The Survival Project

In this World IBD Day special episode of The Survival Project, I’m joined by Owen and Oliver for a deeply honest conversation about the male experience of living with IBD.

We talk about Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, stoma surgery, masculinity, identity, relationships, intimacy, body image, fear, shame, depression, and the pressure men feel to stay strong while living with chronic illness.

This episode goes into the parts of IBD that are often left unspoken: the fear of rejection, the uncertainty of the future, the emotional impact of surgery, the pressure to be the provider, and the difficulty of opening up when your body has changed.

Owen shares his experience with ulcerative colitis, stoma surgery, endurance running, and preparing for another major surgery.

Oliver shares his experience with Crohn’s disease, flares, anxiety, relationships, dating, and the fear of what the future may hold.

This is a conversation about IBD, but it is also a conversation about men’s mental health, vulnerability, resilience, and rebuilding identity after illness.

Thank you to Owen and Oliver for their honesty.

This is part one of our World IBD Day double episode week. On Thursday, Sarah O’Connor and Terri Brannigan join me for a powerful conversation on the female experience of living with IBD.

Episode 33 of The Survival Project with Levi.

Levi is a photographer based in Las Vegas living with ulcerative colitis and, since recording this episode, Crohn’s disease.

In this conversation, Levi shares the reality of years of symptoms, blood loss, misdiagnosis, colonoscopies, failed medications, chronic pain, and trying to navigate the American healthcare system while self-employed.

We dive into:
• Living with IBD and chronic illness
• Crohn’s disease & ulcerative colitis
• The emotional impact of isolation
• Healthcare costs in America
• Insurance battles & biologic medications
• Skyrizi, Tremfya & inflammation markers
• Chronic illness and identity
• Cannabis for pain management
• Spiritual healing & Reiki
• Becoming the person in charge of your own healthcare

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the importance of advocating for yourself, doing your own research, and learning how to navigate a system that often leaves people behind.

A raw and powerful conversation about survival, resilience, pain, and rebuilding yourself while living with chronic illness.

Sponsored by Western Auto Parts Oranmore. To order contact 091-790014

To support Levi's Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-levis-healing-journey-wu35s?

Aoife Quinn is 23, from Galway, and living with a rare condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia.

Right now, her symptoms are manageable.
But she knows what’s coming.

She knows there’s a drug that could slow the progression of her condition and protect her future.

The problem?

It has been deemed “not value for money.”

In this episode, we talk about:

• Being diagnosed at 18
• Living with uncertainty and fear
• The impact on family and identity
• Fighting for access to life-changing treatment

This isn’t just about chronic illness.

It’s about what happens when the treatment exists… but you can’t access it.

Aoife isn’t asking for a miracle.
She’s asking for a chance.

🔗 Support Aoife - https://www.change.org/p/make-skyclarys-available-in-ireland

IG - @aoifequinn31

Massive thank you to todays sponsor Western Auto Parts Oranmore.

For all you motoring needs contact: 091-79014

Episode 31 of The Survival Project is a reflections episode titled:

“Let Us Sit in the Fire Together.”

This episode explores the reality of living with chronic illness, Crohn’s disease, IBD, ostomy life, chronic pain, and mental resilience, through lessons taken from the last 10 conversations on the podcast.

From misdiagnosis and isolation to recovery, identity loss, breathwork, sleep, and rebuilding life after illness, this episode brings together powerful insights from real lived experiences.

If you are navigating:

• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• IBD or an ostomy
• Chronic illness or chronic pain
• Mental health struggles linked to health

This episode is a reminder that you are not alone.

The core message is simple:
We are all sitting in the fire, but we do not have to sit in it alone.

Featuring reflections from guests including Sam (Footprints Africa), Joe Forde, Tom Coleman, Tanika, Diego, Karen, Jack Brennan, and Oliver (Chronicare).

A massive thank you to Western Auto Parts Oranmore for supporting this episode and helping keep The Survival Project alive.

Contact: 091-790014

📌 Links & Resources:

Chronicare App: https://chronicare.io/

Footprints Africa: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-footprints2africa?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=020

Contact: [email protected]

In Episode 30 I sit down with Oliver for a powerful and honest conversation about chronic illness, identity, isolation, and purpose.

Oliver shares his journey of first developing psoriasis as a teenager before later being diagnosed with IBD during the chaos of 2020. He speaks openly about the long and frustrating road to diagnosis, the fear and trauma of hospitalisation, and the mental strain of trying to make sense of a body that suddenly feels unpredictable.

We also go deep into the ripple effect of chronic illness, not just on the person living with it, but on parents, partners, friends, and the people trying their best to understand what they cannot fully see.

A major part of this episode is Oliver’s work with Chronicare, a platform he created to help people living with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBD feel less alone, track symptoms more clearly, and take more control in the time between hospital appointments. It is a brilliant example of turning pain into purpose.

This episode touches on:

• Psoriasis and IBD

• Crohn’s disease vs ulcerative colitis

• Delayed diagnosis and medical frustration

• Hospital trauma and mental health

• Communication with family and loved ones

• Living with flare-ups and uncertainty

• Building purpose through chronic illness

• Creating a better support system for people with IBD

This is a conversation about patience, perspective, and slowly learning how to build a life around something you never asked for.

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who might need it.

Search "Chronicare" in the app store or google play.

At 23 years old, Jack Brennan was forced to relearn how to walk.

After a childhood diagnosis of Perthes disease, Jack spent years living with chronic pain, navigating a system that told him he was “too young” for the surgery he desperately needed. While his condition worsened, he was left trying to hold his life together physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In this conversation, Jack opens up about what it’s really like to grow up in pain, the impact it had on his identity and confidence, and the frustration of knowing there was a solution… but being denied access to it.

We explore the mental battle of chronic pain, the importance of self-advocacy, and what it takes to keep going when your body feels like it’s working against you.

After fighting for years, Jack eventually underwent a double hip replacement. What followed was one of the toughest periods of his life… learning to walk again from scratch.

Now, he’s rebuilding. Physically. Mentally. And emotionally.

This episode is about resilience, perspective, and the reality that recovery isn’t always a clean finish line… sometimes it’s learning to live, rebuild, and push forward anyway.

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it.

You can find Jack on socials:

TikTok - @jack__brennan

IG - @jack__brennan_

In Episode 28 of The Survival Project, Jonathan sits down with Karin O'Shea for a deeply moving conversation about living with chronic Lyme disease, years of misdiagnosis, neurological symptoms, medical gaslighting, and the fight to access life-saving treatment abroad after being failed by the healthcare system in Ireland.

Karin shares how her symptoms began in childhood, how she was initially diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and how her condition deteriorated into something far more severe, including vertigo, chronic migraines, memory issues, loss of motor function, inability to walk, and seizure-like episodes. After being told to simply “get comfortable” with a worsening condition, she took matters into her own hands, sent her bloods to Germany, and eventually travelled abroad for intensive chronic Lyme treatment that saved her life.

This episode explores the emotional and physical toll of long-term illness, the trauma of not being believed, the reality of living with invisible symptoms, and the strength it takes to rebuild a life after survival.

Karen also speaks powerfully about:

• chronic Lyme disease in Ireland

• neurological Lyme symptoms

• misdiagnosis and medical gaslighting

• fundraising for treatment abroad

• living with long-term nerve pain and fatigue

• pacing, rest, and invisible illness

• sleep struggles and nervous system healing

• finding purpose through yoga and chronic illness recovery

This is a raw, honest, and inspiring conversation about resilience, grief, identity, healing, and learning how to hold both joy and suffering in the same breath.

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share The Survival Project.

In this episode of The Survival Project, I’m joined by Diego for one of the most powerful and honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

Diego shares his journey from competing at a high level in college and chasing Olympic dreams, to facing relentless injuries, severe gut issues, and a period where everything began to fall apart. From bleeding before races to living out of an attic with no income, this is the reality behind the scenes of elite sport that very few people ever see.

We dive into:

• the pressure of high performance sport

• losing your identity as an athlete

• navigating chronic illness and uncertainty

• the mental toll of setbacks and repeated obstacles

• letting go of outcomes and finding freedom again

• rebuilding your life with a new perspective

This episode is a reminder that sometimes the path we’re forcing isn’t the one meant for us… and that stepping away can be the very thing that brings us back stronger.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow, rate, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.

In this episode of The Survival Project, I am joined by Tanika for an honest conversation about Crohn’s disease, pregnancy, stress, trauma, flares, and motherhood.

Tanika shares how she went from having no major stomach issues to repeated hospital visits, months of uncertainty, and eventually receiving a Crohn’s diagnosis while pregnant. She opens up about the emotional toll of living with chronic illness, the fear that comes with flares, postpartum setbacks, medication worries, and the reality of trying to care for a child while also trying to care for yourself.

This episode explores:

• getting diagnosed with Crohn’s during pregnancy

• the possible link between stress, trauma, and gut health

• what Crohn’s flares really feel like

• the mental burden of chronic illness

• medication fears and learning what works for your body

• fasting, movement, self-care, and staying present

• the importance of support, patience, and speaking kindly to yourself

A very real episode for anyone living with Crohn’s disease, colitis, chronic illness, gut health issues, or pregnancy-related health fears.

If you enjoyed the episode, please follow, rate, and share the podcast.

In this episode of The Survival Project, I am joined by Tom Coleman, health scientist and sleep specialist, for a deep conversation on sleep, stress, circadian rhythm, recovery, and modern life.

Tom shares why so many people are struggling with sleep, the biggest misconceptions around insomnia, why light sleep is just as important as deep sleep, and how stress, screens, caffeine, supplements, and daily habits all influence the quality of our rest.

We also discuss:

• why sleep problems often start long before bedtime

• the connection between stress, hypervigilance, chronic illness, and poor sleep

• how circadian rhythm really works

• whether magnesium, melatonin, and sleeping tablets actually help

• why shift workers and parents have such a tough time with sleep

• simple practical tools to start improving sleep naturally

This episode is full of grounded, practical advice for anyone dealing with insomnia, broken sleep, racing thoughts, stress, chronic fatigue, or nervous system overload.

If sleep has been a struggle for you, this conversation is for you.

To contact Tom or learn more about his work you can do so at

https://www.tomcoleman.ie