This week we’re joined by Laura, owner of With Love and Dreams and a self-taught preservation artist. Laura turns wedding and funeral flowers, ashes, hair, clothing and breast milk into resin keepsakes and jewellery, and has become one of the people grieving families in Ireland trust with their most precious things.

She tells us how a lockdown resin kit became an award-winning business. She also shares the story of how she practised with ashes before her first real piece, and it involves the family dog, a heatwave and a lot of ashtrays. Laura talks about leaving a job where she was bullied, what it’s like to hold space for people on the worst days of their lives, the year she lost five family members in under six months, and why she won’t hand the personal side of her work to anyone else.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: meet Laura from With Love and Dreams
01:10 What a preservation artist does
02:00 From lockdown hobby to self-taught resin artist
03:28 Her first ever ashes piece
04:35 Tyson the boxer and the great ashtray hunt
08:26 Working with grief and keeping it together for clients
11:36 Loving the work, and leaving a job over bullying
15:30 Starting out alone and finding her networking group
21:00 Creative childhood, Billie Barry and the Bugsy Malone audition
23:48 What is resin, and why it takes so long
25:42 How you choose your keepsake piece
27:18 Why flower preservation can take up to nine months
28:13 Why she’s staying a one-woman business
32:12 From the front room to her own studio
35:04 Preserving clothes, fabrics and baby shoes
36:12 Pricing and keeping it affordable
37:16 A new jewellery collaboration coming soon
38:09 The weirdest things she’s been asked to preserve
40:23 Award wins and nominations
43:45 Her hardest time in business
48:28 Her highest high: the new studio, windows and all
50:50 Did she ever see herself as an entrepreneur?
54:19 Advice for young women thinking of taking the leap
56:43 Running a business means you never switch off
58:09 Well-known clients and the order that never arrived
59:50 Alan’s dog walking and pet taxi business
01:01:50 Wrap-up

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

In this powerful episode of How's Your Ma, we sit down with Callie and her mum Bella as they openly share their experiences with addiction, alcohol, drugs, homelessness, toxic relationships and recovery.

Their stories are deeply connected, but both women had to find their own way out of addiction. Bella speaks about years of alcohol addiction, how it affected her family and the moment she finally realised she needed help. Callie shares her experience with addiction, abusive relationships, homelessness and becoming a mother while struggling with substance abuse.

Most importantly, they talk about what happened after recovery — rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their relationship with each other, and breaking the cycle for the next generation.

This is an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, family, trauma, recovery and finding yourself again.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: Meet Callie & Bella
01:11 – Callie opens up about addiction
02:29 – Drinking from a young age
04:07 – Callie's addiction gets worse
05:34 – Becoming a young mother
08:47 – Bella's story begins
10:35 – Moving to Tallaght and starting a family
11:45 – Bella's relationship with alcohol
13:07 – “I wanted to die”
14:35 – The moment everything started to change
16:17 – The friend who was one year sober
18:19 – Bella decides to go to AA
20:47 – When drinking became antisocial
22:15 – Trying to hide addiction from the kids
23:42 – Trying to control drinking
25:14 – Drinking, money and addiction
26:05 – Callie's journey into recovery
27:44 – Addiction, pregnancy and motherhood
28:30 – Homelessness and drinking
30:00 – Living in a family hub
31:35 – Choosing sobriety
32:22 – Toxic relationships and abuse
34:08 – Leaving addiction and rebuilding her life
34:47 – Two years sober and a new relationship
35:30 – Mother and daughter finally reconnect
36:29 – Breaking the family cycle
39:00 – Addiction affects the whole family
40:13 – When drinking takes over your life
41:12 – The financial impact of addiction
43:17 – Losing friends and finding new ones
45:08 – Getting professional help
47:18 – Finding yourself in recovery
48:30 – New friendships and healthy relationships
49:13 – The importance of sponsors
50:37 – What does the future look like?
51:01 – Discovering a new passion
53:06 – Finding a career later in life
55:21 – Callie's future after recovery
57:19 – “What if I can?”
57:46 – Breaking the cycle
58:13 – Final thoughts & seven years of recovery

How's Your Ma brings real people into the room to tell their stories, in their own words.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast.

#HowsYourMa #AddictionRecovery #Recovery #Sobriety #IrishPodcast #MentalHealth #Addiction #Family #MotherAndDaughter

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

This week, Orla and Leanne sit down for a very personal conversation about women, family, motherhood, resilience and the people who shape us throughout our lives.

From reflecting on the incredible achievements of Katie Taylor and what it means to be a strong female role model, to recognising the everyday women quietly holding families together, they talk about strength in all its different forms.

They also open up about raising children, friendships changing throughout life, making sacrifices for family, supporting young men, financial struggles, racism, difficult experiences from the past and finally reaching a point where you can start doing things for yourself.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple message - everyone has a story, and sometimes hearing somebody else’s can remind you that you’re not alone ❤️

**Content note:** This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse, racism, physical assault, homelessness, financial hardship and mental health.

Timecodes

[00:00] – Sponsor message: Kitchens by Act Fast
[01:17] – Reflecting on the women who have shared their stories
[02:03] – Katie Taylor, history and female role models
[05:12] – Celebrating the everyday “powerhouse” woman
[07:25] – Friendship, support and finding your people
[13:46] – The lessons we pass on to our children
[16:00] – Fear, growth and believing you can do more
[18:06] – School friendships and reconnecting later in life
[19:00] – Why sharing people’s stories matters
[24:10] – The strong women in Leanne’s family
[27:21] – Raising young men and keeping children safe
[28:19] – Men’s mental health and changing roles at home
[32:12] – Family, siblings and looking after one another
[34:31] – Orla shares her experience of a racist assault
[40:24] – Family support after difficult experiences
[43:53] – Being strong when life gives you no choice
[44:10] – Motherhood, childcare and stepping away from work
[49:10] – Money, sacrifice and building a more comfortable life
[51:00] – Finally allowing yourself to enjoy life
[52:19] – Orla reflects on homelessness and financial hardship
[53:20] – How difficult experiences can build resilience
[55:20] – Women supporting women
[58:08] – How the idea for the podcast began
[59:14] – Why hearing other people’s stories matters
[59:35] – Final thoughts and thanks to Kitchens by Act Fast

This week, Orla and Leanne are joined by two women from the Handmaids of Ireland for a powerful conversation about domestic abuse, child protection and their experiences of the Irish family court system.

Remaining anonymous as Handmaid One and Handmaid Two, they share their experiences of leaving abusive relationships, trying to protect their children, navigating Gardaí, Tusla and the courts, and why they believe major changes are needed within the system.

They also discuss coercive control, children’s voices, access and custody, the impact of not being believed, and why the Handmaids of Ireland movement was formed to support survivors and campaign for greater transparency and reform.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse, coercive control, rape and sexual violence, child sexual abuse allegations, suicidal thoughts, threats and attempted murder.

Timecodes

[00:00] – Sponsor message: Kitchens by Act Fast
[01:17] – Introducing the Handmaids of Ireland
[02:04] – Handmaid One shares her story
[03:18] – Concerns around possible child sexual abuse
[05:39] – Reporting concerns to Tusla and Gardaí
[07:20] – Children making disclosures
[08:18] – Safety orders, harassment and family court
[10:13] – Section 20 reports and children’s voices
[11:10] – Child protection case conferences
[13:19] – The court assessor becomes involved
[14:07] – When the case begins to turn against Handmaid One
[16:46] – Handmaid Two shares her experience
[17:10] – Why survivors feel unheard in family court
[19:18] – Domestic abuse versus “high conflict”
[20:55] – Coercive control and parenting
[22:16] – Recognising sexual violence and rape
[24:10] – When trauma is used against victims
[26:20] – “Do I have to die for my children to be protected?”
[28:30] – Court-ordered access and protecting children
[30:44] – Why protection should come first
[32:48] – The Handmaids as a support network
[35:33] – When abuse is weaponised against survivors
[38:45] – Why the Handmaids of Ireland was formed
[40:47] – Children growing up and speaking for themselves
[43:50] – Calls for wider family law reform
[45:50] – Handmaid One returns to her court assessor experience
[47:12] – The impact on her daughter
[50:59] – Feeling that asking for help caused further trauma
[53:49] – The financial cost of fighting a family court case
[55:19] – Asking the public to start asking questions
[57:32] – How to support the Handmaids of Ireland
[59:19] – Final thoughts and thanks

This week, Orla and Leanne sit down for an honest conversation about friendship, childhood, parenting and how much life has changed.

After reconnecting with childhood friend Jill, they reflect on old friendships, growing up, the loss of community, and how childhood today compares with their own.

From funny memories to heavier conversations around the Magdalene laundries, social media, parenting pressures and loneliness, the episode ultimately comes back to one thing: connection.

**Content note:** This episode includes discussion of the Magdalene laundries, violence, child protection concerns, discrimination against Traveller families and a brief reference to self-harm.

Timecodes
[00:00] – Intro: Friendship, childhood and memories from last week’s episode
[01:24] – Reconnecting with old friends
[02:14] – How easily years can pass without seeing people
[03:24] – Nights out, friendship and mam guilt
[04:40] – Childhood expectations then versus now
[05:12] – Electric Picnic and time with friends
[06:11] – How friendship groups change over time
[07:09] – Growing up beside a Magdalene laundry
[08:19] – Remembering the women who lived and worked there
[09:11] – Looking back and understanding it differently as adults
[10:24] – What happened after the laundries closed?
[11:57] – Growing up near a convicted murderer
[13:27] – Dark realities in the background of childhood
[14:19] – Connolly Station and childhood adventures
[15:07] – Rainbow Rapids and getting stranded without train fare
[17:11] – Childhood independence then versus now
[18:06] – The dangerous games they somehow survived
[19:48] – Why children text instead of knocking on doors
[20:49] – Read receipts, anxiety and instant replies
[21:46] – Putting the phone away and being present
[22:34] – Watching concerts through phone screens
[23:22] – Social media versus reality
[24:12] – When being grounded actually felt like punishment
[24:57] – Youth clubs, summer projects and community
[26:06] – How youth workers supported vulnerable children
[26:54] – Teaching basic life skills
[28:00] – Childhood school mornings and family routines
[29:27] – Creating positive mornings for your own children
[30:14] – Children arriving at school after chaos at home
[31:39] – The importance of emotional regulation before school
[33:10] – Mitching school before apps and notifications
[34:38] – Pressure on parents, teachers and schools
[35:08] – Traveller families and the realities children faced
[36:18] – Discrimination within the education system
[37:16] – Why many problems facing children are systemic
[38:21] – Housing, overcrowding and loss of community space
[39:06] – Remembering community life in Ballymun
[40:03] – Planning decisions and listening to communities
[42:01] – Building spaces without asking what families need
[42:25] – Expensive experiences versus simple childhood fun
[44:34] – Cousins, summer projects and family days out
[45:19] – Simple days out and sharing a bag of chips
[46:00] – Electric Picnic bringing back old memories
[47:16] – Recreating childhood memories with the next generation
[49:04] – Busy lives, loneliness and lost connection
[49:31] – Has social media changed friendship?
[50:38] – Thinking of an old friend? Send the text
[51:22] – Not wanting funerals to be the only reunion
[52:18] – Friendship as chosen family
[53:35] – Social media and young people
[54:17] – Entitlement, expectations and family pressures
[55:48] – “Kids have forgotten how to be kids”
[56:49] – How birthdays have changed
[57:34] – Christmas Eve boxes, Halloween boxes and more
[58:27] – Remembering old Halloween traditions
[59:05] – Bring back fun, friendship and connection
[59:30] – Final thoughts: make time for real human connection