Show Notes
In this episode of How's Your Ma, hosts Orla and Leanne welcome Gillian, one of Leanne's childhood best friends, for an honest and often emotional conversation spanning growing up in Dublin's inner city, class and community, resilience, love, and loss. Gillian reflects on being raised on Sean McDermott Street — a historic, tight-knit but disadvantaged community — and shares difficult experiences of harassment and assault she endured as a child and teenager, and how those experiences shaped her self-esteem into adulthood. The conversation shifts to lighter, joyful territory as she recounts meeting her husband Robert, a Romanian immigrant, in the late 1990s, their whirlwind romance, and the challenges they faced as a mixed-nationality couple navigating immigration bureaucracy and cultural stigma. Gillian also opens up about the sudden loss of her father in 2018 — the same week her father-in-law passed away in Romania — and how that loss became the catalyst for her decision to go back to college in her 40s and retrain as a secondary school teacher. The episode closes with reflections on motherhood, female friendship, and powerful advice for young people who've faced similar experiences of harassment or hardship. Content note: This episode includes candid discussion of childhood sexual harassment and assault. Listener discretion advised. Timecodes 00:00 – Welcome & introducing guest Gillian 00:29 – Gillian's background: growing up on Sean McDermott Street, family of six 00:50 – Gillian's own kids, becoming a grandmother 01:57 – History of the area — "the Monto" and its red-light district legacy 02:41 – Legacy of poverty, deprivation, and addiction in the community 03:09 – Comparing poverty then vs. now; economic vs. social disadvantage 04:08 – Growing up without "hunger," but recognizing systemic disadvantage 05:08 – Lack of access to education and college as a kid 06:30 – Reflecting on privilege and economic differences between the two friends 07:04 – (Content note: harassment/assault) First childhood incident of indecent exposure 08:02 – Second and third incidents in the same laneway 09:04 – Discussion of lack of child protection responses at the time 10:32 – A stranger's attempted abduction near her nan's flat 12:09 – How repeated incidents shaped her self-esteem and sense of shame 12:50 – Harassment continuing into her teenage years 14:09 – Her mother confronting a harasser 15:07 – Going to teen discos and nightlife as a young teenager 16:45 – Moving on to bars and clubs as a young adult 17:00 – A violent groping incident in a nightclub at 16–17 18:42 – Bystander apathy and normalized harassment in the 90s 19:36 – Internalized shame and how it affected her self-image for years 20:39 – Rebuilding confidence — "nobody would mess with me now" 21:00 – Meeting Robert, the love of her life 22:08 – Their first meeting on a night out 24:13 – The language barrier and early courtship 25:01 – "Fated" repeated run-ins around Dublin 26:14 – Hiding the relationship from her family at first 27:09 – Falling seriously in love; getting married secretly 29:49 – Immigration interviews and scrutiny over the marriage 31:03 – Discovering Robert's family's religious background 31:15 – Telling her parents about the marriage after the fact 32:04 – Her father's precautions before her trip to Romania 33:09 – Robert's family life and background in Romania 34:01 – Stigma on both sides of the relationship 34:13 – 26 years of marriage and raising three sons 35:19 – Comparing family upbringings — Gillian's vs. Leanne's households 37:03 – Childhood hustling and earning money young 38:10 – Family holidays and shared childhood memories 39:34 – Reflecting on how the neighborhood has changed over the years 41:16 – Her father's quiet generosity within the community 42:20 – Her father's cancer diagnosis and rapid decline 43:12 – The devastating week both her father and father-in-law were dying simultaneously 44:22 – The impossible choice she gave her sons 45:41 – Se
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This week we’re joined by Laura, owner of With Love and Dreams and a self-taught preservation artist. Laura turns wedding and funeral flowers, ashes, hair, clothing and breast milk into resin keepsakes and jewellery, and has become one of the people grieving families in Ireland trust with their most precious things. She tells us how a lockdown resin kit became an award-winning business. She also shares the story of how she practised with ashes before her first real piece, and it involves the family dog, a heatwave and a lot of ashtrays. Laura talks about leaving a job where she was bullied, what it’s like to hold space for people on the worst days of their lives, the year she lost five family members in under six months, and why she won’t hand the personal side of her work to anyone else. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro: meet Laura from With Love and Dreams 01:10 What a preservation artist does 02:00 From lockdown hobby to self-taught resin artist 03:28 Her first ever ashes piece 04:35 Tyson the boxer and the great ashtray hunt 08:26 Working with grief and keeping it together for clients 11:36 Loving the work, and leaving a job over bullying 15:30 Starting out alone and finding her networking group 21:00 Creative childhood, Billie Barry and the Bugsy Malone audition 23:48 What is resin, and why it takes so long 25:42 How you choose your keepsake piece 27:18 Why flower preservation can take up to nine months 28:13 Why she’s staying a one-woman business 32:12 From the front room to her own studio 35:04 Preserving clothes, fabrics and baby shoes 36:12 Pricing and keeping it affordable 37:16 A new jewellery collaboration coming soon 38:09 The weirdest things she’s been asked to preserve 40:23 Award wins and nominations 43:45 Her hardest time in business 48:28 Her highest high: the new studio, windows and all 50:50 Did she ever see herself as an entrepreneur? 54:19 Advice for young women thinking of taking the leap 56:43 Running a business means you never switch off 58:09 Well-known clients and the order that never arrived 59:50 Alan’s dog walking and pet taxi business 01:01:50 Wrap-up
This week on How's Your Ma, we're joined by Amy Miller — Hippy Hun, one of Dublin's most recognisable DJs. Amy takes us through her life growing up in the flats, coming out as gay, finding her identity, becoming a DJ and going from practicing on decks in the flats to playing Electric Picnic and gigs in Australia. We also chat about how Dublin's nightlife and drug scene has changed, why Amy stepped away from DJing every weekend, becoming a mum, her relationship, her lifelong friendship with her best friend and the spiritual journey that led to the Hippy Hun we know today. It's funny, honest, chaotic and full of Dublin stories. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Meet Amy Miller aka Hippy Hun 01:01 – Why Amy stepped away from the DJ scene 02:11 – Amy's experience on TV 03:21 – Growing up in the flats 03:42 – Coming out as gay 04:28 – Being a tomboy and fighting back 05:32 – Coming out to her friends 06:11 – Growing up with a single mum 07:21 – Looking back on childhood 08:15 – Music as Amy's escape 09:01 – How Amy started DJing 09:44 – Amy's first DJ gig 10:06 – From empty dance floors to Electric Picnic 10:59 – DJing in Australia 11:23 – Manifesting her dream gig 12:06 – How Dublin's nightlife has changed 12:52 – The changing drug scene 14:19 – Drugs, danger and modern nightlife 16:32 – Drug use in Dublin today 17:16 – Addiction and recovery 18:05 – The clubs Dublin has lost 19:17 – Where can older people go out now? 20:00 – Bringing back the old-school party 21:17 – The death of Dublin's free festivals 22:02 – Why Amy wants to DJ again 23:19 – Why she took a break from DJing 24:24 – How Amy met her partner 25:39 – When Amy finally met her 26:23 – Their first kiss 27:31 – Becoming a mum 28:23 – “She'll heal me” 29:27 – The Dublin accent 30:08 – Growing into yourself 31:13 – Amy's lifelong best friend 32:14 – Hangovers aren't what they used to be 33:19 – Can you still enjoy a night out without drinking? 34:19 – Finding her own style 35:34 – How Amy became Hippy Hun 35:58 – Spirituality, 11:11 & her nanny 36:18 – Tattoos, dreads and finding herself 37:18 – Learning not to care what people think 38:04 – Hormones, motherhood & mental health 40:24 – Life as a mum 41:49 – Advice for new mums 42:28 – The reality of parenthood 43:51 – Balancing family and work 45:41 – What does the future look like? 46:22 – Manifestation, faith & karma 48:07 – Getting back behind the decks 48:44 – Travel plans & family holidays 49:25 – Amy's dream of owning a mobile home 50:20 – Childhood holiday memories 51:41 – Stories from growing up in Dublin How's Your Ma brings real people into the room for honest, funny and sometimes chaotic conversations about life. If you enjoyed the episode, like, subscribe and share. #HowsYourMa #AmyMiller #HippyHun #IrishPodcast #Dublin #DublinDJ #ElectricPicnic #IrishDJ #Motherhood #LGBTQ
In this powerful episode of How's Your Ma, we sit down with Callie and her mum Bella as they openly share their experiences with addiction, alcohol, drugs, homelessness, toxic relationships and recovery. Their stories are deeply connected, but both women had to find their own way out of addiction. Bella speaks about years of alcohol addiction, how it affected her family and the moment she finally realised she needed help. Callie shares her experience with addiction, abusive relationships, homelessness and becoming a mother while struggling with substance abuse. Most importantly, they talk about what happened after recovery — rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their relationship with each other, and breaking the cycle for the next generation. This is an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, family, trauma, recovery and finding yourself again. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Callie & Bella 01:11 – Callie opens up about addiction 02:29 – Drinking from a young age 04:07 – Callie's addiction gets worse 05:34 – Becoming a young mother 08:47 – Bella's story begins 10:35 – Moving to Tallaght and starting a family 11:45 – Bella's relationship with alcohol 13:07 – “I wanted to die” 14:35 – The moment everything started to change 16:17 – The friend who was one year sober 18:19 – Bella decides to go to AA 20:47 – When drinking became antisocial 22:15 – Trying to hide addiction from the kids 23:42 – Trying to control drinking 25:14 – Drinking, money and addiction 26:05 – Callie's journey into recovery 27:44 – Addiction, pregnancy and motherhood 28:30 – Homelessness and drinking 30:00 – Living in a family hub 31:35 – Choosing sobriety 32:22 – Toxic relationships and abuse 34:08 – Leaving addiction and rebuilding her life 34:47 – Two years sober and a new relationship 35:30 – Mother and daughter finally reconnect 36:29 – Breaking the family cycle 39:00 – Addiction affects the whole family 40:13 – When drinking takes over your life 41:12 – The financial impact of addiction 43:17 – Losing friends and finding new ones 45:08 – Getting professional help 47:18 – Finding yourself in recovery 48:30 – New friendships and healthy relationships 49:13 – The importance of sponsors 50:37 – What does the future look like? 51:01 – Discovering a new passion 53:06 – Finding a career later in life 55:21 – Callie's future after recovery 57:19 – “What if I can?” 57:46 – Breaking the cycle 58:13 – Final thoughts & seven years of recovery How's Your Ma brings real people into the room to tell their stories, in their own words. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. #HowsYourMa #AddictionRecovery #Recovery #Sobriety #IrishPodcast #MentalHealth #Addiction #Family #MotherAndDaughter
In Episode 23 of How's Your Ma?, we’re joined by Emma and Bala, two social workers originally from India who now live and work in Dublin. They share their experiences of moving to Ireland, finding their feet in a completely different country, building friendships, dealing with the cost of living and working in social care. We also get into their lives back in India, growing up in close-knit families and communities, education, migration, arranged marriage and how their experiences growing up shaped the people they are today. Emma and Bala also talk about the kindness they've experienced since arriving in Ireland, the importance of paying that kindness forward, and what the future might look like for them. A fascinating conversation about family, culture, migration, social work and finding your place in a new country. Timestamps: 00:00 – Meet Emma & Bala 01:04 – Finding their feet in Ireland 02:12 – Growing up in India and moving abroad 03:42 – Emma's journey to Ireland 05:19 – Why Dublin? 06:31 – Experiences of kindness and discrimination 08:16 – The challenges of starting over in Ireland 09:04 – Similarities between Irish and Indian culture 09:51 – Bala's arranged marriage 11:12 – How arranged marriage works today 13:20 – Meeting a potential partner 15:14 – Finding the right person 17:25 – The "Tinder" of arranged marriage 18:12 – What happens on a matrimonial website? 19:12 – What they looked for in a partner 21:00 – Bala's husband and the journey to marriage 23:09 – Long-distance relationships and communication 24:37 – Studying social work in India 25:17 – Getting social work qualifications recognised in Ireland 27:22 – Education in India 30:08 – Learning through practical experience 31:23 – Growing up speaking different languages 33:21 – Migration and the "brain drain" 34:09 – Why professionals leave India 37:09 – Why there are Indians all over the world 38:14 – Sending money home and supporting family 38:59 – The reality of the cost of living in Dublin 40:41 – What they love about social work 41:39 – Why Emma became a social worker 42:57 – Bala's experience of receiving help growing up 44:02 – Paying kindness forward 46:08 – The impact of social work 47:29 – The challenges of social work in Ireland 48:11 – What does the future hold? 49:04 – Could they settle in Ireland? 50:14 – Growing up in big Indian families 52:19 – Life skills learned from living abroad 52:45 – Breaking generational patterns 53:23 – Gender expectations growing up 55:03 – Challenging traditional expectations 56:26 – Family, community and the importance of kindness 57:12 – The legacy of people who helped them 59:05 – Family back home in India 01:00:36 – The importance of family 01:02:41 – Final thoughts
This week on the How’s Your Ma Podcast, Leanne and Orla are joined by Jack Swift for a very open and honest chat about growing up, finding confidence, social media, self-expression, friendships and learning to be comfortable with who you are. Jack talks about his experience growing up in Dublin, dealing with bullying, coming out, becoming known on TikTok and the reality of putting your life online. They also chat about confidence, accepting compliments, relationships, doing things on your own and why you shouldn’t feel pressured to have your life figured out by a certain age. There’s plenty of laughs along the way too, including some very honest conversations about fashion, cinema, dating and what the future might look like. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Welcome to How’s Your Ma Podcast 01:40 - Jack’s upbringing and family 03:27 - Bullying, coming out and finding himself 05:20 - Family support and dealing with online comments 06:00 - Discrimination and being judged for sexuality 08:44 - Finding confidence through fashion and self-expression 12:08 - Learning from mistakes and growing through your 20s 14:54 - The reality of putting your life on social media 16:58 - Mental health, online criticism and alcohol 21:00 - Jack Swift the person vs Jack Swift the online character 23:34 - Family, education and the importance of kindness 25:36 - Success, jealousy and confidence 27:27 - Harassment, safety and being yourself in public 30:09 - Pride, LGBTQ+ spaces and why they matter 32:22 - Being yourself without needing everyone’s approval 35:21 - How Jack Swift started on TikTok 36:37 - Confidence and learning to acknowledge your achievements 38:10 - You don’t have to please everyone 39:20 - Apologising less and building self-confidence 41:40 - Learning to accept a compliment 45:01 - Your 20s, growing up and doing things in your own time 48:28 - Being your own role model 49:08 - Coming out, friendships and losing people along the way 51:29 - Friendships, relationships and compromise 52:03 - Learning to enjoy your own company 54:42 - Going to the cinema alone and favourite films 57:12 - What does the future hold for Jack? 57:40 - Dating and keeping parts of life private 59:26 - Fashion and possible plans for the future 1:00:00 - Jack reaches 100,000+ TikTok followers 1:01:11 - Learning to be kinder to yourself 1:02:09 - Outro Thanks for watching How’s Your Ma Podcast ❤️ Make sure to like, comment and subscribe for more from Leanne, Orla and their guests. #HowsYourMa #JackSwift #Podcast #IrishPodcast #Ireland #TikTok