everymum

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan. My guest this week is the wonderful and always lovely Jen Carroll, who many of you will know as her online persona, Jen's Journey. Jen has lived more life than most of us and she's only in her 30s. She's gone from deeply unhappy and having no self-esteem in a difficult relationship, to being a happy, confident homeowner and mother of one, who is inspiring people every day on her social channels. We go through Jen's full journey in this episode, from having her son in London, changing her life and documenting it all online, coming back to Ireland and having a ten year old now who lights up her life. Her story is so inspiring and she's just one of the most authentic people you could ever meet which I know is why so many people love following her online. This is an episode that would give anyone they hope they need to get through adversity and come out the other side to a much happier, safer and more fulfilled life. This is our last episode for season 18, what a great one to finish on! After a few weeks break we'll be back again with season 19 with even more brilliant guests, so join us then and a huge huge thank you for listening, as always.

Welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast with me, Aisling Keenan. This week's episode is slightly different from our norm in the sense that we're covering a topic, a very important one, rather than discussing a guest's experience. The topic in question is that of religion as it relates to the education system, which can be at times divisive but should be discussed nevertheless. chatting to me about it is the lovely Laura Cunningham, who is always so up to date and informed about the topic, and always keeps up with the work of Education Equality Ireland, who do a lot in terms of informing and educating people on the issue. It's crunch time for me with this because Lydia is due to start school this coming September, and because we're not particularly religious (which is a roundabout way of saying we're not religious at all!) I'm facing a few years ahead of tricky questions and decisions about how best to see her through life in our local national school, where religion is still to the fore. Although Laura and I very much agree personally on the issue, it's important to say that having strong religious belief of any kind is incredibly important and valuable to so many people, and we very much agree that practicing whatever religion you choose should be encouraged and supported. We also chat about the primary schools survey which over 168,000 parents and educators responded to which asks various questions about the type of schooling children should receive. It went out to parents of school-age children and talks about co-ed or single sex school, religious patronage and which language parents would prefer their child to learn through. As I said, this topic can be decisive but it's important to have open discussion about it, so I hope you enjoy listening and I'll be back next week with more.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast with me, Aisling Keenan. My guest this week is Michelle Flynn, a psychotherapist who specialises in perinatal mental health. We talk on today’s episode about birth trauma: something many parents will recognise, but not as many feel truly 'allowed' to claim. For some, birth just doesn't go to plan, it leaves a lasting imprint that shows up in the body, in confidence, in relationships and in the day-to-day experience of parenting. And that can be so confusing, especially when you’re told you should feel grateful because your baby is healthy. In this conversation, Michelle and I unpack what birth trauma actually is, and why it isn’t defined by how dramatic, dangerous or “successful” a birth appeared from the outside. We talk about how feeling unheard, rushed, powerless or unsafe can be traumatic in itself, and how those experiences can linger months or even years later. We also explore the impact on bonding with your baby, on partners and non-birthing parents and on future pregnancies, as well as the shame and silence that often surround these experiences. Most importantly, we talk about healing: what helps, what doesn’t, and how support can look different for different people. If you’ve ever questioned whether your experience counts, or wondered why it’s still affecting you, this episode is for you. Back soon with more.

Welcome back everyone, I'm your host Aisling Keenan and you're listening to Everymum the podcast. We're deep into season 18 now which is wild. This episode was a treat for me to record because the guest is a good friend of mine, the lovely Pamela Laird came on to chat to me about how she's finding motherhood so far with her three month old daughter. One of the things we chat about is how Pam has managed to stay feeling like 'herself' through pregnancy and motherhood, and while obviously things are really different from pre-baby, she says she still feels like who she always was. That really struck me as unique, because I know I didn't feel that way and so many mothers I know don't, so it was really refreshing to hear. I loved hearing a really positive parenting story too, because so often we find issues and I know I can focus on the negatives too sometimes. Enjoy this episode, enjoy hearing Pam's daughter's super gorgeous and very unique name, and I'll be back soon with more.

Welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. I absolutely LOVE my guest this week, and I was somewhat self-conscious to be interviewing her because she's such a great podcast host herself. Laura Dowling, otherwise known as The Fabulous Pharmacist, has so many strings to her bow, she's an author, a podcaster like I mentioned and travels the country with her shows, teaching the women (and men!) of Ireland about vulvas, among other things, bringing fun and lightheartedness into topics that otherwise might feel taboo to openly chat about. What I was so interested to chat to her about, aside from her crusade to help women know and love their bodies, is her life as a mother of three teenage boys. She talks about trying to keep them fed, leaving them alone when they're killing each other, and hoping that they'll grow up to be good friends, partners and fathers. We talk about why 'dad guilt' doesn't seem to be a thing, even though women are wracked with guilt constantly, and how the most important thing to her is that her sons know they can always come to her with anything they need. It's hard not to be entertained by Laura, so I know this episode will entertain AND inform, and hopefully make you laugh too. Thanks so much for listening as always.

Welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. My guest this episode is Deirdre O'Shaughnessy, a journalist and mother of three whose story of parenthood so far left me breathless. I'd always known Deirdre professionally, as we orbited each other on Twitter for years, and always admired her work, but now that I have heard the story of the last nine years of her life I am TRULY in awe. From the births of her three sons, to renovating a house, taking in a family from Ukraine, navigating a full time and high demand job and then grieving after losing both of her parents, the amount of times in this episode that I said "oh my god" must be some kind of record for broadcasting. Deirdre is known for her work, but her personal story is absolutely captivating too and left me genuinely wondering at the end – has this woman slept at all in the past decade? I'll say no more on this one, apart from to say her first child was born – from first twinge to being delivered - in under three hours. You'll have to listen to believe it. Enjoy this episode, and I'll speak to you all again next week.

Hello everybody, welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan and my guest this week is beauty entrepreneur, owner of beauty brand Hildun and mother of three, Suzy Griffin Dunne. This episode was basically me trying to find out what makes Suzy tick, how she manages having three small children and a beauty business, and how she manages to stay so present in both her work life and her parenting life – as it turns out, Suzy is unflappable. She's moving through it all with a laid back confidence that I am, quite frankly, very jealous of. She says while she's working, she's in work mode and while she's with her kids, who are 4, 5 and 7, she tries to be as present as possible. When she does try to open her laptop and work after hours, she says it's slammed shut for her. Which I can relate to! This chat will reassure any parents listening that we ALL compare ourselves to other parents, but that we're all winning and failing in our own unique ways, and just because your neighbour's child is doing grad 8 on the clarinet by their 4th birthday doesn't mean you're a terrible parent because your child won't even sit at the table to eat their dinner. I promise. Enjoy this lovely episode, and I'll be back next week.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan, your host, and my guest this week is a returning guest, the lovely Kelly Donegan. Many of you will know her from her Tallafornia past, but that's very far in the rearview for Kelly now. And as we chat today, her 12 week old son Jesse makes his little voice known, so if you hear some baby gurgles, I promise it's not me OR Kelly. Kelly joined me a second time for very good reason – I was dying to chat to her about her VBAC, or vaginal birth after caesarean, which she spoke about online at the time of Jesse's birth. Her first delivery on her daughter Cherry was so traumatic for her that when we spoke the first time she was sad, tired, angry, emotional, the full gamut of feelings. This time, well. She didn't stop smiling for the entire recording, even when talking about the 10 out of 10 contraction pain she was feeling during delivery. Motherhood changes us all, but motherhood seems to have changed Kelly twice – and I just find it absolutely fascinating how different her two birth experiences were. I know you'll enjoy this episode, I loved recording it as I just LOVE a happy birth story. Back next week with more chats.

This week on the podcast, my guest is Heather Condren, founder of Flowerpop, a brilliant, creative and unique flower business based in Dublin (and delivering everywhere). Heather and I cover a lot of ground: what it’s like to start a business with a tiny baby, the realities of parenting while running your own company, and the constant juggle of entrepreneurial life. But one of the most fascinating parts of our chat was Heather’s experience working with both a pregnancy doula and a postpartum doula. She speaks so passionately about the incredible support doulas provide, what they actually do, how their roles differ, and why that kind of care can be life-changing. Our conversation also opened up into the bigger picture: how much support for new mothers has disappeared, and how isolating it can feel without the “village” previous generations could rely on. Heather is inspiring as a mother, a founder, and a person who is willing to share her journey so honestly. I think you’ll find this episode as thought-provoking as it is encouraging. Thanks so much for listening and I'll be back next week with more.