Left On Read

Our guest this week is Tony J O’Reilly an addiction counsellor who specialises in Gambling Addiction, an addiction he has lived through himself. In 2011, Tony’s life was splashed across the front pages after he stole €1.75 million from An Post to fund that addiction. But since then, Tony has changed his life completely. He went on to get his degree in Counselling & Psychotherapy and now delivers gambling addiction workshops to schools and organisations all over Ireland. Tony also established the chart-topping podcast The Two Norries plus co-authored ‘Tony 10’ his bestselling book that tells the story of his gambling addiction and subsequent recovery. In this episode, he sat down with us to take us through that incredible journey. It really is an amazing story - you’ll be gripped!

Make sure you follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news, goss and updates.

In May 2022, Natasha O’Brien was walking home after work when she was violently assaulted by a serving member of the Irish Defence Forces. Her attacker fled the scene immediately after and later boasted about the incident on social media to his friends.The court was told he initially tried to blame the victim for what happened. But after being shown CCTV footage of the incident he admitted that his account of the event was ‘all wrong’

For the first time, Natasha tells her story in full exclusively to Left On Read podcast. She talks us through what happened on that awful night, how the justice system let her and countless other victims of violence down and how she’s now fighting for cultural, social and legislative change.

RESOURCES:

You are never alone. Womens Aid Ireland 24hr National Freephone Helpline 1800 341900 ‘Always here if you need us’

Follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news and updates.

We are coming to Cork on the 6th September as part of the Cork Podcast Festival and we can’t wait! There are some tickets left but they’re going quick so make sure you secure yours for a fun packed night out with your besties.

But back to this week’s episode which one you will definitely want to share in your WhatsApp groups…

Our guest today is Denise Phillips, entrepreneur and owner of the Voduz Hair and Pelo brands. Last month, Denise shared a terrifying experience during a family holiday to Istanbul that shook her to her core. While on board the plane, a male stranger took a photo of her daughter Beth and today, Denise is going to share the entire story with us all. Plus, Denise talks about her IVF journey and her incredible second pregnancy which Denise believes is a miracle. It could give hope to anyone out there who needs it. We also talked about online bullying and what she says to people who criticize her putting her children online.

Make sure you follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news, goss and updates.

Tickets for our live show on the 6th September as part of the Cork Podcast Festival are selling out fast so don’t delay, secure yours today!

This week Brenda and Julie talk about solo travel - Lourdes, the Blasket Islands, Coronation Street tours - it’s Girls Gone Mild. They also chat about behind the scenes on the 6 O’Clock Show, visiting Peig Sayers cottage plus Brenda sets Julie a reading challenge - and you’re all invited too.

Make sure you follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news and updates.

In this episode, we had a fascinating conversation with an anonymous guest who goes by the name ‘Ask Josie’. Burned by her own online dating experiences, she started a Facebook group 2 years ago aimed at helping other women and warning them about men online. But what started as an exposure group has grown into so much more. Josie talked to us about cat-fishing, the trauma of ghosting and romance fraud. Plus Brenda and Julie share their own online experiences too of course! 

Bye for now and stay safe out there. Dating online is no joke. 

Read about some online dating safety advice here.

Make sure you follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news and updates.

Make sure you get your ticket for our live show on 6th September as part of the Cork Podcast Festival  - they’re selling out fast!

In this episode Julie and Brenda catch up on their week in dating stories - Brenda’s fella of the moment is currently in Beirut and Julie talks trust issues. And do we see a Left On Read Tour de Lourdes in our future?! Listen and find out...

ENJOY!

Make sure you follow Julie, Brenda and the pod for all the latest news and updates.

GREAT NEWS! Tickets for our live show as part of the Cork Podcast Festival in September are on sale now. Click here to get yours - we can't wait to see you!

SHOW NOTES: Julie is back over London (no toes lost this time) and Brenda takes her to London’s hottest tourist attraction - the Hawley Arms - a.k.a the pub from Baby Reindeer! Brenda tells us about her recent matches on Tinder plus following on from her Bike Row Ski success, Julie reveals if she’ll be training the Carrigaline Under 8s soon. Only one way to find out… 

Follow Brenda here, Julie here and the podcast here.

GREAT NEWS! Tickets for our live show as part of the Cork Podcast Festival in September go on sale today. Click here to get yours - we can't wait to see you!

In this episode, Julie talks her ongoing journey as an athlete, Brenda shares how she's been coping the last few weeks plus they both reflect on their interview with Leo Varadkar. The pair also talk about Julie kissing statues toes and Brenda being mad for a good mass in her youth. You never know what you'll get with an episode of LOR!

Thanks you so much for listening. 

Follow Brenda here, Julie here and the podcast here.

We didn’t have meeting the former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on our list of things to do in 2024 but somehow, we did it. During our conversation Leo talked to us about everything from encouraging more women into politics, meeting Donald Trump and the advice he’d give to his younger self.

Thanks so much for listening.

Sadly Brenda lost her beloved father Dano Dennehy on the 24th April just days after she completed the London Marathon. In this episode, she shares the devastating phone call from her mother that changed everything.

While this is a very sad time for everyone who knew Dano, Brenda wants this episode to be a celebration of his life. She talks about how kind people have been since the terrible news and how important community is during tough times. Brenda also mentions her marathon experience of course and Julie gets in on the act with details on her new exercise routine.

We dedicate this episode to Dano and to Julie’s late father, Michael.