The Laura Dowling Experience

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  From Moving One Toe to 6 Million Steps with Fergus Farrell #187 17.09.2026 36мин

  In this episode, former Connacht rugby player Fergus Farrell tells Laura what happened after he lifted a metal bench in his own yard in October 2018 — and severed his spinal cord by ninety per cent.He was paralysed from the ribcage down and told he had a five per cent chance of walking again, on the condition he moved within seventy-two hours. He didn’t move. Instead he lay in a bed for twenty-one days and built a picture in his head: a circuit board for his brain, a light switch for his big right toe, and a wire he had to run between them. At half two in the morning on day twenty-one, the toe flickered. When the doctor came round, he watched it move three times before he’d call it anything other than a spasm.Fergus is candid about what recovery costs — pain around the clock, no balance, no feeling from his feet to his waist, and the hidden disability nobody sees in a big man walking down the street. He talks about the businesses he lost, the family who carried it, the guilt of being one who got back on his feet, and why he now calls the accident the best thing that happened to him.In August he set out from Brooklyn Bridge to walk 4,500 kilometres to Santa Monica Pier for Spinal Injuries Ireland — six million steps, and each one as important as the next.🔑 Key PointsThe injury came from lifting, not impactHe carried a 60–80kg bench about fifteen metres, dropped it, took a breath and lifted it again. The second lift ruptured a disc into his spinal column and severed the cord by 90%.The five per cent came with a conditionA 5% chance of walking again if he moved within 72 hours. He didn’t. The toe moved on day twenty-one.Visualisation was a tool he already hadHe’d used it to win selection and to build his business. In hospital he made it concrete: a circuit board as his brain, a switch as his toe, and the work of wiring them together.The doctor called it a spasm — twiceDr Cullen made him move it three times before saying “that’s most unexpected, Fergus.”Not every disability is visibleHe walks, so people assume he’s fine. Zero balance, no feeling from his feet to his waist, constant pain on 3,000mg of gabapentin a day.The people around an injury carry it tooHis then-wife finished the house, worked and raised three young children. “The person that’s left behind injured affects so many different people.”He never visualised himself walkingHe started with the smallest thing he could actually see: one toe, with the blanket off. Setting the finish line at walking would only have set him up to fail.The walk is the same method at scaleBrooklyn Bridge to Santa Monica Pier, 4,500km, six million steps, 75 days as a target rather than a deadline.📚 ResourcesFergus WalksFergus’s walk across America for Spinal Injuries IrelandSpinal Injuries IrelandThe only Irish organisation dedicated solely to supporting people living with a spinal cord injury and their familiesChristopher & Dana Reeve FoundationSupporting the American leg of the walkNational Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún LaoghaireWhere Fergus did his spinal rehabilitationFergus Farrell on InstagramFollowing the walk day by day⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Intro02:10 — Lifting a metal bench in his own yard05:35 — The disability nobody can see06:44 — Pain 24/7, and refusing it attention08:46 — A five per cent chance, and the seventy-two hours10:00 — The circuit board, the switch and the wire12:04 — Day twenty-one, half two in the morning13:11 — Dr Cullen: “these could be involuntary spasms”17:50 — The guilt of getting back on his feet19:42 — What it did to his family21:53 — Losing the businesses25:09 — Walking across America30:56 — “Every day is a new day to improve”32:42 — Advice for young people, and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  World Bodhrán Champion on Music, Belonging and Motherhood with Aimée Farrell-Courtney #186 10.09.2026 1ч 4мин

  Aimée Farrell-Courtney was six years old when she saw three girls playing the bodhrán in her school yard, the sun behind them and the sound going round the walls. She went home and announced she wanted to learn. Her mother's reply - "Oh my God, smelly pub" - is the first clue that this instrument arrived with a reputation attached, and with assumptions about who gets to hold one.She learned anyway, was helping to teach by the age of twelve, and in 2010 won the World Bodhrán Championship. What she has spent the years since doing is quieter and, in its way, harder: asking why so many women take up the drum and so few are ever seen playing it.She and Laura go from goat skin and tuning systems to the survey Aimée ran into women's experiences of trad sessions - the player left standing at the bar while everyone else is asked what they're drinking.She talks about being told she only got a Royal Albert Hall booking because she could wear a dress, about designing a drum that fits the body holding it, and about the two communities she has built for people who want music without the judgement.🔑 Key PointsShe was six, and three girls in a schoolyard decided itAimée watched them rehearsing with the sun behind them and thought they looked like superwomen - with no idea yet that the bodhrán was a male-dominated instrument."My youngest student is four, my eldest student is 94"The bodhrán is unusually easy to start, which Aimée sees as its gift and also the reason some people dismiss it without ever learning it properly.A survey put evidence behind what women already knewWorking with a UK researcher, Aimée surveyed bodhrán players worldwide and found most women reported poor experiences bringing their drum to sessions."You only got that because you could wear a dress"After a 2014 gig at the Royal Albert Hall, a peer told her the booking had nothing to do with how she played.Male players are described by technique, women by appearanceRead how the two are written about online, Aimée says, and the difference is immediate.The instrument was never designed around the body playing itSmaller drums with deeper frames chase a sound, not a posture, so Aimée has been designing a bodhrán that works with the body rather than against it.Music can be used, not only performedTrained as a sound therapist, she works with frame drum, gong and singing bowls — and says three minutes of a slow, steady rhythm is enough to settle yourself at home.Trad Drum and Drummy Mummy exist to take the judgement out of itTrad Drum grew out of lockdown check-ins with her students; Drummy Mummy, launching shortly, is a drumming space for mothers — no children, no competition, nobody marking you.📚 ResourcesAimée Farrell-CourtneyBodhrán lessons, workshops and Traddrum Productions.FairPléCampaigning for gender balance in Irish traditional and folk music.Rhythm2RecoveryThe Australian drumming programme for social and emotional development Aimée is certified in.Basic Income for the ArtsThe Irish scheme behind the conversation about supporting artists.⏱️ Timestamps02:30 — Three girls in a schoolyard03:24 — "Oh my God, smelly pub"08:02 — "It's just a frame drum, essentially"10:32 — Designing a drum that fits the body15:23 — Winning the world championship in 201017:32 — The survey into women and the bodhrán18:50 — "My youngest student is four, my eldest is 94"24:39 — "You only got that because you could wear a dress"27:04 — Sound therapy, and what entrainment does41:08 — Trad Drum, and the new Drummy Mummy51:00 — The woman nobody spoke to at the session01:01:44 — Trust yourselfThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "It Comes From a Place of Love." — Dr Anne Doherty on a kinder way to see people 08.09.2026 10мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, consultant anaesthetist Dr Anne Doherty offers two simple, evergreen pieces of wisdom from the close of her conversation with Laura.Nothing is as permanent as you think — the good times and the bad both pass — and almost every hard choice people make, even the ones you disagree with, comes from a place of love.🔑Key Points• Why the good times and the bad times both pass• The freedom in not needing an answer for everything right now• How love sits underneath even the choices we disagree with• A gentler, more compassionate way to see people🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  ADHD, Marriage & Growth with Daniel Buckley #185 03.09.2026 46мин

  Daniel Buckley was thirty-two before he had a name for what was going on in his head. For as long as he could remember he had been restless, discontented, unable to sit still or hold his focus on anything that didn’t grip him - and he had simply assumed that was him. That was the way he was, and the way life was.His wife Simone saw it long before he did. For more than a decade she told him something wasn’t right, that he couldn’t rest, that he had no structure. He wasn’t ready to hear it. The day before she died, after years of illness, she went through his symptoms one by one and asked him to get help for his ADHD.Daniel tells Laura what happened next - the newspaper article that felt like a tap on the shoulder, the Irish clinics that never rang him back, the trip to England to be assessed at all. He is open about drinking to escape thoughts he had no other way of managing, about the day he stopped, and about the ordinary moment months later when he heard his son laughing outside an open window and realised he had never felt peace before. It’s also the story of what he built out of it: a service designed, in his words, to get people to a clinician in weeks rather than years.🔑 Key PointsHe spent thirty-two years assuming that was just who he wasRestless, discontented, unable to focus — Daniel had no framework for any of it until he was assessed at thirty-two.Simone saw it more than a decade before he accepted itHe only heard it the day before she died, when she went through his symptoms and asked him to get help.Undiagnosed ADHD and alcohol are closely linkedDaniel describes drinking to escape feelings he couldn’t regulate. He stopped in August 2022, so he could be the father his son deserved.There was no route to a diagnosis in IrelandPublic waiting lists ran to years, and not one of the private clinics he rang or emailed came back to him. He was assessed in England instead.He chose therapy and coaching over medicationHaving stopped drinking, he worked weekly on emotional regulation, learning to recognise emotions he’d never had names for.Peace arrived as an ordinary momentMonths after his diagnosis he heard his son laughing with friends through an open window and felt, for the first time, that he was all right.A diagnosis is a turning point, not an end pointThe piece of paper changes nothing on its own. What matters is the understanding and the support that come after it.He built the service he couldn’t findADHD Now offers access to a clinician within seven days and has grown to over a hundred clinicians across ADHD and autism care.📚 ResourcesADHD NowDaniel’s online ADHD assessment and support serviceAutismCareThe autism and AuDHD assessment service built alongside itADHD IrelandThe national charity, with support groups and informationSamaritans IrelandFree, confidential support, any time, on 116 123⏱️ Timestamps02:54 — Diagnosed at thirty-two, and the bottlenecks he hit03:38 — “That’s the way I am, that’s the way life is”04:24 — Illness, Joey’s arrival, and Simone going on dialysis07:33 — Drinking to escape, and the day he stopped09:38 — A decade of Simone telling him something was wrong10:05 — The day before she died: “please get help for your ADHD”11:45 — The newspaper article that felt like a tap on the shoulder12:23 — No one called back, so he went to England16:55 — “A diagnosis is not the end point. That’s the turning point.”19:35 — Hearing his son laugh, and feeling peace for the first time21:12 — The stranger outside the hospital who became his business partner40:00 — Advice for young people, and what he thinks life meansThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "Laughter in the Darkest Room." — Dympna Little on carrying grief with humour 01.09.2026 11мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, comedian and content creator Dympna Little shares how humour helped her family carry her mother's terminal illness and final days.She describes laughing together even in the palliative care room, the moment her mother noticed and said "it's lovely," and the voice message her mother recorded that became her legacy. Tender, warm and bittersweet.🔑Key Points• How humour can hold a family together through the hardest time• Why laughter and grief are not opposites• The moment her mother noticed them laughing and said "it's lovely"• The voice message her mother left, and what legacy can look like💛 If you're grieving, be gentle with yourself. There's no right way to do it.🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How Non-Speakers Are Finally Being Heard with Anna Lechleiter #184 27.08.2026 56мин

  Anna Lechleiter works with people who have never been able to speak, and who have spent their lives being treated as though they had nothing to say. She is a Spelling to Communicate practitioner, and her job is to give non-speakers a way to tell the world what has been going on in their heads all along.She explains why speech is a motor problem rather than a thinking one: the words are there, but the brain cannot reliably drive the body that produces them. That distinction changes how non-speaking people are assessed, educated and spoken to, because almost every standard autism assessment measures motor control and reports the result as intelligence.Anna talks Laura through what happens in a session, from stencil boards to a keyboard, and tells the story that changed her mind completely: a young man called Caoimh, a letter board, and a freezing afternoon when he spelled out that he hoped it would snow. The last stretch belongs to the spellers themselves, as Anna reads the words of Max, Caoimh and Megha in their own language.🔑 Key PointsNon-speaking is a motor problem, not a thinking oneThe words are there. The difficulty is the brain reliably getting the body to produce them, which Anna describes as a brain-body disconnect rather than an absence of understanding.Spelling to Communicate moves communication out of the fine motorSpeech, writing, texting and sign language all depend on fine motor control, so S2C uses the gross motor instead: a pointing motion towards letters on a board.Assessments measure motor control and report it as intelligenceBecause the tests need reliable motor responses, people who cannot produce them are recorded as profoundly intellectually disabled, and that label follows them for life.Most non-speakers can already readText is everywhere, on signs, subtitles and packaging, and spellers have usually absorbed far more than anyone assumed. That is why sessions start with age-appropriate material rather than the basics.Progress is built like any other motor skillNew neural pathways are created and then myelinated through repetition, so lessons change every session and words are never spelled twice, keeping the focus on the motor rather than the answer.The spellers make the argument better than anyoneMax, Caoimh and Megha describe apraxia, sensory overwhelm and their own ambitions. Keith's line, that his mind works perfectly but the messages get mixed up on the way to his body, sums up the conversation.📚 ResourcesPALZ (Play and Language Zone) — Anna's hub in Naas, Co. KildareSpelling to Communicate at PALZ — how the method is taught in IrelandI-ASC — the International Association for Spelling as CommunicationElizabeth Vosseller — the speech-language pathologist who developed S2CAsIAm — Ireland's national autism charity, information and support line⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Max's message to the world02:18 — The colleague's brother who suddenly had a voice03:05 — What Spelling to Communicate actually is07:24 — How assessments measure motor and report intelligence09:37 — How many non-speakers there are in Ireland10:10 — Inside a first session at the hub17:21 — Neuroplasticity and building a brand-new motor skill24:50 — Stencils, letter boards and moving to a keyboard36:23 — Anna's ABA background, and why she moved away from it44:01 — Keith, the letter board and "I hope it snows"48:55 — Max, Keith and Megha, in their own words53:54 — Art, an exhibition and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "I'd Climbed the Wrong Mountain." — Dr Paddy Barrett on what health really means 25.08.2026 7мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, preventive cardiologist Dr Paddy Barrett argues that most people chase health without ever defining it — like a blindfolded archer aiming at a target they can't see.He lays out three things actually worth optimising, and tells the story of walking away from the peak of his career when he realised he'd climbed the wrong mountain.🔑Key Points• Why "I want to be healthy" means nothing without a target• The blindfolded archer, and aiming at something you can actually see• Three things worth optimising: how long you live, the quality of those years, and how you spend your time• Why it's never too late to climb back down and start again🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Agony Aunt Confessions, PMDD and Life Off the Timeline with Vicki Notaro #183 20.08.2026 54мин

  Vicki Notaro is back! Her new novel, Anywhere but Here, follows three friends all hovering around 40 and living completely different lives. As Vicki puts it, you can be 40 and you can be a granny, or trying to conceive, or single, or divorced. She and Laura talk about the pressure women feel to have everything sorted by a certain age, and why marriage or a mortgage was never meant to be a finish line.Vicki also gives an honest update on her women's health journey: years of very painful periods, a suspected endometriosis that turned out to be ovarian cysts, a PMDD diagnosis and cyclical depression alongside lifelong anxiety, a coil, surgery, a recurrence, and the oral progesterone that cleared her brain fog within two days.From there the conversation turns to what young people lost when magazines disappeared. Vicki spent four years at Kiss from the age of 22, acting as a "big sis" to teenage readers, and she makes a warm case for edited, expert-checked advice over the "wild wild west of TikTok" — before Laura hands her a pile of anonymous listener confessions to answer.🔑 Key PointsWomen the same age are living completely different lives"You can be 40 and you can be a granny" — Vicki's novel follows three friends around 40 at entirely different stages, something she sees as new in Irish life.Milestones are a beginning, not a finish lineVicki talks about the pressure to have the house, the relationship and possibly a baby sorted by a certain age, and why she has never seen those moments as the end of the story.Writing about being child-free by choice once brought hate mailShe first wrote about not wanting children at 22, when it was still taboo, and was told again and again that she just hadn't met the right man.Years of pain, and a diagnosis that came laterSuspected endometriosis turned out to be ovarian cysts, and a PMDD diagnosis explained the low, cyclical days sitting on top of lifelong anxiety.Hormones can lift brain fog within daysAfter a cyst returned, her consultant added oral progesterone alongside the coil she already had, and Vicki describes her brain fog clearing within two days.Magazines did a job nothing has replaced.At Kiss, Vicki answered readers' questions about periods, spots and first kisses as their "big sis" — advice that was edited, curated and expert-checked.Confessions, answered without judgementLaura hands Vicki anonymous confessions from the Love Your Vulva live show — desire, hygiene, being left out for not having children, Botox and breast reduction — and the answers stay kind throughout.📚 ResourcesAnywhere but HereVicki Notaro's fourth novel, published by PenguinEndometriosisthe condition first suspected behind Vicki's years of period painPeriod problems and PMDDHSE guidance on severe premenstrual symptomsLove Your Vulva LiveLaura's live show, where the anonymous confessions were gathered⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Vicki takes over as host for the summer06:23 — Anywhere but Here: three women, three different lives at 4009:29 — The pressure to have it all sorted by a certain age10:34 — Writing about being child-free at 2213:30 — Kiss magazine and being everyone's "big sis"21:51 — Writer's block in her mother-in-law's spare room24:50 — Painful periods, suspected endometriosis and ovarian cysts25:50 — A PMDD diagnosis and cyclical depression26:39 — Oral progesterone and brain fog lifting in two days28:27 — Listener confessions, answered honestly35:40 — Botox honesty, and why Laura stoppedThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "You're Not a Tree." — Brian Keane on getting unstuck and changing your life 18.08.2026 9мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, fitness coach, author and speaker Brian Keane tells the story of hating his first career as a teacher — and the line from his mum that changed everything.He's honest that reinvention isn't instant (he went broke twice before it worked) and lands on a reframe anyone can use: it's not being stuck that traps you, it's the feeling of being stuck.🔑Key Points• The day Brian knew his first career was the wrong fit• His mum's question: "what would you do for free?"• Why it's the feeling of being stuck, not the situation, that holds you back• How reinvention can take time, including failing along the way🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How to Get Unstuck in Any Area of Your Life with Mark Fennell #182 13.08.2026 1ч 1мин

  What do you do when you feel stuck - in a job you hate, a relationship that has gone flat, or a version of yourself you no longer recognise? Life and business coach Mark Fennell joins Laura for a warm, practical conversation about how people actually get moving again - starting not with a grand plan, but with a single next step.A qualified electrician who began as a youth volunteer worker, Mark shares how coaching became his life's work, and why identity - how you see yourself - sits underneath almost everything. He speaks with real tenderness about the loss he and his wife carried when they were told they couldn't have children, and how they slowly built a genuinely contented life by asking one question: what can we still do that brings us in that direction?From the medical student who became a millionaire painter-decorator to the young carer who believed he would never laugh again, Mark's stories keep returning to the same truths: make the decision, take the action, and be careful what you define yourself as. Along the way, he and Laura take a more realistic look at manifestation, the fluff in the wellness world, and why, in relationships especially, action communicates far more than words.🔑 Key PointsYou don't have to figure out your whole life — just the next stepWhen a young medical student admitted he only knew what he didn't want, Mark's question — when were you last fully content? — led him to painting, and eventually to running a hugely successful painting and decorating business.Identity is the most important vision boardHow you see yourself matters more than any board on the wall — even a Fortune 500 CFO Mark worked with was gripped by imposter syndrome until she saw that her experience, not her credentials, had earned her the role.Contentment can be rebuilt after lossWhen Mark and his wife were told they couldn't have children, they refused to let it ruin their lives — and by taking small steps towards contentment, without putting a time on it, they reached a place with no void.Take manifestation with a pinch of saltWhat you focus on shapes what you notice, but thinking without action is dead — and the most important thing to manifest isn't the bigger house or the best job, it's a content life.Burnout ends where honesty beginsMark collapsed in the gym and was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack — what followed was health anxiety, and a recovery built on balance, movement and refusing to say "I am an anxious person".Action communicates far more than wordsA couple Mark worked with rediscovered each other not through big emotional talks but through a date night — a reminder that relationships, like gardens, need tending before you decide they're done.Be careful what you define yourself asMark learned from his granny, who refused to see herself as a cancer victim, that the labels we accept shape how we live — and, as he reminds young people, nobody is confident all of the time.📚 ResourcesBreakthrough — Mark Fennell's book on moving from stuck to unstoppable, published by GillMark's practical guide to getting unstuck.Mark Fennell — coaching, courses and speakingAlso on Instagram and TikTok.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Introduction02:36 — From electrician and youth worker to coach05:47 — Identity: the most important vision board07:32 — Fertility loss and choosing contentment10:00 — The med student who became a painter-decorator13:07 — Manifestation with a pinch of salt16:46 — How the book Breakthrough came about19:15 — Is contentment actually realistic?20:35 — The fluff in the wellness world23:29 — The young carer who thought he'd never laugh again30:13 — Burnout, the gym collapse and health anxiety39:27 — The date-night story57:32 — Advice for young people and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "It's a Slow Erosion." — Nikki Dwyer on reclaiming yourself after control 11.08.2026 7мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, former lawyer turned businesswoman Nikki Dwyer explains why coercive, narcissistic abuse rarely looks the way people expect — it's a slow erosion of confidence through criticism, gaslighting and isolation.She speaks candidly about how losing nearly everything became the moment she could stop drifting and consciously choose who she wanted to be. It's honest, raw and ultimately hopeful.🔑Key Points• Why abusive relationships rarely look the way people expect from the outside• How criticism, gaslighting and isolation slowly wear down confidence• Why being capable or strong doesn't make you immune• Turning the loss of everything into a chance to choose who you want to be💛 If anything here feels close to home, it's not your fault. In Ireland, Women's Aid (womensaid.ie) offers free, confidential support.🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  A Bariatric Surgeon Explains Weight-Loss Surgery with Dr John Loy #181 06.08.2026 38мин

  This week Laura sits down with Dr John Loy, one of the busiest weight-loss surgeons working between Ireland and the UK. He grew up behind the bar of a family pub in County Down, which he says was the best training in medicine he ever had, before a chance meeting in New York changed how he thinks about the whole job.It's a warm, funny and genuinely eye-opening conversation about obesity as a disease rather than a choice, and about the person on the other side of the desk. John explains why more than half of his patients cry at their first appointment, why he never asks how much weight they've lost, and why the goals that matter are seeing your own child's First Communion from behind the camera — not the number on the scales.He also gives one of the clearest explanations you'll hear of how weight-loss surgery actually works - the gastric balloon, the sleeve and the bypass - why a bypass is like "a free GLP-1 injection every day for life", and why, despite the rise of the weight-loss injections, demand for surgery is climbing rather than falling.🔑 Key PointsObesity is a disease, not a choiceJohn argues it should be treated in stages, like cancer, and that denying people care on a BMI cut-off is simply wrong.A gastric bypass is like "a free GLP-1 injection for life"The surgery isn't just about a smaller stomach; it changes the gut hormones that tell your brain you're full.The weight-loss injections haven't ended surgery — the oppositeMany patients try the injections first, stall or can't afford them, and find a sleeve pays for itself within a few years.Three procedures, three different jobsThe swallowable balloon, the sleeve and the bypass each suit a different stage — John explains who each one is for.Blood sugar settles before the weight comes offDiabetes can resolve within days of surgery, long before any weight is lost — proof of how closely the gut and brain talk.The best consultation starts with "why are you here?"Rather than judging, John asks patients their story — and finds the roots often reach right back to childhood.Non-scale victories are what matterHe never asks how much weight a patient has lost; he asks whether they can finally take their kids to Disney World.A childhood in the pub was the best training he ever hadLearning to talk to people across a bar counter, he says, taught him more about medicine than any exam.📚 ResourcesAuraliaDr John Loy's clinic in Dublin, offering gastric sleeve, bypass and balloon procedures⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Introduction00:50 — The cruise-ship patient who thought it was his last trip04:23 — Why half his patients cry at the first appointment05:20 — Obesity: the last acceptable prejudice06:52 — From a County Tyrone pub to the operating theatre09:29 — The gut-brain link: why blood sugar settles first10:20 — Sleeve, bypass and "a free GLP-1 for life"10:48 — Are the injections ending surgery? The opposite13:47 — The balloon, the sleeve and the bypass explained19:42 — New York and the philosophy of surgery22:52 — Non-scale victories and the surgical-cat tattoo34:34 — Ikigai, travel and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "I Thought I Was Just a Bad Friend." — Keith Walsh on a late ADHD diagnosis 04.08.2026 8мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, broadcaster and mental health advocate Keith Walsh shares what it was like to be diagnosed with ADHD in his late forties — and how going through his son's assessment led to his own.He's honest and funny about what undiagnosed ADHD looked like day to day, the small systems he built to cope, and why a diagnosis can feel like relief rather than a label.🔑Key Points• How going through his son's assessment led to his own diagnosis• The everyday reality of undiagnosed adult ADHD• Why a diagnosis can feel like relief rather than a label• The small systems that helped him cope🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  National Sisters Day | Sisters, Slagging and One Live Revelation #180 30.07.2026 36мин

  Ahead of National Sisters Day on Sunday 2 August, Laura hands the mic to the one guest who has known her longest - her younger sister Rachel, making her podcast debut. What follows is less an interview than a lifetime of shared history: the smear tests they were both booked in for that morning, Laura's abandoned marathon training, the running mishap Rachel has never been allowed to live down, and the commentary only a sister can give.Then, halfway through, Laura mentions something she assumed Rachel already knew - that their dad wasn't there when she was born. He was at home with the other two. Rachel had no idea. What happens next is the reason this one is worth listening to: Laura calls their mother into the studio, live, to confirm it.From there it's the full archive — the crooked teeth and the orthodontist bill that nearly cost their parents the house, the green gabardine Laura convinced her was school uniform, growing up around a mother working night shifts as a midwife, and the football trials Rachel was told she'd have been sent to if she'd been a boy. Underneath the slagging is the thing sisters rarely say out loud, and by the end they both say it.If you have a sister, this is one to send her before Sunday.🔑Key PointsSome family history only surfaces by accidentRachel had never been told her father missed her birth — it came out mid-conversation, not through any big reveal.Ask the person who was actually thereRather than leave it hanging, Laura brought their mother into the room to confirm the story first-hand.Sisters keep the receiptsYears on, the teeth, the gabardine and the running stories are all still admissible evidence.Childhood teasing lands differently in hindsightThe stories that were mortifying at the time are the ones they now tell most fondly.Growing up in an older sister's shadow shapes youHand-me-downs, comparisons and a very particular sense of humour come with the territory.Girls were quietly steered away from sportRachel was told that if she'd been a boy she'd have been sent for trials — a throwaway line that stayed with her.A parent's shift work sets the tone of a houseTheir mother working nights as a midwife shaped how the siblings behaved, argued and looked after each other.Slagging can be its own love languageAs they put it themselves, it was mostly slagging — sprinkled with a lot of love.📚ResourcesCervicalCheckIreland's free cervical screening programmeADHD IrelandSupport and information on adult ADHD⏱️Timestamps01:00 Why this one — National Sisters Day, and Rachel's debut02:10 Both booked in for smear tests on the same morning04:05 Laura's abandoned marathon training — and Rachel's running mishap11:23 "Dad wasn't even there for your birth" — Rachel finds out12:02 Laura calls their mother into the studio to confirm it15:14 A female version of Rod Stewart: the crooked-teeth years16:49 The gabardine that wasn't school uniform19:45 Mark's first day at school — and Laura stepping in24:40 "If you'd been a boy, you'd have been sent to trials"27:00 What having a sister teaches you about conflict34:13 Slagging, sprinkled with a lot of loveThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "Reject the Diet Mentality." — Sinéad Crowe on making peace with food 28.07.2026 7мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, psychiatric nurse and intuitive eating counsellor Sinéad Crowe explains what intuitive eating really is — a way of caring for yourself, not another set of rules.She shares why letting go of the diet mentality comes first, and how making peace with food can quiet years of guilt and reconnect you with your body's own signals.🔑Key Points• What intuitive eating actually means (a self-care framework, not a diet)• Why "rejecting the diet mentality" is the starting point• How making peace with food can ease guilt around eating• Reconnecting with the body's own signals💛 If anything here resonates, you're not alone. In Ireland, Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland (bodywhys.ie), offers support and information.🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Where Violence Comes From with Bob Cullen #179 23.07.2026 1ч 24мин

  Bob Cullen isn't a doctor or a traditional academic — he's a man who spent his early life around violence and addiction, spent years in prison, and has spent the time since trying to understand where that violence actually comes from. Now finishing a master's and preparing to start a PhD, he leads the Success Stories Programme, running workshops with men — including in prisons and on probation — about patriarchy, masculinity and the beliefs that quietly shape how boys become men.In this conversation, Bob and Laura trace violence back to its roots: the way boys are taught that emotion is weakness, how shame and poverty drive harm, and why Bob believes we can't reduce violence against women without understanding masculinity itself. He's honest about the misogyny he still hears from men when no women are around, and clear that shaming men or simply telling them to "talk more" misses how the harm is learned in the first place.The episode also turns inward. Bob speaks openly about the drugs, the self-harm and the years he couldn't look at himself in the mirror, and about the education, meditation and steady relationships that slowly turned things around. It closes on regret, accountability and self-forgiveness — and why, after all the work he's done, he still chooses to hold on to some of the guilt he carries.Please note: this episode discusses violence, prison, abuse, misogyny and suicide, and may be difficult to listen to. Support links are included below.🔑 Key PointsViolence has roots we rarely look atBob argues we'll never reduce violence against women by focusing on it alone — it has to be traced back to patriarchy and how masculinity is formed.Boys learn early that emotion is weaknessFrom "boys don't cry" to the fear of being called weak by friends, boys are taught to suppress feeling and to prove they'll use violence if needed.Shame is one of the biggest drivers of violenceDrawing on James Gilligan's work, Bob links most harm to shame, poverty and exposure to violence, and notes people are usually victims before they become perpetrators.Misogyny didn't start with social mediaHe traces how men talk about women when none are around back through history, rather than blaming figures like Andrew Tate alone."Just get men talking" isn't enoughBob explains why shaming men or telling them to open up misses how the harm is learned, and why his work is built on accountability and community instead.Change came through education and connectionGetting clean in prison, meditation, journaling and a teacher named Andrea opened a path into study, feminism and the Success Stories work he now leads.Accountability over easy self-forgivenessBob speaks honestly about the guilt he still carries, and why he chooses to hold it: not to punish himself, but as a reminder of who he doesn't want to become.📚 ResourcesViolence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes — James GilliganOn shame, poverty and the roots of violence.The Will to Change — bell hooksOn men, masculinity and love.The Patriarchs — Angela SainiHow patriarchy took hold.Success Stories ProgrammeThe anti-patriarchy, anti-violence programme Bob runs with men.Samaritans IrelandFree 24/7 on 116 123.PietaFree 24/7 crisis support on 1800 247 247.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Introduction and the Success Stories Program03:52 — Patriarchy, domination and masculinity06:34 — Why focusing only on violence against women falls short09:56 — "Boys don't cry" and the fear of weakness12:45 — Shame, poverty and the roots of violence13:40 — Misogyny's long history, from Pandora to Descartes27:40 — Why "men just need to talk" isn't enough32:56 — Victims before perpetrators41:30 — Accountability, integrity and community50:00 — Drugs, self-harm and going to prison63:00 — The teacher who changed everything79:23 — Regret, accountability and self-forgivenessThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "We've Demonised Average." — Dr Coleman Noctor on why we're all so anxious 21.07.2026 10мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, child and adolescent psychotherapist Dr Coleman Noctor explains why so many of us feel anxious and "behind," even when life is objectively fine.He shows how the gap between expectation and reality fuels anxiety, why chasing "exceptional" leaves us discontent, and how aiming for his "four to seven zone" can bring us back to balance.🔑Key Points• Why anxiety often lives in the gap between expectation and reality• How "demonising average" sets most of us up to feel like we're failing• Why happiness is a passing moment, not a permanent state• The "four to seven zone" as a practical way to aim for balance🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Nobody Tells You How Hard Motherhood Is with Becca Maberly #178 16.07.2026 44мин

  Becca Maberly did everything "right." An A-grade student with an obstetrician father, she got to the hospital, had her baby with no pain relief, and was home for lunch - certain she was going to be brilliant at motherhood. Then the postnatal period arrived, and she went, in her words, straight to the bottom of the class.In this honest, funny and disarming conversation, Becca and Laura pull apart the gap between what we're told motherhood will feel like and what it can actually be. Becca talks about feeling like an unnatural mother, the loneliness of the long hours in between, and the maternal rage that surges from nought to a hundred over spilled milk. She shares the day she asked her GP for help and was sent to a psychiatric unit, only to be handed a leaflet and told to count to ten.She also names something few people hear about: D-MER, or dysphoric milk ejection reflex - the wave of crushing sadness that hit her at every let-down, which she only understood years later. The conversation moves on through renegotiating a relationship after a baby, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that nearly went unnoticed, and why Becca now believes the meaning of life is simply finding your own balance. It's a reminder that if you're not loving every moment, you're not failing - and you're far from alone.🔑 Key PointsFrom A-grade student to the bottom of the classBecca sailed through pregnancy and birth, then found the postnatal period the hardest thing she'd ever done — and the mismatch between expectation and reality floored her."Enjoy every moment" can do real harmBeing told to treasure a stage you are quietly struggling through can leave mothers feeling ashamed and isolated rather than supported.Not bonding straight away is more common than we admitBecca loved her son but didn't feel the instant, overwhelming rush she'd been promised — and says a baby can feel like a stranger for a long time.D-MER is real and rarely talked aboutDysphoric milk ejection reflex brought a homesick, crushing sadness at every let-down; naming it, years later, changed how she understood it.Maternal rage often comes from feeling unsupportedThe nought-to-a-hundred surge over something tiny is frequently about exhaustion, unmet expectations and carrying too much alone.Asking for help doesn't always get the right responseWhen Becca told her GP she was angry and shouting, she was sent to a psychiatric unit and handed a CBT leaflet — a reminder of how far perinatal support still has to go.Talking openly is its own kind of therapyRanting honestly online led Becca to realise she wasn't the only one — and connecting with other women became the support she couldn't find elsewhere.Honesty is the most useful thing we can offer new parentsNot to frighten anyone, but to sit somewhere between "you'll be great" and "this could be the hardest thing you ever do" — the truth is usually in between.📚 ResourcesA Mother PlaceBecca's platform for honest, unfiltered motherhoodPostnatal Depression (HSE)HSE information and supportTalk Therapy (HSE)Talk therapy and counselling options⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Intro01:51 — From A-grade student to the bottom of the class04:00 — Calling BS on "enjoy every moment"04:52 — The feeding nobody warns you about09:31 — Loneliness and the hours in between11:58 — The GP, a psychiatric unit and a CBT leaflet15:13 — D-MER: the sadness that comes with let-down19:19 — Maternal rage and the spilled-milk surge22:16 — When your baby feels like a stranger24:02 — Renegotiating the relationship after a baby37:11 — Her book, and a ruptured ectopic pregnancy42:28 — The meaning of life is balanceThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Bitesize Moment: "Entertained, Not Educated." — Jennifer Rock on spotting advice you can trust 14.07.2026 5мин

  In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, skin expert and Skin Nerd founder Jennifer Rock explains why so much health and skincare advice online is built to entertain rather than educate — and how to tell the difference.She makes a straight-talking case for checking qualifications, standards and the source behind any advice before you act on it, so the next viral "must buy" doesn't catch you out.🔑Key Points• Why qualifications and standards matter in skincare and health• How social media is designed to entertain, not educate• Why you should always check the source of your advice• A simple filter for viral trends and "must buy" claims🎧 Listen to the full episode here.Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Darragh Connolly | Penis Pumps, Prostate Health and Sex After Surgery #177 09.07.2026 1ч 5мин

  Laura sits down with community pharmacist Darragh Connolly, who has built a men's health service — Men's Health Downunder — around something most clinics rush past: helping men get their sexual function back after prostate surgery. It's a candid, frequently very funny conversation about a subject usually wrapped in silence and shame.Darragh explains the male anatomy in plain (and memorable) terms, why nightly "micro-erections" keep the penis healthy, and what actually changes after a prostatectomy. He walks through how a penis pump works, what constriction rings are for, and why this isn't only for men who've had cancer surgery — smoking, diabetes, spinal injury, certain medicines and simply getting older can all play a part.Running through all of it is a hopeful message: a prostate diagnosis or surgery is not the end of sex, intimacy is far more than penetration, and men well into their 80s can still enjoy a full sex life. Darragh also makes the case for meeting men's sexual health at the pharmacy counter, not only the consultant's clinic.🔑 Key PointsSexual health is health — and still tabooThere's deep shame and silence around men's genitals and sexual function, and Darragh's whole approach is to demystify it, often with humour, so men actually seek help.Micro-erections keep the penis healthyMen have around five micro-erections a night that bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the tissue; without them it's "use it or lose it", and the penis can shrink and lose function.Erectile dysfunction has many causes, not just prostate surgeryAgeing, smoking, diabetes, lower-back trauma, spinal injury and some medications can all affect erectile function.How a penis pump actually worksUsed for five to ten minutes a day, it draws blood into the penis like training a muscle, improving vascular and nerve health over time.Constriction rings let men maintain an erection for sexPaired with the pump, a constriction ring traps blood to hold an erection for penetrative sex — but should never be left on more than six to eight minutes.A prostate diagnosis is not the end of sexWith the right tools, men who hadn't had an erection in months or years can have penetrative sex again — and intimacy is always more than penetration.Know the warning signs of prostate troubleDribbling, a weak stream, going more often (especially at night) and "stage fright" can point to an enlarged prostate; Movember is a good place to learn the signs.📚 ResourcesMen's Health Downunder Darragh Connolly's Irish men's health service and the surgical-grade penis pumps discussedMovemberthe men's health charity Darragh recommends for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male suicide awareness⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome and sponsor01:36 — Why a pharmacist is talking about men's health03:24 — How Darragh got into men's health04:32 — What a prostatectomy actually involves07:28 — Male anatomy explained simply13:48 — Micro-erections and "use it or lose it"20:55 — How a penis pump works24:31 — Constriction rings and maintaining an erection38:33 — The prostate and its warning signs52:44 — How Viagra and Cialis were discovered57:00 — Low-dose Cialis, the pump and the post-surgery "void"1:01:24 — Couples, intimacy and a hopeful noteThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.