BONUS EPISODE - AFTER THE FLOWERS

This week I’m introducing something new to the podcast.....After the Flowers.

These bonus episodes will be a little different. Each week I’ll take a question or topic that has come from you the listeners, something you might be struggling with, questioning or need a little help navigating, and bring it to two experts..therapist Peter Mahony of By Your Side Therapy and Rachel Gotto, clinical hypnotherapist and grief educator.

For our first conversation we’re talking about family estrangement and the complicated grief that can come with it.

What happens when you’re grieving someone that you had an estranged relationship with? How do you cope with the loss of the rest of the family, the guilt, anger and sadness that can come with estrangement and the fact that sometimes there simply isn't a simple solution?

Peter and Rachel offer their professional perspectives as we have an open and very human conversation about a type of grief that isn't always recognised or understood.

Find out more about Peter:
By Your Side Therapy

Find out more about Rachel:
Rachel Gotto

This week I sit down with Daniel Coulter who shares a story of childhood grief, addiction and recovery.

Daniel was just 10 years old when his dad died suddenly in front of him. He speaks openly about experiencing such an enormous loss at such a young age, how it shaped him growing up, and how he now looks back on that little boy and his grief through adult eyes.

Later in life Daniel developed a gambling addiction that would span almost a decade. He talks honestly about the secrecy, the lies and the lengths he went to in order to protect his addiction, as well as the reality of finally facing it.

Now in recovery, Daniel speaks about everything he has lived through and the lessons he has taken from both grief and addiction.

A really open conversation about loss, the things we carry from childhood, addiction, recovery and finding a different way forward.

SUPPORT & SIGNPOSTING

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode, support is available.

Gamblers Anonymous Ireland offers confidential support and meetings for anyone struggling with gambling. Call 01 872 1133, 10am–10pm, seven days a week. Meetings are available across Ireland and online.

GamblingCare.ie provides information, advice and support for people experiencing gambling harm and their families. Call 1800 936 725.

If gambling or anything discussed in this episode is affecting your mental health, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999.

This week I sit down with Gavin Hattie, who shares the story of his beautiful son Connor, who was diagnosed with the extremely rare Krabbe disease and sadly passed away on his first birthday.

Gavin speaks about those precious months with Connor and the incredible support his family received from the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation during an unimaginable time.

This September, Jack and Jill are asking people across Ireland to Power an Hour, because just €20 can provide one hour of vital in-home nursing care and respite for a family caring for a seriously ill child.

This conversation is about Connor, about love and loss, but also about the difference it makes when a family has someone there to help carry them through the hardest days.

💜 If you can, please support Power Hour for Jack and Jill. Every hour really does matter.

Donate or get involved here : https://www.jackandjill.ie/power-hour

This week I sit down with Evan Gearns, who shares the heartbreaking story of loosing his brother Andrew to suicide following a struggle with addiction and his mental health.

Evan speaks openly about Andrew’s life, the circumstances surrounding his death while in custody, and his family’s difficult search for answers afterwards.

He also shares how the loss of his brother changed the course of his own life, leading him down a path of addiction and to an incredibly dark place himself.

But this is also a story of recovery and hope. Evan talks about finally reaching out for help, the support that helped him turn his life around, and where he is today, nine months clean and rebuilding his life.

A powerful conversation about brotherhood, grief, addiction, survival and finding your way back.

CONTENT WARNING & SUPPORT

This episode discusses drug addiction, mental health difficulties, suicidal thoughts and suicide. Please listen with care.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or self-harm, Pieta provides a 24-hour crisis service. Call 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444.

Samaritans can be contacted free, 24 hours a day, on 116 123.

If you have been bereaved by suicide, HUGG provides dedicated suicide-bereavement support and peer-support groups. Call 01 513 4048 or visit HUGG.ie.

For support with drug or alcohol use, the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline is a free and confidential service. Call 1800 459 459, Monday to Friday, 9.30am–5.30pm.

Coolmine provides drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, including community, day and residential programmes. Visit Coolmine.ie for information about accessing support.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.

This week I sit down with Suzanne Byrne, who shares the story of her husband Jay, and the extraordinary 15-year battle with cancer that they faced together.

Jay was a singer, and over the years the illness took so much from him, including his voice after having his voice box removed. Suzanne was by his side through it all and she speaks so lovely about their partnership, their love, and what it means to watch someone you love endure so much.

We also talk about the end of Jay’s life and the importance of him having a say in how he wanted those final days to look.

This is a conversation about love, loss, dignity and a partnership that carried them through the most difficult of times.

This week I sit down with Craig Coady, a father who has faced an extraordinary amount of heartbreak and who is now fighting with everything he has for his son.

Craig speaks about his wife Della, who is living with Huntington’s disease and is now in full-time care, and their two boys, Rory and Paudie, who were both diagnosed with the rare and progressive condition Friedreich’s ataxia. Last year, Craig faced the unimaginable when 13-year-old Rory passed away as a result of the disease.

Today his 16-year-old son Paudie is living with the same condition, and Craig is campaigning for access in Ireland to Skyclarys, the first treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia, which can slow the progression of the disease.

This is a conversation about enormous loss, a father’s love, and a family who have already endured so much but above all, it’s about Craig’s determination to keep fighting for his son and for hope.

We mentioned at the end of the conversation that there is a march in Dublin this Sunday August 23rd beginning at 12 noon from the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin to Custom Quay House. If you can at all we would love you to get out and support

This week I sit down with Joe Grogan from Tuam, Co. Galway, to talk about his son Shane and a very different kind of grief, living grief.

In 2012, Shane’s life and the lives of his entire family changed in an instant when he was the victim of an unprovoked attack that left him with a severe acquired brain injury. More than a decade later, Shane requires full-time care and is unable to live the independent life that once lay ahead of him.

Joe speaks with incredible honesty about loving the son who is still here, while grieving the life that was taken from him, the future, the independence and all of the ordinary moments they thought they would have.

It’s a powerful conversation about a kind of grief we perhaps don’t talk about enough, when the person you love is still here but life will never be the same again.

This week I sit down with Ciara Keegan, who shares the heartbreaking loss of her sister Jessie a young mum of two who died last year from triple-negative breast cancer.

Ciara speaks so honestly about the incredibly close bond she shared with Jessie, the love that surrounded her within their family, and the devastating reality of watching someone you love face such an aggressive illness.

This is a deeply emotional conversation about sisterhood, family, anticipatory grief, and the profound loss that comes when someone so central to your world is no longer there.

🎧 Podcast Listener Offer
Family Flowers Only listeners can get 10% off their first month with BetterHelp:

http://betterhelp.com/familyflowers

This week I sit down with Marian Hastings who shares the loss of her husband James to cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).

Marian speaks openly about the devastating reality of a diagnosis with so few treatment options, the fight they faced together, and the heartbreak of knowing there was very little hope. She reflects on the love they shared, the challenges of caring for someone through terminal illness, and the incredible compassion and support they received from hospice care.

This is a deeply moving conversation about love, courage, anticipatory grief, and the comfort that compassionate care can bring during life's hardest moments.

🎧 Podcast Listener Offer

I've partnered with BetterHelp to offer listeners 10% off their first month of online therapy.

👉 http://betterhelp.com/familyflowers

This week I sit down with Shaunna Briody who shares the devastating loss of her only sibling Ryan in a tragic accident.

Ryan was a young mechanic with his whole life ahead of him. Shaunna speaks openly about the trauma of his sudden death, the overwhelming grief that followed, and how it led to severe anxiety and panic attacks.

This is an honest conversation about sibling loss, navigating life after sudden bereavement, and finding a way forward after unimaginable heartbreak.

⚠️ Content note: This episode contains discussion of traumatic loss, grief, anxiety, and panic attacks.

If this episode brings up difficult feelings for you, support is available:

📞 Samaritans Ireland – 116 123
📱 Text HELLO to 50808
🤍 HUGG – www.hugg.ie

🎧 Podcast Listener Offer

I've partnered with BetterHelp to offer listeners 10% off their first month of online therapy.

👉 http://betterhelp.com/familyflowers