IMAGE The Motherload

Pat Kane has built two successful businesses - reuzi and Pragmatica - but her story is about far more than entrepreneurship. A Brazilian-born, Dublin-based mum of two, Pat is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

In this tender, powerful conversation, Pat opens up about her healing journey, how motherhood has shaped her perspective, and what it takes to raise open-hearted boys in today’s world.

Trigger warning: this episode touches on childhood sexual abuse. If that feels too much right now, we understand - feel free to come back when you’re ready.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Revive Active, its4women, Avoca and Liffey Valley – thank you for helping us tell these stories.

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This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique sits down with LGBTQI+ rights campaigner, speaker, CEO and proud mum-of-three, Ranae von Meding, for a powerful, moving, and deeply personal conversation.

Nearly a decade on from Ireland’s Marriage Equality referendum, Ranae reflects on the wins, the gaps that still remain, and the emotional toll of raising a family that isn’t yet fully recognised under the law. They talk about the joys of queer motherhood, the realities of burnout, the vulnerability of advocacy, and the hope that drives her forward.

With heart and honesty, Ranae reminds us that the most radical thing we can do is raise our voices… and our children… with love.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Revive Active and Liffey Valley

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

Charlene Flanagan thought she had to do it all. She co-founded beauty brand Ella & Jo, raised two children and ran herself into burnout.

In this episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Charlene joins Dominique McMullan to talk about surviving that season, her mental health struggles and how they led her to redefine everything.

She shares why kindness and soundness are her business superpowers, how she’s building a workplace that supports mothers, and why success isn’t worth it if it costs you yourself.

This conversation is a reminder that you’re allowed to build your life differently.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Revive Active and Liffey Valley

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

Emma Doran became a mum at 18. At 30, she started a stand-up career. Now a mother of three and one of Ireland’s most loved comedic voices, she joins Dominique to talk about the journey in between.

Emma talks about what it was like to become a mum at 18, to sit the Leaving Cert pregnant, and to raise three children while building a career as one of Ireland’s most loved comedic voices.

Emma also opens up about using humour to reclaim her identity after years of putting her kids first, why maternal rage is so very real, and what she’s learned from parenting across two very different decades of her life.

This episode is honest in a way you don’t often see with Emma, and of course it’s laugh-out-loud funny too. 

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Revive Active and Liffey Valley

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

What’s it really like raising triplets? Ali Deasy joins Dominique McMullan for an episode that’s as hilarious as it is heart-wrenching.

Ali talks about the shock of a triplet pregnancy, the chaos of raising four kids, surviving potty training three at once, and why asking for help as a mother still feels *so* hard.

This is a conversation about the beautiful mess of family life – and how to soften your inner critic when motherhood feels overwhelming.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Revive Active and Liffey Valley

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

In this episode, Dominique is joined by renowned psychotherapist Dr Colman Noctor to explore the impact of smartphones and technology on childhood, parenting and how we connect as humans.

Together, they unpack the mental health trends of the past decade, the loss of offline play, and the subtle shifts happening in how our children (and we) are developing emotionally and socially. But this isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness.

From opportunity cost to dopamine traps, Colman gives us the tools to think critically, build resilience, and take back some control… without shame or scaremongering. 

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Revive Active, its4women, Avoca, and Liffey Valley

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

In this emotional and deeply honest episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique is joined by content creator and mum of three, Jodie Wood. Jodie opens up about her road to baby Sadie - a journey marked by tertiary fertility challenges, moments of heartbreak, and a quiet but steady resilience. They talk about mum guilt, the pressure to look perfect after giving birth, and how to ask for help (and accept it). 

Jodie also shares what it’s like to be a mother in the public eye, how she kept going through uncertainty, and why she’s learning to hold space for both her public persona and her private self.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses fertility issues.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Revive Active and Liffey Valley

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

Recorded live at Avoca Dunboyne, this special episode of IMAGE The Motherload dives into a theme every mum can relate to: how to find your spark again. That feeling of being lit up, connected to yourself, and full of purpose… even in the thick of motherhood.

Dominique is joined by three powerful women - fitness coach Emma Dowling, travel creator Siobhán McAuley, and sex educator Jenny Keane - for a meaningful conversation about burnout, identity, self-connection, joy and the tiny steps that help us feel like ourselves again.

This episode is a reminder that you’re not alone, and that your spark isn’t lost, it’s just waiting for a little oxygen. 

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, Liffey Valley and Revive Active.

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

This episode of IMAGE The Motherload is not an easy listen, but a tremendously important one.

A short while ago, Dominique sat down with Una Ennis – a mum in the midst of every parent’s worst nightmare. Her little boy Archie is seriously ill with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disease that urgently needs prohibitively expensive treatment abroad. 

Over the course of this chat, with the most extraordinary bravery, Una speaks about the impact Archie’s diagnosis has had on their family, and the non-stop fundraising that has taken place since.  

Because of course, you would do anything - anything - to help your sick child. 

Her vulnerability is powerful, and we know that this conversation will stay with you like it has stayed with us.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, and Liffey Valley.

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

IMAGE The Motherload is BACK for Season Two. In this week’s episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique McMullan is joined by someone she has long admired - her friend, businesswoman and jewellery designer Chupi Sweetman Pell.

Together they talk about balancing home life with ambition, the importance of sequins (very important obviously), what true equality in the home looks like and the secret to real leadership. They also touch on the importance of raising the next generation to do it all with more softness, more strength, and more freedom.

This is an episode about what we pass down, and the courage it takes to imagine something better for those who come after us.

IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by its4women, Avoca, and Liffey Valley.

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