ISESA Podcast

When this conversation was first recorded in 2023, structured exercise programmes for people living with long-term health conditions were only beginning to gain momentum. Today, the role of exercise professionals within healthcare has never been more important.

In this episode, Bruce is joined by Annalouise Muldoon and Marie O'Connor, who shares her remarkable journey of recovering from an atypical stroke. Together they explore how structured exercise can help people regain confidence, independence and quality of life long after they leave hospital.

As Ireland continues to develop new educational pathways for exercise professionals working in healthcare, this conversation feels more relevant than ever.

This episode forms part of the ISESA Podcast Summer Series: Exercise Beyond Sport - three conversations exploring the growing role of sport and exercise science within healthcare.
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Over the next few weeks, we're revisiting three episodes from the first season of the ISESA Podcast that have become even more relevant today than when they were originally recorded.

Together, these episodes explore how sport and exercise science is increasingly moving beyond performance and into healthcare—helping people regain independence after stroke, supporting people living with obesity, and improving quality of life after childhood cancer.

Whether you're discovering these conversations for the first time or listening back with fresh ears, I hope they offer a new perspective on the evolving role of exercise professionals within healthcare.
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Nora Ní Fhlannagáin and Julia Gruszczynska from the Sport & Exercise Nutrition Group (SENG) join Bruce to discuss what this means for a registered dietician or sport and exercise nutritionist to be a member of the SENG in Ireland. Going forward, SENG members will be guests on the podcast to bring new content to our audience focussing on applied sport and exercise nutrition practice and research. The SENG are also running an event in parallel to this year's ISESA conference - they will host a business breakfast aimed at all self employed practitioners - a place to learn, meet and eat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Rugby's Will Connors explains how he uses AI, Machine Learning and Biomechanics to decode tackle safety.

In this episode of the ISESA Podcast, Bruce Wardrop sits down with Irish international rugby player and sport science researcher, Will Connors.

Widely regarded as one of the most effective tacklers on the pitch thanks to his mastery of the "chop tackle," Will operates at the exact intersection of elite athletic performance and cutting-edge science. After nine highly successful years with Leinster, Will discusses his upcoming move to Connacht, reuniting with Head Coach Stuart Lancaster, and the tactical evolutions he hopes to bring out West. Beyond the pitch, Will is a PhD researcher at Trinity College Dublin. We dive into his fascinating work using computer science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to map the biomechanics of the tackle. Will explains the massive challenge of teaching an algorithm to identify safe tackle execution amidst the chaos of a professional match, and how this data can ultimately be used to improve player welfare and reduce concussion risks.
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In this super episode podcast, Bruce speaks with Adam Sweeney, a 22-year-old adventurer from Waterford. Adam is preparing to begin a two-month expedition with the objective of becoming the youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest.

The discussion tracks his progression through increasingly demanding high-altitude environments, analyzing his experiences on Aconcagua in Argentina (6,961m) and the technically formidable Ama Dablam in Nepal (6,812m). We detail the physiological realities of acclimatization, the acute effects of hypoxia, and his specific strategies for managing nutrition and hydration when performing at altitude. Plus Bruce and Adam discuss the the psychological resilience required to navigate objective hazards like the Khumbu Icefall and the physiological breakdown that occurs within the "Death Zone" above 8,000m.

You can follow Adam's progress via his social media channels:

Adam on Instagram
Adam on TikTok
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