IMAGE The Check-in

Longevity is much more than a trend - it is about optimising your health at every stage of life.

Recorded live at the recent IMAGE Women's Health Clinic event, this special episode features consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan as she breaks down the exact science, nutrition, data tech, and daily lifestyle habits needed to live your best life at every age.

Key Takeaways:

• Nurture vs. Nature: How genetics interact directly with your lifestyle habits.

• Wearable Tech: Using health data to our advantage
• Nutritional Optimisation: The key nutrients for evergreen health
• Medical Evolution: The place for modern science in healthy aging.
• Actionable Solutions: Best health protocols for every age

Professor Caitriona Ryan is a consultant dermatologist, co-founder of The Institute of Dermatologists, and co-founder of the soon-to-launch ID Formulas supplement range.

*Subscribe to IMAGE The Check-In on Apple Podcasts or Spotify*

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic; proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, recorded live at the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic event at The Conrad Hotel, we unpack the ultimate blueprint to female longevity and optimum health. 

Host Melanie Morris sits down with three of Ireland’s leading health professionals – consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan, preventive cardiologist Dr. Paddy Barrett, and performance coach John Belton—to discuss how lifestyle, medicine, and technology intersect to help you thrive into old age.

Key Takeaways:

• Lifespan vs. Healthspan: The difference between living long and living well.

• Biohacking vs. Reality: Separating toxic wellness fads from real, evidence-based habits.

• Inflammation: Why it is the ultimate enemy of the body and how to manage it.

• Smart Movement: Finding the right exercise routine for your specific life stage.

• "Cowboy Country": How to spot and avoid unverified, over-hyped health trends.

• Soul Span: Bringing deep meaning, purpose, and balance to physical wellness.

This is your blueprint to a great future.

Subscribe to IMAGE The Check-in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic, proudly empowered by Boots, and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

In the second half of our deep-dive conversation with medical doctor and neuroscientist Dr Michael Keane, we shift our focus inward. 

Dr Keane returns to show us how to master our mindset by making small, powerful adjustments to our daily routines and internal habits.

If you are ready to quieten a loud inner critic, overcome the secret fear of being exposed, and build a morning routine that actually sets you up for a fulfilling day, this is exactly what you need to hear.

Key Topics Covered

• Tackling Anxiety: Practical, science-backed tools to calm your nervous system.

• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Breaking free from the self-doubt trap at work and in life.

• Managing Self-Talk: How to stop negative inner dialogue and rewrite your narrative.

• Improving Relationships: Using basic brain science to better connect with those around you.

• Set for Success: How to build a genuinely effective start to your morning.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic. 

Find out more about Dr Michael Keane's groundbreaking brain-mapping work at the Actualise Clinic or connect with him via his Official Website.

In the first part of this special two-episode series, we check in with neuroscientist Dr Michael Keane, co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Evolve Neuro.

Dr Keane specialises in how the brain functions under pressure, using advanced brain-mapping techniques to make neuroscience practical for everyday life. He’s worked with business leaders, elite athletes and people who want a bigger, better, happier life.

Dr Keane speaks with IMAGE contributing editor Melanie Morris about the daily habits, environmental factors, and brain chemistry quirks that shape how we feel, sleep, and function. If you want to stop feeling ruled by your mind and start working with it, this episode is your manual for change.

Key Topics Covered

• Female Brain Chemistry: How your unique chemistry rules both body and mind.

• Breaking the Doom-Scroll: Real work-arounds to stop the infinite scroll habit.

• Attainable Sleep: The science behind making restorative sleep easy to achieve.

• Beating Burnout: Recognizing the signs and protecting your mental health.

  
  

  
  

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic. 

Find out more about Dr Michael Keane's groundbreaking brain-mapping work at the Actualise Clinic or connect with him via his Official Website.

Here comes summer!This month we welcome back Caoimhe McAuley, Director of Pharmacy at Boots Ireland and President of the Union of Pharmacists Ireland to talk all things sun health.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland, with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed annually, so let’s get ahead of the curve and create some super-safe sun habits.

Caoimhe has plenty of simple, faff-free tips to share, a personal story, and the latest in-pharmacy innovations to help you protect your skin this summer… and beyond. She also keeps us updated with health news for the whole family, so this is an episode to empower.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic; proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

Here comes summer!This month we welcome back Caoimhe McAuley, Director of Pharmacy at Boots Ireland and President of the Union of Pharmacists Ireland to talk all things sun health.Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland, with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed annually, so let’s get ahead of the curve and create some super-safe sun habits. Caoimhe has plenty of simple, faff-free tips to share, a personal story, and the latest in-pharmacy innovations to help you protect your skin this summer… and beyond. She also keeps us updated with health news for the whole family, so this is an episode to empower.IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic; proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

In this essential episode of IMAGE The Check-in, Ellie Balfe sits down with Chartered Psychologist and author Allison Keating for a thoughtful conversation about the pressures women are carrying, often quietly.

Together they explore burnout, the mental load, people pleasing, health anxiety and the deep connection between psychological wellbeing and physical health. They talk about why so many women have normalised stress, what happens when caring becomes costly, and why boundaries are not simply something we set alone, but something others must help us uphold.

This is a conversation about exhaustion, yes, but also about self-awareness, compassion, nervous system health, and the possibility of living differently.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

How often do we think of oral health as part of our overall health picture?

In this fascinating episode of IMAGE The Check-in, Ellie Balfe is joined by dentist, Dr Bronagh Keane, better known to many on social media, as Ireland’s Tooth Fairy, for a conversation that opens up the much bigger story behind our teeth and gums.

They explore why oral health is far more than check-ups and cleanings, and how the health of our mouth can reflect, and influence, our wider wellbeing. Bronagh explains the links between gum disease and systemic inflammation, what emerging research is telling us about oral health and conditions such as dementia, and why women need to think about dental care through the lens of hormones, ageing and lifelong prevention.

They also talk practical habits, common misconceptions, what signs not to ignore, and the small daily actions that can have a big impact over time.

It is a conversation that may well change how you think about your next dental appointment.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.

Our skin is often treated as something simply aesthetic, something to perfect, correct or preserve. But what if we considered skin as a vital indicator of our overall health?

In this fascinating episode of IMAGE The Check-in, host Ellie Balfe is joined by Professor Caitriona Ryan, consultant dermatologist and co-founder of the Institute of Dermatologists, for a wide-ranging conversation about skin health through a very different lens.

They talk about skin as the body’s largest organ and what it can reveal about what may be happening beneath the surface, from inflammation and hormones to stress and overall well-being.

Caitriona shares what women should know about common skin conditions such as acne and rosacea, what to watch for when it comes to skin cancer, and the simple habits that can protect our skin over a lifetime.

This is a rich, practical and thought-provoking episode about skin, health, beauty and what it means to age well.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung Waterstone Clinic.

In this episode, Ellie Balfe is joined by Dr Fiona Keogh, consultant gynaecologist with Blackrock Health, to explore what is really going on when it comes to pelvic health, and why so many women are left unsure of what is normal and what is not.

Together, they talk through the symptoms women often normalise, from bladder leaks to a feeling of heaviness or pressure, and why these are not simply things to accept as part of ageing or after having children. Fiona explains what pelvic organ prolapse actually is, how it presents, and the different types of incontinence women may experience, as well as what these symptoms might be trying to tell us.

They also explore how pelvic health changes across different life stages, particularly during pregnancy, postpartum recovery and menopause, and why these can be key moments where symptoms appear or worsen.

 Importantly, this conversation moves beyond awareness into reassurance, looking at what can be done to support and improve pelvic health, from pelvic floor physiotherapy to lifestyle changes and, where needed, surgical options.

Above all, this episode is about giving women clarity, confidence and permission to seek help. These symptoms may be common, but they are not something you simply have to live with.

IMAGE The Check-in is part of the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic and proudly empowered by Boots and sponsored by Samsung and Waterstone Clinic.