This week, as we ease into the rhythm of a brand new year, we are taking the opportunity to bring you some highlights from your favourite episodes of The Women’s Podcast in 2023. You’ll hear Marian Keyes sharing some learnings on life as she celebrated her 60th birthday, author and academic Katriona O’Sullivan on how a chance encounter transformed her life, plus columnist Caitlin Moran on the worrying rise of Andrew Tate. There’s also a snippet from our interview with Sinéad O’Connor recorded during the promotion of her memoir Rememberings, plus a lesson on botox from journalist and broadcaster Sali Hughes.
If there is a subject you’d like us to cover on the podcast in 2024, please get in touch with us thewomenspodcast@irishtimes.com or DM us on Twitter or Instagram at @itwomenspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your favourite episodes of 2023

The Women's Podcast, hosted by Róisín Ingle &amp; Kathy Sheridan. Producers: Róisín Ingle and Suzanne Brennan.
By women, for everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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It’s hard to believe the last time Wallis Bird was on the podcast was nearly five years ago in 2019. Since then, the Berlin-based musician has released two more albums, the latest of which, Visions of Venus, was released last month. It’s a creative collaboration with the German classical quintet Spark, and together they are showcasing 1000 years of female composers from Clara Schumann to Kate Bush, Enya to Hildegard von Bingen. In this wide-ranging conversation with Róisín Ingle, Bird talks about the women at the centre of this ambitious album and what their music means to her. She also shares the details of her ongoing renovation project, turning a derelict farmhouse in rural Germany into a house for herself and five others, and she talks about the grief and shock at losing her best friend suddenly last December. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wallis Bird: 1000 years of female composers

Last November, Pastiche, a pop singer-songwriter from Malahide in Co Dublin was diagnosed with endometriosis, more than a decade after her first symptoms of the condition developed. While the diagnosis itself came as a relief, the 26-year-old was told she may face difficulties when trying to conceive later on. This ultimately led to her decision to freeze her eggs, as a sort of  "insurance policy” for her fertility. In this conversation with Kathy Sheridan, Pastiche talks about the egg freezing process, what she wishes she knew going into it and how she’s used her music to share her personal story. We also hear from Edwina Oakes, chairperson of the Irish Fertility Counsellors Association, who discusses the reasons behind the rising numbers of women freezing their eggs and explains who she typically sees going forward for the procedure.
Pastiche’s new song Forfeit Control is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fertility on Ice: why more women are choosing to freeze their eggs

What does narcissism in mothers look like? According to psychotherapists Helen Villiers and Katie McKenna, the narcissistic mother can be “extremely critical, condescending, oppressive and very judgmental”, with devastating impacts for the entire family. They can also use covert or insidious tactics: taking on a victim role or using guilt tripping or stonewalling to get their way. In this episode, Villiers and McKenna join Róisín Ingle to discuss the main traits of maternal narcissism, how it can impact families and how to heal the emotional scars that come with being a child of narcissistic parents.
Their new book You’re Not the Problem: The impact of narcissism and emotional abuse and how to heal is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Narcissistic mothers: How to handle one and how to heal

In this episode, Róisín Ingle talks to debut author Rebecca Ivory about her new collection of short stories Free Therapy. The book takes its name from the second story in the collection, but the theme of therapy is there throughout; Ivory’s own therapist even gets a mention in the acknowledgements. The collection takes us into the lives of people who “keep making the same mistakes over and over again”, but for a variety of reasons are unable to change. It’s about unfulfilling jobs, unfulfilling men, desire and connection and has also been endorsed by Sally Rooney. In this conversation, Ivory talks about finding the confidence to pursue her creative dreams, how her family and working-class background shaped her and how she juggles working full time and writing her first novel.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca Ivory: Free Therapy

Simone Gannon is a content creator, digital marketing expert and the new beauty writer at the Irish Times. Since the beginning of the new year, she’s been entertaining us with her weekly beauty column, where she experiments with the latest trends, imparts her wisdom on all things skincare and makeup and shares her favourite beauty buys. In this episode, Gannon speaks to Róisín Ingle about how to look after your skin at any age, the must have items for the ultimate skin care routine and the beauty products she purchases time and time again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your favourite episodes of 2023

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