Live Wild

In this episode of Live Wild, Hilary Rose is joined by Niall Breslin (Bressie) for a powerful conversation on mental health, creativity and the systems shaping how we live.

Niall shares how creativity has been central to his life - not just as an outlet, but as a way of understanding problems and navigating the world. Together, they explore loneliness, community, and why so much of what we label as “mental health issues” is deeply connected to the environments we live in.

This episode challenges the idea of “fixing” individuals and instead asks bigger questions about society, connection and how we care for each other.

Key topics we discuss:

Why creativity is more than art - it’s a way of thinking and solving problems
The limitations of current mental health systems and the need for reform
Early intervention and prevention as the future of mental health care
Loneliness, disconnection and the illusion of online connection
The impact of modern culture, capitalism and individualism on wellbeing
Why community and human connection are essential for mental health
The difference between positivity and optimism
Grief, emotional expression and learning to feel rather than avoid
The role of creativity as a coping tool and emotional outlet
Why we need to move away from “fixing” individuals and look at wider systems

You can find Niall here: Website | Live Shows | Instagram | LinkedIn | Music on Spotify | YouTube
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Key Links
Watch Hilary’s TEDx Talk here.
Follow Hilary here: @thehilaryrose
You can contact Hilary on LinkedIn here
Follow Live Wild here: @livewildpodcast
You can read more about us or contact us at www.livewild.ie

Thank you for listening to the show, I hope you found it fun and inspiring. Please help us bring you the best quality content by rating, liking and sharing the show with others.

If you’d like to show your support we would be delighted! You can buy me a coffee by following this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/livewildpodcast

As always the Live Wild podcast, its CEO and host Hilary Rose emphasise that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you! Xxx

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

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of depression, grief and suicide.

Words have the power to heal, connect and help us make sense of emotions we often struggle to name. In this episode of Live Wild, writer and spoken word artist Daragh Fleming joins Hilary Rose for a thoughtful and deeply honest conversation about creativity, vulnerability and modern life.

Daragh shares how writing first became part of his life through reading as a child and later through journaling while navigating depression in his late teens and early twenties. What began as a private way to process emotions gradually evolved into poetry that resonates with thousands of people online and on stage.

Together, Hilary and Daragh explore the role creativity plays in healing, the emotional courage it takes to share personal work publicly, and why every human being is creative.

The episode also includes a powerful live performance of Daragh’s poem If I Ever Have Girls, a reflection on raising strong daughters in today’s world.

Key topics we discuss:
Using writing and journaling to process mental health
Why feeling emotions - even difficult ones - is part of healing
Creativity as a tool for wellbeing and self-expression
Irish identity, storytelling and creative community
The myth of the “tortured artist”
Sharing personal stories while protecting loved ones
Daragh’s upcoming poetry collection and novel exploring grief and masculinity

You can find Daragh here: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Support & helplines:
If anything in this episode brings up difficult feelings, please consider reaching out for support.

Pieta House: 1800 247 247
Crisis Helpline: Text ‘HELP’ to 50808
Samaritans: 116 123
Aware: 1800 80 48 48
Parentline: 1890 92 72 77

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Key Links
Watch Hilary’s TEDx Talk here.
Follow Hilary here: @thehilaryrose
You can contact Hilary on LinkedIn here
Follow Live Wild here: @livewildpodcast
You can read more about us or contact us at www.livewild.ie

Thank you for listening to the show, I hope you found it fun and inspiring. Please help us bring you the best quality content by rating, liking and sharing the show with others.

If you’d like to show your support we would be delighted! You can buy me a coffee by following this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/livewildpodcast

As always the Live Wild podcast, its CEO and host Hilary Rose emphasise that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you! Xxx
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is take one small step forward.

In this solo episode, Hilary Rose reflects on the seasonal shift from winter into spring - a reminder that life, like nature, moves in cycles. After periods of rest or reflection, there often comes a quiet moment when something inside us feels ready to move again.

Showing up doesn’t have to mean dramatic change. It might simply be sending the email, opening the notebook, making the call or beginning the idea that has been quietly waiting.

Spring doesn’t ask us to bloom instantly. It simply invites us to begin.

Key topics we discuss:
The seasonal nature of energy, rest and growth
Letting go of pressure to reinvent yourself overnight
The power of small steps forward
Rebuilding trust in yourself
Asking: what is one small way I can show up for myself this week?

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Key Links
Watch Hilary’s TEDx Talk here.
Follow Hilary here: @thehilaryrose
You can contact Hilary on LinkedIn here
Follow Live Wild here: @livewildpodcast
You can read more about us or contact us at www.livewild.ie

Thank you for listening to the show, I hope you found it fun and inspiring. Please help us bring you the best quality content by rating, liking and sharing the show with others.

If you’d like to show your support we would be delighted! You can buy me a coffee by following this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/livewildpodcast

As always the Live Wild podcast, its CEO and host Hilary Rose emphasise that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you! Xxx
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the world feels unsteady, the scared part of you gets louder.

This solo episode is a voice note - to Hilary’s inner child, and maybe to yours too. A gentle reminder that anxiety in uncertain times isn’t weakness, it’s a nervous system doing its job.

You don’t need to fix anything. You don’t need to be braver, stronger or more positive. You just need reassurance.

This episode is about staying with yourself when things feel overwhelming. About becoming the calm, steady presence you once needed.

You don’t have to feel better after listening. You just have to know you’re not alone.

Key topics we discuss:
Why uncertainty activates the nervous system
Anxiety as a biological response, not a personal failure
Inner child reassurance and self-soothing
Becoming your own steady presence
Staying grounded when life feels chaotic

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Key Links
Watch Hilary’s TEDx Talk here.
Follow Hilary here: @thehilaryrose
You can contact Hilary on LinkedIn here
Follow Live Wild here: @livewildpodcast
You can read more about us or contact us at www.livewild.ie

Thank you for listening to the show, I hope you found it fun and inspiring. Please help us bring you the best quality content by rating, liking and sharing the show with others.

If you’d like to show your support we would be delighted! You can buy me a coffee by following this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/livewildpodcast

As always the Live Wild podcast, its CEO and host Hilary Rose emphasise that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you! Xxx
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can be doing everything right… and still feel completely disconnected.

In this solo episode, Hilary Rose explores why being busy and productive isn’t the same as being present. When your nervous system is in survival mode, clarity, creativity and connection are hard to access.

This is a gentle invitation to stop overriding your body and start listening to it. If showing up feels difficult, it’s not a failure – it’s information.

Through the simple idea of giving yourself 1% of your day, just 14.4 minutes, Hilary encourages you to pause, notice what’s happening internally, and begin rebuilding self-trust through small, honest choices.

Showing up isn’t about productivity. It’s about presence.

Key topics we discuss:

Why you can’t show up when your nervous system is in survival mode
The difference between being physically present and truly there
Overriding the body and calling depletion “normal”
1% of your day - why 14.4 minutes matters
Slowing down and noticing physical cues in the body
Self-trust as small, honest course corrections
Asking better questions: What do I need? Where is my body saying no?
Choosing how you want your life to feel, not just how it looks
Creating space and safety instead of forcing productivity
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Key Links
Watch Hilary’s TEDx Talk here.
Follow Hilary here: @thehilaryrose
You can contact Hilary on LinkedIn here
Follow Live Wild here: @livewildpodcast
You can read more about us or contact us at www.livewild.ie

Thank you for listening to the show, I hope you found it fun and inspiring. Please help us bring you the best quality content by rating, liking and sharing the show with others.

If you’d like to show your support we would be delighted! You can buy me a coffee by following this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/livewildpodcast

As always the Live Wild podcast, its CEO and host Hilary Rose emphasise that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you! Xxx

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