Award-winning Irish novelist Donal Ryan speaks about why he writes and the range of emotions he encounters during the creative process. We discussed how sharing your art can be like revealing a part of your soul & why writers are so sensitive to criticism. Donal has published seven novels and is a professor of creative writing at the University of Limerick, yet still struggles to tell people he is a 'writer'.
This was an uplifting discussion that touched on a range of important topics. Donal also reads a sample of his latest novel 'The Queen of Dirt Island'.
I recorded this week's episode over ONE YEAR ago when I was living at home in Ireland. I am currently living abroad & this episode reminded me of things I love about home.
The episode focuses on things I appreciate about Ireland and includes some ridiculous impersonations as well as anecdotes. If you want to listen to a casual chat about all things Irish, this one is for you.
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This week's episode is a visualization meditation I wrote to help you feel grounded and embrace gratitude in your life.
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This episode left me feeling like an insecure teenager all over again! I chat about what it was like being socially anxious as a teen in Ireland and why alcohol was a convenient normalized social crutch. I explore my relationship with alcohol: the rebellious teenage years, college nights, the bad hangovers, and how my relationship with alcohol has changed throughout the years. What was most difficult while recording this was sharing how much I used to isolate and criticize myself after a night of drinking.
Please let me know if you find this episode useful, helpful, or relatable.
Always open to feedback at @agoodkindofscary or email saoirserafferty@agoodkindofscary.com
Heads up: the episode, like many of my others, is personal and touches on topics like death, grief, and anxiety.
Social media is a tool used to share stories: stories of our personal lives, stories of the world around us, stories of what can benefit and harm us. What story is your social media sharing? Or do you use it to consume stories rather than create stories? And is the story you are portraying accurate to the life you are living?
In today's episode, I talk about how what we use social media for has changed in many ways and stayed the same in other ways. I explore the impact on our mental health. I chat about the power of visualisation meditation and taking time away from your phone, sharing why I never go on social media in the moring. I also discuss how social media has saved my life in many ways: how it can be used as a comfort when the world around you is bleak.
But why is it now becoming the responsibility of everyday humans to share the truth and can this be a good thing? The world is waking up to the corruption of governments and the horror of what's happening in Palestine because we are seeing footage on our social media.
Message me with any thoughts, ideas or comments on Instagram @agoodkindofscary
In this episode, I start off by reflecting on my upbringing and question if the way we are raised can influence our ability to spend time alone and travel. Further into the episode, I chat about why I like to solo travel, what I do and don't like doing when I travel & how I make it affordable. I also give some personal tips on what you can do to ease yourself into solo traveling if it's new to you.
As well as this, I speculate:
Are we attracted to people who have the traits we desire for ourselves?
Do we need to tick off a to-do list and see every part of a city to truly experience it?
I'd love to hear your opinions on this. Send me a message on Instagram @agoodkindofscary or email saoirserafferty@agoodkindofscary.com
Thank you for listening!
I am so excited to share today’s discussion with award-winning writer Kit De Waal. Kit shares what it was like growing up in Birmingham with an Irish mother and an African-Caribbean father, and the process of rewriting her story in a memoir. We discuss the struggles of being from a working-class background when pursuing a career as a writer and how a key component to wellbeing is having someone believe in you and your ambitions.
We chat about the multiple ways that stories can be told aside from writing and how snobbery to this is what prevents people from ever trying.
How do you find the persistence to keep going when there’s no guarantee of being published? Are you willing to start over, let go of a novel that isn’t working and try something new?
We talk about all of the above and more in today’s episode.
Check out her website & books here
Follow Kit on Instagram here
Follow Kit on Twitter here
In this week's episode, I chat with Michael Pedersen about his memoir 'Boy Friends'. We discuss the importance of having close friendships in life and why he chose to write about this in his book. We also delve into how to find a balance between solitude & socialising, particularly when you are a writer. This conversation flowed in many directions so I hope you enjoy it!
Check out Michael's website here.
Follow him on Instagram here.
Today’s episode is with spiritual coach, podcaster, and blogger MaryRose Shanahan. Mary Rose is passionate about bridging the gap between self-help and spirituality. She left a high-paying career & relationship to travel afar and connect more with herself. We chat about what it’s like to step outside your comfort zone, using your gut as a compass for where to go next, and how to figure out who you are outside of everyone around you.
(Also - happy 50th anniversary to the podcast!!)
Check out Mary's Instagram page @alignwithmaryrose_
In the first episode of 2024, I question the commercialised 'new year, new me' mentality. I chat about the benefits of slowing down VS speeding up, when we can find value from each and how they've both benefited me in my life. I also touch on how we can navigate when it's worth staying stilent VS speaking up.
You can follow @agoodkindofscary for more.
Sign up for a free life coaching discovery call here
Sign up to my 'writing for wellbeing' course here
On this podcast, I reflect on five questions when looking back at 2023.
I focus on what I learnt, what you can take from it and how to navigate the below questions:
What were my most interesting moments and unique experiences?
What challenges did I face, professionally and personally? How did I grow from these?
What new skills did I develop/improve last year?
What have I learnt about myself, how I work, and what I need to be at my best?
What am I most proud of?
p.s. apologies for the few random dog barking disturbances
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