The Survival Project

Gut symptoms are never “just in your head” but your brain is absolutely involved.

In this episode of The Survival Project, I’m joined by Lorraine Cooney, dietetics, gut-brain axis, the microbiome, and why stress, food fear, and nervous system dysregulation can intensify IBS and ongoing gut symptoms in IBD.

Lorraine breaks down gut-directed hypnotherapy (what it is, what it targets, and why it’s evidence-based), plus practical strategies for day-to-day gut health: regular meals, soluble fibre, slowing down while eating, navigating restaurants and travel, and supplements that actually have research behind them. We also talk about the nocebo effect and why connection and relaxation are often missing pieces in recovery.

A sincere thank you to Salts Healthcare for supporting today’s episode and helping important conversations like this reach those who need them most.

If you would like to check out Ostique Connect you can download at the links below

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ostiqueltd.ostiqueconnect&hl=en_IE

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ostique-connect/id6463715231

To check out more of Lorraine's work and her books:

Instagram @gut_health_matters

https://guthealthmatters.ie/

In this episode of The Survival Project, I’m joined by Daniel Duckett. Daniel lives with an ostomy, is an award-winning pastry chef based in Belfast, and is an openly gay man who has rebuilt a full, confident, and creative life after years of chronic illness and complex surgery.

Daniel’s journey begins in his teens with ulcerative colitis, evolving diagnoses, repeated hospitalisations, failed treatments, and life-altering surgeries. Over decades, his health shaped not only his body, but his identity, relationships, and sense of self. In this conversation, Daniel speaks with honesty, humour, and clarity about what it really means to live in a changed body and learn to embrace it.

We explore body image, dating, intimacy, and confidence within the gay community, including navigating sex, relationships, and self-worth with an ostomy. Daniel shares practical insights on disclosure, communication, and learning to separate internal fear from external reality. His message is clear: confidence grows with time, honesty, and self-acceptance.

Beyond health and identity, Daniel also shares how his ostomy gave him the physical stability to pursue his dream career in pastry. From working long hours on his feet to training chefs and opening his own patisserie, he reflects on resilience, legacy, and how loss shaped his purpose. His story is deeply connected to his late mother, whose strength and support live on through the life he has built.

This is a powerful episode about survival, sexuality, creativity, grief, and choosing to live fully in the body you have. It’s a reminder that healing isn’t about returning to who you were, but becoming who you are.

A sincere thank you to Salts Healthcare for supporting today’s episode and helping important conversations like this reach those who need them most.

If you would like to check out Ostique Connect you can download at the links below

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ostiqueltd.ostiqueconnect&hl=en_IE

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ostique-connect/id6463715231

In this episode, I’m joined by TV and radio presenter Zoe Ryan, who shares her powerful journey of living with psoriasis. We explore the shock of diagnosis, identity struggles, the mental health impact of visible illness, and the gaps in dermatology that leave so many people feeling lost.

Zoe explains how psoriasis reshaped her life, the stigma she faced, and why she created ItchingTo Tell You, (@itchingtotellyou) psoriasis education platform. We talk about acceptance, mindset, daily management, rebuilding confidence, and the courage of becoming visible in a world that often misunderstands this condition.

A deeply honest, uplifting conversation for anyone living with a chronic condition or supporting someone who is.

To check out Ostique Connect by Salts Healthcare you can find more information & download links below.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ostiqueltd.ostiqueconnect&hl=en_IE&pli=1

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ostique-connect/id6463715231

In episode 11 of The Survival Project, I slow things down and reflect on the first ten episodes and the lessons they have taught me. This is a solo episode, no guest, just me looking back at the stories we have shared and what they really mean when the microphones are off and real life kicks back in.

I talk about why reflection matters, how insecurity nearly stopped me recording this episode, and why chronic illness changes how we measure success, time and achievement. I revisit some of the most powerful moments so far
from Sarah’s “you have to deal with the shark closest to the boat,” to Louise’s fight to be believed, Sean and Alex finding freedom with an ostomy, Ruth facing Crohn’s and cancer at the same time, Ellie rebuilding her life after being told her disease was life limiting, and Siobhán’s battle with endometriosis, myocarditis and a broken system that stole years from her and her son.

Across the episode I explore big themes that keep showing up in every story
how illness steals time, how advocacy is not optional, how family carries a hidden load, how humour helps us survive, and how hope keeps sneaking back in even when things look impossible. I also share honestly about comparison, resentment, the “everybody has 24 hours” myth and how success can sometimes be as simple as getting out of bed and into the shower.

If you are living with chronic illness, love someone who is, or just want to understand the reality behind the brave faces, this episode is for you.

🔑 In this episode you will hear about:
• Why reflection is essential for actually learning from our experiences
• The weight and courage behind “dealing with the shark closest to the boat”
• The hidden cost of lost years and stolen time
• How families cope, crack and come back together
• Why community, storytelling and small wins matter more than ever

Thank you for listening, sharing and helping me build this community. If this episode resonates, please rate, comment or share it with someone who might need it. Your support helps these stories reach the people they are meant to reach.

In this episode of The Survival Project, Siobhán from Galway shares a powerful and deeply honest story of surviving a failed system.

She has lived with stage 4 endometriosis for 16 years, survived a perforated womb, was misdiagnosed while developing myocarditis, and spent over a year bedbound while raising her young son alone.

We talk about

• Endometriosis, major surgery and a complete lack of aftercare

• Being told it was “anxiety” while her heart was racing at over 200 bpm

• Collapsing, breaking bones and still not being believed

• The impact on her son and the fear of being a single parent in crisis

• Watching her child be sent home twice before being blue lighted back in

• Why she believes the system is built for “healthy people”

• The difference she felt when she finally received care in London

• How Croí and Cry Ireland helped her rebuild

• Using her story to advocate for change in women’s health and cardiac care

• Finding her spark again and creating a life she is proud of with her son

This is a conversation about resilience, advocacy and the power of lived experience. It is also a call for empathy and real change in how we treat people with chronic and complex conditions.

If this episode speaks to you, please follow, rate and share The Survival Project so more people living with chronic illness and hidden disabilities can feel seen and heard.

Follow

Podcast Instagram: @thesurvivalprojectpod

Jonathan’s socials: @jonathanjhealy

Nothing in this podcast is medical advice. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

Links & charities mentioned:

https://cry.ie/

https://hdsunflower.com

https://croi.ie/

TikTok: siobhancunningham333

At just 16, Ellie Howe’s life changed overnight. What began as stomach pain spiralled into years of misdiagnosis, disbelief, and unimaginable suffering — dismissed by doctors, labelled dramatic, and told to “man up.” By 19, she was bed bound, on artificial nutrition, and told her illness was “life-limiting.”

But Ellie refused to let that be the end. With her mother’s relentless advocacy and a glimmer of hope, she found a surgeon willing to take a chance — a radical operation that would give her life back.

Now, six years on, Ellie can eat, walk, and live fully again. She’s back at university, studying English, and runs A Note of Hope — a community where she shares stories of resilience to remind others that no matter how dark it gets, there’s always a way forward.

In this episode, we explore:

• The emotional toll of being disbelieved by doctors

• The strength found in hope and human connection

• How therapy helped her rebuild her life and self-worth

• The power of sharing stories to help others survive

This is a conversation about strength, grace, and the healing power of hope.

Links mentioned:

https://patientsknowbest.com/

https://www.anoteofhope.com/

Check out Ellie's social:

@a.note.of.hope

In this episode of The Survival Project, I sit down with fellow Galway native Ruth Gibney. Ruth shares her powerful journey through a whirlwind year, being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and then cancer at just 25, all in the middle of the 2020 lockdowns.

Ruth opens up about:

• Ignoring early warning signs and learning to listen to her body

• Facing surgery, recovery, and a life-changing cancer diagnosis
• Finding healing through therapy, mindfulness, and journaling

• Redefining “career” and success after chronic illness

• Navigating dating and self-confidence with Crohn’s

• The importance of sleep, balance, and breathing through stress

• Ruth’s story is one of courage, chaos, and incredible resilience.

It’s a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to rebuild your life — one step, one breath, and one day at a time.🎧 Tune in for a raw, real, and inspiring story of survival, self-discovery, and strength.

Links mentioned:

https://myotape.com/

https://oxygenadvantage.com/

In this episode of The Survival Project, we sit down with Ronan O’Brien — founder of Breathwave Ireland — to talk about breathwork as more than a trend. This is about pain, anger, identity, stress, nervous system regulation, and the ability to actually come back to yourself.

Ronan shares how chronic pain and the loss of his identity as an athlete pushed him into breathwork back in 2015/2016 — not as a hobby, but as a lifeline. He opens up about 20 years of constant pain, suppressed anger, frustration, and how one powerful breathwork session completely cracked something open for him.

We talk about:

• What breathwork really is (beyond “just breathing in a circle in a dark room”)

• The link between breath, the nervous system, and emotional regulation

• How stress and fight-or-flight can literally make you sick — especially with autoimmune and gut issues like Crohn’s

• Why your phone, doomscrolling, and nonstop stimulation are wrecking your sleep and mental health

• How slowing down is not laziness, it’s medicine (“you’ve got to slow down to catch up”)

• Why chasing a huge emotional release in every session is the wrong approach

• Building resilience instead of slapping on a temporary bandage

We also get practical:

• How to start breathwork safely if you’re dealing with anxiety, panic, chronic illness, or burnout

• The absolute basics: diaphragm first, nasal breathing, sleep quality

• Why nasal breathing matters for recovery, endurance, and running performance

• Simple box breathing for sleep

• Why regulating the vagus nerve (and working with the breath, humming, rhythm, sound) can help your digestion, mood and stress response

• The difference between functional breathwork, conscious connected breathwork, Wim Hof style, holotropic style, and why not every style is for every person, every day

We get into the deeper human part too:

• Grief when illness or injury steals the future you thought you were going to have

• Wearing masks — the “family mask”, “work mask”, “I’m fine mask” — and how breathwork helps you meet the real you underneath all that performance

• How couples breathing together can open conversations that never would have happened otherwise

• How community breathwork creates safety and belonging in a world where most people feel overstimulated and alone

Ronan also talks about joy and happiness in a way you don’t usually hear:

• Happiness: being comfortable in your own skin, including the parts that are still healing

• Joy: being able to sit with anger, shame, hurt, stress — without exploding, and without abandoning yourself

If you’re overwhelmed, stuck in survival mode, burnt out, not sleeping, or constantly “on edge”… this episode will land.

This one is for:

• Anyone living with chronic illness, autoimmune disease, gut issues, chronic stress or anxiety

• People who feel like their nervous system is fried and they can’t switch off

• High performers and athletes pushing too hard, ignoring the crash coming

• Anyone who keeps saying “I’m fine” but isn’t fine

Ronan O’Brien runs Breathwave Ireland, offering guided breathwork sessions, live community classes, and on-demand sessions people can do at home. We talk about his platform, how to safely begin, and how to build nervous system capacity over time — not just chase a one-off breakthrough.

Core ideas from this episode:

• “You’ve got to slow down to catch up.”

• “You’re not broken. You’re overstimulated.”

• “Your breath is free, and it’s yours.”

• “You’re thinking yourself sick.”

• “Joy is being able to sit with any emotion without reacting in a way you regret.”

  
  

  Links:

  https://breathwaveireland.com

  https://www.veyobreathing.com

In this powerful episode of The Survival Project, Jonathan speaks with his first international guest — Canadian athlete and Crohn’s warrior Alex MacInnis. Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 12, Alex spent years in and out of hospitals, battling severe illness and multiple failed medications before finally undergoing ostomy surgery — a decision that gave him his life back.

Now, Alex lives fully, advocates through his blog Tales from the Bag, and recently completed an ultramarathon to raise funds for Ostomy Canada, proving what’s possible with determination and the right mindset.

Together, Jonathan and Alex explore:

• The emotional and physical journey from diagnosis to ostomy surgery

• Rebuilding health, strength, and identity after chronic illness

• Training for an ultramarathon with an ostomy

• Overcoming stigma and living without fear

• The power of community, humour, and hope

A story of endurance, humility, and the unbreakable human spirit — this episode will remind you that life with an ostomy isn’t the end, it’s a powerful new beginning.

If you would like to donate to Alex's fundraiser you can do so at this link

https://www.justgiving.com/page/ultras-for-ostamies

or to Ostomy Canada, should Alex's link be expired use the link below

https://www.ostomycanada.ca/donation/

At just 25, Louise Duffy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a life-changing moment that forced her to confront fear, uncertainty, and resilience head-on. In this episode of The Survival Project, Louise opens up about the early warning signs and the reality of living with a hidden illness that few truly understand. From navigating dismissive doctors to finding the right treatment, she shares her journey of learning to advocate for herself, manage fatigue, and build a life filled with love, peace, and happiness. Louise reminds us that you can live a full, meaningful life with chronic illness — and that your illness doesn’t define you.

🎧 Listen for raw honesty, hope, and the reminder that strength often hides in the invisible battles we fight every day.

For more information about MS check out the MS Ireland website below.

https://www.ms-society.ie/