The Survival Project

What does it mean to live with a body that never stops changing? This week on  The Survival Project , I'm joined by  Cerys Davage , host of the  Unbalanced Podcast  and a passionate disability advocate living with  limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) . Diagnosed as a child, Cerys shares her experience of growing up with a progressive muscle condition, navigating invisible disability, learnin...

What happens when surviving Crohn's disease means fighting your own healthcare system? This week on  The Survival Project , I'm joined by  Ian , a Crohn's disease advocate, comedian and storyteller from New York. Diagnosed at just 16 years old, Ian shares his journey through bowel obstructions, multiple surgeries, intestinal strictures, internal bleeding, anxiety and the emotional impa...

At 22 years old, Liv Moore was told she would need a permanent stoma. After years of unexplained symptoms, severe constipation, and a body that seemed to be shutting down, Liv was diagnosed with  hypoganglionosis , a rare bowel disorder that left her rectum unable to function properly. In this episode of  The Survival Project , Liv shares her remarkable journey from diagnosis to surgery, the fear...

Arthur O'Connor appeared to have everything on track. A successful personal trainer, recently engaged, healthy, active, and building a future he was excited about. Then his body began to change. What started as digestive issues soon became overwhelming fatigue, chronic inflammation, hormonal dysfunction, skin problems, weight loss, heart palpitations, and a growing list of symptoms that no one...

From 60 toilet trips a day to fitness racing, Terri Brannigan's story is one of resilience, courage, and reclaiming life after Crohn's disease. In this episode of The Survival Project , Jonathan sits down with Crohn's disease advocate, ostomate, and fitness enthusiast Terri Brannigan to discuss her journey from being diagnosed with Crohn's at just 15 years old to making the life-changing decision...

What happens when years of being undertreated for Ulcerative Colitis leads to a permanent ostomy, a cancer diagnosis, multiple major surgeries, and repeated setbacks? In this powerful episode of The Survival Project, Jonathan Healy sits down with Jenn Moore , an ostomy advocate, fitness coach, health coach, and specialist in helping people rebuild strength after chronic illness and surgery. Jenn s...

For 13 years, Kate Ann was told her pain was normal. In this episode of The Survival Project, Jonathan Healy sits down with Kate for a deeply emotional and eye-opening conversation about living with Stage 4 Endometriosis and bowel endometriosis. Kate shares the reality of growing up in severe pain, being dismissed by doctors, told her symptoms were “just anxiety” or IBS, and spending years trying...

World IBD Day Special | The Female Experience of IBD, Chronic Illness & Identity In this episode of The Survival Project, Sarah O’Connor and Terri Brannigan join me for a powerful conversation on the female experience of living with Crohn’s disease, IBD, invisible illness, fatigue, body image, relationships, and resilience. We speak honestly about the realities women face while navigating chro...

In this World IBD Day special episode of The Survival Project, I’m joined by Owen and Oliver for a deeply honest conversation about the male experience of living with IBD. We talk about Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, stoma surgery, masculinity, identity, relationships, intimacy, body image, fear, shame, depression, and the pressure men feel to stay strong while living with chronic illness. T...

Episode 33 of The Survival Project with Levi. Levi is a photographer based in Las Vegas living with ulcerative colitis and, since recording this episode, Crohn’s disease. In this conversation, Levi shares the reality of years of symptoms, blood loss, misdiagnosis, colonoscopies, failed medications, chronic pain, and trying to navigate the American healthcare system while self-employed. We dive int...

Aoife Quinn is 23, from Galway, and living with a rare condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia . Right now, her symptoms are manageable. But she knows what’s coming. She knows there’s a drug that could slow the progression of her condition and protect her future. The problem? It has been deemed “not value for money.” In this episode, we talk about: Being diagnosed at 18 Living with uncertainty and fe...

Episode 31 of The Survival Project is a reflections episode titled: “Let Us Sit in the Fire Together.” This episode explores the reality of living with chronic illness, Crohn’s disease, IBD, ostomy life, chronic pain, and mental resilience , through lessons taken from the last 10 conversations on the podcast. From misdiagnosis and isolation to recovery, identity loss, breathwork, sleep, and rebuil...

In Episode 30 I sit down with Oliver for a powerful and honest conversation about chronic illness, identity, isolation, and purpose. Oliver shares his journey of first developing psoriasis as a teenager before later being diagnosed with IBD during the chaos of 2020 . He speaks openly about the long and frustrating road to diagnosis, the fear and trauma of hospitalisation, and the mental strain of...

At 23 years old, Jack Brennan was forced to relearn how to walk. After a childhood diagnosis of Perthes disease, Jack spent years living with chronic pain, navigating a system that told him he was “too young” for the surgery he desperately needed. While his condition worsened, he was left trying to hold his life together physically, mentally, and emotionally. In this conversation, Jack opens up ab...

In Episode 28 of The Survival Project , Jonathan sits down with Karin O'Shea for a deeply moving conversation about living with chronic Lyme disease , years of misdiagnosis , neurological symptoms , medical gaslighting, and the fight to access life-saving treatment abroad after being failed by the healthcare system in Ireland. Karin shares how her symptoms began in childhood, how she was initi...

In this episode of The Survival Project , I’m joined by Diego for one of the most powerful and honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast. Diego shares his journey from competing at a high level in college and chasing Olympic dreams, to facing relentless injuries, severe gut issues, and a period where everything began to fall apart. From bleeding before races to living out of an attic with no i...

In this episode of The Survival Project , I am joined by Tanika for an honest conversation about Crohn’s disease, pregnancy, stress, trauma, flares, and motherhood . Tanika shares how she went from having no major stomach issues to repeated hospital visits, months of uncertainty, and eventually receiving a Crohn’s diagnosis while pregnant . She opens up about the emotional toll of living with chro...

In this episode of The Survival Project , I am joined by Tom Coleman , health scientist and sleep specialist, for a deep conversation on sleep, stress, circadian rhythm, recovery, and modern life . Tom shares why so many people are struggling with sleep, the biggest misconceptions around insomnia, why light sleep is just as important as deep sleep , and how stress, screens, caffeine, supplements,...

In this episode of The Survival Project , I am joined by Joe Forde for a deep conversation on breath-work, hypnotherapy, anxiety, trauma, and nervous system regulation . Joe shares how breath-work can help us move out of fight-or-flight, why so many people feel wired but tired, and how small daily resets can support better sleep, less stress, and greater emotional balance. The conversation explore...

In this episode of The Survival Project , Jonathan Healy speaks with Sam Yiollaris, founder of Footprints to Africa, a UK charity redistributing surplus stoma supplies to under-resourced hospitals across Africa. After her colorectal cancer diagnosis and a year living with a stoma, Sam discovered a devastating reality: while life-saving stoma surgery exists in many African countries, access to basi...

He’s joined by Liv from Salts Healthcare and Josh, a Salts advocate and Ostique Connect user, to talk about something many people with IBD and stomas experience but don’t always say out loud: isolation. They dive into Ostique Connect, a free peer-support app designed to help people connect with others who truly understand their stage of the journey, plus the community features like one-to-one chat...

Fear is part of chronic illness. Even when it’s not spoken about, it’s there. In Episode 21 of The Survival Project , I reflect on the previous ten episodes and explore the role fear has played in my own life, my diagnosis, and the stories shared by my guests. From fear of relationships, parenthood, failure, and relapse, to self-sabotage, stress, and the nervous system, this episode looks at how f...

In this episode of The Survival Project , I’m joined by mindset and nervous-system specialist Moira Geary , known for her work helping people “recombobulate” when life feels overwhelming, chaotic, or stuck. We explore why self-sabotage shows up even when we consciously want to be well, how the subconscious mind protects us through fear and familiar patterns, and why chronic illness can trap us in...

In Episode 19 of The Survival Project , I’m joined by hypnotherapist Nemara Wilde (Wilde Transformation), someone who genuinely helped change my life. Years ago, she helped me finally get off cigarettes after failing miserably for a long time, and in this conversation we unpack why habits like smoking are rarely about the habit itself. We talk hypnotherapy in a way that actually makes sense, how t...

In this episode of The Survival Project , i am joined by Dr Orlaith Kelly , Consultant Gastroenterologist and passionate IBD advocate, for a deeply honest and wide-ranging conversation about inflammatory bowel disease from both sides of the desk. We explore the realities of living with IBD in Ireland , including the financial burden patients face, why Crohn’s and Colitis are still not recognised u...