17. Learning to Stop: Vanessa Ogbonna on Chronic Illness, Identity & Life After Professional Football

Your winter wellness reset starts here! As the clocks go back and the colder, darker days arrive, it's the perfect opportunity to rethink the small habits that help us feel our best. In this solo episode of The Wellness Script, pharmacist Lauren O'Reilly shares her practical guide to preparing for winter, from protecting your skin barrier and looking after your eyes to supporting your immune health and getting your medicine cabinet ready. Lauren also shares a recent discovery from her own dry-eye assessment that completely changed how she thinks about eye health, plus the everyday habits she's introducing to make staying well that little bit easier. Key takeaways: Your Winter Arc: How to use the colder months as an opportunity to build realistic, sustainable habits without the pressure of completely overhauling your routine.

Is rocking your baby to sleep creating a bad habit? Should your baby be sleeping through the night by now? And is sleep training really necessary? Baby and toddler sleep can be one of the most overwhelming parts of early parenthood, particularly when you're navigating conflicting advice, sleepless nights and the pressure to get everything "right". This week on The Wellness Script, pharmacist Lauren O'Reilly is joined by Amy Corrigan, certified baby and toddler sleep consultant, mum of two and founder of BROODE, to unpack what's actually normal when it comes to children's sleep. From newborn wake windows and sleep associations to sleep training, night waking, regressions and toddler bedtime battles, Amy shares practical advice to help parents understand their child's individual sleep needs, from baby to toddler right up to starting school. We also explore the judgement surrounding different parenting choices, why no single sleep method works for every family, the importance of safe sleep guidance, and when disrupted sleep might warrant a closer medical look. And importantly, we talk about the parents too, because sleep deprivation, guilt and the mental load of early parenthood deserve just as much attention. Whether you're expecting your first baby, navigating broken nights with a newborn or struggling with a toddler who refuses to stay in bed, this conversation is here to offer reassurance, perspective and practical support. Our Sponsor This episode is proudly sponsored by Elave Skincare, gentle, fragrance-free skincare made in Ireland for sensitive skin. Explore the range at https://elaveskincare.com/ and use the exclusive code WELLNESS for 20% off your order.

What if the things we buy to make life feel better are actually adding to the overwhelm? This week, host & pharmacist Lauren O’Reilly is joined by sustainability expert Pat Kane for an honest conversation about buying more, wanting more, and what all that consumption costs us - financially, environmentally and in the mental load of managing everything we own. From retail therapy and beauty advent calendars to fashion trends and the pressure to make Christmas magical, we explore why it’s so easy to buy things we don’t really need, and how to pause before another purchase becomes another thing to look after. Pat shares her approach to second-hand shopping, thoughtful gifting and making her wardrobe pay for itself. We also take the conversation beyond shopping, discussing our appetite for information, our growing reliance on AI, and why Pat puts offline time in her calendar and treats it as a commitment. A practical conversation about enjoying what you love, recognising when you have enough, and making room for the things that actually add value to your life. Our Sponsor The Wellness Script Season 4 is brought to you by Elave Skincare - iconic Irish skincare, made in Ireland since 1934 and created with sensitive skin in mind. Exclusive listener discount: Use code WELLNESS for 20% off at elaveskincare.com

Why do we keep repeating patterns we know aren’t serving us - even when we’re completely aware we’re doing it? In this episode of The Wellness Script, host & Pharmacist Lauren O'Reilly is joined by Ireland's only Self-Belief and People Pleasing Coach, Aisling Kennedy for a conversation about people pleasing, self-belief, confidence, self-trust and the patterns that quietly influence how we make decisions and show up in our lives. Aisling shares her own journey from seeking external validation and struggling with people pleasing to changing the way she approached her career, relationships and sense of self. Together, Lauren and Aisling explore why simply knowing that you people please, overthink or self-sabotage often isn’t enough - and what you can actually do next. They discuss the difference between confidence, self-worth and self-belief; why we can mistake fitting in for belonging; how journaling and voice notes can help us process our thoughts; and Aisling’s practical 4 Rs framework — Rewire, Repeat, Reward and Reflect — for creating lasting behavioural change. They also explore manifestation, the stories we repeatedly tell ourselves, boundaries, fear of other people’s opinions and why small acts of doing things differently can gradually build evidence that you can trust yourself. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking “I know I do this… but how do I actually stop?”, this episode is for you. The Wellness Script Season 4 is proudly sponsored by Elave Skincare - iconic Irish skincare, made in Ireland since 1934 and created with sensitive skin in mind. EXCLUSIVE LISTENER OFFER: Use code WELLNESS for 20% off at the elaveskincare.com In this episode, Lauren and Aisling discuss: What people pleasing actually looks like - beyond simply saying yes when you want to say no

In this episode of The Wellness Script, host & Pharmacist Lauren O’Reilly sits down with the questions listeners have been sending in for a special Episode 30 Ask Me Anything. From creatine and magnesium to electrolytes, multivitamins and red meat, Lauren takes a pharmacist’s lens to some of the health and supplement conversations that have become increasingly difficult to navigate. Is creatine genuinely worth taking? Does magnesium actually improve sleep? Do you need electrolytes every time you exercise? Is a daily multivitamin helping you live longer? And what does the evidence really say about red meat, processed meat and bowel cancer risk? Lauren also shares the simple checklist she uses when assessing supplements: what are you taking it for, what does the evidence actually support, is the dose appropriate, could you be duplicating ingredients, and could it interact with medication? This is an episode about moving away from all-or-nothing health advice and learning how to make informed decisions with a little more context, scepticism and nuance. For general education only; always seek individual advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.