Episodes
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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This is not about telling you who to vote for. It is a conversation about motherhood in a place we rarely hear it spoken about.
This week on The Motherload, Dominique sits down with Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats and TD for Cork South West.Holly gave birth to her daughter on polling day in November 2024 and has since returned to one of the most demanding roles in the country, leading her party while navigating early motherhood.In this episode, she shares the reality behind that experience, from birth and postnatal recovery to returning to work and trying to secure childcare in a system under so much pressure.
The conversation also explores the broader challenges facing families in Ireland, including the childcare crisis, women’s healthcare, education, disability supports, SNA’s and what it takes to keep mothers in the workforce.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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Caroline Foran joins Dominique this week for an honest conversation about anxiety, motherhood and learning to let go.
A bestselling author, journalist and podcaster, Caroline has spent years helping people better understand anxiety through practical, grounded advice. In this episode, she opens up about her own experience, from debilitating panic attacks in her twenties to being anxiety free today.
Caroline also shares her journey of raising her son Caelan, who has a PDA profile, and the emotional complexity that comes with parenting a child with individual needs. From school struggles to trusting your instincts as a mother, this is a chat filled with vulnerability, hard-won perspective and practical tools that actually help.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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Standing in front of a jam-packed wardrobe… and still feeling like you have nothing to wear?
In this special live episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique is joined by stylist Courtney Smith, beauty columnist Triona McCarthy and artist Audrey Hamilton to unpack something so many of us have a tough time with… how to get dressed and feel bloody brilliant.
From the “nothing feels right” phase to defaulting to the same safe outfits (see: leggings), this conversation explores how motherhood can shift your sense of identity at any stage, and why style is so much more than fluff.
Listen now and don’t forget to follow us to ensure you get each new episode first.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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Author, maternal mental health advocate and mum of three Tracy Holmes joins Dominique this week for a conversation about motherhood, diagnosis and real resilience.
Tracy is mum to three boys, including twins Harry and Freddie. Shortly after they were born, Freddie was diagnosed with Down syndrome. What followed was one of the most difficult periods of Tracy’s life. With one newborn at home and another still in hospital, she found herself pulled between two worlds, all while she was navigating the shock of diagnosis. The pressure resulted in the quiet collapse of her mental health.
In this episode, Tracy speaks with the most extraordinary honesty about that year. The grief for the life she had imagined, the stigma around admitting struggle as a mother and the moment she realised she needed help. But she also speaks about the love that has grown since. About the bond between her boys, the joy Freddie brings to their lives and the way he has changed how their whole family sees the world.
She speaks about the power of language (Freddie has Down syndrome, he is not a Down syndrome child), and also about the gaps that still exist in Ireland for families raising children with individual needs. Something we both hope conversations like this might help change.
Tracy is extraordinarily strong. But what moved us most was her willingness to show the moments where she wasn’t. We are so grateful to her for sharing her story with us.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare.
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Psychologist, author and mum of three Dr. Clodagh Campbell joins Dominique this week, for one of the most personal conversations of the season.
Dominique and Clodagh share powerful parallels in their lives. Both are adopted. Both lost their beloved fathers too early.
Together they explore how adoption can shape identity across a lifetime and why questions around belonging often become louder once we become parents ourselves.
Clodagh also opens up about her experience with postnatal depression. As a psychologist, she didn’t initially recognise the signs in herself. It arrived slowly and quietly, and by the time she realised what was happening she was already struggling.
The conversation also explores the nervous system, maternal exhaustion, the invisible cognitive load many parents carry and why small moments of awareness can make such a difference in our busy lives.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique sits down with Coleen Rooney for a real conversation about family life.
Coleen opens up about her childhood, the loss of her sister Rosie, her and Wayne’s experience of miscarriage, and occasionally shouting at the boys in McDonalds. She shares the brilliant chaos of raising four boys, the realities of parenting in the public eye, and why family is ultimately so important to her.
This is Coleen Rooney in her own words.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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This week on IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique is joined by Councillor Yemi Adenuga. Broadcaster, community organiser, mother of four and the first Black woman elected to public office in Ireland,
Their conversation covers Yemi’s extraordinary childhood as one of 27 children in Nigeria, her journey to Ireland, the realities of motherhood while building a public life, and the strength it takes to remain open hearted in the face of serious racism.
This is a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, and Yemi’s deep belief that people can change the world around them.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare
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This week on IMAGE The Motherload, beauty editor, content creator and mum of two Triona McCarthy joins Dominique for an honest and often very funny conversation about modern motherhood.
Triona opens up about her ADHD diagnosis and how that shows up in her day-to-day life, the reality of parenting tweens, managing the mental load when your nervous system is already busy, navigating public visibility, and the lasting impact of losing her sister at just 30.
Plus, because she is Triona McCarthy, she shares the beauty and tweakment advice every tired mum needs.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Avoca, Revive Active, Aptamil Advanced and Tigers Childcare. -
In this deeply honest episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique McMullan speaks with award winning podcast host and coach Laura Guckian about the reality behind modern motherhood.
From her psychiatric hospital admission when her first baby was ten months old to her late diagnoses of autism and ADHD, Laura shares the moments that reshaped her life and her mission to support other mothers.
Together they unpack matrescence, maternal mental health, neurodivergent parenting and the practical tools every overwhelmed mum needs.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Revive Active, Avoca and Aptamil Advanced
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In this episode of IMAGE The Motherload, recorded live last November, Dominique McMullan is joined by Tara Rafter, Rosemary MacCabe, Daniella Moyles and Danielle Garner for a down to earth conversation about why so many mums feel depleted and overlooked in their own lives.
They talk honestly about guilt, identity, exhaustion and the pressure to keep going, as well as the small, realistic ways they try to protect their energy and themselves.
If you’ve ever felt like you can’t seem to keep yourself on the priority list, this episode is for you.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Revive Active, Avoca and Aptamil Advanced
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of IMAGE The Motherload, Dominique McMullan is joined by Sonya Lennon for a conversation about what it really takes to create change for women and families in Ireland.
Together, they explore why issues like the childcare crisis and the gender pay gap cannot be solved by asking women to cope better, but by redesigning the systems that created the problems in the first place. As Sonya puts it, “We spend so much time reacting to the damage downstream. Real change comes when we throw the pebble further upstream.”
From workplace equity and flexible working to leadership, money and the invisible mental load carried by mothers, this episode invites listeners to look beyond individual struggle and towards collective responsibility. It’s a potent reminder that change is possible… when we ask better questions and build better systems.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Revive Active, Avoca and Aptamil Advanced
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Recorded live at IMAGE The Motherload’s final event before Christmas, this conversation with Miriam O’Callaghan didn’t go the way host Dominique McDermott expected.
Funny, disarmingly honest and deeply grounded, Miriam reflects on motherhood across decades, parenting adult children, grief, resilience, and what it really means to “just get on with life.” She speaks candidly about the collision of work and family, the importance of her village, and why having something that is just yours (for her, a lifelong career) is so essential for mothers.
This is a conversation about staying true to yourself, even through loss, pressure and change, and why honesty matters more than perfect answers.
IMAGE The Motherload is powered by Peugeot, and sponsored by Liffey Valley, Revive Active, Avoca and Aptamil Advanced
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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