Show Notes
Leanne and Orla, taking stock. After a run of powerful conversations, they sit down to reflect on the guests who've been on the show, the feedback that's poured in from listeners, and the things those stories stirred up in themselves. They talk about the family who show up every day despite everything stacked against them, the healer who divides opinion, and the guest whose story left grown men ringing home in tears. From there the conversation turns personal and unguarded: fear and bravado, resting bitch face, imposter syndrome, growing up mixed-race in Ireland, a dad who survived more than he ever let on, and Leanne's first nervous steps into an Al-Anon meeting after years of unknowingly carrying someone else's addiction. It's a wide-ranging, funny, and raw episode about masking, healing, racism, grief, and choosing kindness — with a fair few tangents about concerts, getaway driving, and the Luas thrown in for good measure.
Timecodes 00:00 – Intro: no guest this week, just Leanne and Orla reflecting on the podcast so far 00:41 – Listener feedback on Asha, Georgia and Mikey's family — positivity, sibling relationships, and "showing up" through struggle 02:34 – What it might really be like behind the positivity; wanting to be witnessed rather than performing okay 03:44 – Respecting guests' boundaries — "lived stories vs. told stories" and not being entitled to more 04:06 – Feedback on Jackie's episode — a husband's reaction, "a tower of strength" 05:33 – Why so many male listeners connect with episodes exploring female relationships and vulnerability 06:38 – Feedback on Mandy's episode — soul retrieval, skepticism, and curiosity 07:33 – Fear vs. impulsiveness — roller coasters, theme parks, and masking fear from the kids 09:30 – Bungee jumps, parachutes, and facing fears (mostly not) 10:48 – "Resting bitch face," body language, and being read by people who've been through trauma 12:36 – Imposter syndrome — growing up mixed-race in Ireland and not knowing where you fit 16:15 – Rising racism, a roadside incident, and a partner's first real brush with it 17:16 – Racism in school — teachers, bullying, and a brother called names 17:53 – Orla's dad mistaken for a "foreigner" moving into his own house 20:12 – Her dad's story — army service, resilience, and being "a man full of stories" 21:52 – Turning inherited pain into purpose — choosing to help other people 23:18 – On healing being a choice, and why not everyone owes their story 23:43 – Leanne on going to her first Al-Anon meeting 26:32 – Realising she was never fully healed — codependency and being "addicted to chaos" 28:47 – The letter that finally pushed her toward healing 29:10 – Nerves, courage, and finding her voice in the room 31:46 – How she found the meetings, and the "slap of reality" 32:49 – Encouraging others affected by someone else's addiction to just try a meeting 33:31 – On bravery, survival mode, and a story about ayahuasca and total transformation 34:50 – Breaking free of the boxes other people put you in 36:16 – Fear of "big things" — driving, crashes, and playful banter about bravery 37:32 – A running joke about robbing a bank and being the getaway driver 38:14 – Worry about kids on scooters and safety on the roads 39:30 – Lighter chat: Take That, Robbie Williams, and Gary Barlow live 41:34 – A chaotic Luas ride home from a Wolfe Tones gig, surrounded by Take That fans 42:22 – Football talk and TikTok crushes 43:11 – Safety concerns on the Luas — women being harassed and attacked 44:29 – A racist incident in town — "go back to where you came from" 44:55 – Letting go of caring what people think, and choosing not to judge 45:37 – Choosing kindness over resentment — "it's hard to be a bitch" 46:27 – Grief and anger after losing her dad and brother 47:12 – Coming full circle — why they started the podcast in the first place 47:41 – Closing thoughts on acknowledging our stories and helping others be themselves 48:07 – Masking grief as a mum, daughter, and sister 49
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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
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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