Kathryn Mannix is one of the UK’s leading palliative care specialists who carefully and tenderly encourages us to talk and learn more about the ultimate elephant in the room - death.

Kathryn’s written two brilliant books on the subject - With the End in Mind

And her latest book - Listen

Kathryn is also a patron of End of Life Doula UK, an invaluable resource if you’re looking after someone who’s dying.

Kathryn and I would love to know if this episode helped you have a difficult conversation. Let us know using the hashtag #DITE.

Kathryn’s entry for the Jar of Joy was celebrating her dad’s 90th birthday.  What are you putting in the jar this week?

Social media:

Kathryn Mannix

Twitter @drkathrynmannix 

IG @drkathrynmannix

Liz O’Riordan

Twitter @Liz_Oriordan 

IG @oriordanliz 

Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk

Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like when a doctor becomes a patient? I thought I was unlucky when I got breast cancer but then I spoke to my next guest, the American ophthalmologist Dr Will Flanary. He had testicular cancer twice - first  a med student and then as a junior doctor. But that’s not all. In 2020 Will had a cardiac arrest and his amazing wife did CPR for ten minutes to bring him back to life. We spoke about how he’s used his comedy alter-ego Doctor Glaucomflecken to cope with everything life has thrown at him. 

Will is fund-raising for First Descents, a charity that provides free outdoor adventures for young adults impacted by cancer and other serious health conditions. He donates all his speaking fees to the organisation in aim to raise $50,000.

You can read more about Will’s story here: https://www.drgcomedy.com/bio and watch his hilarious videos here.

Will’s entry for the Jar of Joy was his new puppy. What are you putting in the jar this week?

Social media:

Will Flanary

Twitter @DGlaucomflecken 

Website: https://www.drgcomedy.com/bio

Liz O’Riordan

Twitter @Liz_Oriordan 

IG @oriordanliz 

Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk

Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.

For anyone with an interest in sex, intimacy and love - this show is for you. 

Sex after illness, cancer, the menopause, bereavement and when you’re older. Sex expert and retired nurse Sam Evans founder of Jo Divine and who’s personally helped me - joins me to talk about sex, more sex, lube and more lube and how embracing experimentation and making it fun can really help!  

There’s a wealth of information on the Jo Divine Website https://www.jodivine.com/

Don’t forget to use the DISCOUNT CODE for any purchases -  #DITE2021 - valid for 6 weeks from 18th October 2021. 

Sam’s entry for the Jar of Joy was freshly baked bread. What are you putting the jar this week?

Social media

Sam Evans   

Twitter @SamTalksSex  

IG @samtalkssex 

Jo Divine

Twitter  @jodivineuk 

IG @jo.divine 

Website https://www.jodivine.com

Liz O’Riordan

Twitter @Liz_Oriordan 

IG @oriordanliz 

Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk

Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.

My first guest is the wonderful actor, writer and producer Greg Wise. He’s appeared on stage and screen as well as getting behind the lens to produce documentaries. At the moment he’s starring in Strictly Come Dancing, inspired by his sister Clare. Greg looked after her as she was dying from breast cancer. He picked up her blog when she was too unwell to write, which became a beautiful book.

He joins me to talk about the privilege of being her carer and how it changed his perception of death. I was blown away by his reflections on dying and it’s certainly changed how I think about the future. We also talked a little bit about fake tan and sequins on the dance floor, and what he would put in the podcast ‘Jar of Joy’.

We touched on some pretty heavy subjects in this episode. If you’ve been affected and need someone to talk to, remember you can always reach out to the Samaritans - call 116 123 for free. More info here: www.samaritans.org

Greg's book, Not That Kind of Love can be bought here.

For more information about the charity End of Life Doula UK, see here.

Greg’s entry for the podcast ‘Jar of Joy’ was a random act of kindness. Let me know what you’d put in the jar this week.

Social Media Links:

Greg Wise:

Instagram @gregwiseofficial

Twitter @strictlygreg

Liz O’Riordan:

Instagram @oriordanliz       

Twitter @Liz_ORiordan

Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk

Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.

Don’t Ignore the Elephant is a brand new podcast hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the breast surgeon with breast cancer. For too long we’ve been scared to be open and honest about things that embarrass us or scare us. Things like depression, grief, and losing your sex drive. The elephants in the room. Liz will be getting them out in the open and asking the questions that everyone else is too afraid to.