The Lennon Courtney Podcast

Neil O’Brien worked for a bank for 24 years and then decided that it was time for a total life change. So in 1998 he left his routine, founded Time To Fly and has gone on to become Ireland’s number one corporate conference speaker on the topic of Mental Fitness and Wellbeing.

Neil also coaches elite and professional sports people on their mental fitness and has advised Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup golfers, pro and elite athletes, Davis Cup tennis players, the GAA and the FAI. He has also been a frequent speaker on Irish television and radio. During this conversation with Sonya and Brendan, Neil shared tips on how to overcome our need for constant motion and how we can achieve our goals with minimal stress but maxim reward. 

This is the final episode in this series. Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support.

Love,

Sonya and Brendan.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Nicola Byrne is an entrepreneur and chairperson of RiskEye, a global risk management company which specialises in online reputation management.In this episode, Nicola talks to us about our digital legacy and how different generations can learn from one another in our internet lives. The internet is always watching…

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Brian Pennie is an author, speaker, PhD candidate, university lecturer, and life-change strategist but his life used to be very different. For 15 years he lived with an addiction to heroin, an addiction that almost killed him. Fortunately, with support and great effort he used heroin for the final time in October 2013 and changed his life completely. Brian has won several academic awards including a fully funded (€100,000) PhD scholarship in Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience. He has also secured lecturing positions at both Trinity College and University College Dublin where he teaches the neuroscience of mindfulness and addiction. He shared with us how hearing the word ‘junkie’ makes him feel and how it dehumanises people who are in most need of our compassion. 

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Siobhan Kinsella is the V.P of the Employment and Recruitment Federation and M.D of Strategic Placements Dublin Ltd. In this episode we looked at different workplace scenarios and Siobhan explains both the legal and social boundaries that protect us all. She also gave her expert advice on how to create a safe and inclusive workplace for everyone.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Meg Reilly is, according to her Instagram bio, a ‘superstar and icon’ with the online handle @fewcans. She came to attention in November 2020 with her comedy sketches and now has almost 60k followers on Tik Tok. Since then she has developed her own advice podcast, A Can With A Few Cans and continues to thrive in the online space.

In this episode she talked about mistakes she’s made online, why she wouldn't let her future kids get a phone and self-policing on the Internet.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Holly Cairns is a TD for Cork South-West and Leader of the Social Democrats. Elected to Dáil Eireann in February 2020, Holly is the youngest leader of a political party in Ireland. In this episode we talked to Holly about institutional resistance to change, why we need more women in politics, gendered language and more. We also talked to Holly about maternity leave for elected representatives or lack thereof…It’s a great episode. 

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Jenny McShane is a writer and editor. She has mild Cerebral Palsy and currently works as an Editorial Content Producer for the Tate in London, where she is also a co-chair of Tate’s DisABILITY Network. In January 2023, a video she made with the Tate about Disability and Art for International Day of Persons with Disabilities went viral. We sat down with Jenny to talk about how people can be insensitive and how best to communicate difference. We learned a lot from this conversation and we hope you do too.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Our guest this week is singer and activist, Sharyn Ward . Sharyn released her debut album One Starry Night in 2020 after appearing on Ireland’s Got Talent in 2019 (she was a finalist in the competition). In May 2023, she launched "In my own words", in the Mansion House, Dublin, a book of poetry and stories written by herself and other contributors. In 2019, she won The Traveller Pride Awards from the Irish Traveller Movement. In this episode we talked about how language can hurt, the K word, supporting other communities and also about her creativity and feelings of liberation.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Leon Diop is the founder of Black and Irish, an organisation created to highlight and celebrate the struggles and successes of the Black and Mixed Race Irish community. In this episode of our Can't Say That Anymore series, Leon shared what it was like growing in Ireland as a mixed race person and how he deals with questions like ‘But where are you really from?” based on the colour of his skin.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.

Welcome to episode one of Can't Say That Anymore our brand new series from Lennon Courtney World.

Nikki Bradley is an adaptive adventurer, motivational speaker and disability advocate. At aged 16 Nikki was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and deadly form of bone cancer which thankfully, she survived. However, her gruelling treatment plan caused irreversible damage to her hip leading to multiple failed hip replacements and eventually the amputation of her right leg. But, despite the physical challenges Nikki has faced, her passion for adventure and setting challenges has never left her. Nikki has climbed glaciers in Iceland, abseiled off Fanad Lighthouse in Donegal and finished the 24km Fan Dance in the Brecon Beacons in Wales – all while using crutches. 

In this episode she talked to us about some of these incredible adventures and perhaps one of the most gruelling challenges of all - what it’s like dating with a disability. This episode was recorded before Nikki became Senator. We are so happy for her recent great news.

Follow Sonya here, Brendan here and Lennon Courtney here.

This series was produced by Esther O'Moore Donohoe.