Strong as a Mother (But Louder)

In this season finale, Aoife Lennon sits down with doula and all-round truth-teller Nicole O'Kelly for a chat that’s part therapy, part rebellion, part “how did we all accept this as normal?” We’re talking about birth, yes — but also about power, instincts, and the quiet (and not-so-quiet) ways women are taught to doubt themselves from the minute they see two lines on a test. This isn’t about doing birth “right.” This is about remembering that you were never doing it wrong. What We Get Stuck Into: How the system gently (and sometimes not so gently) nudges women away from their own instincts Why “informed choice” often comes with an asterisk the size of Croke Park The holy trinity of fear, guilt, and “good girl” conditioning in motherhood Why your mental and emotional wellbeing deserves more than a pamphlet and a pat on the head The absolute nonsense we’ve been fed about birth thanks to dramatic TV and whispered horror stories Postpartum: where you’re expected to heal, feed a baby, and transcend as a human with zero support (grand, like?) Finding your people — because lone-wolf motherhood is a myth and a miserable one at that Find Nicole: Instagram: @NicoleOKellyYoga Website: NicoleOKelly.com

Celine Nelli and I are talking postpartum recovery as it actually is, hormones doing whatever they like, and how women are expected to just… cope. We get into the reality of feeling wrecked, touched out, isolated, and still somehow being told you should be “fine.” We’re calling that out. We talk about why understanding your body changes everything, why education isn’t optional — it’s power — and why you’re allowed to stop handing over the reins of your health to everyone else. There’s a big thread through all of it: be kinder to yourself. This isn’t a phase you “bounce back” from. It’s a full-body, full-life shift. And you deserve support through every bit of it — not just the shiny newborn days. Also? We get into the loneliness, the environmental load, the constant giving, and what it actually takes to heal, replenish, and feel like yourself again — or at least a version of yourself that you recognise.

You didn’t lose your instincts. You were taught not to trust them.

Right, strap in. This episode rips through the full hormonal saga — from your first period to the “sweet Jesus, why am I sweating through my bra at 3am?” postmenopause chapter. Mood swings, rage, tears over absolutely nothing, and the wild expectation that you’ll just carry on like a serene goddess. Bean Bindloss is in the mix dropping truth bombs — what’s actually happening inside your body, why you’ve been made feel like you’re losing the run of yourself, and how to take your power back without shrinking to make anyone else comfortable. Because no — you’re not dramatic. Well no more so than you were already - Queen!! But now, you’re informed too!

This week's episode with Selina Donnelly from Pitter Patter Studios in Kilmessan, Co. Meath is about the absolute whirlwind that is becoming a mammy, the mad, tender, heart-bursting mess of it all. It’s about grabbing those blink-and-you-miss-it moments with your babies before they’re off legging it away from you, and how those squishy newborn photos end up meaning more than your sanity some days. It doesn’t shy away from the tough bits either—the standing in the mirror thinking “who even is she?”, the learning (slowly, painfully) to be a bit kinder to yourself when your body’s been through the wars. It’s about someone actually minding new parents properly, not just handing them a baby and wishing them luck, but holding them up when they’re wrecked and wobbly. And underneath it all, it’s a bit of a rallying cry—stop waiting to feel perfect, because you won’t. Get in the photo. Hold your baby. Keep the memory. The dishes can wait, but that tiny version of your child? Gone in a blink, love.