Healing Gals Podcast

Welcome back to Season 6 of Healing Gals Podcast! In this episode, Molly discusses perimenopause and her new business, Evertold (which may include a discount for Healing Gals Podcast listeners).

Molly then sits down with Laura Martyn, founder of DARA MATS to discuss:

-Sponsoring Healing Gals Podcast

-Her career in An Garda Siochana and her reasons for leaving. -Her experiences as a member of An Garda Siochana and how difficult it was at times working for that organisation.

-Laura shares her experience of overcoming burnout and creating a new career for herself.

-How DARA MATS was born and why she chose to make luxury yoga mats that you will not find anywhere else.

-The process of design and business building.

Season 6 of the Healing Gals Podcast is proudly sponsored by DARA Mats — luxury yoga mats designed to support your wellness journey both on and off the mat. You can explore the full collection at www.daramats.com and follow along on Instagram at @daramats for wellness inspiration, new launches, and more. There’s also a special discount code exclusively for Healing Gals listeners shared at the end of Episode 1.

Healing Gals Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, therapy, or mental health support. If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional or trusted support service.

Ireland Support Services:
• Samaritans – Call 116 123 (24/7 support)
• Pieta – Call 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444
• Text About It – Free text HELLO to 50808
• HSE Mental Health Supports: HSE Mental Health Services

Remember, you are good enough exactly as you are.

In preparation for season 6, Molly sits down in her first-ever video podcast to discuss the things she got wrong. Which includes but is not limited to:

-Recommending Dax Shepard and his podcast Armchair Expert

-Being controlling about her then boyfriend, now husband, keeping in touch on nights out

-Expecting perfect behaviour from hurt people

-Thinking men doing therapy is enough, it's not

-Saying "I don't expect a Matriarchy", spoiler alert, she does!

-Thinking she will have to settle for a mediocre man

This list is not exhaustive, although it can be exhausting lol!

If you enjoy the episode and want to support Molly to keep bringing these episodes, you can buy her a coffee on the link below:

buymeacoffee.com/Healinggalspodcast

Just a little reminder—this podcast is here to share stories, perspectives, and experiences, not to replace therapy or professional advice

You can find a list of support services in Ireland on the following website:

https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/supports-services/#:~:text=Pieta,Website:%20textaboutit.ie

For the Season 5 finale, Molly sits down with Aisling for an honest, wide-ranging end-of-season chat. From the small things that quietly improve our lives to the big systems that shape us, this episode blends humour, vulnerability, and reflection in true Healing Gals style.

• Small changes that improved our lives
• Gubby Soap Company (Discount code: HEALING15)
• Aisling’s experience of harassment
• Dinner with the Enemy
• Growing up in strict religion
• Patriarchy & religion
• The male loneliness epidemic
• Increasing fruit intake
• Lily’s album & book + a new take on David Harbour
• Listener’s Dilemma

A thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt conversation to close out Season 5.

The Healing Gals Podcast is a one-woman show.

If this episode resonated, support the podcast by buying Molly a coffee:

 buymeacoffee.com/Healinggalspodcast

Have a dilemma or topic you’d like discussed?

 [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is a solo episode where Molly discusses things she is leaving behind in 2025 and things she is bringing into 2026. Molly shares a very exciting opportunity for her listeners, her new legacy service, Capsule Conversations. Capsule Conversations is a guided legacy service that gently records the voice, stories, and memories of someone you love, or of yourself. Through a professionally held conversation, we create an audio time capsule that families can return to for years to come — a voice preserved, a presence kept close. This is not a rushed recording or a scripted interview.

It’s a calm, thoughtful conversation, held with care, emotional intelligence, and deep respect for the person sharing their story.

Each Capsule Conversation is delivered as a beautifully packaged keepsake.

This work is especially for families with older or unwell loved ones — but it’s also for anyone who values memory, connection, and legacy.

Capsule Conversations is launching in Ireland in 2026. Follow on Instagram for updates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Molly is joined by the gorgeous Stephen (aka Annie Queeries / Mannie Queeries) for a deeply moving, funny, and heart-opening conversation. Stephen is a drag performer, podcaster, content creator, and all-round angel.

Together, they explore what it’s like to grow up outside of the narrow “box” men are expected to fit into, and the profound impact of being rejected by society for simply being yourself. Stephen shares honestly about his formative years, homophobia, identity, and the long-term effects of emotional disconnection.

This episode also tenderly holds space for grief, as Stephen speaks about the very recent passing of his mam, how giving up alcohol changed his life, and what healthy love looks like when you finally believe you deserve it.

You are going to laugh, cry, and feel so seen listening to this one, gals.

• Stephen’s hilarious TikTok videos
• Growing up queer and experiencing homophobia
• Reclaiming and unpacking “the F word”
• Exploring identity outside rigid gender norms
• The impact of societal rejection on self-worth
• The magic of female friendships
• Alok Vaid-Menon and gender expansiveness
• The conditioning men receive under patriarchy
• How emotional disconnection leads to long-term health issues
• Finding sexuality confusing and unsafe in a rigid world
• The powerful “I deserve” tool
• Giving up alcohol and choosing self-respect
• Changing career paths later in life
• Redefining healthy love
• Losing a mam to cancer
• Grief, funerals, and honouring life after loss

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 5, Episode 8 – VALUES; Don’t Betray Yourself features gorgeous conversation between Molly and Katelyn Divilly, the only female Traitor from The Traitors Ireland Season One. Katelyn is an Organisational Development Consultant who works closely with teams to improve leadership, culture, and performance. In this episode, she brings both her professional insight and personal experience to a deep, honest exploration of values — how to identify them, live by them, and what happens when we betray them. At the very start of the episode, Molly also shares grounded, compassionate tips for navigating the Christmas season when you’re surrounded by dysfunctional family dynamics.

Together, Molly and Katelyn unpack why values are foundational to living a good life, making aligned decisions, and maintaining self-trust — especially in environments shaped by misogyny, poor leadership, or limiting beliefs. Drawing on psychology, real-life examples, and moments of humour and reflection, the conversation moves through identity, rest, nature, and relationships, asking what it really means to perform well as an individual and as part of a team. They also explore whether shared values are essential in romantic partnerships, how bad management can erode personal integrity, and why slowing down — through rest, walking, or even the Camino — is not optional but essential.

Topics covered:

• Tips for surviving the Christmas season with dysfunctional family members
• Having “special energy” and protecting it
• The Aileen Wuornos serial killer documentary on Netflix
• Misogyny and its impact on women
• The Traitors Ireland: impact and lived experience
• Limiting beliefs and negative vs positive self-talk
• We are nature, not separate from it
• VALUES: how to identify them and why they matter
• The Peter Principle in leadership
• Martin Seligman and Values in Action
• Meeting a partner: do they need the same values as you?
• Core values vs secondary values
• Bad managers and managers who compromise your values
• Tattoos as identity and meaning
• This Is Not a Self-Help Book, But It Might Just Help You by Mark Mehigan
• Rest as essential
• Walking the Camino and slowing down.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Molly sits down with Lorraine Hogan, founder of Festival Mná.

Lorraine shares her personal journey to creating Festival Mná and the vision behind a space devoted to celebrating women in all stages of life.

• Lorraine’s path to creating Festival Mná
• Perimenopause & menopause as rites of passage
• Women as a collective and the power of gathering
• What to expect from Festival Mná
• The 2025 theme: REBIRTH
• Remembering how special women truly are
• What holds women back from stepping fully into themselves
• Self-advocacy: where to start and how to grow

For more information go to festival mná go to @festivalmná on all socials, visit https://festivalmna.com/ or go to https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/festival-mna-2026-tickets-1401554630629 for tickets.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful and surprisingly hilarious episode of Healing Gals Podcast, host Molly Smyth sits down with breakup coach, retreat facilitator, women’s circle leader, and celebrant Kelly Hunt. Together, they explore what it really looks like to reclaim yourself after heartbreak, betrayal, or the quiet unraveling of a relationship that was never aligned with your soul.

Kelly opens up about her own divorce journey—including why she threw a divorce party to celebrate closing a chapter that no longer served her and stepping boldly into the life she was meant to live. She shares how her personal healing led her to her purpose: guiding women through breakups, transitions, and deep self-rediscovery.

And then… things take a turn in the best way.

Molly revisits emails sent by a former boyfriend—the same boyfriend whose cheating she unpacked in Season 1, Episode 1 (“Shame”). With new clarity and a lot more humor, Molly and Kelly break down the manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional gymnastics hiding in plain sight within those old messages. What once felt confusing or painful is now unmistakable—and honestly, pretty funny—when viewed through a healed lens.

This episode is equal parts empowerment, catharsis, sisterhood, and comedic relief. If you’ve ever doubted your intuition, ignored red flags, or felt ashamed for trusting the wrong person… this one is for you.

• Kelly’s divorce journey and why she chose to celebrate it
• How she became a breakup coach, retreat facilitator, and celebrant
• The power of community, women’s circles, and ritual during life transitions
• What healing looks like when you finally choose you
• Molly’s past experience with infidelity and the emotional chaos of not knowing
• Live reactions to real emails from Molly’s ex—featuring gaslighting, manipulation, and accidental comedy
• How hindsight turns pain into clarity… and sometimes into laughter
• Reframing shame after being cheated on
• Why reclaiming your story is one of the most liberating parts of healing

Please follow, rate, and leave a review—it helps the Healing Gals community grow and supports conversations that help women reconnect to who they were before the world got its hands on them.

 Support the Podcast

The Healing Gals Podcast is a one-woman show — Molly records, edits, and promotes every episode herself.

If you’ve received something meaningful from this conversation, consider supporting the show by buying Molly a coffee:

 buymeacoffee.com/Healinggalspodcast

Your support helps keep these heartfelt, healing conversations coming.

 Connect with Molly

Have a dilemma or topic you’d love to hear discussed on the podcast?

Email Molly at [email protected] — she’d love to hear from you.

Remember, You're good enough exactly as you are 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S5 Ep4: Is My Parent A Narcissist? with Accredited Psychotherapist Kaite McKenna

In this powerful episode of Healing Gals Podcast, I’m joined by accredited psychotherapist, podcaster, and author Katie McKenna—host of the acclaimed podcast Beyond Survival and co-author of International Best Selling book You’re Not the Problem.

Together, we dive deep into the complex dynamics of growing up with a narcissistic parent and how this differs from being raised by an emotionally immature parent. Katie breaks down the core traits of narcissistic parenting and the subtle—but profoundly damaging—patterns that can show up in families affected by this dynamic.

We explore:

• What truly defines a narcissistic parent
• How narcissism differs from emotional immaturity
• The impact this parenting style has on the entire family system
• The roles siblings often fall into—and why they compete, clash, or disconnect
• Common dysfunctional family behaviours that keep the cycle going
• The roles children adopt to survive: the hero, the scapegoat, the lost child, the peacemaker, and more

Katie shares countless real-life examples throughout our conversation, making it easier for listeners to identify if they have experienced—or are currently experiencing—these patterns in their own families.

This episode is validating, eye-opening, and deeply empowering for anyone on a healing journey from childhood dysfunction.

 Support the Podcast

The Healing Gals Podcast is a one-woman show — Molly records, edits, and promotes every episode herself.

If you’ve received something meaningful from this conversation, consider supporting the show by buying Molly a coffee:

 buymeacoffee.com/Healinggalspodcast

Your support helps keep these heartfelt, healing conversations coming.

 Connect with Molly

Have a dilemma or topic you’d love to hear discussed on the podcast?

Email Molly at [email protected] — she’d love to hear from you.

Remember, You're good enough exactly as you are 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.