Mad About Herself

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of eating disorders, binge eating, emotional eating and body image. Please listen with care if these topics may be difficult for you.

What if our relationship with food is about so much more than what we eat?

This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by Nicole Quigley, the woman behind Diet Starts On Monday and a health coach who specialises in emotional eating and binge eating.

Nicole opens up about her own relationship with food, how it’s evolved over the years and the experiences that shaped the way she saw herself.

We talk about her early dreams of becoming a magazine editor, the unexpected path that led her into coaching and why she’s so passionate about helping other people understand their relationship with food.

We also explore therapy, family dynamics and Nicole’s relationship with her mother, including the impact that relationship had on her self-esteem and body image.

It’s an honest conversation about the things we carry from childhood, the complicated relationship so many of us have with our bodies and the work involved in understanding ourselves a little better.

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It’s our Halloween Special and things are a wee bit chaotic this week! 😂

I’m joined by our very own cameraman Simon, who turned up dressed as a priest, whilst I went for the handsome devil look! 😈

We’re chatting about Derry Halloween and some embarrassing costumes from years gone by, before getting stuck into YOUR listener confessions. And let’s just say some of you have a lot to answer for! 👀😂

I also gave Simon the opportunity to reveal the behind-the-scenes horrors of working with me, and he certainly had a few things to say! We had a really interesting wee chat about the difference between who we are on camera and in real life too.

⚠️ Fair warning, if you’re easily offended, this might not be the episode for you!

Happy Halloween! 🎃🩷

From growing up in a working-class Belfast family to founding Belfast Fashion Week and building a hugely successful career, PR queen Cathy Martin has never been afraid to do things differently.

In this episode of Mad About Herself, Cathy takes us right back to where her career began and opens up about raising her daughter as a single mum while running multiple businesses, navigating adult friendships, championing other women and facing the emotional reality of losing her hearing.

We talk about ambition, identity, knowing when to walk away and why sometimes the most important thing you can do is stop holding yourself back.

An honest, inspiring conversation about finding your voice, backing yourself and making room for the woman you want to become. 🩷

Follow Cathy here:
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https://www.tiktok.com/@cathymartin

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This week on Mad About Herself, I'm joined by Myllena O'Keefe, who was born and raised in Brazil before moving to Ireland as a young girl and becoming a mum at just 16.

Myllena opens up about finding out she was pregnant so young, the reality of growing up while raising a child of her own, and the teenage years and experiences she missed along the way.

We also talk about her relationship with her husband, local musician Jordan O'Keefe, and what it's like being the muse behind his amazing new music. Myllena speaks honestly about one of the most difficult periods of their lives, when they separated, Jordan's struggles with addiction, and the journey they've been on to get to where they are today. We explore the difficult lesson that no matter how much you love somebody, you can't make those changes for them.

Myllena also shares her experience of postpartum depression after having her daughter, as well as living with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). We talk about the impact of mental health struggles, the importance of asking for help, and how easy it can be to lose sight of yourself when you're trying to look after everyone else.

During her recovery from postpartum depression, Myllena took up working with clay as a creative outlet, which eventually grew into her own business, Nena's Clays. We chat about the joy of creating something for yourself and having an identity outside of motherhood and relationships.

And towards the end of the episode, Myllena shares a beautiful message to her younger, present and future selves that I think so many women will relate to.

It's a conversation about growing up too quickly, motherhood, love, addiction, mental health, creativity and learning to believe in yourself, even when you're still finding your way.

Mad About Herself.

New episodes every Tuesday.

For the woman becoming her again. 🩷

Follow Myllena:

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What does it really look like to build a business while you’re also building a home, getting married, raising a family and trying to keep all the plates spinning?

This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by Jayne Gilmore, founder of Stable Lane, to talk about the journey from spotting an empty building and thinking, “that would be a great place for a shop,” to creating a growing family business that has become such a huge part of her life.

Jayne takes us right back to 2017, when she was preparing to get married, building a house and opening a shop within the space of a few months. We talk about taking risks, backing yourself when you don’t have everything figured out and what it takes to keep going when life and business are both demanding so much from you.

Jayne also opens up about motherhood, the flexibility and pressure that come with being self-employed, and why it matters to her that her children grow up seeing their mum doing something she genuinely loves. Stable Lane has been part of their lives from the beginning, and Jayne hopes she’s creating something that could one day become part of their future too.

We also get into something I think so many women will recognise: looking like everything is grand above the surface while underneath you’re absolutely flapping just trying to keep everything going.

And towards the end of the episode, Jayne looks back at the woman she was in 2017 and shares what she would tell her now:A really lovely conversation about business, motherhood, ambition, family and building something you’re proud of, even when you’re figuring it out as you go.

Mad About Herself with Alannah Kerrigan .

New episodes every Tuesday.

This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by Niamh Smyth, who shares her life online through her love of travel, lifestyle content and her very honest TTC journey.

Niamh got married at 21, straight after university, and believed that starting a family would naturally be the next chapter. But almost ten years later, after years of trying to conceive and four unsuccessful rounds of IVF, becoming a mum is something she is still waiting and hoping for.

We talk about what it’s really like to live with infertility for such a long period of your life. The appointments, the treatments, the disappointment, the questions from other people and the emotional toll of watching life move forward around you.

Niamh also shares why she has been campaigning for fertility services to be separated from maternity services wherever possible. After experiencing the heartbreak of receiving devastating news about her own fertility while surrounded by pregnant women and expectant families, she wants greater consideration given to the environment in which people undergoing fertility investigations receive their care.

But this conversation is also about everything that happens in the meantime.

Niamh talks about travelling, her marriage, sharing such a personal journey online and learning that continuing to live a full and happy life doesn’t mean giving up on the future she still desperately wants.

It’s an incredibly open conversation about womanhood, infertility, resilience, hope and making sure you don’t lose yourself while waiting for the next chapter to begin. 💗

🎙️ Mad About Herself with Alannah Kerrigan
New episodes every Tuesday.

If Niamh’s story resonates with you, please share the episode with someone who might need to hear it.

Follow Niamh here:
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nsmyth17

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This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by social media coach and entrepreneur Lana Kearney for a brilliantly honest conversation about business, motherhood, mental health and everything that happens when those worlds collide.Lana shares how her social media business absolutely exploded, with thousands of people signing up to learn from her, and why she always knew she had the ability to make brands go viral.But behind the success was a different story.We talk openly about Lana’s experience with maternal mental health, having up to 10 panic attacks a day, the anger and dread she didn’t initially recognise as signs that she needed help, and why her experience the second time around made her realise just how unkind she had been to herself the first time.We also get into the reality of being a working mum, the astronomical cost of childcare, the difficult decision of whether returning to work even makes financial sense, and the pressure women face trying to make motherhood and a career coexist.There are plenty of laughs along the way too, including why I’ll happily follow Lana when most social media coaches annoy the life out of me.An incredibly open conversation about success, identity, motherhood and recognising when “not feeling like yourself” has become something more.

Christopher Ferry is the man behind one of Derry's most recognisable brands - Ferry Clever - and in this episode, we're getting to know the man behind the cards, the comedy and the controversy.

Christopher joins Alannah for a funny, honest and at times deeply personal conversation about building Ferry Clever, his love of Derry and Derry humour, supporting local businesses and causes, and why he isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in.

He also speaks openly about the devastating loss of his first child, Christian, to stillbirth, fatherhood, his decision to give up alcohol and his determination to become the healthiest and best version of himself.

And then, of course, there are the controversies.

Christopher talks about the cease-and-desist letters he's collected along the way, his feelings about Conor McGregor, and, for the first time in a long-form interview, tells his side of the story behind the controversial Ferry Clever Christmas video featuring Gerry Adams.

He reflects on the backlash and intense media attention that followed, the mistakes he believes he made, and why he regrets the hurt the video caused.

From accidental business names and Derry humour to grief, sobriety, controversy, community and getting things spectacularly wrong sometimes, this is the story of Christopher Ferry beyond Ferry Clever.

Mad About Herself with Alannah Kerrigan - Season 2, Episode 3.

Hosted by Alannah Kerrigan.

Produced by Simon Dobbins.

Jingle composed by Chipzel.

Title Animation by Korie Campbell.

From daydreaming and drama class at Thornhill to appearing on our screens in Derry Girls and Blue Lights, Dearbháile McKinney knows what it means to have a dream - and what it takes to keep chasing it.

In this episode of Mad About Herself, Dearbháile swaps the Blue Lights for the pink lights of the studio for an open and honest conversation about acting, ambition, rejection and mental health.

We talk about where her love of acting began, the reality of trying to build a career in an industry where hearing “no” is part of the job, and learning how to keep believing in yourself when things don’t go according to plan.

Dearbháile opens up about the highs and lows that have come with pursuing the career she always wanted, dealing with rejection and the impact mental illness can have while you’re trying to keep moving forward.

We also chat about Derry Girls, Blue Lights, chasing the opportunities that once felt like daydreams, and why success doesn’t necessarily make the difficult parts of life disappear.

It’s a conversation about dreaming big, getting knocked back, looking after your mental health and finding the resilience to keep going anyway.

Season 2, Episode 2 of Mad About Herself.

Hosted by Alannah Kerrigan.

Produced by Simon Dobbins.

Jingle composed by Chipzel.

Title Animation by Korie Campbell.

The day I decided I was going to start Mad About Herself, I saw a post from Aisling Gallagher - aka GalsGoss - sharing her “Fab and Free at 33” goal list. One of the things on that list was to be a guest on a podcast.

I messaged her that day.

So there feels like something pretty special about Aisling opening Season 2.

Long before cancer entered her story, Aisling was a girl who loved fashion. She started a fashion blog while working in a Tesco bakery, went on to work for Topshop and eventually landed her dream job as a personal stylist in Topshop Knightsbridge in London.

Then, during lockdown in 2020, her life changed completely when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

In this episode, Aisling speaks incredibly openly about her diagnosis, treatment and the lasting impact cancer has had on her life - including treatment-induced infertility and coming to terms with a future that suddenly looked very different from the one she had imagined.

Going through cancer during lockdown also meant many of the usual forms of support simply weren't available. Unable to attend support groups, Aisling found comfort in opening up to the online community she had already built. We talk about the connection she found through sharing the reality of what she was going through, the support she received in return and why continuing to share her journey online has become so important to her.

That leads us into a really interesting conversation about our relationship with the online world more generally. We talk about dopamine addiction, screen-time boundaries and becoming more intentional about the content we consume - and how Aisling navigates that balance when being online is also such a huge part of her community and her work.

Aisling also talks about the importance of therapy in helping her process everything that happened, rebuild her life and, crucially, allow herself to start making plans for the future again.

Despite everything she's been through, Aisling's positivity and brilliant sense of humour shine through this conversation.

One thing she said has really stayed with me: “It's taken enough away from me. I can't let it take the rest of my life too.” And I think that sums up this episode beautifully.

Season 2 starts here. 🎙️