Mothering four children with autism while being autistic yourself, with Amanda McGuinness

My guest this week is Amanda McGuinness from LittlePuddins.ie. Amanda is a truly inspiring voice in the parenting community and a powerful advocate for autism acceptance and understanding. Amanda is a mum of four beautiful children, all of whom are neurodivergent, and her journey into the world of neurodiversity has shaped not only her family’s life but also the lives of so many others who follow and learn from her. Through her blog, her Instagram presence, and the incredible visual resources she’s created, Amanda brings honesty, heart, and hope to conversations that can sometimes feel overwhelming. She’s not afraid to talk about the hard days, the big emotions, and the small wins, and she does it all with such empathy, as she is a woman with autism herself. In this episode, Amanda shares so much about her family experience, from those early days of diagnosis to building a platform that now supports thousands of families across Ireland and beyond. We talk about parenting, advocacy, inclusion, and the beauty of seeing the world through a different lens. So whether you're navigating your own neurodivergent parenting path, or simply looking to better understand the autistic experience, this episode is a great one. Back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is author and mindfulness educator Louise Shanagher. Louise is also the founder of the Creative Mindfulness method, a programme that introduces mindfulness and self-compassion to children through creative activities like storytelling, art, and meditation. She has authored several children's books, and through her Creative Mindfulness Practitioner Training, has introduced mindfulness practices to tens of thousands of people, reflecting her deep passion for sharing that important knowledge. We talk about how mindfulness has evolved over the years, how it can now apply to and be used by children and young people, and how to equip children with lifelong self-care tools. I don't know about you, but I was terrified by the recent Netflix series Adolescence, and speaking to Louise gave me confidence that with the right tools, you can raise a self-compassionate and self-aware child who knows their parents are there as a safety net for them no matter what. Louise is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to how to speak to young children in a way that is understandable but effective too. Louise's latest book, Growing Self-Compassionate Children, is available now should you want to know more. A really practical episode, I know you'll love this one. I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I spoke to returning guest Emma Flynn. Emma was first on the podcast with the lovely Sinead more than three years ago, but her story was so compelling and so important that I wanted to catch up with her and see how things are for her now. Emma's story can be difficult to hear and can be triggering, so if you're a new mam or in a particularly sensitive place, just use caution and take care when listening. Now a mother of three, when Emma's first child, Jack was born, she went through the darkest and scariest moments of her life. She felt she didn't love her son, but worse, she felt the only way through her suffering was to hurt herself and her baby. With help from medication, her therapist, her husband and her supportive family, she managed to survive through it and go on to have two more children, and to absolutely adore all three of them. She has an incredibly supportive online community too where sharing her story has helped (and will continue to help) so many people going through similar but afraid to talk about it. We spoke about finding healing, her return to faith and how she is now, several years on from those traumatic days. It was a tough episode to record but so worthwhile. I'll be back next week, speak to you then. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lovely Niamh O'Sullivan is my guest this week, and although I've known Niamh for a good few years, and she's always radiant, she was absolutely GLOWING with the joy that only arrives when you're expecting your first baby. At the time of recording, Niamh is about half way through her pregnancy, and she's just now coming out of the horrendous sickness she endured for almost the whole first half... which I can identify with, and that's something literally anyone who listens to this podcast will know, as I never shut up about it. Niamh and I discuss the perils of pregnancy Googling, how sometimes you DON'T want the gory birth stories and how the phrase "You just wait!" is Niamh's biggest peeve. We talk about birth plans (or the lack thereof) and feeling nervous about birth, but it's clear that Niamh is just thrilled to be about to welcome her baby to the world. I can't wait to have her back on after she has her little angel to talk all things fourth trimester. Enjoy this, and I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I absolutely LOVED this week's episode. Not only was Louise Galvin extremely sound to chat to and I left wanting to be her pal, she was so open and honest and candid about how she and her husband manage parenting. Louise, for those unfamiliar, is one of Ireland's most successful sports stars – playing at senior level with the Kerry football team, playing in the Rugby 7s World Cup AND as the captain of a National Cup winning basketball team. She probably made GAA history when, following one of her particularly important semi-final matches, Louise ran off the pitch to breastfeed her baby just as the final whistle blew, making her the first player to breastfeed in the dressing rooms at Croke Park. Louise has a three year old son and twin babies who are not even five months yet, and she's making sure she makes time to be match fit to catch the end of the football season. I for one was in awe listening to her tell me all this, while she was just taking it totally in her stride, making it clear that she doesn't get mam guilt because she knows her sport is an important part of who she is and an important example to set for her three children. I think you will love this episode as much as I did – and I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is award-winning lactation consultant Orla Dorgan, who is the founder of mylactationconsultant.ie. Orla is a nurse by profession, but when she breastfed her children and had a good experience, she wanted to bring the tools and advice she had to as many parents as possible. This episode covers a lot – both general chats about feeding, holds, using nipple shields and whether cabbage leaves actually do anything, and also answers to specific breastfeeding questions too, such as how can a partner help the breastfeeding journey, and the transition back to work while still feeding. Orla also give her three-step approach to stopping mastitis from taking hold, and how to tell it might be beginning in the first place. A really fascinating episode, this will help anyone at the start of a breastfeeding journey. I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weeks episode was just such a pleasure to record from start to finish – Ailbhe Garrihy is my guest this week and she is just the most engaging and warm person to chat to, and I know it's such a podcast cliche but I really could have talked to her for hours. Ailbhe is not only the general manager of her thriving family business Dublin Bay Cruises but she's also a mam of two little boys, Sean and Fionn, who at ages 4 and 2 keep her very busy. We chat about raising boys having known only sisters and girls in her family for most of her life, about taking her two on an 11 hour flight to San Francisco and living to tell the tale, and her disciplining hacks for getting her two lads to comply (I call them threats in my house, but maybe that's too strong a word?) Ailbhe has the most grateful and positive approach to parenting, and this episode will give anyone expecting a boy, or a second boy, a real insight into all the loveliness to come. I'll be back next week with another episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest for our first episode of season 16 is the lovely Grace Mongey Gernon. Grace has been working full time as an influencer for the past nine years – there was somewhat of an urgency with getting Grace's episode recorded, because when we spoke she was 39 weeks pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her third child, a little boy who's name she's already got embroidered on a little jumper for when he's born. We talk about the transition she's about to face from two children to three, and the age gap between her other two being big enough that going back into nappies and night feeds will be a huge change to their life all over again. We chat about her life online, how her family feel about her work as an influencer, and how trolling almost made her give it all up to be a midwife, but how now she's in a good place mentally and feels good about it again. Grace is so loved online for her no nonsense approach and for being upfront and honest about her reality. this was a lovely episode to record and while nobody went into labour during it, it's still worth a listen. Back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I was delighted to welcome the lovely Millie Mackintosh to the podcast. She’s a reality TV star turned entrepreneur, she's a mother to two girls and many of you will recognize her from her breakout role on Made in Chelsea. Since then, she’s carved out an incredible career as a wellness advocate, businesswoman, and with her new book, Bad Drunk, an author now too. During the episode, we discuss the contents of the book, which as the title suggests is about Millie's complicated journey with alcohol, through a parenting lens. She is so wonderfully open about how alcohol negatively impacted her world, including her ability to parent. She also talks me through how she attempts to navigate disciplining her girls, which believe me I was taking notes on. It's a deeply personal and empowering episode, and whether she’s sharing her journey through motherhood, her love of fashion, or her passion for mental well-being, Millie’s authenticity, and insight shine through. Enjoy this last episode, thank you so much for your support, comments, DMs, and listens, and I'll be back to you next season with lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Katie Healy Nolan, whose life is chaotic but filled with gratitude, as she parents her five young children, ages 8 down to just six weeks. Her eldest child, her daughter Penelope, is living with a life-limiting illness and requires 24-hour care, with Katie provides, as she says herself "with a heart and a half". Katie and her husband Dave also parent their four boys, while advocating for the care their eldest needs. Penelope's illness is extremely rare and therefore isn't straightforward when it comes to accessing the supports she needs. Katie, through all of this, remains astoundingly positive, and is an absolute hero as far as I'm concerned, as she talks about how lucky and grateful she is to be able to have her family, and how a big family was always on the cards for both herself and her husband. Having survived the terrorist attack in the Bataclan in Paris back in 2015 which killed 130 people, Katie says her perspective on life is a little bit different and is grateful to have the choice to keep going, where so many others didn't and don't. A truly uplifting episode. Enjoy it, and I'll be back with the season finale next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.