Family court can feel like a circus when you’re walking in with a broken heart, no sleep, and a head full of “what ifs”. We talk to Paddy, one of the people behind TalkToUs.ie, and Nicole, the creator of Courtwise, about what actually helps when you’re facing separation, divorce, maintenance questions, and child access disputes in Ireland. Their goal is simple: take you out of the dark place, help you understand the system, and get you moving with a plan that protects your mental health and your children.

We get practical about the day-to-day realities of the Irish family law process: the fear of Dolphin House, the intimidation of sitting near an ex-partner, and the frustration of changing judges and endless adjournments. Paddy explains how their group supports men and women, why they teach people to become confident lay litigants, and how to instruct a solicitor instead of being steamrolled by one. We also dig into the in-camera rule, why it exists, and why so many people believe it can hide bad practice and inconsistent outcomes.

Nicole shares what a multi-year court battle does to your life, and why evidence wins over storytelling. We unpack parental alienation, breaches of access orders, and why detailed notes can protect you years later when a child asks what really happened. We also cover “voice of the child” assessments and section reports, typical costs, and concerns about questionable expert credentials. If you’re co-parenting after a split, this conversation offers clear guidance, hard truths, and genuine solidarity.

If this helps, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more parents in Ireland can find it. What part of the court process do you wish someone had explained to you sooner?

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A nurse from Tallaght with an Australian passport, a hospice education in dignity, and a life that gets knocked sideways by grief, single parenting and domestic abuse somehow ends up building one of Ireland’s most recognisable aesthetics brands. That “somehow” is the bit we wanted to understand, so we sat down with Kerry Hannafee for a proper, no-gloss conversation about what it actually takes to start over.

We talk through Kerry’s global family background (Scotland, the British Army, Aden, Malta, Melbourne), what it feels like to come home to Ireland in the 1970s, and how early volunteering and hospice work shape her approach to care. From London nurse training at 17 to managing real pressure in hospitals, she explains how those years set her standards for safety, consent, and doing right by people, even when the job is hard.

Then the story turns: relationships, loss, debt, control, and the moment she realises she needs a plan that protects her kids and gives her independence. Kerry shares how training in fillers and aesthetics becomes a lifeline, how she builds trust across Dublin well beyond the usual “posh postcode” stereotype, and how she grows from couch appointments to clinics, medical teams, and serious investment in treatments and equipment. We also get into what’s trending now in skin rejuvenation and aesthetics in Ireland, including Morpheus8, SoftWave, microneedling, polynucleotides, peels and realistic treatment planning, plus why she says “no” to requests every day.

We finish with Kerry’s Pride allyship, the Pre-Pride Pamper Day, and what she wants next: stabilising, staying safe, and having time for family without losing momentum. If you like honest Irish business stories with real stakes, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. What part of Kerry’s journey do you relate to most?

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You can hear the moment the penny drops for Dave Dillon: he’s sitting in a doctor’s office for his son’s ADHD assessment, the symptoms are listed one by one, and suddenly his whole past makes sense. Dave grew up in Kilamanagh, Dublin 24, and spent years believing his racing mind, big emotions and constant restlessness were just “the way he was”. By 12, drugs became the quickest way to quiet his head, and what started as hash escalated into weekend-long sessions, debt, shame and a life built around chasing the next escape.

We talk openly about the darker turns too: crack cocaine, paranoia, and drug-induced psychosis where every sound becomes evidence and every doubt becomes a conspiracy. Dave describes what it’s like to be trapped in that state, how it damages families, and how suicidal thinking can be fuelled by drink and drugs even when the person isn’t truly ready to die. It’s a tough listen at times, but it’s grounded, human, and full of hard-won clarity.

Recovery, for Dave, doesn’t begin with a simple decision. It begins with support, routine, TRP, meetings, peer groups, and the 12-step programme, plus the humility to admit that “clean time” isn’t the same as recovery. We also get into why he’s now writing Nanny Kayes, a screen project built from lived experience to raise awareness about addiction and psychosis, and why fast gas and youth drug trends need urgent action in Ireland.

If this conversation lands with you, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of Dave’s story do you wish more people understood?

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