Sinéad O’Leary : Fighting Spirit

Trigger warning : Disordered eating.This week I speak to Aoife O’Brien about life with and after an eating disorder.Originally from County Clare, Aoife now lives in Mayo with her fiancé Damian and their son Liam, who’s nearly 2. She works with the GAA/ Croke Park co-ordinating the Healthy Clubs project which promotes health and wellbeing within clubs.But for years she was controlled by an eating disorder which went unnoticed for a long time. Now having fully recovered she is passionate about getting the message out that life after disordered eating, is very much possible.In this conversation, we discuss diet culture, the signs of eating distress and how best to address it.Podcast mention…The Marino Therapy Centrehttps://www.marinotherapycentre.com/Helpful questions for journaling…1. What did I do well today?2. What did I learn?3. What would I do differently?Thanks to Ranae and Jacqueline for helping set up this conversation and of course to Aoife for all the effort she put in, to make it happen.If you like this podcast, please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, thank you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Jun 202158min

Trigger warning : Disordered eating, depression.This week I speak to former model and media personality, Holly Carpenter.She lives in Stoneybatter in Dublin with her dog Max, and has been in a relationship since October, but over the past 14 months she has had many ups and downs and she’s been very honest about her struggles with her mental health and the impact the pandemic had on her overall wellbeing.She’s genuine, sensitive and naturally funny and in this candid conversation she talks about the years she spent modelling, competing at the ‘Miss World pageant’, taking part in ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ and the toll it took on her, she also talks about the damage of toxic positivity, being separated from her parents for over a year, dating in a pandemic, her new found love of sea swimming and how she’s not a fan of the ‘5 year plan!’.If you like this podcast, please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, thank you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Mai 202155min

Trigger warning : Infant loss, grief, depression, disordered eating, weight loss.This week I speak to father and ultra marathon runner, Ian Lawton.He lives in Navan in County Meath, is married to Jennifer, and is the father of two sons, Ike who’s 12 and Hank who passed away 10 years ago, the day after he was born.In this conversation he gives us a profound insight into infant loss, and the pain of a bereaved father. Not alone does he speak about loss and grief but also about rebirth and moving forward with a newfound purpose.In a year, he went from being morbidly obese to becoming an extreme runner, which lead to him running 10 marathons in 10 days finishing on what would’ve been Hank’s 10th birthday, this February.This September he turns 50, an age he wasn’t expected to live to see, and he’ll mark it by embracing the challenge of the 'Kerry Way Ultra', running the gruelling 200 kilometres through mountain passes, bogs, roads and trails.This was a deeply emotional and challenging conversation for him and I commend his rawness and willingness to be real.If you’d like to support Ian’s fundraiser, simply click on this link… https://www.gofundme.com/f/10TEN10 and his website is www.runningforhank.comIf you like this podcast, please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, I’d be so thankful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Mai 20211h 17min

Trigger warning : Tragic death, complex grief, severe injuries, PTSD.This is my conversation with the incredible Zoe Holohan.On the 23rd of July 2018, Zoe and her husband Brian were on their honeymoon when disaster struck. Wildfires swept through the seaside town of Mati in Greece where they were staying and claimed the lives of 102 people. She miraculously survived despite her extensive injuries, while Brian, unfortunately didn’t.In this conversation we hear how she and Brian met, what a wonderful man he was, their beautiful wedding day and how her life changed forever just a few days later, on their honeymoon.She also speaks about her Dad and the close friendship they had, and how his death 3 weeks after that terrible day in Greece was yet another trauma to have to come to terms with.This was by far one of the most moving conversations I’ve ever had, and I am in awe of Zoe’s courage, strength and resilience.Her book :‘As the smoke clears : The inspirational true story of surviving Greece’s deadly wildfires, overcoming devastating loss and discovering a path to renewal.’If you enjoyed this chat please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, I’d be so thankful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Mai 20211h 17min

Trigger warning : Postnatal depression, anxiety, sudden death, grief.This week I speak to entrepreneur and mother, Sharon Keegan.She lives in Dublin with her partner Seán and their two boys, Liam who’s 5 and Bob who’s 2.As the founder of female empowerment clothing brand ‘Peachylean’, Shar’s USP is ‘being real’ so obviously she was the dream guest for this podcast.Last December we sat down to have a chat and it was powerful.2020 was a year with some wonderful highs but also some terrible lows for her.She fulfilled a personal dream when she took part in the BBC’s Dragons Den securing the support of 3 Dragon’s, and someone who was really excited for her was her brother Alan who she was incredibly close to.Unfortunately though, he was gone before it happened. In March 2020, he died suddenly, devastating her and the entire family.Sharon is someone I admire massively, she’s not afraid to be vulnerable, and believes in taking chances.In this conversation she talks about Alan and the pain his death has caused, the whirlwind of Dragon’s Den, the significance of certain numbers, and recognising signs, the benefits of movement and therapy, being body confident and the importance of silencing your inner critic.Book mention :The Celestine Prophecy by James RedfieldCatch Sharon's episode of Dragon's Den from the 29th April 2021 (Series 18, Episode 5) here...https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000vm01/dragons-den-series-18-episode-5If you enjoyed this chat please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, I’d be so thankful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Mai 202154min

Trigger warning : Multiple rounds of IVF, miscarriage.Denise Phillips lives in Newbridge, Co. Kildare with her husband Mark, their 6 year old daughter Beth and she’s also step mother to 16 year old Ellie.She’s hugely successful in her career as the owner of Pelo hairdressing and the co-owner of Irish hair brand Voduz and last week she got the surprise of her life when she found out she was over 6 months pregnant!For the past 10 years, she had lived with unexplained infertility, no periods, no ovulation and the lining of her womb was very thin.On their 9th cycle of IVF she went on to have their little girl and when Beth was a baby, she also took part in TV documentary ‘The Babymakers’, which followed the lives of couples for over a year, who were trying to conceive and showed the reality of IVF.This was one of my favourite chats ever on the podcast, it’s full of wisdom and practical advice, especially for those who are navigating the often-challenging road to parenthood. She speaks about acceptance and gratitude and the importance of staying in your own lane.And when we spoke on Tuesday when she had just come from all her pregnancy appointments in the Coombe hospital, where she found out she was almost 29 weeks pregnant!Book mentions:Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of SuccessVishen Lakhiani’s The Code of the Extraordinary MindIf you enjoyed this chat please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple and by clicking follow on Spotify, I’d be so thankful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Mai 20211h 31min

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 she met and fell in love with Audrey and their beautiful but challenging journey to Motherhood.She’s also the CEO of non-profit organisation ‘Equality for Children’ and I hope when you listen to this conversation that you’ll feel as strongly as I do, and want to support their efforts by signing the petition in the link below, as it would be wonderful to get it to 20,000 signatures. Thank you!https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/equality-for-children-nowRanae also has her own podcast called ‘Disordered’ which explores our relationship with food and our bodies and it’s really worth checking out.And if you enjoyed this chat please show your support by leaving a rating or a little comment on Apple, and by clicking follow on Spotify. Thanks so much for listening to Ready to be Real conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Apr 20211h 23min

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.You can email her directly on catherine@wellnesswarrior.ieAnd you can also sign up to her newsletter here : https://www.wellnesswarrior.ie/menopause-week-2020Mentioned during the conversation * None of the brands mentioned during the conversation are sponsored.And of course there are plenty of other brands on the market too. Find what works for you personally and remember to always check with your doctor before taking any supplements.SupplementsB Vitamins, Omega 3, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Maca, Camu Camu, Sage and Rhodiola.Brands'Cleanmarine MenoMin'Magnesium supplement 'MAG365'Maca capsules and powder 'Sarah's choice'Sage 'Menosan A.Vogel'Omega 3 & Vitamin D3 'MorEPA Platinum Elite'Vitamin D 'One Nutrition' or 'SOMEGA'Rhodiola 'Terranova'Camu Camu 'Sarah's Choice'Tulsi 'Pukka Tulsi Clarity Tea'This episode of Ready to Be Real Conversations was brought to you in partnership with Irish kombucha brand, SynerChi, who offer a delicious range of 100% natural ingredients, organic and low in calorie sparkling drink varieties, containing all the amazing benefits of kombucha and available in supermarkets nationwide.For more go to http://www.synerchikombucha.ie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Apr 202143min