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.&nbsp;

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.

Simone Gannon: Beauty through the ages

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, so in this episode, we want to highlight the experience of two women living with the condition. Dearbhail Ormond is an entrepreneur and mother of one, with stage four endometriosis, who waited a staggering 18 years to get a diagnosis after seeing more than 20 doctors. Ormond tells Aideen Finnegan about her struggle to find answers to her pain and how it ultimately led her to found ‘frendo app’, a platform for tracking symptoms and to provide support to others navigating the condition. We also hear from Johanna Huber, a physiotherapist and yoga teacher based in Co Cork, who also spent many years being misdiagnosed. Huber discusses the surgeries she underwent to treat her pain, how she helps other women ease their symptoms through movement and relaxation and why she eventually sought medical treatment abroad.

Living with Endometriosis 

It’s World Poetry Day today, so what better way to celebrate it than with one of our favourite poets and friend of the show, Jan Brierton. In this episode, Brierton, a self-described ‘accidental’ poet, joins Róisín Ingle to talk about her new book, Everybody Is A Poem. It’s s beautiful collection covering themes of love, loss, menopause, midlife, the mental load, self-acceptance, and much more. Brierton talks about the real-life events which inspired her latest batch of poetry and recites a couple of her favourites.

Jan Brierton: Everybody Is A Poem

Tilly Cripwell, a 22 year-old musician, who regularly performs beside the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, is on a mission to stop people from inappropriately touching the sculpture’s breasts. In this episode, Cripwell tells Róisín Ingle how she’s launched the ‘Leave Molly mAlone’ campaign with the aim of stopping this “misogynistic” tradition and to protest against the mockery and objectification of the city’s beloved statue. Later on, we’ll also be hearing about another worthy campaign, called ‘Leave our Leave’, run by the Irish Cancer Society. It focuses on the 60 women each year in Ireland, who receive a cancer diagnosis during or just after their pregnancy, who are not able to defer their maternity leave during this period. That’s despite men being able to defer their paternity leave following a diagnosis. To understand why this is the case and how it directly impacts women, Kathy Sheridan speaks to cancer survivor Emma McGuinness and CEO of the Irish cancer society Averil Power.

Leave Molly mAlone / Protecting maternity leave for cancer patients

This International Women’s Day, we are turning our attention to the plight of Palestinian women and children. So far, more than 30,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the majority of which have been women and children. The UN and Human Rights Watch have called it a “war on women”, with an average of 63 women killed every single day, mostly in their own homes. There are also around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with 180 per day giving birth in unimaginable conditions. To talk about the current situation in Palestine and the difficulties of getting aid to those who need it most, Róisín Ingle is joined by Fikr Shalltoot, a Gazan woman and director with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). We also hear from MayKay Geraghty, musician and member of the Irish Artists for Palestine collective, who, on March 15th, will release a stunning cover of Sinead O’Connors ‘Black Boys on Mopeds’, to raise much needed funds for the Lajee Centre in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank.

International Women’s Day: The war on women in Palestine

On International Women’s Day this year, March 8th, the Irish public will be asked to vote in two upcoming referendums. The first referendum concerns the definition of family as outlined in the Irish Constitution and proposes expanding the definition to recognise durable relationships. The second referendum proposes the removal of the reference to women’s duties in the home, instead replacing it with language recognising care within the family. To explore all sides of the arguments on the yes and no side, Róisín Ingle is joined by former barrister and journalist Laura Perrins and visual artist Aideen Barry. Irish Times political correspondent Jennifer Bray is also here to set out what voters are being asked, what the changes will mean and what concerns have been raised regarding the amendments.

The Referendum Special: Women, Home, Duties, Common Good, Care & Family

In this episode, Kathy Sheridan is joined by British author and journalist Sarah Gristwood, who has just released her new book, Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries. It’s a captivating collection of diary entries from women, looking back over four centuries, to discover how their experience of everyday life has changed down the years and also how it hasn’t. It includes entries from some remarkable women like Virginia Woolf, Oprah Winfrey, Anne Frank, Louisa May Alcott and even Queen Victoria. In this conversation, Gristwood talks about the inspiration behind the collection, the common themes that pop up throughout like anger, frustration and lust and what these intimate musings have taught her about the variety and richness of the female experience.

Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries

Being a perfectionist may sound like a good thing, but don’t let the name fool you. A perfectionist’s life is far from perfect. If you are one, or you know one well, you’ll likely know of the debilitating effects that can come with a perfectionist’s constant quest for excellence. So why does it manifest and who is more likely to struggle with it? To explore this world of impossibly high standards. Kathy Sheridan is joined by clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan and author and writer Edel Coffey. Brennan explains what causes perfectionism, why more women than men are likely to suffer from it and the ways we can overcome it, while Coffey shares her personal experience of being a perfectionist, how it has affected different aspects of her life and the joy of finally letting go.

Overcoming perfectionism: Fiona Brennan and Edel Coffey

Hosted by Kathy Sheridan & Róisín Ingle

The Women's Podcast, hosted by Róisín Ingle &amp; Kathy Sheridan. Producers: Róisín Ingle and Suzanne Brennan. By women, for everyone.

The Women's Podcast

Follow