Topics covered : Women’s health – sex, miscarriage, perimenopause, incontinence, shedding shame; motherhood and Mum guilt, Gaza and social media censorship. 

This week I speak to business owner, podcaster and personality, Laura Dowling, known online as the Fabulous Pharmacist.

Laura lives in Dublin, with her husband Frank, their 3 boys who are 16, 13 and 11 and their dog Carlo.

She worked as a pharmacist for over 20 years and is the founder & CEO of fabÜ nutritional supplements.

In this conversation she talks about women’s health and the importance of shedding shame when it comes to our bodies, motherhood, the ongoing genocide in Gaza and social media censorship.

fabÜ nutritional supplements – fabuwellness

If you liked this episode, others to check out are...

Alana Kirk : Midlife coach

Jenny Keane : Sex Education

Dr. Hazel Wallace : The Food Medic

Deirdre O'Kane : It only gets better

Sexologist Emily Power Smith : Sex Part 1 & 2

Menopause Part 1 & 2

Helena Tubridy :All things Fertility

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Alopecia Universalas, positive birth story, empowerment, inequality, activism, allyship, grief, miscarriage, still birth, episiotomy, PRIDE, colonisation.

This week I speak to celebrant and director of Entheos Ireland, Karen Dempsey, also known as The Bald Priestess.

Karen lives in Dublin, with her husband Liam, their son Beineán (18), daughter Róisín (5) and their dog Milo.

In this conversation Karen talks about Alopecia Universalas; coming to terms with it and how she doesn't miss her hair at all anymore. She speaks about why she set up 'Entheos', an inclusive organisation founded to serve people outside traditional faith paths and her work as a celebrant, which she is so passionate about. She shares her extraordinary home birth experience with Róisín during the chat, her thoughts on taking part in ancient pilgrimage Lough Derg, and why activism and allyship are very important to her.

To connect with Karen go to….

Entheos | Community • Ceremony • Change

The article I mentioned during the chat…

Sile Seoige - My Lough Derg Diary: darkness before dawn | Irish Independent

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Fibre, relaxation, routine, sleep, gut-brain axis, impact of stress, IBS, microbiome, biotics.

Registered dietitian Lorraine Cooney has just released her book ‘Why you can’t go and what you can do to find life changing relief from constipation’ and this conversation is all about that!

She talks about the importance of fibre, relaxation and routine when it comes to a healthy digestive system.

Why supporting our microbiome is crucial and the differences between pro, pre and post biotics.

I learnt a lot listening to Lorraine and I feel that my own habits have improved since we spoke.

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

Topics covered : Palestine, Sinéad O’Connor, patriarchy, patriarchal feminine, family dynamics, wellness industry, grief, activism, midlife, decolonisation, liberation for all.

This week I speak to author and teacher, Sarah Durham Wilson, known on Instagram as Sarah of Magdalene.

She lives in Maine with her young daughter Avalon, her cat Odin and dog Riley.

She previously worked as an Arts and music writer with the likes of Rolling Stone, GQ and Vanity Fair.

And in this conversation she talks about Palestine and the impact the devastation in Gaza has had on her, the patriarchy, patriarchal women, the wellness industry and the importance of decolonisation.

This conversation helped me enormously and I think it could for you too.

Books :

‘Maiden to Mother’ by Sarah Durham Wilson

‘The Great Cosmic Mother’ by Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor

‘God is a Black Woman’ by Christena Cleveland

If you like this conversation, other episodes to listen to…

Ruth Smith : Love and Justice

Daniel Mate : Dismantling blindspots

Dr Myriam François : Speaking truth to power

Caoimhe Butterly : Collective Care

Róisín El Cherif : Palestinian pride

Alana Kirk : Midlife coach

Holly Cairns : Politics is Personal

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Politics, Gaza, threat of the Far-right, people power.

This week I speak to farmer, scientist, feminist and leader of the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns.

She lives in West Cork on her family farm with her partner Barry, her dog Hei Hei and her cat Blaze.

And in this conversation she talks about growing up in a blended family, her bond with her mother, how she got into politics, her stance on the devastating situation in Gaza, the threat of the Far-right and the importance of unity, now, more than ever.

I have wanted to sit down and chat to Holly for a very long time as she's someone I really admire so I am delighted that we made it happen.

We met in 2019 for the first time and I liked her instantly.

She was genuine, down to earth and great company and I for one, am so glad that she decided to venture into politics, as her voice is so badly needed in the Dáil.

​Political quiz

2024 Political Quiz (isidewith.com)

checktheregister.ie

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Failure, faith, religion, awareness, meditation, death, compassion, love. 

This is a re-release of an episode I recorded with author, playwright, podcaster, poet and all-round wonderful human being, Michael Harding in December 2022.

Michael is someone I had wanted to speak to for years so it was an absolute pleasure to speak with him.

In this enlightening conversation we talk about his love of religion, the power of failure and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.

His latest book ‘All the things left unsaid – confessions of love and regret’ is a stunning collection of letters he wrote for the people who deeply affected him over the years and it’s available now in all good bookshops.

He's charmingly self-deprecating, reflective and his voice is one I could listen to forever. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Shelly Mooney is a historian and artist who lives in County Wexford with her husband Kev, their sonFerdia and Lola their dog and she runs the brilliant Instagram page ‘Tales from the Wood’ which explores the history and mythology of Ireland.

In this bite-sized episode she talks to us about the ancient Celtic festival of Bealtaine. She speaks of the importance of the Hill of Uisneach, the tradition of handfasting at this time, and the significance of the Hawthorn tree. 

The Hill of Uisneach - The Sacred Centre of Ireland.

If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Illness, grief, miscarriage, motherhood, divorce, diet culture, overcoming challenges, self-regulation, thriving.  

This week I speak to author and midlife coach, Alana Kirk.

Originally from Belfast, Alana lives in Dublin with her three teenage daughters, Daisy (18), Poppy (16) and Ruby (13), their 2 cats, Tiggy and Puka and their rescue dog Mojo.

She works as a midlife coach and is in the process of writing her third book.

And in this conversation she shares her own story with us which is really powerful. We also talk about how much our lives have changed in the 16 years since we first met, and throughout our conversation she shares nuggets of wisdom and practical tips to bring into our own lives.

Alana is a gorgeous person, she’s compassionate and quick witted and I took so much from this chat.

Her current book is ‘Midlife, redefined: Better, Bolder Brighter’, a self-guided exploration of you and your midlife, with exercises so the reader ends up with her own bespoke midlife (wo)manual.

She can be found at www.themidlifecoach.org and on Instagram @midlifecoach and for Alana's next online workshop Revive & Thrive, which is focussing on overwhelm, click https://www.themidlifecoach.org/revive&thrive

If you like this pod, you might appreciate previous episodes like the one I recorded with visibility coach Kate O’Dwyer from October 2023, and the Menopause episodes with Catherine O’Keeffe from April 2021.

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : the factors that impact our sleep, the benefits of good sleep and how to improve it.

This week I speak to clinical hypnotherapist and bestselling author, Fiona Brennan.

She lives in Dublin with her husband and business partner Ciarán, teenage son Luca and their dog Rosie.

And in this conversation she explores some of the elements in her latest book ‘Sleep well - 8 habits to help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up refreshed’,

our individual chronotypes, the power of napping and what to do if we’re in a negative feedback loop when it comes to our sleep.

For Fiona’s one day retreat on the 19th of May in Wicklow, click here…

https://thepositivehabit.com/the-sleep-well-experience-one-day-retreat-wicklow/

And if you enjoyed this episode, please search previous sleep episodes with sleep coach Tom Coleman, from August 2020 along with a 7 minute sleep meditation I recorded also back in 2020.

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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

Topics covered : Palestinian heritage, injustice, speaking up, Zionism, artwashing.

This week I speak to Irish Palestinian artist, Róisín El Cherif and it's a powerful conversation.

Her Mom is Irish and her father is from Gaza and she has lived in Galway for 18 years now.

She talks about growing up as an Irish-Palestinian and she shares her perspective on the past 6 months, in particular.

This month Róisín will also be releasing a very special song with all the proceeds going to Palestinians causes, so keep an eye out for that.

Book mention : Becoming Pro-Palestinian edited by Rosemary Sayigh

The song that Róisín sings at the end of the conversation :

Zahret El Madaen (Flower of cities ) Fairouz - 1967

‎لأجلك يا مدينة الصلاة أصلي

‎لأجلك يا بهية المساكن يا زهرة المدائن

‎يا قدس يا قدس يا مدينة الصلاة

‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم

‎تدور في أروقة المعابد

‎تعانق الكنائس القديمة

‎و تمسح الحزن عن المساجد

‎يا ليلة الأسراء يا درب من مروا إلى السماء

‎عيوننا إليك ترحل كل يوم و انني أصل​

​'It is for you O city of the prayer that I pray

It is for you O splendid home, O flower of the cities

O Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O Jerusalem​, O city of the prayer

Our eyes are set out to you everyday

They walk through the porticos of the temples

Embrace of the old churches

And take the sadness away from the mosques

O night of Al asra O path of those who left for the sky

Our eyes are set out to you everyday and I pray​'

If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places.

And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real.

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