everymum

Hi everyone and welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan. My guest this week is Bronagh Starrs. Bronagh is a psychotherapist, expert in contemporary adolescent mental health. She’s also an author and she has spent decades working with young people and their families. Her new book, I Can’t Go In, is about something that an increasing number of parents are finding themselves dealing with: school anxiety, and what happens when a child becomes so anxious that they simply cannot get through the school gates. So I wanted to talk to Bronagh about what school anxiety actually looks like, how you can tell the difference between a child who doesn’t want to go to school and a child who genuinely can’t face it, and why some of the things we instinctively do as parents: reassuring them, encouraging them, bargaining with them or putting pressure on them, which don’t necessarily help. We talked about what parents should do when the school run becomes a daily battle, the role schools can play, why some children are particularly vulnerable to school anxiety, and whether things like neurodiversity and parenting styles can play a part. And, importantly, we talked about what schools can do to help. Because understanding that your child is anxious is one thing, knowing how to help them through it is another. This is my conversation with Bronagh Starrs – enjoy and I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. What happens to a woman when the physical body, social identity and daily life she knew are all suddenly altered? That’s what my guest this week and I discuss – Nicole Gaffney Hahesy, or Cole Gaffney as you might know her online, is an influencer and mother to a 7-month-old girl named Éala. We talk about her placenta previa, her tricky birth, Éala’s stay in the NICU, and the fact that Éala still doesn’t care much for sleeping. We talk about CMPA (Cow’s milk protein allergy), reflex and colic and how Nicole faced all three in the early days of Éala’s little life.

Nicole has built an online presence around motherhood, style and everyday life, so I wanted to talk to her about the stuff underneath the nice pictures: postpartum body image, getting dressed when your body has changed, figuring out who you are when your priorities have completely shifted and the reality of trying to feel like yourself again when you're also becoming somebody completely new. Because I think there’s a huge pressure on women to be grateful for motherhood every second of the day, while simultaneously looking like they’ve somehow emerged from it completely unscathed which we ALL know is not the case. Enjoy this episode with Nicole, and I’ll be back next week with more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm your host Aisling Keenan. As many co-parents will know, separation is rarely the end of a relationship. For parents, it's often the beginning of a totally new one where you're navigating school runs, birthdays, holidays, doctor's appointments and all the everyday logistics of raising children with someone you're no longer sharing a life with.

And while we hear so much about the emotional impact of separation, we don't often talk about the practical reality of communicating well when emotions are running high. For many families, those day-to-day interactions can become one of the biggest challenges of co-parenting. A simple text can be misread, conversations can quickly escalate, and children can end up caught in the middle of misunderstandings that were never meant for them. Finding ways to reduce conflict and keep communication focused on what matters most can make an enormous difference, not just for parents, but for their children too.

Noel Crabbe, a father to four daughters, is my guest today and he set out to tackle exactly that problem by creating an app designed to help separated parents communicate more clearly, more calmly and, ultimately, more effectively. We'll talk about what inspired the idea, what he's learned from working with families navigating separation and how technology can play a role in helping parents work together. Whether you're co-parenting yourself, know someone who is, work with families, or are simply interested in how technology is being used to solve real life problems, I think you'll find plenty to take away from this conversation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is someone many of you will know from social media, where she's built a loyal following by sharing her passion for style, her relatable family stories and lots more. Sinéad De Butléir is one of the real rarities on social media today – aspirational but still a down to earth girl trying to juggle it all. She's an oncology nurse and mother of two small children, Mallaidh and Nóe, and is busy raising her children, building a career, protecting family life and trying to hold onto a sense of herself in the middle of it all.

In this episode, we're talking about the journey into motherhood from the very beginning, what she expected, what actually happened, and everything that came after. From pregnancy and birth to the fourth trimester, work-life balance, the mental load, and the everyday moments that have shaped her as a parent - nothing is off the table. Whether you're expecting your first baby, knee-deep in toddlerhood or simply wondering if anyone else feels like they're making it up as they go along, I think you'll find something in this conversation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Season 20, Episode 1 where we welcome Holly Cairns - leader of the Social Democrats, a TD for Cork South-West, and one of the most recognisable voices in Irish politics. First elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020, she's built a reputation for speaking candidly about issues ranging from housing, healthcare and women's rights, to gender equality and childcare. But beyond the headlines and parliamentary debates, Holly is also someone who has spoken openly about the personal side of public life: the pressures of leadership, the expectations placed on women, and what it means to build a life while serving the country.

As more people delay starting families, navigate changing ideas of parenthood, or try to balance demanding careers with their personal lives, those conversations have become increasingly relevant.

Today, we're stepping away from party politics and into the person behind the politician. We'll be talking about ambition, identity, family, and the values that shape not just how Holly leads, but how she sees the world. Enjoy this episode, and I'll be back to you next week.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.