Hala Sourani : Gaza, forever in my heart

Topics covered : Palestinian heritage, injustice, speaking up, Zionism, artwashing.This week I speak to Irish Palestinian artist, Róisín El Cherif and it's a powerful conversation.Her Mom is Irish and her father is from Gaza and she has lived in Galway for 18 years now.She talks about growing up as an Irish-Palestinian and she shares her perspective on the past 6 months, in particular.This month Róisín will also be releasing a very special song with all the proceeds going to Palestinians causes, so keep an eye out for that.Book mention : Becoming Pro-Palestinian edited by Rosemary SayighThe song that Róisín sings at the end of the conversation :Zahret El Madaen (Flower of cities ) Fairouz - 1967‎لأجلك يا مدينة الصلاة أصلي‎لأجلك يا بهية المساكن يا زهرة المدائن‎يا قدس يا قدس يا مدينة الصلاة‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم‎تدور في أروقة المعابد‎تعانق الكنائس القديمة‎و تمسح الحزن عن المساجد‎يا ليلة الأسراء يا درب من مروا إلى السماء‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم و انني أصل​​'It is for you O city of the prayer that I prayIt is for you O splendid home, O flower of the citiesO Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O city of the prayerOur eyes are set out to you everydayThey walk through the porticos of the templesEmbrace of the old churchesAnd take the sadness away from the mosquesO night of Al asra O path of those who left for the skyOur eyes are set out to you everyday and I pray​'If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Apr 20241h 19min

Topics covered : The power of play in building connection with kids, touch, secure attachment, body acceptance, positive modelling, rupture and repair, breaking negative behaviours, resilience building.This week I speak to child and adolescent psychotherapist Debbie Cullinane.She lives in Mayo with her husband James and their two kids, Elsie and Freddie. And in this conversation, she talks about the power of play in building connection with our children and why positive modelling and apologising is so important.It’s an episode full of practical advice. I loved it and I hope you will too!To connect with Debbie…Home - Debbie CullinaneDebbie Cullinane Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist MA (@debbiecullinane_) • Instagram photos and videosBook mention : Colleen Hoover ‘It ends with us’If you like this episode, check out previous conversations with Richard Hogan and Sarah Nicole Landry (The Birds Papaya).If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Mar 202446min

Topics covered : Perfectionism, people pleasing, the impact of the Covid pandemic, anxiety, loneliness, marriage breakdown, grief, guilt, therapy, change, freedom, same-sex relationship, rumours, finding joy, childfree by choice.This week I speak to Cat Lawlor, baker and owner of 'The Cake Cuppery' and it’s a gripping conversation.Originally from Dublin, Cat now lives in Wexford with her girlfriend Louise and their two cats. In this conversation we chat about listening to your gut instinct, overcoming challenges in life and ultimately finding joy.Cat speaks openly about the end of her marriage, obviously from her perspective, and out of respect for her ex-husband, he is not named during the conversation as we fully appreciate how difficult hearing a conversation like this, might be for him.To connect with Cat or Louise…Cat L. Walsh (@thecakecuppery) • Instagram photos and videosEmail infothecakecuppery@gmail.comLouise O Brien | Online Coach (@louise_badasscoaching) • Instagram photos and videos Book mention : ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ by Susan JeffersIf you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Mar 20241h 15min

Topics covered : Palestine, protests, social justice, community, paradigm shift, hope.This week, my guest is Caoimhe Butterly who is an educator, a human rights activist, filmmaker & trained therapist, who has worked as a volunteer ambulance worker in Gaza, alongside Palestinian paramedics, and has also spent years in the West Bank.She was born in Ireland to Irish parents who migrated to Canada when she was a baby, where she spent the first 10 years of her life and then she lived in Mauritius and Zimbabwe for 8 years.She has worked with refugee and displaced communities for over 25 years in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Ukraine, Greece, Calais and elsewhere & currently works in psychosocial and trauma support work, with humanitarian responders and refugee communities.In this conversation she shares her perspective on the now which includes the global shift in consciousness, the power and benefit of connecting to liked minded people, Palestinian joy and the importance of collective care.If you enjoyed this episode you might appreciate previous conversations with Ruth Smith, Daniel Maté and Dr. Myriam François.If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Mar 202459min

Topics covered : Betrayal, heartbreak, breakdown, trust, prevention, repair, connection, healing. Originally from Douglas in Cork, psychotherapist Richard Hogan lives in Dublin with his wife and their 3 daughters.He writes a weekly column with the Irish Examiner and often appears on TV and radio and he specialises in working with families.He’s also written two brilliant books ‘Parenting the screenager’ and ‘Home is where the start is’ and during this conversation he talks about affairs.Why people have them, the heartbreaking impact of them on a relationship and if it’s possible to heal after betrayal.If you connected with Richard during this conversation, you can check out his previous episodes from last summer and the one he recorded earlier this year about anxiety, especially in kids and teenagers.Book mention : ‘The 5 love languages’ by Gary ChapmanIf you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mar 202433min

Topics covered : Palestine, people power, social justice, privilege, culture, indigenous languages, Gaeilge, patriarchy, oppression, being Muslim, Brené Brown, whiteness, female empowerment. This week, journalist, filmmaker, podcaster, presenter and writer, the remarkable Dr. Myriam François is my guest.Myriam is a Londoner whose mother is Irish (she's from Leitrim), and her father is French. Her award-winning, directorial debut documentary is ‘Finding Alaa’ and her podcast is ‘We need to talk about whiteness’. She’s been a Muslim since she was 21 and when she was younger she also starred in a number of films, including acting alongside Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet in the Oscar winning ‘Sense and Sensibility’ when she played the role of younger sister Margaret.In this conversation though, we talk about the recent Sky interview she did that went viral ('I'm so sorry your Amazon packages are delayed!'), the importance of indigenous languages, Palestine, Brené Brown’s recent statement on what’s happening there, and why she’s not really a fan of the word activist.She’s a woman of integrity and intelligence and it was an absolute honour to speak to her.Book mention : ‘Black faces, white masks’ by Frantz FanonAnd if you connected to this episode, other Ready to be Real podcast recommendations are :'Daniel Maté : Dismantling blindspots', 19th January 2024 and 'Ruth Smith : Love and Justice', 15th December 2023.If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Feb 20241h 1min

Topics covered : Fear, regret, fertility journey, acceptance, career change, anxiety, toxic positivity, triggers, comparisons, peak performance.Life coach Mark Fennell is back on the pod!Mark is married to Fiona and has spent over 20 years helping people through his coaching business.His online following has grown massively over the past few years too and on Instagram, he currently has 160K followers and is known for his video content.We last spoke over 2 years ago and his episodes are still hugely popular with listeners.In this conversation, he talks about his brand new book ‘Breakthrough - practical steps for moving from stuck to unstoppable’.Mark is speaking of his own experience in this episode and is certainly not advising not going to therapy.If you're struggling, reach out and speak to a professional.Mentions:Book ‘Man's search for meaning’ by Viktor FranklMen in Black movie reference : NeuralyzerNick VujicicHome - Nick VujicicTo contact Mark, go to…https://markfennell.ie/If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Feb 202453min

Topics covered : TV presenting, change, leaving on her terms, her Mum Brenda, grief, parenting, family life, synchronicities and signs.This week I speak to TV presenter Karen Koster who lives in Dublin with her husband John, a retired businessman and their 3 kids, Finn who is 9, JJ who is 8 and their daughter Eve who is 5, along with their dogs Brownie and Nidge!She has a degree in English literature and French from Trinity and she has been working in TV for the past 20 years.In this conversation she talks about her decision to step away from her much loved presenting job with Virgin media’s The Six O Clock show late last year to spend more time with her family and explore new career options.And she also speaks about her Mum Brenda, who died suddenly 2 years ago this May and she shares how she is coming to terms with her passing.If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Feb 202451min