“Your health is your wealth� is a well-worn adage that most people do not really think about until they are struck down by serious illness. However, what most of us fail to appreciate is how well-adapted our bodies are to feel good when properly cared for and supported by the right environment. Taking care of your physical and psychological health is the best investment you can make because both the quality and length of your life depends on your health.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

As January is nearly upon us, our thoughts turn to the ways in which we can start the new year off with a healthier and happier mindset.  For many, out diet and eating habits form a huge part of our general wellbeing and mental state and it is, therefore, paramount that we try to make ourselves feel good by fuelling our bodies with good food.  Veganism has become a dietary practice that is becoming increasing popular since the creation of ‘Veganuary’.  Created as a non-profit organisation in 2014, Veganuary aims to encourage individuals to experiment and try out a vegan diet for the whole of January (and beyond!).  

During this week’s podcast we are joined by Sophie Gaston who talks us through her journey with veganism.  Through TikTok, Sophie shares her vegan journey filled with lots of gorgeous recipes and meals that would convince even the ‘meat and two veg’ type eater to jump on the vegan bandwagon, even if it’s just for the occasional meat-free meal here and there! 

We delve into discussions surrounding how, whilst jumping in cold turkey, or perhaps cold tofu is more of an appropriate phrase, may be manageable for some, many individuals prefer to take the approach of ‘Veganuary’ with the aim of continuing their diet towards full-time vegan.  Sophie, therefore, shares her top tips for maintaining a vegan diet: 

Make sure you follow the lovely Sophie on TikTok to check out more of her tips and tricks about becoming a vegan (@soapybubz). 

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also one of the most wasteful. Did you know that Ireland will generate almost 90,000 tonnes of packaging waste this Christmas alone and we are still one of the largest per-capita users of plastics in the EU, surge in sustainable lifestyles aside. Its not hard to believe when you factor in everything from discarded wrapping paper, packaging and inevitable food waste from our all too often excessive Christmas dinners, not to mention the environmental impact of our Christmas trees, it's no wonder many of us are looking to changes and dream of a green Christmas. 

This week on the podcast I am joined by Bláithín from Whisket Kitchenware and we are chatting all things Sustainable Christmas - from eco-conscious gifts to Christmas dinner. We have put together a number of printables to help you get organised this Christmas over on the Sustainable Hub on https://legaldiaries.ie/sustainabilityhub/. 

TW: On this weeks episode I was joined by the incredible singer & songwriter Ã�ine O'Boyle. Ã�ine hails from Donegal and in this episode she speaks about how finding her way back to music helped her cope with her trauma. Whilst studying abroad as part of her undergraduate degree Ã�ine was sexually assaulted. 

�ine talks about how she struggled to reclaim the things she loved doing, such as music. But she found that music and songwriting helped her when she was at her lowest. �ine's music series 'Cheaper than Therapy' is a candid exploration of therapy and �ine's coming to terms with her trauma.

If you've been affected by sexual assault, abuse or violence, you can find details of supports from Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Safe Ireland.

�ine O'Boyle

With a B.A in Commerce & French, a master's in advertising and several years within the communications industry, it seemed unlikely that I would have had an opportunity to Segway into music. But as the year has progressed, Covid has presented more than was expected. Music plays such a profound and visceral in our day to day lives, it seemed like the perfect transition from understanding people into understanding how to interact with people and their experiences.

'Cheaper Than Therapy' was a personal exploration of the process of therapy, one that intended to take the listener on a journey through those stages in a musical format. It allowed me to address many of my own issues of the societal pressures and expectations on women and relationships, and hopefully gave a safe space for others to express theirs.

It's funny that what began as a way for me to express myself during Covid with 'Cheaper Than Therapy' (https://soundcloud.com/aine-o-boyle/sets/cheaper-than-therapy) has now evolved into my studying Music Production for Games at Griffith College Dublin.

You can keep up with my musical journey on Instagram, Soundcloud, and Spotify.

This week I was joined by the wonderful Matthew Collins (@mattzzer). Matthew is the human behind the Sibly Food Company. Matthew grew up with a passion for good food and decided to turn this passion into a business whilst at university, resulting in the creation of a small food company based in Cork.  Sibly aims to bring that euphoric smile to people’s faces when they take the first spoon of cheesecake, or bite of a brownie.

Flash forward two years and Matthew is a teacher by day and business owner/baker by night! Matthew discusses his journey starting his own business and provides advice to anyone considering starting their journey. 

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Legal Diaries Ultimate Irish Christmas Gift Guide - https://www.instagram.com/p/CHLyUpop92O/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 

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Legal Diaries website - www.legaldiaries.ie 

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I was joined on todays podcast by Rachel, the person behind shoplocal.ie. Shop Local was started up as a personal thank you to small businesses by giving back some support. It has since escalated to a vehicle for promoting Irish businesses and their products and gained a substantial following. It is profoundly sincere in its unique approach and enjoys good rapport between businesses, administrator and customers.

Did you 85% of our online shopping we do on a day to day basis in Ireland goes to companies overseas? This is not surprising considering 79% of small businesses said that they had not invested any money whatsoever in their online services prior to Covid-19. Amazon, despite not currently having a retail warehouse in Ireland, is ranked as the third-largest online retailer in the market with sales of €134m in 2019.

Behind all the shuttered shop fronts, there are hard working individuals, working round the clock to ensure that their business remains open. 46% of SME's that have invested since the Covid-19 crisis say they are busier than or as busy as before it which is incredible to see. I encourage you all to shop for Ireland this Christmas. By shopping local and Irish this Christmas and beyond, you are supporting your community. It is proven that every €10 spent locally on Irish products generates €24 of benefit to the local community. 

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On this weeks podcast I am chatting all things TikTok and YouTube with the wonderful Meg Hughes. Meg rose to prominence as a content creator on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in April 2020 just as Ireland was plunged into our first lockdown. I absolutely adore Meg's content, her cosy daily vlog aesthetic is everything. Her content never fails to put me in a good mood. Meg is a big lover of Ice Tea, Coffee, Movies and Self-care. 

Speaking about her experiences with content creation Meg says

"I started making content for TikTok in the beginning of April during Ireland’s first Lockdown, I made vlogs of my day in quarantine and I’ve grown a 34k following over there since! A community that I love and adore! I decided to create content for YouTube in June, something I have wanted to do since the age of twelve, since then I’ve posted videos like morning routines, Cosy Vlogs and more! I study Film & Television Production so creating content is something I love!"

I had such a lovely chat with Meg about all things content creation; coffee; self care and her incredible eye for homeware decor and of course plants!

You can check Meg out on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. 

Each year, approximately 284 women in Ireland are diagnosed with cervical cancer and up to 70 lives are lost. Along with the HPV vaccine, regular cervical screening is the most effective way to reduce the risk of cancer developing. I was thrilled to be joined by the incredible Laura on this weeks podcast. Not only is Laura the wonderful person who founded @lovejools but she is on a journey to kick cancer.

We dive deep into Laura's journey with cervical cancer - Laura tells us about receiving her cervical cancer diagnosis at 33 having never missed a smear test and her journey to kick cancer. Laura also tells us about the new cervical screening programme and how it will save more lives than the smear alone did.

The main takeaway from the podcast is that discussing cervical screening is so important and nothing to be embarrassed or nervous about. Cervical cancer is a very treatable and preventable cancer, if it is detected early, allowing for adequate monitoring and treatment. Since March 2020, Ireland has introduced a more comprehensive screening process which allows the detection of HPV. HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. Finding HPV first is a better way to screen for cervical cancer. Every woman in Ireland, aged 25 to 60 is entitled to a free cervical screening through CervicalCheck every 3-5 years. If you want to be extra vigilant you can opt for a private smear which can cost from €50 upwards.

You can register for free cervical screening here: www.cervicalcheck.ie/

More information about the CervicalCheck tribunal - www.cervicalchecktribunal.ie

On the podcast this week I was joined by the wonderful Noelle O'Connor . Beauty entrepreneur Noelle O’Connor from NewBridge Co.Kildare walked into the Irish Dragons’ Den just over a decade ago. Since then, she has been hailed as the most successful contestant to appear on the show after securing investment from Gavin Duffy and building an empire on eco-friendly self-tan product TanOrganic.

TanOrganic uses natural and organic ingredients and we are the only Eco-Certified self- tanning brand in the world. TanOrganic’s natural ingredients work gently on both your face and body to deliver stunning tanning results. We spoke about everything from the early days of TanOrganic to where it is now and much more. Be sure to tune in!

For regular legal diary updates be sure to follow along on Instagram @legaldiaries.ie and check out the Legal Diaries website - www.legaldiaries. 

If you enjoyed this podcast be sure to write a review or if you know someone who may be interested in tuning it, it would mean the world to me if you could recommend the podcast and share it with you community!

Le grá, 

Legal Diaries

Black and Irish was set up in June 2020 with the aim of highlighting and celebrating the identity of Black Irish people by spreading awareness around the world of the experiences, struggles and successes of the Black Irish community.

Their mission is to engage with the wider Irish community. To come together, celebrate our black Irish community, and to make people aware by telling their stories.

They are using black history month to highlight the positive influences that black people. I was joined on the podcast by Femi, Pierre and Amanda. We spoke about their experiences growing up black and Irish and their reasons for becoming involved in the organisation. 

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