Pockets of Joy with Niamh O'Connell

Access: Jody O'Neill

Today on Pockets of Joy my guest is Jody O’Neill, writer of the award-winning play “What I don’t know about Autism”. Dive into this pocket of Joy as we discuss our shared neurodivergence, our experiences of labour and birth as women on the spectrum, how Jody makes time for self-care, her writing process, creating accessible experiences in the arts, and the social model of disability. The video version of this podcast is available on YouTube. Make sure to catch her play Grace in the Dublin Theatre Festival. I have set up a Resources page on The Wellness Clinic’s website with all my favourite neurodivergent content creators, so check that out if you need some support, or you can email me through my website. See Jody’s play “Grace” in Dublin theatre festival. https://dublintheatrefestival.ie/event/grace/ See “Grace” in Galway https://tht.ie/4359/baboro-2024 Follow Jody on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oneill.jody You might like to join my Inner Circle Members Club for a free monthly Zoom designed to help reconnect you with yourself, your joys and set realistic goals for your self-care. More information on my webpage here: https://thewellnessclinic.ie/inner-circle/ Niamh's links: https://www.linktr.ee/thewellnessclinicireland/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:20 Where we sit on the spectrum 05:50 Flawed model of diagnosis / labels 08:30 Birthing and pregnancy on the spectrum 12:30 Learning to listen to our intuition 14:00 Jody's self-care 15:50 Self-care is not selfish 17:30 Burnout 20:00 The little moments 20:30 In an ideal world 21:30 Accessible theatre experiences 23:00 WFH during the pandemic 25:10 Social media 29:38 Relaxed performances 40:49 Identifying as "disabled" 45:55 Where to find Jody ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Enlightenment: Dr Anthony Delaney on Queer History

This episode I speak to Dr. Anthony Delaney, historian, broadcaster and actor about his upcoming book Queer Georgians, queer Irish history, trans rights, gender identity and Ireland's same sex marriage referendum. Dive into this pocket of joy as we discuss the Georgian period of Enlightenment, some fascinating characters from Irish history and our shared love of pizza! His book will be published worldwide with Penguin in 2025. You can follow Anthony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonydelaneyhistory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anthonydelaneyhistory After Dark podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/after-dark-myths-misdeeds-the-paranormal/id1705694900 You might like to join my Inner Circle Members Club for a free monthly Zoom designed to help reconnect you with yourself, your joys and set realistic goals for your self-care. More information on my webpage here: https://thewellnessclinic.ie/inner-circle/ Niamh's links: https://www.linktr.ee/thewellnessclinicireland/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Queer Georgians book (Penguin 2025) 02:05 The Georgian Period 04:10 Queer Irish Georgians 07:10 Dr James Barry 12:00 The Ladies of Llangollen 16:10 Polarising and labelling our attractions 19:30 Trans rights being regulated 23:00 Gender identity 26:00 The role of parents 27:15 Being in a minority 28:10 Safety for minorities in public 29:30 Children with gender identity questions 30:45 Jen Mannion "Female Husbands" book 31:30 Debating other people's validity 33:10 The "increase" in neurodivergence / queerness 35:20 The definition of "family" in the 18th Century 37:30 Seeing a repeat of Georgian values nowadays 38:30 Modern day Ireland 40:40 Older generations' attitudes 42:10 A New Ireland 45:10 Anthony's social media and podcast "After Dark" 45:44 Queer Georgians book 46:18 Alice in Wonderland 47:10 Anthony's book that made a big impression 48:50 Favourite food 49:48 Motto for life 50:58 Anthony's idea of perfect happiness ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Comedian: Shane Daniel Byrne

This episode I speak to award-winning Irish comedian, Shane Daniel Byrne about his career to date. You might know his podcast Young Hot Guys. Dive into this pocket of joy as we discuss his sell-out success at Edinburgh, his self-care routine during show season and his visions for the future.  Follow Shane here: https://aviarytalent.com/shane-daniel-byrne https://www.tiktok.com/@shanedanbyrne_?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/shanedanbyrne/?hl=en You might like to join my Inner Circle Members Club for a free monthly Zoom designed to help reconnect you with yourself, your joys and set realistic goals for your self-care. More information on my webpage here: https://thewellnessclinic.ie/inner-circle/ Niamh's links: https://www.linktr.ee/thewellnessclinicireland/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:10 Singing as a vocal warm up 03:00 Self-belief 04:30 Writing his shows 05:45 Having a discipline with writing 09:10 Shane having a week off 09:40 Pre-show routine: food 10:40 Pre-show routine: connection with others 11:40 Paying for reviews 12:30 Post-show wind-down 15:15 Other comedians being cool 15:50 Being sober on stage 18:20 Eating food late at night 21:07 Pre-show routine for Edinburgh 23:00 Pre-show nerves / rituals 23:30 Bouquet of flowers 24:50 Not having a "persona" 26:40 Shane's characters 28:35 Processing the Pandemic 36:20 Shane's upcoming shows 37:05 Demand avoidance / admin work 40:00 Future goals and plans 43:30 Shane's idea of perfect happiness ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Broadway: Clare O'Malley - Actor, Singer, Songwriter

This episode I speak to the multitalented Clare O'Malley, Irish actor, singer and songwriter who has worked transatlantically for most of her career. After decades of bringing other people's work to life, Clare is writing her own material now. Dive into this pocket of joy as we discuss her career off-Broadway, having confidence and courage in the performance industry, songwriting, creative expression and my own dreams of the stage! Follow Clare here: https://www.clareomalley.com/ https://www.facebook.com/clare.omalley.75 You might like to join my Inner Circle Members Club for a free monthly Zoom designed to help reconnect you with yourself, your joys and set realistic goals for your self-care. More information on my webpage here: https://thewellnessclinic.ie/inner-circle/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:30 Writing her own material 03:05 Watching yourself on camera 03:48 Handcrafting for relaxation 04:40 Clare's EP and Christmas album 06:10 The theatre scene and AI 07:25 Station 11 07:55 Feeling isolated since the pandemic 12:20 Clare's work in the US 15:30 Originating a rôle 21:00 Making money in the music industry 25:30 Claire's own Broadway show 26:00 Stating our ambitions 27:27 Accepting compliments 29:10 Niamh's nerves in starting the podcast 29:35 Healing our relationship with our bodies 31:50 Worrying about others opinions 33:20 Auditions and rejection 34:55 Niamh's auditioning in her 20s 36:10 How Niamh met her husband Barry O'Connor 37:40 How Clare manages rejection 40:25 Clare's advice to aspiring performers 42:20 Growing and evolving as we age 44:25 Book/Movie that made a big impression 46:38 Favourite meal 47:40 Motto for life 49:27 Clare's idea of perfect happiness ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Focus: Lauren Larkin - Actor/Writer of One More Round

This episode my guest is Dublin native, actor and writer Lauren Larkin, whose short film One More Round just premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh last month. This film deals with a young couples struggles during IVF treatments, showing their emotional and financial strain with beautiful depth.  Dive into this pocket of joy as we discuss family dynamics, juggling careers and motherhood, the Sandwich Generation, how the pandemic affected us all and my low-demand lifestyle.  Follow Lauren on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlarkin10?igsh=MXI5OHg0eWRodXJueQ== Follow One More Round film on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/onemoreroundfilm?igsh=MWE0YXNjYXJoOTc2ZQ== Timestamps 00:00 Niamh accommodating her neurodivergence on camera! 02:10 Lauren’s entry into acting 04:00 Having a baby and a career 05:10 Lauren’s writing career 07:45 Touring with Lauren’s first baby  08:36 Breastfeeding while working 10:50 Lauren having her second baby during the pandemic 11:35 Lauren leaving social media for 11 months 13:05 How different life was during the pandemic 14:50 Juggling her career with motherhood 16:30 Living on adrenaline 17:47 One More Round short film about infertility 22:06 Representing her community of Cabra 23:22 Having a strong vision to get a project made 24:25 Shooting on real film 24:44 Barry O’Connor’s approach directing the film 26:00 Appreciating the present moment 26:58 Writing the play “Mr Moran” about family dynamics/grief 28:46 The Sandwich generation (caring for children and elderly parents) 30:32 Future projects for Lauren 31:27 Managing a home plus working 38:12 Niamh’s low-demand lifestyle 38:48 Routine/Anchors in your day 39:24 Lauren’s gym habit 41:00 Book/movie that made a big impression 42:02 Favourite meal 42:48 Motto for life 43:04 Lauren’s idea of perfect happiness If you love my approach you might enjoy my Inner Circle members club, a free monthly meetup to support your personal growth and goals. Open to all genders and neurotypes, this is a supportive space to learn self-care practises, managing stress and busy schedules while still supporting your own needs. More details at https://thewellnessclinic.ie/inner-circle/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.