Finding Your Pink 🦩

What happens when the life you thought you were going to have doesn’t turn out the way you imagined?

We’re often sold the fairytale of two parents, a child and a happy family life. But what happens when a long-term relationship or marriage ends – and suddenly you find yourself having to write a completely different story?

In this episode, I’m joined by Orla Donoghue, who became a single parent after her relationship ended during the Covid lockdown. She found herself grieving not just the relationship, but the whole life she had imagined for herself and her son.
We talk about the shock of separation, the loneliness that can come with starting again, the stigma and sense of failure that can creep in, and what it feels like to suddenly have to share your child between two homes.

Orla is incredibly honest about those early days – feeling as though the script had been ripped up and she had no idea what the next line was. But she also talks about finding her way through it, asking for help and eventually turning her own experience into a new career supporting other single parents through Solas Coaching.

This is a conversation about separation, motherhood, grief, starting again and finding your way when life looks nothing like the picture you had planned. And, ultimately, about discovering that a different life can still be a good life.

Find out more about Solas Coaching here - https://www.solascoaching.com/
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In the first episode of Series 4, I’m joined by the wonderful Dr Doireann O’Leary for a deeply honest conversation about loss, love, motherhood, resilience and finding your way back to yourself.

Doireann opens up about losing her beloved sister Elaine, losing her dad to cancer, and then facing her own cancer diagnosis just weeks later.
We talk about grief, rebuilding your life after unimaginable loss, becoming a mum and that feeling of “Who the heck am I anymore?”

But perhaps most importantly, we talk about how moving forward doesn’t mean leaving the people we’ve lost behind.
We remember them. We carry them with us. And we keep living. 💗

A really special conversation about Resilience • Rebuilding • Remembering — and finding your pink again.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to season 4 of Finding Your Pink with me Emma Ledden

This podcast is about rediscovering your colour and spark and this new season is all about choosing life.

Choosing joy after grief.
Choosing courage after fear.
And Choosing to believe your story isn't over yet.

Every guest you'll hear has faced moments they never expected. But instead of letting those moments define them, they chose to write another chapter.

Season 4 of Finding Your Pink begins September 21st and I can't wait to share these conversations with you.
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And just like that… Season 3 comes to a close 🦩

This final episode is a chance to pause, reflect and say thank you for all the conversations, vulnerability, honesty and connection shared throughout this season of Finding Your Pink.

We talk about confidence, boundaries, reinvention, identity and what it really means to slowly return to yourself — in your own time.
Thank you for listening, sharing, supporting and finding your pink alongside me.

The final episode of Season 3 is out now 🎙️✨

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this deeply powerful episode of Finding Your Pink, I sit down with Emer O’Neill—author, educator, broadcaster, and activist—to explore the lived reality of being Black and Irish.
From her early days as a teacher to becoming a familiar face on RTÉ, Emer shares how one honest video about her experiences changed the course of her life—and led her into activism. But with that visibility came a heavy cost.
Emer speaks openly about the weight of using your voice to challenge bias, the backlash she has faced, and the emotional toll of standing up for what is right. She shares heartbreaking moments from her childhood, the reality of navigating the world on guard, and the everyday experiences—from hair touching to being asked “where are you really from?”—that highlight the deeper issues of race and belonging.
This conversation is not about blame—it’s about awareness. About learning to sit with discomfort, to question what we think we know, and to grow.
At its core, this episode is about humanity. About seeing each other. And about finding compassion in the conversations that matter most.

Emer's Book - https://www.amazon.ie/Same-but-Different-Emer-ONeill/dp/0717192857/ref=sr_1_1?crid=243SCYUIHKGB7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.noOCqCQNrTPeB6ahIuGCDYanIADzQWSmi58bwt8HlLHGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.jJz-mpOdaet0wEzQQTB4GWJ60YxFTyGsMYHNeCSuIXs&dib_tag=se&keywords=emer+o+neill&qid=1776505503&sprefix=emer+o+neill+%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1
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