Show Notes
Forget the dating apps for a minute - because love might be waiting in the fields at the National Ploughing Championships. Valerie is joined by matchmaker Mairead Lockman from Love HQ, who’s bringing her “The Farmer Wants a Wife” matchmaking service to the ploughing, welcoming everyone from male and female farmers to gay farmers, and anyone curious about rural life. They chat about what actually makes people compatible (lifestyle, mindset, animals, outdoors), what Mairead asks clients when they’re serious about finding long-term love, and how careers, long hours and the cost of living can shape dating in Ireland.
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Money is something we all have to deal with, but it can feel like you’re expected to know the basics without ever being taught them. Valerie is joined by Tom Hodgkinson, better known as Capital Conditioning on TikTok, to talk budgeting in real-life terms - from “paying yourself first” to simply getting a clear picture of what’s coming in and going out each month. They also unpack what investing actually means, how it differs from saving, and why inflation matters more than people realise. Plus, with the new Irish investment account announced as part of Budget 2027, Tom breaks down what the thresholds and limits really mean for the average person who wants to start investing without the jargon.
Fresh concerns are being raised about the growing use of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) in Ireland, particularly among young people —-and the risks are far more serious than many realise, from loss of consciousness and nerve damage to burns, paralysis and potentially permanent spinal cord injury. Valerie is joined by Senator Teresa Costello, who’s been sounding the alarm after collecting hundreds of discarded canisters during clean-ups in Tallaght and hearing first-hand stories of people ending up in wheelchairs. They discuss why nitrous oxide feels like a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, how easy it is to access online, the role social media plays in normalising it, and what needs to happen next - from education and enforcement to cross-department action and new legislation.
Beauty trends move fast, from viral ingredients to “must-have” routines and eye-watering price tags… but what’s actually worth it? Valerie is joined by content creator Sam Kelly, who has over a decade of experience in the beauty and pharmaceutical industry, to break down what’s driving the boom in Irish beauty brands and how to spot the ones doing more than just looking good on Instagram. They chat the ingredients everyone should know (retinols, SPF, hyaluronic acid), what’s overhyped right now (including PDRN and “skin flooding”), and what’s genuinely worth picking up this Black Friday - without falling into overconsumption.
Valerie is joined by comedian Anna Clifford, one half of Comedy for Witches, for a chat about astrology, crystals, seasonal living and the general chaos of being a woman in your 30s. Anna tells the story of how she went from acting to stand-up, why her first gig in Vancouver had her shaking, and the addictive “natural high” that keeps comics coming back. They get into the “owl hags” identity, taking back words used against women, and how much of the witchy stuff Anna genuinely believes (and laughs at).
Valerie chats to Lorcan Healy, founder and CEO of EOS Elite, the Irish sports performance brand built around helping people push beyond their limits. Fresh out of school in 2018, Lorcan set himself a big goal: become a professional footballer and a business owner by 30. He shares how that ambition started, how EOS Elite began with a simple gap in the market for decent grip socks, and how he taught himself everything from registering a company to building a Shopify site. From a deflating pop-up in Belfast to raising over €25,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland, Lorcan breaks down the mindset of “every day over some days” and the vision to bring an Irish running brand to the world stage.