Are We There Yet ? with Kathryn Thomas

Presented in association with Mater Private Network. This week, Kathryn Thomas has an in-depth, extended chat with Irish pop icon Samantha Mumba!  Samantha exploded on to the world stage in 2000 with her breakout single “Gotta Tell You” that went rocketed to the tops of the charts.From her early days at Dublin’s legendary Billy Barry stage school, Samantha talks about her early ambitions as a budding pop-star and how she remained sane in a cruel industry that often didn’t look after its young talent. Samantha reflects back on her sudden rise, where she found herself starring in a Hollywood blockbuster produced by Steven Spielberg, no less.She tells Kathryn all about the close bond she had with her father, as well as her experiences of racism - what it’s really like to identity as a mixed-race woman in Ireland? Samantha opens up her outspoken Eurovision journey and finally what’s next…Next week: Kathryn chats to Dr Lorraine Walsh from the Mater Private Network.

Presented in association with Mater Private Network.In a special episode, Kathryn Thomas talks to consultant geriatrician Dr Shane O’Hanlon about one of her favourite subjects: ageing! Dr. O’Hanlon provides Kathryn with expertise on all aspects of healthy aging - with the aim of improving quality of life and longevity.  Dr. O’Hanlon explains how simple changes in your lifestyle can make a huge difference to the quality of your life and potentially help you live longer. Unsurprisingly, exercise plays a huge part, alongside a healthy diet, which is music to Kathryn’s ears.Shane explains the latest groundbreaking treatments available to treat Alzheimer's, how hearing loss and loneliness can have adverse effects on your mental health and why our use of AI might not be a completely bad thing.Dr. Shane O’Hanlon is a Consultant Geriatrician at Mater Private Network Dublin, for more info visit: www.materprivate.ieFor more information on the new medication mentioned in the episode, please visit:https://alzheimer.ie/creating-change/research/new-treatments/Or contact: Alzheimer Society of Ireland Helpline 1800 341 341 (free & confidential) Next week: Kathryn chats to pop icon Samantha Mumba !

***Please note - this episode features conversations around grief and bereavement.***Presented in association with Mater Private Network. In this powerful and emotional conversation, Kathryn Thomas sits down with her friend and celebrated cook Eunice Power to chat about surviving the toughest year of her life.Fresh from publishing her best-selling cookbook, Eunice chats about her passion for working with the freshest Irish ingredients and talented local food producers in her hometown of Dungarvan, which remains one of the most beautiful and exciting cultural spots in the country.Recorded just before Christmas, Eunice candidly shares thoughts on her recent divorce and being newly single in her 50s, alongside the tragic death of her son Jerome last May. Together, Kathryn and Eunice talk about the real power of sharing stories, humour and friendship to overcome the hardest moments in their lives.If you’ve been affected by issues raised in this episode, we recommend the following resources for dealing with Grief:https://www.textaboutit.ie/https://firstlight.ie/https://www.alittlelifetime.ie/https://anamcara.ie/Next week: Dr Shane O’Hanlon talks to Kathryn about mysteries of ageing and how exercise really is the most powerful treatment out there.

Presented in association with Mater Private Network. Kathryn Thomas is joined by celebrated psychologist Dr Richard Hogan for a big chat on how to raise healthy and resilient kids, unrealistic parenting standards, plus more importantly, inside gossip from working on The Traitors Ireland.Richard is the author of the best-selling book ‘Parenting the Screenager’ - a practical guide for parents of the modern child, while his recent publication ‘Home is Where the Start is’ was a national bestseller. He is the clinical director of the award-winning counselling service, Therapy Institute. Richard hosts Virgin Media’s hit series ‘Dinner with the Enemy’ and regularly appears on shows such as Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1, Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder and Ireland AM.Watch their full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnicOriginals

Presented in association with Mater Private Network. Fresh from her win at the Irish Book Awards for Lifestyle Book of the Year, health expert Sophie Morris talks about her best-selling book and becoming huge online here she has built a name debating the abundance of ultra-process foods in our supermarkets. Kathryn and Sophie talk about how hard it is to eat healthy on a budget, why it’s important to be informed about your food choices and why schools need to do more about food education. Sophie also discusses her failures, where her food business imploded despite years of grafting away and what she learned from it.Next week: Dr Richard Hogan talks about working on The Traitors Ireland and how to best raise independent kids.

Presented in association with Mater Private Network.In an hilarious and emotional conversation, comedian Alison Spittle sits down with Kathryn Thomas to talk about her award-winning show BIG, which is touring across Ireland and the UK for next few months. Alison reveals the origin of her new show, which is all about weight loss, misogyny, classism, as well as being hysterically funny too. Kathryn and Alison debate weight loss, the end of body positivity and how anyone with weight issues can never make anyone happy, no matter they do. Alison recounts going viral old-school style, her comedy career, flatmates from hell and what’s next for her in 2026.We’ll be back on Tuesday 6th January 2026 with a New Year special with food expert Sophie Morris! Merry Christmas for everyone at Onic Originals.

Presented in association with Mater Private Network.Kathryn Thomas sits down for a revealing chat with her old classmate and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. They chat about their first memories of meeting each other years ago as school friends, his rapid rise in politics from ambitious student where he the country through Brexit and Pandemic. Leo talks about the pressure of being a politician  including coming out publicly in 2015 and why he decided to resign so unexpectedly two years ago. He also reveals his love of an unexpected pop legend and what’s next for him - would he do reality TV again? Find out more on this week’s episode.Next week: hilarious comedian Alison Spittle talks about her weight-loss journey.

Presented in association with Mater Private Network. Over some healthy home-baked snacks, Kathryn Thomas chats with bestselling author Cecelia Ahern. Fresh from her big win at The Irish Book Awards, Cecelia tells Kathryn all about the phone call that changed her life just at the age of 21 when Cecelia signed a book deal for her beloved novel, P.S I Love You. Yet despite selling millions of books and producing countless movies, Cecelia’s most proud of her ability to manoeuvre a forklift (!). Long before she was an author, Cecelia explains how she was also a jazz-tapping, pantomime-performing, competition-winning dancer, plus she reveals more about her girl band era put together by Louis Walsh for Eurovision. Kathryn and Cecelia talk about how they deal with anxiety while also running a busy household and business, while being inspired by strangers all over the world.Whether she’s driving a forklift, whipping up protein snacks or manifesting, Cecilia Ahern suggests that life and literature are best served when you mix in a little ambition, a dash of resilience, and the odd chicken recipe from San Francisco.Next week: writer and stylist Annemarie O’Connor talks about her emotional Parkinson’s journey.