S1 Ep01: Annette Kelly on Confidence, ADHD, Self-Love & Healing

From growing up in a working-class Belfast family to founding Belfast Fashion Week and building a hugely successful career, PR queen Cathy Martin has never been afraid to do things differently. In this episode of Mad About Herself, Cathy takes us right back to where her career began and opens up about raising her daughter as a single mum while running multiple businesses, navigating adult friendships, championing other women and facing the emotional reality of losing her hearing. We talk about ambition, identity, knowing when to walk away and why sometimes the most important thing you can do is stop holding yourself back. An honest, inspiring conversation about finding your voice, backing yourself and making room for the woman you want to become. 🩷 Follow Cathy here:
https://www.instagram.com/cathymartin
https://www.tiktok.com/@cathymartin Follow Alannah here:
https://www.instagram.com/alannahkerrigan_
https://www.tiktok.com/@alannahkerrigan_

This week on Mad About Herself, I'm joined by Myllena O'Keefe, who was born and raised in Brazil before moving to Ireland as a young girl and becoming a mum at just 16. Myllena opens up about finding out she was pregnant so young, the reality of growing up while raising a child of her own, and the teenage years and experiences she missed along the way. We also talk about her relationship with her husband, local musician Jordan O'Keefe, and what it's like being the muse behind his amazing new music. Myllena speaks honestly about one of the most difficult periods of their lives, when they separated, Jordan's struggles with addiction, and the journey they've been on to get to where they are today. We explore the difficult lesson that no matter how much you love somebody, you can't make those changes for them. Myllena also shares her experience of postpartum depression after having her daughter, as well as living with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). We talk about the impact of mental health struggles, the importance of asking for help, and how easy it can be to lose sight of yourself when you're trying to look after everyone else. During her recovery from postpartum depression, Myllena took up working with clay as a creative outlet, which eventually grew into her own business, Nena's Clays. We chat about the joy of creating something for yourself and having an identity outside of motherhood and relationships. And towards the end of the episode, Myllena shares a beautiful message to her younger, present and future selves that I think so many women will relate to. It's a conversation about growing up too quickly, motherhood, love, addiction, mental health, creativity and learning to believe in yourself, even when you're still finding your way. Mad About Herself. New episodes every Tuesday. For the woman becoming her again. 🩷 Follow Myllena: https://www.instagram.com/myllenaokeefe https://www.tiktok.com/@myllenaokeefe

What does it really look like to build a business while you’re also building a home, getting married, raising a family and trying to keep all the plates spinning?

This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by Niamh Smyth, who shares her life online through her love of travel, lifestyle content and her very honest TTC journey. Niamh got married at 21, straight after university, and believed that starting a family would naturally be the next chapter. But almost ten years later, after years of trying to conceive and four unsuccessful rounds of IVF, becoming a mum is something she is still waiting and hoping for. We talk about what it’s really like to live with infertility for such a long period of your life. The appointments, the treatments, the disappointment, the questions from other people and the emotional toll of watching life move forward around you. Niamh also shares why she has been campaigning for fertility services to be separated from maternity services wherever possible. After experiencing the heartbreak of receiving devastating news about her own fertility while surrounded by pregnant women and expectant families, she wants greater consideration given to the environment in which people undergoing fertility investigations receive their care. But this conversation is also about everything that happens in the meantime. Niamh talks about travelling, her marriage, sharing such a personal journey online and learning that continuing to live a full and happy life doesn’t mean giving up on the future she still desperately wants. It’s an incredibly open conversation about womanhood, infertility, resilience, hope and making sure you don’t lose yourself while waiting for the next chapter to begin. 💗 🎙️ Mad About Herself with Alannah Kerrigan New episodes every Tuesday. If Niamh’s story resonates with you, please share the episode with someone who might need to hear it. Follow Niamh here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niamhjanesmyth TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nsmyth17 Follow Alannah here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alannahkerrigan_ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alannahkerrigan_

This week on Mad About Herself, I’m joined by social media coach and entrepreneur Lana Kearney for a brilliantly honest conversation about business, motherhood, mental health and everything that happens when those worlds collide.Lana shares how her social media business absolutely exploded, with thousands of people signing up to learn from her, and why she always knew she had the ability to make brands go viral.But behind the success was a different story.We talk openly about Lana’s experience with maternal mental health, having up to 10 panic attacks a day, the anger and dread she didn’t initially recognise as signs that she needed help, and why her experience the second time around made her realise just how unkind she had been to herself the first time.We also get into the reality of being a working mum, the astronomical cost of childcare, the difficult decision of whether returning to work even makes financial sense, and the pressure women face trying to make motherhood and a career coexist.There are plenty of laughs along the way too, including why I’ll happily follow Lana when most social media coaches annoy the life out of me.An incredibly open conversation about success, identity, motherhood and recognising when “not feeling like yourself” has become something more.