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Ready To Be Real by Síle Seoige
Niall Harbison : how street dogs taught me the meaning of life (re-release)
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Topics covered : Parents separating, trauma, guilt, alcoholism, addiction, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, success, rock bottom, hope, finding meaning, love, purpose.
I’m on a break over the Christmas period so I am re-releasing a few episodes over the next few weeks that really connected with listeners from 2023.
In September I spoke to dog lover and activist Niall Harbison.
If you’re an animal lover and you’re on social media, there is a strong possibility that you already follow Niall.
Originally from Co. Tyrone, he grew up in Brussels but never lost his Irish accent.
And over the past 21 months he has been devoting his time to help save street dogs in Thailand.
And to fully understand the man he is today; we need to go back through some of the experiences that have shaped him in his life. When he was 13, his parents separated, and his mother then had a relationship with an abusive partner which had a massive impact on him. He has been a private chef of Billionaires, a successful and at times controversial entrepreneur, and at his lowest point he found himself in ICU after a drink and drug fuelled binge.
He's been sober for about 3 years now and his mission is to half the population of stray dogs in the world over the next 20-30 years.
His book – ‘Hope - how street dogs have taught me the meaning of life’ was released this Autumn and it’s an incredible read.
I hope you feel inspired by our conversation as Niall is the perfect example of how it’s never too late to change your life.
For more information on the work he’s doing and if you’d like to donate…
Resources :
If you need to talk to someone, you can contact a Samaritan on Freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie
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.
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