In The Doctor's Chair

Today, Declan joins me to share his story. He talks about his background in soccer and while it ended earlier than planned how much he values the experiences. He notes the importance of finding out what’s precious to you and making choices based on it, and he emphasises the power of education, travel, and a mentor. He advises to live life as if you know things will go right, he explores how travel...

Tammy Darcy is an award-winning social entrepreneur. She founded the Shona Project to provide a safe place for girls to seek guidance and advice on all the challenges associated with growing up in Ireland. Backed by a team of professional advisors, the website also provides girls with an opportunity to share their own stories and learn from each other. The Shona Project has also delivered workshop...

Aesop was an ancient Greek slave and storyteller who taught many lessons through his short children’s fables. One of the most famous is “The Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg”. https://drmarkrowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/056-In-The-Doctors-Chair-Golden.mp3 Today, I tell the story and explain what it has to do with taking care of your health. I note the importance of being wary of entitlement, I...

Dr Greg Wells is a scientist and physiologist who has dedicated his career to making the science of human limits understandable and actionable. Dr Wells has spoken to audiences all over the world at events such as TEDx and has shared the stage at other events with Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak, and Deepak Chopra. For over 25 years, Dr Wells has worked with some of the highest-performing individua...

Episode #54 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes. Lisa joins me to share why she loves her job. She notes that we never stop learning, growing, or starting, and she talks about the satisfaction she gets from helping people. She offers some concrete tips for handling stress and emphasises the power of gratitude. She discusses the strong, supportive relationships in her life and notes their impo...

A GAA hurling All-Star, my lifelong friend, and a man with a lot to say on parenthood, faith, and the key to happiness. Today, John joins me to share his story, his lessons, and his key to happiness. He notes how everyone makes mistakes and he discusses how becoming a parent changes your outlook on life. He stresses the importance of being true and ‘staying yourself’ through the years. He explains...

We’re creatures of habit, and whether we like it or not, we’re building them all the time. Why not build the right ones? Of course, it’s not always that simple, but it’s simpler than you might think. Today, I talk about building positive habits. I explore why we often fail to build or break the right habits and why we have trouble making them stick. I note that your habits and actions define you a...

Episode #50 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes. Today, Zara joins me to talk about what drew her into journalism. She explains how she makes peace with the things that don’t work out for her and shares what makes her happy. She speaks about turning off the inner critic, noting that, if you spoke to others the way you speak to yourself, you probably wouldn’t have many friends.

Today, I talk about my Self-Development Club, explaining what started it, what it is, and why it’s needed. I explain why pursuing health out of fear isn’t effective, citing an old African proverb. I talk about who my club is for, and I note that, just like a sailboat in the middle of the ocean, you’ll find yourself in a completely different place if you shift just one degree. I note that the past...

Dr. Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of The Well-Gardened Mind, the British Sunday Times Bestseller 2020 and Gardening book of the year. In it, she analyses the relationship between gardening and mental health. Wonderfully, Sue reads this book herself as an audiobook, sharing, amongst so many other things, the importance and benefits of cultivating robust relationshi...

This is the time of year when people are thinking about making lifestyle changes. For me, it’s a great time to recommit to simply being better to yourself and others. In this episode, I share a mnemonic to help you make this year your best year yet, even if it just means making one small change that sticks. Today, I break down the mnemonic BEST YEAR. I note the importance of breathing deeply and s...

“Microbiome” is the term given to one of the most exciting recent biological discoveries: the trillions of tiny bugs that live in your gut. We’re still learning about the microbiome, but what we know so far has incredible potential in the realm of lifestyle medicine and physical and mental health. ‘Let food be your medicine & Let medicine be your food’ – Hippocrates. Today, I talk about your m...

Today, during this time running up to Christmas 2021 I take the opportunity to share with you a habit fundamental to a resilient mind, a rich emotional bank account of positive energy, robust relationships, and physical energy: the habit of gratitude. I talk about what true gratitude is and explore its benefits. I offer a definition of gratitude, I note that it moves you from your head–the centre...

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year, as well as a time of great pressure, which can lead to anxiety that has consequences of its own. All of this tends to lead to holiday weight gain. Today, I talk about why the holidays don’t need to be synonymous with weight gain. I note the power of choosing gratitude over scarcity and negativity in any situation. I discuss the importance of avoiding an a...

Loneliness has become common in recent times, with more people than ever feeling disconnected and isolated. A problem even before COVID-19, loneliness has been exacerbated over the past 18 months of the pandemic. Today, I talk about this problem. I share research on how common loneliness is, explain all of the reasons this matters, and talk about what we can do about it. I note the effects on youn...

Irish Prime Minister An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has served as An Taoiseach in the Republic of Ireland from 2020 to 2022 and as leader of the Fianna Fáil political party since 2011. As a member of the Irish Parliament, he has been the Teachtaí Dála (TD) (member of parliament) for Cork City South Central since 1989. Prior to this, he was elected to Cork City Council in 1985 and served as Lord Mayor...

Helen Brophy is Director of University College Dublin (UCD) Smurfit Executive Development at UCD Smurfit Business School. Helen holds responsibility for the management and strategic development of UCD Smurfit Executive Development, as well as being on the Smurfit School’s Irish Advisory Board. Prior to joining Smurfit, UCD’s graduate business school, Helen spent almost 20 years working in internat...

Many people feel sluggish, tired, and even a little more down during the winter months. If this is you, you may be suffering from Winter Blues, which is also known as SAD Syndrome or Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a common problem, and it manifests in many different ways and with varying levels of severity. Today, I talk about the Winter Blues. I explain what it is, share some statistics on...

David McRedmond was appointed CEO of An Post in October 2016.   He has driven the Company’s Transformation programme and return to financial stability and revenue growth, delivering a third successive year of profit by taking big steps to fix the Company’s economics; by restructuring the Mails & Parcels and Retail business in line with a rapidly changing, digital marketplace and by putting a h...

Mary Buckley is the Executive Director of IDA Ireland, also known as the Industrial Development Authority,  and was founded in 1949 as the Irish agency responsible for the attraction and retention of inward foreign direct investment into Ireland. Mary has been the Executive Director of the IDA since 2015 and is a member of the executive leadership team in Ireland, based in Dublin. Prior to this, M...

Breeda Bermingham is a former practicing midwife and public health nurse who has most recently been working with women in menopause, emphasising the interconnected dimensions of this universal midlife stage. Her Master’s research has resulted in the Midlife Women Rock Project, including her recently published book of the same title. I was delighted to be asked to write a piece for the book on mind...

The search for happiness is age-old. Numerous answers have been given over the years and in my research, I’ve come across many of them. Today, I compile them for you. In this episode, I list 15 ways to boost your happiness, emphasising the power of gratitude, kindness, physical health, purpose, and simplicity. I tell a Chinese proverb and a story from Buddha to underscore the power of these elemen...

Feargal O’Rourke is Managing Partner of PwC Ireland. He has served in various leadership roles in PwC EMEA and PwC Ireland since his admission as a partner in 1996. He has been appointed by several Irish Governments to various roles. He served for 7 years on the board of Forfás, the Irish State body responsible for the development of Industrial policy and of science and technology in Ireland. Fear...

Frank O’Keeffe is Managing Partner of EY in Ireland. Prior to his current role, Frank held a position on the Irish leadership team as Head of Assurance, where he was responsible for leading the fastest-growing Assurance service on the island of Ireland. Additionally, he was the Lead Audit and Client Services Partner for Ireland. Frank’s experience includes serving a range of large national and mul...

Mary Lou McDonald is a TD Teachta Dála  (Member of the Irish Parliament) for the Dublin Central Constituency. She was elected leader of Sinn Féin by the political party membership in 2018 and is the first woman to lead the opposition in the Dáil (Irish Parliament). Following her election to the Dáil in 2011 Mary Lou was Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson for Public Expenditure and Reform and on her re-elect...