The Earthly Delights Podcast

In this episode, we talk to Emma Swan, Tom Swan’s childhood sweetheart and now tragically widow. Emma talks openly about her own struggles watching Tom’s battle with terminal brain cancer, how it affected their relationship for better or worse, her own moments of doubt and fear and what life without Tom looks like going forward. Emma’s bravery, strength and compassion are just some of the reasons...

In this episode, we talk about Italy and Italian culture and why we are so fond of it all (even if we do recognise that it's not all rosy). Hopefully, you guys enjoy this podcast that has a slightly different rhythm to our usual ones! Grazie!

In this episode, Seb talks to Rick Yount, the founder and creator of the Warrior Canine Connection which is is a pioneering organization that utilizes its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help wounded Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other. https://warriorcanineconnection.org/

This week I was honoured to get my good friend John Tougher back in the hot seat, almost 18 months after his last appearance. A lot has changed since then, and we try to break down what were the key lessons during the emotional time for everyone. We focus on working from home, relationships and difficult conversations which I’m sure will resonate with every listener in one way or another. This con...

Kiana Fitzgerald is an American journalist, podcaster, DJ, and mental health awareness, advocate. I actually linked with her nearly a year ago after I read her fantastic piece on Kanye West’s public statements surrounding his bipolar diagnosis and how his unveiling of this was important for her own development. Kiana has a very active social media presence which she uses to share her personal expe...

Finally, after over a year of rescheduling thanks to COVID we got to sit down and talk to the wonderful Rose Yavneh Taylor about her book “365 days past the traffic lights” and her relationship with grief after her dad passed suddenly due to cancer. Rose has had time to reflect on her father’s passing and what she felt in the moment and subsequently as well as how her feelings have evolved over ti...

Paul and Jim come from similar stock, in the sense that a big chunk of their perspective was cultivated over 4 years with the help of the same few lecturers in IADT Dun Laoghaire. Paul is now a practicing counsellor, who holds the majority of his sessions online. During this conversation, we cover the state of Irish mental health services, what Paul would recommend if one is struggling in the mids...

It is becoming increasingly accepted that our environment, our relationships, and our lifestyle have a huge say on our overall health. These are areas where your local GP cannot help so much. This is not a critique, GP’s play a significant role in the community however there are plainly some areas where a prescription or some advice might not have such a big positive impact. Social prescribing has...

It’s very rare you come across someone like Rhian. Her ability to speak about death, grief, and bereavement in such an honest and open manner made this difficult conversation profoundly memorable and inspiring. In this hour, Rhian tells us about the passing of her son and husband in the same week, how the initial days and weeks unfolded, and the process of post-traumatic growth which contributed t...

Join Seb as he talks to his great friend Grace Ogden. Grace grew up with a passion (or a calling) for midwifery and is now a practicing midwife in Lincolnshire. We talk about the ups and downs of such a vital job within the NHS and how she manages life-making decisions and the stress but also the beauty that comes with it.

Join the guys as they talk to Dr Stephen Ilardi about overcoming depression without drugs. Dr Stephen Ilardi, is an associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas and the author of over 40 professional articles on mental illness, as well as the highly acclaimed book “The Depression Cure”. We talk to Dr Stephen about his 6-step program to beat depression without drugs which...

Join the guys as they talk to Dr Gaétan Chevalier about Earthing. Earthing is a fairly recent scientific discovery which basically means that we need to be in direct contact with the Earth’s surface (land or sea). Extensive research shows that connecting to the Earth’s natural energy, by walking barefoot on grass, sand, dirt or rock or swimming in the sea can diminish chronic pain, fatigue, inflam...

Anna Fiona Keogh is an experienced dance movement therapist and researcher based in Ireland. In this conversation, we explore how she came across this underground yet emerging field of therapy, how she approaches sessions as well who could benefit from this healing practice. This is an insightful dive for anyone curious as to how the therapy functions and whether it could be beneficial for them or...

Join Seb as he talks to Erin Herle, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt world champion who is now embarking on her MMA career. Erin talks candidly about how BJJ helped her overcome some struggles she had with her mental health and how it’s a great hobby for people to pick up because the grounding and constant humbling it gives you are great tools for us to enhance our human potential and grow. Erin e...

GOD. This word terrifies a lot of young people in the west. It’s certainly a loaded word in Ireland and the UK. This word angers, frustrates and often generates a response of eye-rolling when it’s mentioned. And with good reason. The monotheistic idea of God that is oh so common around these parts has not stopped Wars, famines, corruption or heinous immoral acts by those who are apparently closest...

This week, Seb and Jim speak with the Druid and Psychologist: Eimear Burke. Druidry is often clouded in misconceptions so we wanted Eimear, who is the current chief of order of Bards Ovates and Druids to clear up some misconceptions and tell us how she found her way into this ancient spiritual tradition. We also cover the Druid relationship with nature and why she believes Druid membership is on t...

In this episode, we talk to Buck Angel, a real pioneer of the trans movement. Buck has called himself a guineapig as he transitioned back when surgeons had no previous experience with such procedures. We talk about dealing with feeling as though he belonged in a boy’s body despite being born a biological female. Working through such complicated feelings is never easy, but it was even harder back i...

In this episode, The Earthly Delights’ duo speak with burnout expert, Jennifer Moss. Jennifer is an award-winning journalist, author and speaker who has a remarkable ability to swim within the nuances of work culture and what gives us greater well-being. During this conversation, we cover the symptoms of burnout, how to recover from burnout and how to avoid it. We also discuss what the impact of t...

Join the guys as they talk to Cara Lisette, renowned for her blog “ Cara’s Corner ”, about anorexia. We talk about the triggers, effects on mental health, how difficult it is to overcome the gutting relapses, and what living a healthy lifestyle looks like going forwards. Cara’s story is one of resilience and determination despite all the odds.

In this episode, Jim speaks with renowned acupuncture practitioner, Declan Rothwell. Declan, based in Dublin, speaks on his journey towards acupuncture and how he walked away from a secure office job to pursue a career in this Ancient Chinese Medicine. He explains in plain language what are the beliefs underpinning this practice, what are the core aims, and why it can ‘work’ for some people and no...

Join Jim for a wonderful chat with Ariana Grindr about all things drag. We discuss the route towards drag queening, the origins and misconceptions surrounding the art form as well as the difficulties attached to the lifestyle. Be prepared for some colourful language and remember friends, NO KINK SHAMING. Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/_arianagrindr/

Join Seb as he talks to Meg Daley Olmert about the human-animal bond. Meg is an author of the book “ Made for Each Other : The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond” and we talk about the origins of this special relationship we share with animals and also the science behind it. Meg also shares inspirational stories of projects that have use animals to help rehabilitate humans such as the Warrior Canine...

In this episode, The Earthly Delights’ duo speak with political journalist, Joshua Zitser. Joshua speaks very honestly about his struggles with his mental health which led him to lose the will to live, but thankfully instead of taking matters into his own hands he reached out on Twitter, which was his salvation. Joshua also explains how he believes some of his struggles can be attributed to interg...

Join us as we talk to Jessica Harris, a music therapist from Ireland. We talk about music therapy, what it entails, what it looks like and what it can help achieve given the right circumstances as well as the troubles to establish it worldwide as a recognised clinical therapy practice. Jessica’s passion for music is obvious and it’s great to learn more about something we all intrinsically know and...

Join the guys as they talk to Umar Kankiya, one of the many brilliant members of “Dope Black Dads”. We talk about the struggles of dual nationality, bringing up proud Nigerian British children in today’s society and supporting other dope black dads. It’s an eye-opening conversation that shows us just how hard it is to grow up as a black man in Britain and how important it is to have a support netw...