Raising boys to be good men, with Laura Dowling, the Fabulous Pharmacist

Welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. I absolutely LOVE my guest this week, and I was somewhat self-conscious to be interviewing her because she's such a great podcast host herself. Laura Dowling, otherwise known as The Fabulous Pharmacist, has so many strings to her bow, she's an author, a podcaster like I mentioned and travels the country with her shows, teaching the women (and men!) of Ireland about vulvas, among other things, bringing fun and lightheartedness into topics that otherwise might feel taboo to openly chat about. What I was so interested to chat to her about, aside from her crusade to help women know and love their bodies, is her life as a mother of three teenage boys. She talks about trying to keep them fed, leaving them alone when they're killing each other, and hoping that they'll grow up to be good friends, partners and fathers. We talk about why 'dad guilt' doesn't seem to be a thing, even though women are wracked with guilt constantly, and how the most important thing to her is that her sons know they can always come to her with anything they need. It's hard not to be entertained by Laura, so I know this episode will entertain AND inform, and hopefully make you laugh too. Thanks so much for listening as always. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. My guest this episode is Deirdre O'Shaughnessy, a journalist and mother of three whose story of parenthood so far left me breathless. I'd always known Deirdre professionally, as we orbited each other on Twitter for years, and always admired her work, but now that I have heard the story of the last nine years of her life I am TRULY in awe. From the births of her three sons, to renovating a house, taking in a family from Ukraine, navigating a full time and high demand job and then grieving after losing both of her parents, the amount of times in this episode that I said "oh my god" must be some kind of record for broadcasting. Deirdre is known for her work, but her personal story is absolutely captivating too and left me genuinely wondering at the end – has this woman slept at all in the past decade? I'll say no more on this one, apart from to say her first child was born – from first twinge to being delivered - in under three hours. You'll have to listen to believe it. Enjoy this episode, and I'll speak to you all again next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody, welcome back to another episode of Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan and my guest this week is beauty entrepreneur, owner of beauty brand Hildun and mother of three, Suzy Griffin Dunne. This episode was basically me trying to find out what makes Suzy tick, how she manages having three small children and a beauty business, and how she manages to stay so present in both her work life and her parenting life – as it turns out, Suzy is unflappable. She's moving through it all with a laid back confidence that I am, quite frankly, very jealous of. She says while she's working, she's in work mode and while she's with her kids, who are 4, 5 and 7, she tries to be as present as possible. When she does try to open her laptop and work after hours, she says it's slammed shut for her. Which I can relate to! This chat will reassure any parents listening that we ALL compare ourselves to other parents, but that we're all winning and failing in our own unique ways, and just because your neighbour's child is doing grad 8 on the clarinet by their 4th birthday doesn't mean you're a terrible parent because your child won't even sit at the table to eat their dinner. I promise. Enjoy this lovely episode, and I'll be back next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan, your host, and my guest this week is a returning guest, the lovely Kelly Donegan. Many of you will know her from her Tallafornia past, but that's very far in the rearview for Kelly now. And as we chat today, her 12 week old son Jesse makes his little voice known, so if you hear some baby gurgles, I promise it's not me OR Kelly. Kelly joined me a second time for very good reason – I was dying to chat to her about her VBAC, or vaginal birth after caesarean, which she spoke about online at the time of Jesse's birth. Her first delivery on her daughter Cherry was so traumatic for her that when we spoke the first time she was sad, tired, angry, emotional, the full gamut of feelings. This time, well. She didn't stop smiling for the entire recording, even when talking about the 10 out of 10 contraction pain she was feeling during delivery. Motherhood changes us all, but motherhood seems to have changed Kelly twice – and I just find it absolutely fascinating how different her two birth experiences were. I know you'll enjoy this episode, I loved recording it as I just LOVE a happy birth story. Back next week with more chats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast, my guest is Heather Condren, founder of Flowerpop, a brilliant, creative and unique flower business based in Dublin (and delivering everywhere). Heather and I cover a lot of ground: what it’s like to start a business with a tiny baby, the realities of parenting while running your own company, and the constant juggle of entrepreneurial life. But one of the most fascinating parts of our chat was Heather’s experience working with both a pregnancy doula and a postpartum doula. She speaks so passionately about the incredible support doulas provide, what they actually do, how their roles differ, and why that kind of care can be life-changing. Our conversation also opened up into the bigger picture: how much support for new mothers has disappeared, and how isolating it can feel without the “village” previous generations could rely on. Heather is inspiring as a mother, a founder, and a person who is willing to share her journey so honestly. I think you’ll find this episode as thought-provoking as it is encouraging. Thanks so much for listening and I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Season 18 of Everymum, the podcast, the place for people who love their kids deeply but also occasionally fantasize about running away to a quiet hotel room with room service and no one saying “Maaaam” for three to five business days. Today’s guests are two women who understand that impulse all too well, and have somehow turned it into content: Rebecca and Fiona Ryan. They’re Irish sisters, actors, and online creators who grew up just outside Meath, trained together at the Gaiety School of Acting, and have spent most of their adult lives toggling between their passion for acting, and both are now mothers of two. Rebecca is best known for her hilarious and painfully relatable videos on motherhood and modern life — the kind that make you laugh and then wince at how real it is, and then send to your group chat. Fiona, meanwhile, spent years acting and producing in London before returning home, where together, they’ve created Motherhustle. It's a new mini-series about the grind of parenting. It’s funny, sharp, and occasionally too on the nose for comfort. What I love about these two is that they’re not just making jokes about motherhood — they’re exploring how to stay ambitious when someone around you always has sticky hands and needs another snack. How do you make art out of chaos without losing your mind or your sense of humour? We get into all of that in this episode: the creative process, the sister dynamic, the limits of sharing online, and what the future holds for them and their families. So, make yourself a coffee or something stronger, depending on the hour and join us as we talk about turning the mess of modern motherhood into something you can actually laugh about. I;ll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest for this episode is Ariana Dunne. Ariana is a columnist, a life coach and has many other professional strings to her bow, but the one role she always wanted was 'mammy'. Her story, which she originally wrote for Irish Country Magazine, was one of the most read pieces ever for them, and it has so many twists and turns, ups and downs, that you'll barely believe it. After travelling the world in her 40th year, Ariana tried IUI to try to have a baby solo, and when that didn't work out, resigned herself to the fact that she might never become a mother. But fate intervened in the most amazing and fairly random way, and as I speak to her in this episode, she's 36 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl, just 14 months into a relationship that's seen more 'oh my god' moments than most see in their lifetimes. I won't give you any more spoilers! You'll have to listen to hear the full journey. Ariana's story is one of hope, really, and she shares it with us in this episode so generously. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you've enjoyed S17 – thanks for listening and I'll be back in a few weeks with S18, with more incredible guests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is someone who knows that play is far more than just fun, it’s one of the most powerful tools we have for helping children learn, connect, and thrive. Sarah Kelly is a Speech and Language Therapist, a Montessori teacher, a mum of boys, and the founder of PlayEasy, an educational toy store. Working in her own private speech and language private practice in Churchtown, Sarah saw that parents were often unsure which toys could truly support their child’s speech, language, and overall development. So she began hand-selecting toys that don’t just entertain, but actively build skills, spark imagination, and meet children right where they are in their growth. In our conversation today, Sarah shares how her work as both a clinician and a mother shapes her approach, the signs parents can look for in a truly educational toy, and why the best play is often the simplest. She offers practical tips for weaving language development into everyday routines, busts some persistent myths about late talking, and reminds us that the most important thing we can give our children during playtime is ourselves. Whether you’re a new parent, or one who is time pressed but still wants to do the very best for their kids, or just someone who wants to understand how children learn through play, you’re going to love Sarah’s warmth, expertise, and advice. Thanks for listening as always, back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is entrepreneur Nicky Wake. Nicky's story of grief and love and parenting is one that I was immediately inspired by when I first heard it. After meeting her soulmate Andy Wake back in 2002, Nicky went on to live her best life, and after a long journey to conceive, welcomed a baby boy called Finn. When Finn was just 9 years old, his dad, Nicky's soulmate Andy, had a heart attack that would leave him in a coma and then in round-the-clock care until he eventually passed away back in 2020, when Finn was just about to enter his teenage years. Parenting is challenging enough, but with her own grief and her son's to deal with, Nicky faced a period of intense darkness which resulted in struggling with alcoholism and going into rehab. Her son, just on the cusp of his 17th birthday, told her that getting sober would be the best gift she could give him. So that's what she did. Nicky is now sober, running multiple businesses, and channeling her grief and her pain into positivity by uniting other widows and widowers to help them bond and find love again, moving forward – but not moving on – through it all. This is a captivating story and Nicky's positivity throughout is really something to behold. I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I wanted to do something slightly different, in the sense that – most of the guests I have on are parents themselves. This week though, I wanted to explore a motherhood choice of a different kind: Choosing not to become a parent. And when I polled listeners to see who to speak to on this, hundreds of you suggested the brilliant Vicki Notaro. I've known Vicki for a long time as we both came up in the magazine industry at the same time, and I've known she was child-free by choice for a long time too. I firmly believe that some of the best mothering I've ever witnessed has some from people who haven't got a child of their own, but aside from that, I really wanted to know Vicki's take on choosing a child-free life, and to talk to her about how that choice is as valid a motherhood decision as any. We were both very sensitive to the fact that becoming a mother is a choice denied to many, but we also explore the societal norms and pressures that child-bearing can place on women, and how Vicki's relationships have been affected by her stance on the issue of having or not having kids. So yes, this isn't the typical everymum episode, but it is absolutely brilliant and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Back next week with more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.