Our guest today on What A Woman Podcast is the lovely Dr Joanna Fortune, a clinical psychotherapist with over twenty years’ experience; a parenting expert, appearing on a weekly slot on Parenting on Newstalk FM with Sean Moncrieff; host of the Podcast 15-Minute Parenting and writer of a weekly parenting advice column in the Irish Examiner. Dr Joanna is also a hugely successful author of the 15-Minute Parenting Series and 'Why We Play'.  There was no question we put to Joanna that she could not answer with some invaluable insight and advice!

We talked about  

Follow Dr Joanna:

@drjoannafortune

www.solamh.com

Our guest today on What A Woman Podcast is the phenomenal Nicola Tallant, Ireland’s leading Organised Crime Journalist, the Investigations Editor for the Sunday World and three time winner of Crime Journalist of The Year of which she currently holds the title. Nicola is also the presenter of one of Ireland’s most popular podcasts: Crime World, about criminals,  drugs and the sins of the underworld. She is also a successful author of books including: 'The Witness’ which was turned into a hit podcast; and her most recent release: “Cocaine Cowboys, The Deadly Rise of Ireland’s Drug Lords’ which is being adapted to a hit show that Nicola is touring across the country.

We talk about: 

- Why we’re all obsessed with crime shows 

- Why cocaine is such a prolific problem in Ireland 

- How middle class buyers are fuelling cocaine trade 

- Where Nicola's interest in organised crime started 

- Does her job ever make Nicola fearful

 - Being a female journalised in a male-dominated arena 

- What it’s like stalking out criminals

Buy tickets for her show from MCD.ie or venues.

Follow Nicola:

@Nicola_tallant_1

@crimeworldwithnicolatallant

Today on What A Woman Podcast we are joined by Ireland's leading social media personality, entrepreneur and health influencer, The Fabulous Pharmacist, aka Laura Dowling. She has amassed nearly 100 thousand followers by combining her vast experience as a pharmacist and her ability to be funny to entertain and educate the masses on our health and wellbeing. After twenty years in community pharmacy, Laura took a huge risk to launch her own nutritional supplement brand, fabU, which is going from strength to strength and Laura is about to embark on a live tour across Ireland called 'Viva La Vulva' which will be an empowering evening of entertainment and women's health as you've never seen it before!

Our guest this week on What A Woman Podcast is one of the leading entrepreneurs and businesswomen in Ireland, Oonagh O' Hagan who is a qualified pharmacist and the owner and MD of Meaghers Pharmacy Group with nine branches across Dublin and a hugely successful online business, exporting to seventy countries. Oonagh has won numerous accolades and awards including Irish Tatler Businesswoman of The Year, The Best Managed Companies Award by Deloitte for the ninth consecutive year & the prestigious Alliance Online Pharmacy Retailer of The Year Award 2023. Oonagh is also a champion of women's health and works with the philosophy that she wants customers to come to Meaghers to stay well, not when they're already sick.

We talk about:

- Oonagh's trailblazing mother and role model in life

- Growing up during the troubles

- Are we over-medicating?

- How can we manage anxiety in our children?

- What are the best supplements for mid-life?

- How Oonagh's own health scare led her on a new fitness journey

Our guest this week on What A Woman Podcast is Dr Patricia Sheahan, a Consultant Palliative Care Physician and the Head of Palliative Care at University Hospital Kerry. Patricia has specialised in Palliative Care for almost thirty years and has been integral to the establishment of one of the best integrated palliative care services in the country. She was awarded Kerry person of the year in 2022 for her outstanding contribution to the county of Kerry and she is a Saint in families' eyes as she has touched the lives of thousands of terminally ill patients and their loved ones.

We talk about:

- Why Patricia chose palliative care

- How Patricia copes with the emotions of this role

- The regrets of the dying

- Assisted Dying and whether it should be legislated

- How loved ones can support the terminally ill

Dr Mary Ryan is a highly experienced Consultant Endocrinologist and Physician in the Beacon, Limerick and she is author of "It's probably your hormones", a fantastic, accessible book which we believe should be owned by every woman in the country! It helps us to understand our hormones and how they impact our health with proactive advice about how we can stay healthier and more importantly, happier and more confident in ourselves as women. She really is a champion of women and advocates for equality in women's health by educating people around the country on issues like Menopause as well as the prevention of other diseases like Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. She has also been a Senior Lecturer with the Post Graduate School of Medicine since its commencement in 2007 and is actively involved with clinical research.

We talk about:

- What is a normal period?

- Why we are all tired by can't sleep

- How to control weight in middle-age

- What are the right supplements

- Why women need to learn to rest

- Why self-esteem is also crucial to our long-term health

Follow Dr Mary Ryan:

- https://drmaryryan.com

@drmaryryan

Vivienne Connolly is Ireland's most successful former top model and Fair City star who rose to fame in the 1990's and shared the catwalk with some of the world's top models including Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Helena Christensen. She also went through one of the country's most high-profile divorces when she split up with her former husband Mark Dunne. Vivienne spent twenty years in modelling, working with some of Ireland's top agencies and she starred in television and film. She has hosted her own very successful lifestyle events for women called Evolvewithviv and she is also a Social Media Influencer with her own youtube channel @VivienneConnolly11.

We talk about

- Walking the catwalk with famous top models

- Exploitation in the industry

- How Vivienne stays looking so good

- Embracing ageing

- Surviving a very public divorce

- Love and life after divorce

Follow Viv:

@vivser (Instagram)

Our guest to begin this exciting series is Maeve Frawley, a leading Irish fitness professional, a mum and entrepreneur and a competing Strongwoman, winning Best in Show at Ireland's Strongest Woman competition earlier this year. Maeve has previously managed her own fitness studios & two professional gyms and she has been lecturer at MTU since 2007. She is now pursuing a new venture in business coaching and mentoring. Maeve is not only a competing strong woman but she also shows us all how we can be strong in life, baby-step by baby-step. This message really hit home for us and we hope it will for you too.

We talk about:

- Why keeping fit is a non-negotiable

- Why resistance training is essential pre and post menopause

- Why we must not be afraid of food

- The challenges of being a single mum

- How confidence can be learned behaviour

- Why Maeve loves being in her forties

Follow Maeve:

@frawleymaeve

Orlagh Winters is a hugely popular social media personality, a style judge for some of Ireland's biggest race meetings, a mediator and presenter for events and a businesswoman and fundraiser for charities particularly close to her heart as she is a survivor of breast cancer. Orlagh was only eight months married and aged thirty-six when she was given a twenty percent chance of living because her cancer was so aggressive and she had no lump, just pain in her left breast but something was telling her to get it checked out. She had surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy which made her extremely ill and because it was a hormone-based tumour, she was put into early menopause which shattered her dreams of having a family. Orlagh's marriage then broke down and she says of everything she has been through including cancer, divorce nearly broke her. Orlagh has been dealt some very hard blows in life but as you will hear, she doesn't take herself too seriously, she has a great sense of humour and she also has a defiant spirit. Now at fifty, she is loving life and she has her happy ending as she is about to marry the love of her life. She says, "take me as I am or don't take me" one of many brilliant mottos for life you are about to learn from the amazing Orlagh.

We talk about:

- Coping with her cancer diagnosis

- Her biggest regret

- Why divorce nearly broke her

- Where her resilience comes from

- Embracing her fifties

- Her happy ending

Follow Orlagh:

@orlaghnwinters