Many women who attend our programme say to us 'I was really nervous, I felt almost embarrassed admitting that I have a political ambition'.

Niamh gives us fascinating insights into politics at national and local level. While many of us see politics as divisive and confrontational, Niamh lifts the lid on what immense opportunities are available to women - even and especially for those who don't want to see their picture on a poster!

18 months from now, where will we be? And most importantly, how will it feel?

At 23, fresh out of college, Julia created EazyCity to help foreing students find their feet in Cork and in Ireland. Twelve years later, EazyCity has expanded to Dublin, London, and now the US with a successful franchise model.

Julia talks to us about seizing opportunities, how to manage fast growth and doing things on your own terms, while creating a company where people are excited to come to work.

I know where I want to get to, I don't always know how I'm going to get there, but I know what the end goal looks like. You don't have to have all the answers: you need to adapt as you go along.

Siobhan says she feels self-doubt "every hour of every day", and still, I have seen her do incredible things.

She organises events that sweep a whole city off its feet, and on the day of the event, she can be found cool, calm and collected, chatting to participants and making sure everybody is happy - she is not rushing around the place in a last-minute panic.

Many of us feel like our schedules are bursting at the seams and everybody wants a piece of us. Just keeping on top of things can feel like a challenge at times, never mind tackling the ambitious "someday" projects that will catapult us to success.

So how do you manage your energy to make sure you have enough to do all you want to do without running on empty? How do you replenish that energy to avoid burnout?

"Selling" can mean many things: it can mean that you exchange a service or a product for money, but it can also mean that you show another person how they stand to benefit if they agree to what you are offering.

We have many negative associations with selling and salespeople, but I think there is a better way to sell: a better way that's also more effective.

Thirty years ago Margaret Griffin opened her garden centre in Dripsey, Co. Cork. She started with a green field "out in the sticks" and today her garden centre is Ireland's #1. This is the story of how she did it.

How do you start a business with no money, in a rural area, and turn it into a thriving enterprise, creating 36 jobs in the process? Margaret has some time-tested wisdom to share on the topic!

People often tell me that they would be terrified to have to go on stage and deliver a speech or presentation. I've had lots of practice of doing this: I started at an early age as captain of the debating team in secondary school.

I can totally empathise with those who feel those nerves: I still experience them myself all the time. I'm sorry to hear, though, that they are so scared they are robbing themselves of wonderful opportunities.

I recently met Deirdre McGlone, the manager and one of the owners of Harvey's Point. I was blown away by her kindness, her warmth, and the extremely high level of excellence that she and her husband Mark maintain so consistently at the hotel.

Harvey's Point has been chosen as TripAdvisor's "Best hotel in Ireland" three years in a row, the hotel is also among the top ten in Europe and the top 25 in the world. So I asked Deirdre to share the secrets of their success.

"Why should we choose you?", "Why should we buy from you?": if you are aware that many professional interactions have these questions at heart, then you can work on giving an honest, authentic and irresistible answer!

In this podcast I talk about what to do when things seem to be slow in your business: for many industries, the summer is a quieter time, when people are on holiday and everything seems to be on hold. But for a small business owner, a dry spell can mean a lot of stress and worry. So how do you prepare for a business lull, and how can you either avoid it or harness it?