Bealtaine – The Hill of Uisneach, Handfasting and the Hawthorn

Topics covered : Purpose, self and collective care, connection, values, non-negotiables, balance, legacy.  Gerry Hussey otherwise known as 'The Soul Coach' is a performance psychologist who has been working in the fields of health and performance for almost twenty years. I have huge respect for him and am lucky enough to call him a friend. Gerry and his wife Miriam are the founders of wellness platform ‘Soul Space’ and they are bringing their show ‘Coming Home’ to the National Concert Hall on the 10th of November and I know it will be an incredibly powerful day for all who attend. In this conversation he invites us to ask ourselves some important questions to help us discover what our values are, he talks about the importance of dropping judgement and he shares practical tips on how to stay regulated during challenging times.    Questions to ask ourselves : What am I here to do? Who am I here to be? What’s the legacy I am going to dare leave behind? What is the business I’m in? What would love do? Books : ‘The Hero’s Journey’ by Joseph Campbell Gerry’s books ‘Awaken your power within’ and ‘The Freedom Within’ Coming Home, 10th November, NCH. SOUL SPACE presents Coming Home with Gerry & Miriam Hussey| NCH | Live Music & Events | National Concert Hall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Cancer, red flags, coercive control, faith, resilience. This week I speak to the incredible Nicola Hanney. Nicola lives in Dublin with her son and she’s been through hell and back. Her book, ‘Stronger -what didn’t kill me, made me’ is out now and in this conversation, we cover elements of her story. She comes from a large family and works as a hairdresser, and 8 years ago, when she was 36 she was first diagnosed with cancer. She then went on to meet a man called Paul Moody, a former member of An Garda Síochána who terrorised her until he was convicted in 2022. Over a 14 hour period in July 2018, she received 652 messages from him. That’s one roughly every 90 seconds. The mental, emotional and physical abuse he subjected Nicola to, led him to be one of the first people in Ireland to be convicted of coercive control.  And she gave up her anonymity to share her harrowing story in the hope of empowering others who find themselves in similar situations, and to highlight the early signs of abuse. If you have been affected by this episode, please go to Ireland helplines and hotlines (findahelpline.com) for a list of resources that might be beneficial. Women's Aid - Listening. Believing. Supporting. Empowering. (womensaid.ie) Home - Men's Aid (mensaid.ie) ‘Taking back control’ documentary available to watch on the RTÉ Player. Taking Back Control - RTÉ Player (rte.ie) If you’re a fan of what I do, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. Thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Uncovering blind spots, racism, overwhelm, anxiety, panic attacks, burnout, regulation and dysregulation, consumerism, community and collective care, self-care, rupture and repair, glimmers.  This week I speak to chartered psychologist, Allison Keating and it was wonderful to be in her company. She is married to Thomas and they have 3 daughters, Alannah is 15, Hayley is 12 and Brooke is 9 and they live in Dublin. And in this conversation, she talks about anxiety, overwhelm and panic attacks. How important cultivating a sense of community and connection is and how embracing ‘glimmers’ can be hugely beneficial to our lives. Her new book ‘It’s all too much’ has just launched and it is full of brilliant, practical advice including how to disrupt a panic attack and it’s a gamechanger! Find Allison on Instagram Allison Keating | thepractical.psychologist (@thepractical.psychologist) • Instagram photos and videos Book mentions - 'Man’s search for meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl 'White Women – everything you already know about your own racism and how to do better' by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : George Floyd, Black Lives Matter movement, trauma, racism, empathy, capitalism, celebrity culture, social media, privilege, colonialism, photography, power of film and music, Palestine, injustice, grief, social justice, community. My guest this week is photographer, filmmaker, entrepreneur and social activist, the wonderful Misan Harriman. He is married to Camilla and they have 2 young daughters and they live in Surrey. He was born in Nigeria and came to England when he was a young boy to attend boarding school and the last few years in particular, have been transformative for him. On his 40th birthday he picked up a camera and his gift behind the lens has led him to photograph some of the most influential people in the world from Harry and Megan, who are good friends of his; Kate Winslet, Harrison Ford and Angelina Jolie to name but a few. He is also the chair of cultural hub, the Southbank Centre, and an ambassador for Save The Children and he was the first black man to shoot the cover of British Vogue in its 104 year history. In this conversation, he talks about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, celebrity culture, the power of the arts and his love of film and music, his debut short film ‘The After’ which is currently on Netflix, and how children everywhere, must be our priority. Watch : The After Triangle of Sadness White Nanny Black Child Listen : On the nature of daylight by Max Richter Other podcasts to listen to are... Farah Nabulsi : Award winning filmmaker ​Sarah Durham Wilson : Rebel with a cause Róisín El Cherif : Palestinian pride Caoimhe Butterly : Collective Care Dr Myriam François : Speaking truth to power Daniel Maté : Dismantling blindspots Ruth Smith : Love and Justice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered : Confidence, courage, anxiety, affirmations, bullshitting, self-talk.    In this episode I speak to Professor Ian Robertson about confidence. Ian is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist and he is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in neuropsychology and he’s also the author of several best-selling books, including ‘How Confidence Works’. In this conversation he tells us what confidence is, what makes someone confident, how we can improve it, the differences between men and women in terms of confidence and why that is; the art of bullshitting and the power of positive self-talk. If you’re a fan of my pod, please follow, rate and review in all the usual places. And thanks, as always, for your support of Ready to be Real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.