show it!  Helen shares her own unique career experiences and offers some great advice for...

We may often ask ourselves wondering what’s God’s will for me?  But the idea of getting spiritual direction can seem a little “too” much, perhaps controlling or at best a little onerous.  In our latest podcast, we explore why the Church recommends spiritual direction and that it has made many great saints.  We explore: -        How do you do spiritual direction? -        Who could be your spiritua...

This is an interview with Simone Rizkallah, a wonderful person who runs Endow in the United States, a forum for women to foster conversations about the intellectual life and intentional community for the cultivation of the feminine genius. We talk about the feminine genius in great saints like Saint Edith Stein, Saint Catherine of Siena, Mother Angelica, Dorothy Day and the woman who helped Saint...

Sleepless nights, irritability, and a sense of unravelling are symptoms we can all experience from time to time. But is this burnout? And if not what are the symptoms of burnout?  On this guest podcast episode, Dr. Norella Broderick talks to us about the tell-tale signs of burnout. She discusses the causes or risk factors associated with burnout and we explore the impact it can have on your relati...

After months of mass online, the idea of going back to mass may seem a little strange. Now that we can finally attend LIVE mass in person, we can find ourselves out of the habit, almost resenting the effort to get there in person.   In this podcast we explore why the Mass is intrinsic to being Catholic, what nourishment, peace of soul and strength we get from attending mass. We also stop to explor...

What would you do if you received the news that your child or family member has a life limiting condition?  This is a reality for many families. On our Guest Podcast series, Carolyn Kyne, a paediatric nurse joins us. She explores her experience of working with families with children with life-limiting conditions. She tells of a day in her life, the potential impact of what she does, and where she...

Do you ever listen to conversion stories and wish you could experience a similar transformation? Is our approach to belief too reductionist, where the Gospel is a biography and the psalms akin to inspirational quotes. In this week’s podcast, we discuss how we can learn from the early Christian communities and the role of Scripture in their lives. We explore why Scripture can be: - Like digesting o...

What does it take to live a happier life? In today’s episode, Dr. Marta Rocchi suggests the answer to this question addresses the very “why” of human existence.  How we often confuse happiness with comfort and pleasure but in fact, it is so much more. We explore why the Ancient Greeks had it so right and why gratitude, friendships, enjoyment, and acceptance of oneself as a work in progress are all...

The earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 was the most devastating natural disaster ever experienced in Haiti. On our Guest podcast series Denise O’Mahony describes her experience at the centre of a logistics operation to bring relief to a devastated people. Amongst other things we explore: - The source of resilience in moments of crisis - The mindset needed to endure the sufferings of others - The...

God comes to meet us is a well-known phrase of Pope Francis. With no mass or religious ceremonies over the Easter period, it can feel as if I cannot go to meet Him. How can we make the most of the end of Lent and Easter? Holy Week provides us with an opportunity to do precisely that.  In this week’s episode we explore: - What do we do in Holy Week? - Why do we call it “holy”? - Why the Gospels are...

JRR Tolkien once said deep roots are not reached by the frost. In this episode, our interview guest Lissy Clement did not know her roots. Her quest to find her roots took her from Minnesota in the U.S to Helsinki in Finland. On her journey, she rejected her student party culture, had a brush with death on college campus, dealt with her parents’ divorce and discovered a friendship that led her to a...

As we suffer together in lockdown, it may be hard to see the reason behind it all. What is God's plan in all this? How can I accept this plan if it is a source of suffering for me or for those I love?   Resources "The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God" by Ruth V.K. Pakaluk and Michael Pakaluk "Arise from Darkness: What to do when life doesn't make sense" by Fr...

Do you feel as if your relationships are as good as they could be, or are they sometimes a little stuck? On today’s guest podcast Katrina Alvir joins us via Zoom from Sydney,  Australia. Katrina is the Director of REAL, the Science of Character Program at Tangara School, Sydney Australia, as well as a mentor and speaker. She talks about the 3 mindsets that block us from feeling free in our relatio...

As we go into an extended lockdown most of us continue to work from home. This involves a lot of juggling and with the inevitable sense of deflation or lack of motivation. It can almost feel like being a caged animal! No escape except within your 5km limit and keeping your social contacts to a minimum. In today's podcast we talk about how to get that motivation back into our work. We discuss...

Do you sometimes wish you had a different personality? But how do we truly know ourselves?  We are joined on our Guest podcast series today by Jennifer Kehoe. She is a mother of 6 married to John. She speaks regularly on topics such as relationships, parenting and marriage to couples and groups around the country.  In this episode, Jennifer talks to us on zoom about the 4 temperaments.  We discuss...

As we step into our third lockdown, 2021 New Year’s resolutions can seem somewhat irrelevant.   We could have a sense of why bother. Do we need to look at things differently in 2021?  In this episode we explore some the following ideas: Motivation and food for our 2021 resolutions Space - Prayer reminds us life is worthwhile Real sources of Inspiration - Jesus in the Gospel, Pope Francis’ messages...

In this episode, Dr. Norella Broderick, senior trainee in psychiatry, explores what happiness can look like this Christmas 2020.   For many people, Christmas is just not the same. Without the same opportunities for socialising and the absence of certain family members, it can seem like there is a COVID wet blanket on things.  This brings into focus wellbeing and happiness.   Among other things Nor...