Advertise on podcast: IMAGE The Motherload

How do we raise children who can handle hard things, without leaving them to handle those things alone? In this special live episode of IMAGE The Motherload, recorded at Avoca Rathcoole, Dominique is joined by psychotherapist and bestselling author Dr Joanna Fortune, play therapist Lisa Kennedy, and mums Rosanna Davison and Sinéad O'Moore for an honest and practical conversation about raising resilient children. Together, they explore big emotions, worry and anxiety, bedtime, boundaries and consequences, knowing when to step in and when to step back, and what to do when all the good parenting advice disappears and we lose our temper. And perhaps most importantly, they ask how much of raising resilient children actually begins with us: how we regulate ourselves, repair when we get things wrong and show our children that difficult feelings can be felt and hard moments can be survived. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Hazel Chu has spent much of her public life breaking barriers. As the first Irish-born person of Chinese heritage to serve as Lord Mayor of Dublin and now deputy leader of the Green Party, she has faced racism, abuse and scrutiny while fighting for a more equal Ireland. But in this deeply personal episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Hazel joins Dominique to talk about the experiences that have shaped her away from politics. She speaks with extraordinary openness about her recent breast cancer diagnosis, the moment her then seven-year-old daughter Alex asked, “Mama, are you going to die?”, and the loneliness that can come with being seriously ill. Hazel also looks back at a difficult pregnancy and her experience of postnatal depression, including the period when she struggled to feel love for herself or her new baby. And in one of the most emotional moments of the conversation, Hazel talks about racism, how becoming a mother changed her relationship with it, and the pain of watching her daughter experience racism herself. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

In this week’s episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Mary Kennedy joins Dominique for a beautiful conversation about motherhood, ambition, loss, marriage and separation, ageing, grandmotherhood and the many times in life we get to begin again. Mary Kennedy has spent decades on Irish television, but behind her remarkable broadcasting career is a life shaped by a willingness to keep beginning again. In this warm and deeply personal conversation she talks about raising four children while building her career, navigating separation at a time when it carried a very different social weight in Ireland, being rejected twice before finally getting the opportunity to present Eurovision, and what all those experiences taught her about failure, persistence and putting yourself forward. We hope you enjoy. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Louise Cooney has shared her life online for more than a decade, but in this episode of IMAGE The Motherload, you will hear a side of her you may not have heard before. Now mum to two-year-old Jude and pregnant with her second child, Louise joins Dominique at a fascinating moment in her life, as she prepares to become a mum of two. Here, Louise opens up about how she is feeling during her second pregnancy, the bittersweet reality of knowing her chapter as a family of three is coming to an end, and the questions that come with wondering how you will divide your time and heart between two kids.  She also reflects on when she became a mum the first time around, her changing identity, confidence, work and mum guilt, her relationship with husband Mark, sharing motherhood online and what she hopes to do differently when baby number two arrives. And, of course, there’s plenty of fashion and beauty too. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Broadcaster, documentary maker, podcaster and mum of two Síle Seoige joins Dominique for a beautifully open conversation about the experiences that have shaped her. From pregnancy loss and thyroid cancer to anxiety, motherhood, marriage and a career spent in the public eye, Síle reflects on the highs and lows of her life with extraordinary perspective. They talk about becoming a mum later in life, raising children in an increasingly anxious world, learning when to push yourself and when to protect yourself, why gratitude has become such an important part of how she moves through the world, and what hundreds of intimate conversations on her own podcast have taught her about being human. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

For Maria Walsh, motherhood didn't begin with a positive pregnancy test. It began with therapy, difficult decisions, IVF and choosing to build a family on her own terms. In this deeply personal conversation, the Fine Gael MEP joins Dominique to discuss her journey to solo motherhood through IVF and sperm donation, and why she believes Ireland still has a long way to go in supporting modern families. Maria speaks candidly about fertility treatment, public scrutiny, compassionate healthcare, the legal issues around donor conception, LGBTQ+ parenting and the importance of recognising the value of care. She also reflects on ambition, equality, building a village around her child, and the kind of Ireland she hopes her daughter will grow up in. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Writer, broadcaster, author, grandmother and now stand-up comedian, Barbara joins Dominique this week for a funny, wise and refreshingly honest conversation about why getting older might just be the greatest gift of all. Together they discuss becoming a comedian at 60, the surprising freedom that comes after menopause, why women should stop apologising for their anger, and the joy of caring a little less about what other people think. Barbara also reflects on becoming a mother in 1980s Ireland, raising three daughters, navigating modern motherhood, becoming a grandmother, and why loving your grandchildren doesn't necessarily mean becoming full-time childcare. This is an episode about reinvention, perspective and remembering that life's best chapters may not have even happened yet. Tickets and dates for Barbara's upcoming show, Because I'm Worth It, are available here : https://barbarascully.com/shows/ IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Lisa Wilkinson has spent almost three decades standing beside women. A barrister specialising in family law and coercive control, she has also been an entrepreneur, doula, yoga teacher, childcare provider and wellbeing pioneer. While those careers may seem worlds apart, they are all driven by one purpose: making women's lives safer, healthier and fairer. In this powerful episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique and Lisa discuss coercive control, domestic abuse, family courts, birth rights, informed consent, childcare, motherhood and why so many of the systems women rely on continue to let them down. Lisa explains why abuse often escalates after separation, how coercive control can continue through legal processes, the warning signs every woman should know, and why listening to women's lived experiences has never been more important. This is a difficult conversation in places, but an essential one. If this episode raises concerns for you or someone you know, support is available through Women's Aid on 1800 341 900 or at womensaid.ie. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique sits down with one of the most influential figures in modern Irish history, Ailbhe Smyth. As Ailbhe celebrates her 80th birthday, she reflects on a life spent challenging injustice, campaigning for equality, and helping to shape the Ireland we live in today. Together they discuss motherhood in 1970s Ireland, surviving some of the darkest periods of her life, becoming a grandmother, coming out as a lesbian in a very different Ireland, and the social movements that transformed the country, including Marriage Equality and Repeal. Ailbhe also shares her thoughts on modern motherhood, the invisible labour still carried by women, why progress should never be taken for granted, and what gives her hope for the generations to come. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique sits down with entrepreneur, beauty founder and mother-of-three Kim O'Sullivan. Today, Kim is the founder of Brow Aid and The Dublin Makeup Academy, but her journey began as a young single mother determined to build a better future for her son.In this inspiring conversation, Kim reflects on the challenges of early motherhood, the leap of faith that saw her leave a secure job with Armani, and the mindset that helped her build two successful businesses from the ground up. She shares why she credits motherhood with much of her success, the surprising role manifestation has played throughout her life, and how writing down her goals helped turn dreams into reality, from career milestones to meeting the man she would eventually marry. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

What happens when motherhood doesn't just change your life, but changes your nervous system? This week, Dominique McMullan is joined by psychotherapist Michelle Flynn, who specialises in maternal mental health, perinatal anxiety, birth trauma and somatic therapy. Together they explore matrescence, the profound identity shift that accompanies motherhood, and why so many women feel unprepared for the emotional and psychological transformation that follows having children. Michelle shares both professional expertise and personal experience as they discuss perinatal anxiety, birth trauma, rage, resentment, burnout, perimenopause and the challenges of being constantly "on" as a mother. Most importantly, they dive into the role of the nervous system and the growing field of somatic work, exploring how stress and trauma can become embodied and why healing often requires more than simply talking. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique is joined by Laura O’Connell, a familiar face to many as the creator behind the viral Irish midwife sketches on Instagram, and co-host of the podcast Oh Right, Yeah. In this episode, Laura shares the story behind the humour. She opens up about growing up in a religious group, the loss of her mother at a young age, and how those early experiences shaped her sense of self. She also speaks candidly about an unplanned pregnancy, postpartum depression, and her experience of anxiety, including a period in psychiatric care last year. Together, Dominique and Laura explore the pressure many mothers feel to keep going, even when they are struggling, and the difficulty of slowing down in a world that rewards constant doing. This is an honest, layered conversation about mental health, motherhood, identity and what it means to ask for help. Listen now to IMAGE The Motherload, powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

Jen Healy’s story is not an easy one to hear, but it is an important one. In this episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Jen shares her journey from a childhood shaped by violence, through addiction, abusive relationships and homelessness, to the life she has built today as a mother, business owner and advocate for women’s mental health. This is a conversation about survival, but more importantly, it’s about what comes after survival. About healing, about the nervous system, about learning what safety feels like in your own body. Jen speaks with honesty and clarity about the realities of addiction, the complexity of abusive relationships, and the long road back to self-worth. She also shares the tools she now uses to support other women who feel overwhelmed, dysregulated or disconnected. It’s a story of resilience, yes. But it’s also a story of hope, of change, and of the quiet, powerful work it takes to rebuild a life. ***Trigger warning: this episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and addiction. Listen now to IMAGE The Motherload, powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.

This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique  is joined by psychotherapist, bestselling author and parenting expert Dr Joanna Fortune for a powerful conversation about the realities of raising children today. Together, they discuss the pressures modern parents are facing, from information overload and parental guilt to anxiety in children, screen time, emotional resilience and raising emotionally intelligent boys. Joanna also shares her “15 Minute Parenting” philosophy, explains the importance of “good enough parenting” and offers practical advice for parents trying to navigate family life while balancing work, stress and self-expectation. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advance and Tigers Childcare

This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique is joined by Una Healy for a deeply honest conversation about the realities of modern motherhood. Together, they explore what it means to raise teenagers, the evolving relationship between mother and child, and the importance of “the village”.  Una opens up about her experience with anxiety, her Hashimoto’s diagnosis, and the turning point that came from truly understanding her body. They also discuss hormones, HRT, and the importance of paying attention when something doesn’t feel quite right. IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advance and Tigers Childcare