What if laughter is more than just entertainment? What if it’s survival, connection and healing?

In this solo episode of Live Wild, Hilary Rose reflects on the deeper role humour has played in her life - not just as someone who works in comedy, but as someone who has genuinely needed it through difficult times.

From growing up with Irish humour as a form of connection and coping, to working in comedy across The Young Offenders, sketch shows and live performance, Hilary explores why laughter matters so much - especially during hard seasons of life.

This episode dives into the emotional, cultural and even physiological impact of laughter. From nervous system regulation and stress relief to collective healing and human connection, Hilary shares why comedy may be far more powerful than we often realise.

Because sometimes laughter isn’t about avoiding pain - it’s about helping us carry it.

Key topics discussed

• Why humour is deeply rooted in Irish culture
• Comedy as a coping mechanism and survival tool
• The connection between laughter and the nervous system
• How laughter helps regulate stress and release tension
• Why people laugh most during difficult times
• The healing power of shared laughter and connection
• Hilary’s reflections on working in comedy and The Young Offenders
• Why laughter might be one of the oldest tools we have

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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.

What would it feel like to truly switch off… and be held for a weekend?

In this special episode of Live Wild, Hilary Rose is joined by Wendy Riordan, founder of the Nourish & Flow Festival, for a beautiful conversation about rest, connection and creating space to come back to yourself.

Nourish & Flow is a women-only, festival-style retreat designed to feel both expansive and deeply grounding. With over 100 women gathering in a peaceful, nature-filled setting, the weekend blends wellness workshops, movement, rest and community - all without pressure or expectation.

Wendy shares the intention behind the festival, from removing rigid schedules to allowing women the freedom to follow what they need in the moment - whether that’s a sauna, a workshop, or simply doing nothing at all.

Together, Hilary and Wendy explore what makes this experience so unique: the sense of safety, the depth of connection, and the quiet, powerful shifts that can happen when you give yourself permission to pause.

This is a conversation about rest that isn’t forced, growth that isn’t pressured, and the magic that happens when women come together without expectation.

Key topics we discuss:

• What Nourish & Flow Festival is and what makes it different
• Creating space for rest, freedom and choice
• The power of community and connection between women
• Why there’s no pressure to “perform” or have breakthroughs
• The balance between workshops, movement and true rest
• Going alone vs coming with friends - and why both work
• The evolution of the festival and its intentional growth
• How small, subtle experiences can create lasting change

To find out more or buy your tickets today, go to nourishandflow.ie

You can find Wendy here: Instagram

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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.

The words you speak - especially the ones you say to yourself - are not neutral.

In this solo episode, Hilary Rose explores the quiet but powerful impact of language on our inner world. From everyday phrases like “I’m wrecked” or “I can’t cope,” to the deeper beliefs we repeat over time, our words shape how we feel, how we respond, and how we experience our lives.

Hilary shares how the nervous system responds to language, often taking even casual, throwaway phrases as truth. What we repeat becomes familiar, and what’s familiar can begin to feel real - even if it isn’t.

Through simple, practical examples, this episode invites you to gently shift the way you speak to yourself. Not by forcing positivity, but by creating a little more space, softness and support in your inner dialogue.

Because sometimes, a small change in language can change everything.

Key topics discussed

• Why words are not neutral and how they shape our experience
• The connection between language and the nervous system
• How repeated phrases become internal beliefs
• The impact of self-talk on performance and confidence
• Reframing everyday language in a more supportive way
• Awareness as the first step to change

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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.

Change is something we say we want… until we start to feel it.

In this solo episode, Hilary Rose reflects on the subtle but powerful shifts that come with this time of year. As we move into spring, there’s a natural sense of forward motion - in nature and within ourselves. But even when change is needed, it can still feel uncomfortable, because it asks us to let go of what’s familiar.

This episode is a gentle reminder that nothing in life stays the same. Our thoughts, energy, relationships and desires are always evolving. And often, the discomfort we feel isn’t because something is wrong - it’s because we’re resisting something that’s already trying to shift.

Hilary invites you to approach change with curiosity instead of control. To notice where life might already be moving you forward, even in small, quiet ways.

Because change isn’t something happening to you - it’s something happening for you.

Key topics discussed

• Why change can feel uncomfortable, even when it’s needed
• Letting go of familiarity and embracing uncertainty
• The connection between nature, seasons and personal growth
• Moving with change instead of resisting it
• The power of small, subtle shifts
• Asking: what is this moment trying to show me?

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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.

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.