Dr Katriona O' Sullivan is an academic and best-selling author of 'Poor' which is the story of her life growing up in extreme poverty as the child of two heroin addicts and how she survived abuse, neglect and became pregnant and homeless at fifteen before finding an access course in her twenties at Trinity College that changed her life.

We talk about:

- The gruesome reality of poverty, growing up witnessing her parents injecting and overdosing and never knowing when the next meal was coming and never celebrating Christmas

- Suffering abuse when her father went to prison and her mother was forced into prostitution

- Becoming pregnant and homeless at fifteen and the loneliness of living in a hostel with her son without support

- How the kindness of people, especially some teachers can be transformative to children in her situation

- How a chance meeting with a friend led her to the access course at Trinity College that changed her life

- Getting a First Class degree and being presented her Doctorate by Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland

- Why we all need to use what privilege we have to help others in society

Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan is an extraordinary woman but says herself, she is an anomaly and so many others in her situation cannot break the cycle of poverty which is why she has written her story to show that it's crucial to have more services in place to support people in similar situations.

Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan is a married mother of three and her family and close relationships are her definition of success after what she missed out on when she was young. She has also been hugely successful in her career as a Psychologist and Senior Lecturer at Maynooth University and she also devotes her time to promoting and creating policies around access to education. Dr. Katriona was also a research fellow of Trinity College and Oxford and she has spoken at the UN to tell her story.

Everyone should read her book - it is an amazing read!

Follow Dr. Katriona

@katriona_osullivan

Our guest this week is Audrey Dore Geraghty who has bravely spoken out about her family's daily struggle to get the right care, respite and medication for her nine year-old son who has Autism and several mental health conditions which mean his care needs are significant and becoming unmanageable at home. We talk about:

- When her son was first diagnosed and how his behaviour has escalated and become more violent

- Why Audrey was forced to go to Spain for her son's treatment

- How she has been failed by the country's leaders and Camhs, the Children & Adolescent Mental Health Service in Ireland and other health services

- Why having a broad definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder can be problematic

- The impact of managing her son's care on her other children and her marriage

- Audrey's hopes and fears for her son's future

Audrey and her husband are based in county Wexford and have two other children aged seven and nearly one. They are both dentists by profession and Audrey heads up a Cosmetic and Orthodontic department on a part-time basis when she is not caring for her son, as she and her husband share the care between them. We really admire Audrey's strength and fight in what is an unbearably hard situation for her and many families in a similar situation and we hope that by sharing these experiences, there will be change.

Follow Audrey:

@audz83dg

Our guest on What A Woman podcast today is the stunning and stylish Lorraine Keane, one of Ireland’s best known and loved broadcasters, famous for being a correspondent for TV3 for over a decade and as an anchor on one of Ireland's most popular daytime shows, Xpose. We talk about:

- Why Lorraine was one of the first celebrities to talk about the menopause

- How Lorraine got her big break into broadcasting

- Why she stepped away from her dream job

- Her terrifying experience of having a stalker

- What's made her successful

- Why she's enjoying her career in her 50's

Lorraine is also a founder of Fashion Relief which has raised over a million euros for Oxfam; she is a podcaster and a regular presenter on The Today Show. She also starred in Girls Night Out the Musical and was one of the first well known women to talk about her experience of the menopause.

Follow Lorraine:

@lorrainekeaneofficial

@fashionreliefbci

Photo: Cleanmarine

Our guest today on What A Woman Podcast is one of Ireland’s biggest comedy stars, the hilarious Deirdre O' Kane who is currently selling out venues across Ireland with her latest show 'O' Kaning It'. We talk about:

- Why a bit of family dysfunction is good for comedy

- Deirdre's big break as an actress

- Why she switched lanes into comedy

- Being the only female comic in the line-up for years

- Coping with her husband's cancer diagnosis

- Why she's enjoying her career in her 50's more than ever before

Deirdre has also been an actor on stage & screen and many will know her from her brilliant role as Christina Noble, the children’s rights campaigner, in the 2014 biopic 'Noble'. Deirdre has also hosted her own show, she co-founded Comic Relief in Ireland and she co-hosts the popular podcast, 'Keeping it Tight' with fellow comedian Emma Doran.

Follow Deirdre:

@deirdreokane123

www.deirdreokane.net

Photo: The Irish Sun

Our guest today on What A Woman Podcast is Debbie Dillon, an amazing mum to four daughters, one of whom was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. We talk about:

- Receiving the news her newborn daughter had Down syndrome

- Her initial fears and coming to terms with the diagnosis

- How Debbie coped in the early months

- Finding support & advice from parents in the same situation

- Why mainstream primary school has worked out well for her daughter

- Her hopes and fears for her daughter's future

- The experience of siblings

- What people misunderstand about Down syndrome

- Her advice for other parents receiving a diagnosis

Debbie is a very dedicated mum to her daughters and has also had a successful career as a senior structural engineer. She is also an advocate for her daughter and the Down syndrome community so she has been a huge inspiration to us.

Our guest on What A Woman Podcast today is the highly accomplished open water swimmer, adventurer and Guinness World Record holder, Nuala Moore. We talk about:

- being the first swimmer in the world to swim a mile in the most dangerous convergence of oceans through the Drake Passage

- how she survives the cold after being the first Irish swimmer to swim 1000 metres at zero degrees (and the third woman in the world to do so!)

- Taking part in the most dangerous open water relay swim in the world across the Bering Strait

- Being part of the only team in history to circumnavigate Ireland by swimming and how on earth they did it!

- Holding her nerve during a shark experiment and looking a shark in the eye!

- Growing up in a fishing family and the benefits of being able to take risks as a young child

Nuala is also a professional scuba diving instructor, an educator, mentor, coach, event organiser, motivational speaker and author of the amazing book which documents all these adventures called 'Limitless'. It is an astonishing account of her adventures and her phenomenal achievements.

Follow Nuala

@numooreswim

Our guest today on What A Woman Podcast is the phenomenal Ali Keane, who is a restauranteur, entrepreneur and mum of two who has overcome some significant challenges in life after surviving a car accident when she was twenty, which left her with life changing injuries.

We talk about:

- The car accident that changed Ali's life

- The journey of rehabilitation

- Life with a wheelchair and rediscovering her independence

- Becoming a mum

- Her love of food and exciting plans to open a vegetarian cafe in Tralee, Country Kerry

Follow Ali

@alikeane

guest today on What A Woman Podcast is Helen Steele, the award winning Irish fashion designer & entrepreneur with a hugely popular X collection of Active Wear at Dunnes Stores, featuring her signature style of funky bold prints that are comfortable, super quality and affordable too.

We talk about

- The challenges of growing up with ADHD but not having a diagnosis till her 30's

- How Helen looks at ADHD as a superpower

- Having an eating disorder and low self-esteem

- How Helen got through her divorce, business troubles & being a single mum and has maintained her success

- How Helen's collaboration with Dunnes Stores came about and why designing for every shape & size is important

- Dating after divorce and embracing ageing

Follow Helen:

www.helensteele.com

@helensteelefash