In my mind, I divide beauty up into two types: visible and invisible. Visible beauty is the obvious one. A physically attractive person, an ornate building, a person’s movement or dance, the colours and shapes of the natural world, an exquisitely decorated room.

In this podcast episode, we talk about how to get that motivation back into our work. We discuss how you can be proactive and get out of the rut. Why stepping outside your comfort zone avoids the slippery slope of mediocrity.

I don’t think I’m alone in being thankful that 2020 is finally over and feeling that there’s an even deeper sense of hope and relief with the beginning of this new year.

Do you sometimes wish you had a different personality? But how do we truly know ourselves? We are joined on our Guest podcast series today by Jennifer Kehoe.

As I write this blog, I am aware of the bin men on the road moving up and down and emptying the huge rubbish accumulated over Christmas. I also see the postman trudging through the snow to offload the letters and parcels for all my neighbours on the street.

Once upon a time...ah, the start to our beloved fairy tales. Stories that teach us how to dream, how to be brave, how to persevere and what to build our houses with (bricks of course). But what about the stories we make up, the stories we create in our minds to make sense of the world? Sometimes created unconsciously, these stories can influence our actions and beliefs for years to come.

As we step into our third lockdown, 2021 New Year’s resolutions can seem somewhat irrelevant. We could have a sense of why bother. Do we need to look at things differently in 2021?

Over Christmas I was attempting to read – not Twitter Feeds or Memes, but Books. We all know the theory. But the practice is a different matter.

I recently received some Christmas cards in the post. It’s such a novelty, because receiving actual post which isn’t a shopping item or bills is unusual. I enjoyed checking the postmark and looking at the handwriting to figure out who had sent it. The anticipation of opening a card from someone I’ve not seen in months forms part of the excitement!

We are now heading into the Christmas season. And for many people, it just isn’t the same!

On an 80s movie binge a few months back, we rented the film Working Girl, a Cinderella tale of class and gender struggles in the cutthroat financial world of Wall Street. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I have to say that it surprised me.

Nine years ago Maria Kilcommins was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. In today’s episode Maria tells us about her personal journey and that of her 4 kids and husband.

Yesterday, after much discussion, I agreed to find another guinea pig for our lonely little one. I need to mention that I needed another pet in the house like a hole in the head, but I had promised my children they could have another guinea. So, my search led me to find two more, a total of three. Forget that I’ve taken on three volunteer jobs that absorb my mornings, I had to take on three guinea pigs. My husband thought me mad.

In this episode, we talk about the Catholic Church and how we can see it for what it is. Touching on topics such as the importance of the saints and how the Church is a family.

Sounds incongruous doesn’t it? To link work with heaven. Or does it??

We’ve just come to the end of one of my favourite months of the year. I’ve always been an October fan; it’s the perfect autumnal month, full of colour and light. It often reminds me of beginning another academic year as a student in Belfast, when the leafy university quarter looks particularly beautiful.

To err is human, to forgive divine is a phrase written by Alexander Pope in the 17th century. It strikes a chord within us as we recognise our tendency to make mistakes, while at the same time finding it difficult to forgive others.

“Look up! Look up! What you see might surprise you.” Old Lady Jackson from Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham. Do you ever feel that you are looking at your phone or tablet so much that you don’t see what’s going on around you?

This pandemic means that we are all forced to live day-to-day. It's not possible to plan ahead or look forward to much. This can cause quite a bit of stress and anxiety in our lives. At the same time, it can also be a moment to recalibrate and reflect. In this episode, we discuss hope, faith and the positive consequences of living in the present moment.

“Don’t be afraid to dream a bit bigger, darling.” During the days of staycation, my husband and I were planning a dream vacation. For me, a hotel with a pool and restaurant was fine. He wanted a beautiful setting with adventurous trails and sites. I thought this was too ambitious.