Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige

Trigger warning : Religion, IVF. I speak to writer, podcaster, activist and mother, Ranae von Meding this week. Ranae lives in Dublin city centre with her wife Audrey and their two daughters, Ava who is 4, and Arya who is 2. She spoke about so much during our chat…from growing up in an extremely religious household, the importance of having boundaries, her struggles with an eating disorder, how sh...

This is the second part of the conversation I had with Menopause coach, Catherine O’Keeffe. And in this episode, she talks about HRT, early menopause and she also answers a selection of your questions that were sent in on Instagram, including, advice on supplements. Menopause is a complex topic, and the experience of it, is different for every woman so I do hope you find these episodes helpful. Yo...

This is a conversation I’ve wanted to record for ages and I’m so glad it finally happened. I sat down with Menopause coach Catherine O’Keeffe, who goes by the name WellnessWarrior.ie and we spoke about so much that I’ve decided to split the conversation in two, to allow you to absorb the information as it’s such a complicated and sensitive topic and the experience of menopause is so different for...

Proudly from Newry in Northern Ireland, Maeve lives in London with her fiancé and her Instagram following grew massively in the past year due to her virtual workouts which led to her creating her online community ‘Queens Don’t Quit’.In this conversation, she talks candidly about a whole load of topics…periods, fibroids and PCOS, her former dance career, having Covid 19, wedding plans, the downside...

Trigger warning : Religion, Catholic Church. This week my guest is Redemptorist priest and religious writer, Tony Flannery. Tony has gained a reputation for being a controversial figure within the Catholic Church but when you examine what he talks about, he is simply speaking the truth. In 2012 he was summoned to the Vatican and told that he would be allowed to return to ministry only if he agreed...

Trigger warning : Knife attack, Murder, PTSD.Sinéad O’Leary was only 19 when her life changed forever. She and her friend Nichola Sweeney, were getting ready to go out, when a neighbour (Peter Whelan) broke into Nichola’s home and attacked them both. Sinéad was stabbed 20 times and managed to survive the onslaught, while her friend Nichola unfortunately died, due to her wounds. In this conversatio...

This Tuesday I recorded a conversation with a woman I’ve admired for many years. Singer, musician and poet, Imelda May is my guest this week. She lives in London with her 8 year old daughter, Violet, and is now dating fellow musician Niall McNamee. Proudly from the Liberties in Dublin, she has lived in England for over 20 years and in this conversation we talk feminism and paganism, she talks abou...

Trigger warning : death by suicide, injury, sudden death, grief. Last December I travelled to Cork and spoke to the incredible Dessie Fitzgerald. His world was turned upside down on the 8th of August 2011, and he continued to face unimaginable difficulty over the 14 months that followed. But since then, he’s turned his pain into a positive and is now helping people every day in his role as a Life...

A former journalist and TV Producer, Yasmin Boland is now a best-selling author and is considered one of the most respected voices on the spiritual importance of the moon. In this conversation she talks through the phases of the moon (20 mins in approx), it’s historical significance, New Moon and Full Moon rituals (24 mins), manifesting (33 mins) and of course the divine feminine. And for more on...

Trigger warning : Seizures, cancer, terminal diagnosis. This week I chat to the incredible Alannah Sheehan who goes by the Instagram handle https://www.instagram.com/worth_fighting4/Alannah is married to Martin, they live in Tipperary and they have 3 kids; Finn who’s 5, Luca who’s 3 and Phoebe who’s 1 and has just started to walk. But last year her world changed forever when she was diagnosed with...

Trigger warning : Religion, depressionActor and comedian Mario Rosenstock is my guest this week. Best known for his Gift Grub impersonations on Today FM for the past 22 years, he's married to Bláthnaid and they have two kids, Dash who’s 13 and Bellamie who’s 8.He’s wonderfully eccentric and as you can imagine has plenty of hilarious stories but he’s also incredibly honest and reflective and I abso...

Trigger warning : Childhood disability, breakdown. This week I chat to Sharon Myers, a warm and genuine woman who I absolutely loved chatting to. She’s married to Denis and they have two children, Sophie who’s a teenager and Noah who’ll be ten in March and they live in Mitchelstown in North Cork. Noah was born with a rare condition called Escobar syndrome and in this conversation she talks through...

Trigger warning : Depression, grief, addiction. This week I chat to writer, communicator, strategist and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell. He’s probably best known for his role as the official spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy for the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Now splits his time between writing, speaking, charity work and consultancy....

As we all know, 2020 was a year like no other so I wanted to put together a sort of ‘look back' at the year gone by. I learnt so much from all of the guests I had the honour to chat to, throughout the year. I didn’t include every conversation from 2020 here but I’m so thankful to each and every one of my guests for giving their time so generously. We covered so much in the conversations from reali...

TV presenter and podcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin is my guest this week. Navan born and bred, Hector has been living in Galway for the past 26 years. He’s married to Dympna and they have two teenage sons, Rian and Shane. He’s been creating and presenting TV and radio shows for over 20 years and he’s filmed in over 60 countries worldwide so far, with many more on the horizon. In this conversation he t...

Trigger Warning : references to miscarriage, grief. This week I chat to fitness trainer, gym owner and entrepreneur Leanne Moore Behan. Leanne lives in Kildare with her husband Dave and their adorable dogs, Toby and Ben. And in this conversation we reminisce about that time she won singing competition and hit TV show ‘You’re a Star’, her Mam and the beautiful legacy she left behind, the close bond...

Trigger Warning : references to conception, pregnancy, IVF, grief. This week I chat to fertility coach and psychotherapist, Helena Tubridy. Helena is a Mother and Grandmother and she has been helping women and men to achieve pregnancy naturally and those who are preparing for IVF, for over 30 years. She also offers support to people experiencing the pain of miscarriage, stillbirth, birth trauma, a...

Trigger Warning : references to drug use, addiction, childhood trauma, anxiety, alcoholism. Brian Pennie is a Neuroscience lecturer at Trinity College & UCD, a PHD student, radio presenter and author and he’s one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met. On the 8th of October 2013, Brian experienced his first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction and since that day he has radical...

This week I chat to TV presenter and podcaster Muireann O’Connell. A self-confessed insomniac and TV buff, she grew up in Limerick with her parents and her three siblings. And in this conversation we talk about the ups and downs of working in the media in Ireland, life with her ‘housemate’, the bond with her family and her recent health scare. She’s great craic and as smart as a tack, and I hope y...

Irish designer and proud Kerryman Don O’Neill is my guest this week. Don and his husband Pascal have been living in New York for 26 years and I am fortunate to call them my friends. As a designer, Don has dressed some of the most powerful women in the world; Oprah Winfrey, Khloe Kardashian and Meghan Markle to name but a few, with many Irish women also falling in love with his designs. My sister G...

Níall is a certified Level 3 Wim Hof Method instructor and in this episode we talk about the Ice Man himself, cold showers(from about 22mins) and swimming in the sea(from 39mins).He explains why the cold is good for us and how to do it effectively and carefully. Some of the benefits include strengthening the immune system, balancing hormones, lowering stress and anxiety and improving sleep quality...

Trigger Warning : references to self-harm, suicide, alcoholism, drug use. Janet Devlin is a singer-songwriter who was catapulted to fame at the age of 16 when she was a contestant on reality talent show The X Factor. But behind her beautiful performances was a teenager who was really struggling. The youngest of four, Janet grew up in Tyrone and always had a desire to perform but a negative self-im...

Dr. Billy Mag Fhlionn is a folklorist, lecturer and musician and he lives in Dingle with his wife Muireann and their daughters Sadhbh and Líse. In this conversation he talks to me about the significance of Halloween, the stories of old and their meaning and we talk about the games and traditions associated with this mystical time of year. He talks through Halloween games like 'bobbing for apples',...

Joanne O’Riordan is only one of seven people in the world living with a rare physical disability known as Total Amelia. This means she was born without all four limbs and even though there is no medical explanation as to why this happened, Joanne or indeed her family, has never allowed it to hold her back. During the week of her sixteenth birthday she made a speech at the United Nations and challe...

This episode is the second part of the conversation I had with clinical psychologist, author, and psychology lecturer, Dr. Malie Coyne. In this podcast, she answers a selection of questions that were sent in on Instagram. For more on Malie, go to her website www.drmaliecoyne.ieAs always I’m very thankful for your feedback so if you can take a minute to rate this podcast, leave a little comment (I...