Do we create our pain?

This week, I endeavour not to ramble and share the second part of the Osprey's Return, a story of magick, myth, nature and the Jumping Church in Ardee. Listen to the first part here: Return of the Osprey - Hiberno Stories | Acast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I speak with Maria-Gabriele about her experiences with healing her body and mind after a close call with meningitis, what transculture means and why it's more important than ever, how to embrace all of your inner feminine aspects, and lots more.Try Gaby's Assessments:Home - Intercultural Consultancy & Training - Intercultural Consultancy & TrainingMaria-Gabriele Doublesin is a multi-award-winning intercultural consultant, diagnostic tool developer, and leadership facilitator with over two decades of international experience helping organisations bridge cultural divides and unlock high-performance, inclusive workplaces.She holds a first-class dual master’s degree in Transcultural Community Counselling and Counselling Psychology from the University of Malta and the University of Maryland, College Park. Throughout her career, Maria-Gabriele has advised entrepreneurs, senior executives, NGOs, and civil society leaders across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and beyond—bringing nuanced understanding to culturally complex environments.Her work is rooted in systems thinking and behavioural insight, with a sharp focus on the hidden dynamics that affect inclusion, collaboration, and operational efficiency in diverse teams. Known for transforming theory into actionable strategies, she equips leaders with reflective, practical tools to navigate difference confidently and ethically.Maria-Gabriele is the creator of several original, copyrighted and trademarked diagnostic tools, including:Ethnocentricity Perspective Inventory (EPI-33 ©) – a self-assessment to surface unconscious cultural biasCultural Adaptability Scale (CAS2-20 ©) – a measure of intercultural competence and flexibilityOPE-360™ – a trademarked tool for assessing operational efficiency across cultural and sectoral boundariesBias Audit Sheet © and the Intercultural Pattern Scan © – team-level tools for mapping inclusion gaps and cultural assumptionsHer tools and frameworks are used in onboarding programmes, leadership development, HR audits, and DEI initiatives across both public and private sectors.Maria-Gabriele has received the Best Business Woman Lifetime Achievement Award and the Best Social and Business Care Award, the latter in recognition of her exceptional contribution to setting organisational standards for excellence and delivering measurable impact across social and business domains.Whether delivering keynotes, facilitating strategy sessions, or licensing her frameworks globally, Maria-Gabriele brings a distinctive blend of academic excellence, cross-sector experience, and cultural intelligence to every engagement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I talk a bit about folk medicine, cures for asthma in Ireland, and the return of the Osprey bird. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A roam around some unknown roads exploring narcissism, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the narcissistic stages of abuse (love-bombing, idealisation, devaluation, discard, hoovering), Psychological FOG(S), triggers and switches - with some tips on how to spot narcissistic abuse and what can switch off a victim's brain so that they stay for longer than they want to. Substack still not fixed after being hacked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I talk about pain - Perception of pain, how the brain creates pain, my experiences of pain (and a jellyfish sting), some of the psychology and neuroscience on pain, a full-on technology hack, how the body and mind gets hacked, and a few exercises to help you unf*ck your body and mind. Still working on it. Let me know if you'd like a PDF download of the template I mention.The Divided MindSubstack to come when it's fixed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I chinwag with Ray McLennan, angel investor, finance mentor, mortgage "fraud" mentor, public speaking World Record holder, dad, and generally sound fella.https://www.creditoracademy.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A story about the Irish Famine (or genocide) whichever term you want to give it, the introduction to the Irish storytelling wheel, and a few comments about narcissistic abuse and walking the Camino de Santiago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is a mish mash of magic! I birth my new podcast name - Hiberno Stories, and share the story of The Birth of Lú, Ireland's God of Light as mí na Lúnasa comes to a close. I also had the wonderful honour of speaking to David Keohan, better known by his Instagram handle, Indiana Stones - Ireland's first stone lifter in 60-odd years. We chat about the revival of the Tailteann Games at September Equinox (which I called Solstice), the ancient practice of Stone Lifting in Ireland, the Basque region, Iceland, and Scotland, and how a story by Flann O'Brien led David to discover an Irish tradition that might have completely died out if he had not gone stone searching on the islands off Ireland's West Atlantic Way. Oh, and my Substack is ready. Click the link below to access the story script and a glossary of the terms used in Lugh's story.https://www.tailteanngames.ie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Kerry team win yet another GAA All Ireland final, beating champions over Meath, Donegal, on the weekend of the Lughnasa festival in Cloghane and Brandon, I share the story of Sam Maguire and the contribution he made to Ireland's 1916 Rising and ultimate semi-independence, his relationship with the "Big Fella" Michael Collins, and why Ireland's most prestigious Gaelic football trophy is named in his honour, despite his home county of Cork not winning it the year it was first presented. I also share a connection I made between Saint James, or Santiago de Compostela, the landing zone of Camino de Santiago pilgrims, Ireland's God of Light Lú, Croagh Patrick, and the Catholic Church. Substack coming soon. Stay tuned.Credits: https://crokepark.ie/tours/gaa-museum/exhibitions/sam-maguirehttps://www.westkerrylive.ie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I speak to Sandra Dee Robinson. Her bio speaks for itself.Much to her surprise, the media has labeled Sandra Dee Robinson as the “Charisma Coach.” After years of working with business owners, experts and celebrities to perfect their presentation and on-camera skills, I guess the title fits!But, so does: actress, author, TV host, podcast host, international speaker, trainer and dog & horse fanatic. Oh, and add: wife to a renown Hollywood stuntman. (Yup, never a dull moment) As a teen, she left her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA and headed to New York to begin several decades of a successful career in Television. She became established with major roles on Another World, Sunset Beach, Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay and guest starred on many prime time shows and films, like CSI Miami, Criminal Minds and Two and a Half Men… among others. Sandra Dee founded Charisma on Camera Performance Coaching in 2010 and integrated her Horsepowered Personal Leadership Programs and Retreats in 2020. These nature-based trainings pair leaders with horses so that they reach a level of communication and clarity to be the most effective modern leader they can be. She is trainer certified in NLP, Hypnosis, Stage mastery as well as certified in Natural Lifemanship, trained in EAGALA, she is a Blue Ribbon Ambassador, Joyely Coach and is a Certified Success and Soul Business CoachHer mission is to illuminate the path for leaders to fully express all they are Designed to be.Connect with SandraALL IN Magazine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.