The Cate Conway Podcast

After wanting to be a writer since she was a child, Leesa Harker’s literary success arrived in a very different way than she expected! She used to wander around Waterstone’s willing her name onto the spines of books. Little did she know the books would be surrounding the dubious exploits of Maggie Muff and Big Sally Ann - and that they would be a runaway success! She also could not have predicted the manner in which it happened. Leesa's mindset is incredible! You'll learn a lot about shifting your attitude and finding positives in every situation. Down to earth, relatable and funny - this podcast is perfect for you if you need a bit of a lift.  (This was recorded last year so apologies if any details seem out of date. I started this podcast in midst of grief and it definitely helped me move forward but then I took a total mental block about it. I couldn't work the software anymore, my brain felt like glue. But that fog has lifted so I can get back to business!) 

Did you ever try and describe someone and feel like you are describing a character from a movie, rather than a real person? Al Mennie, is 6 foot 5, looks like a Viking and is a professional big wave surfer, model and author from Castlerock in Northern Ireland. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a big wave surfer so I’m intrigued to find out what that really means. Al talks about his ‘fear threshold’ and how his experience in the sea has given him serious self belief - and how he puts that into practice on land. Al says… “If you can face your fears or anxiety and can explain how, then do what you can to help the next person.”

I’ve had information overload. Who hasn’t. Have you found that you’re hearing words and phrases again and again on social media and not stopping to think ‘what does that actually mean?’. It’s all wallpaper to me now. I’ve been searching for ways to sort my thoughts out and put them in order following the death of my former co-host and friend, Stephen Clements. This has lead me to look at various kinds of practices that I’ll be talking about in upcoming episodes. In this episode I speak to the beautiful human being Bridgeen Rea- Kaya about meditation, mindfulness, self compassion and other things that have all swooshed into one for me recently. Can they help me? It all sounds a bit wishy washy but there must be something in it - Bridgeen looks like she’s on cloud 9 all the time.

Stephen Clements was my ‘on air husband’, a best friend, co-worker, brother and tormentor all rolled into one. For over 4 and a half years we hosted Stephen and Cate at Breakfast which meant 4am alarms, no social lives and a chemistry that brought much mocking and laughter. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that connected to anyone else, he knew my best and my worst and ridiculed both. In June 2019 he left the show. In January 2020 he left the earth. My heart broke both times. I’ve been left with so many questions and much confusion. A large part of my identity was tied up in our partnership and now I’m trying to figure out who I am as Cate, not ‘and Cate’. In this first episode of The Cate Conway Podcast, I chat to Professor Siobhan O’Neill (Ulster University and  Mental Health Champion for NI) about mental health and suicide. The mantra “It’s OK not to be OK” is bandied about all over the place. We encourage people in distress to ‘talk to someone’. But what if you ‘are’ the ‘someone’ they speak to? How do you handle ‘that’ conversation?

Marty Stalker says he has his best posh Scouse voice on. I tell him there’s no such thing. Marty is an ex Royal Marines Commando. Two years after he returned from Afghanistan, PTSD kicked in and took over his life. He found a controversial treatment that worked and now explores mental health (among other things) through film making. He is currently researching other ‘alternative’ treatments for an upcoming documentary and has thrown himself into it by throwing up in a bucket, thanks to an Amazonian Tree Frog and a fella in East Belfast. Many thanks to Marty for chatting to me via Zoom during June 2020.