This week I’m joined by world record endurance athlete, entrepreneur, TV star, podcaster and all-round reformed rogue - Spencer Matthews. Spencer is living proof that you can go from Made in Chelsea, to made for greatness. His adventures have seen him travel to the furthest reaches of the globe including on a journey to find the body of his brother Michael who perished at age 22 after reaching the summit of Everest, an expedition outlined in the award-winning documentary Finding Michael.

While you might know Spencer from reality TV, but these days he’s less ‘Pimm's o’clock’ and more 'get up at 5am, meditate, then casually run 26 miles before breakfast.' He’s just smashed a world record by running 30 marathons in 30 days through sand dunes and searing heat—raising over half a million euro for mental health charities, which is incredible. He also ran around a track for 24 hours straight and what’s more is he’s following that up by doing 7 full Ironman triathlons on 7 continents in 4 weeks. Because apparently one Ironman just wasn’t stressful enough!

If you're new to the series, why not take the time to go back and catch up on the wonderful interviews that you may have missed!

Visit www.dermotwhelan.com for more information and don't forget my new book Busy and Wrecked is out now!

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Today on the show, we’re diving headfirst into the wonderful, wild world of psychedelics. No, not the type that leads to hugging trees and marrying your toaster! I’m talking about real, science-backed, brain-rewiring, potentially life-changing therapy.

And helping us navigate this trippy territory are two absolute legends - Kathryn and Mick Ledden, siblings who through their individual work and partnership are helping to redefine our understanding of mental health and treatment in Ireland. Kathryn (a medical doctor) and Mick (a psychotherapist) co-created PsyCare Ireland, a pioneering non-profit that provides essential psychological care and education at events and festivals nationwide. Their trained volunteers hold space for people in need of support for any reason, including after ingesting substances such as psychedelics.

They’ve got the science, they’ve got the soul, and—thankfully for us—they’ve got beautiful way of making all this stuff understandable, accessible and exciting. Kathryn, a clinical research fellow at TCD, is engaged in groundbreaking clinical trials using psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT to treat various mental health conditions. Meanwhile, Mick facilitates psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands with Inwardbound, whose vision is in their own words “to provide to a platform to facilitate people’s self-exploration: a safe and legal container for this process, in a supportive, non-judgemental and transparent way. To promote inner transformation, personal breakthroughs, self-growth, creativity and inner healing.”

So stick the kettle on, open your mind (and maybe your chakras, if they’re handy), and get ready to chat about mushrooms, mental health, and how Ireland might be about to lead the world in psychedelic therapy.

If you're new to the series, why not take the time to go back and catch up on the wonderful interviews that you may have missed!

Visit www.dermotwhelan.com for more information and don't forget my new book Busy and Wrecked is out now!

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

This week’s fascinating guest is ornithologist and birdsong enthusiast Seán Ronayne. Seán is on a mission to record every single one of the 200 birdsongs in Ireland and his journey to do so has been nothing short of incredible. Seán’s work is proof that nature is something that we can truly connect to through the simple act of listening.

Seán’s wonderful book Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging was the winner of the Dubray Books biography of the year and when you hear him speak you’ll understand exactly why. Seán invites us to slow down and truly listen - not just to ourselves, but to the world around us. Through his work, Sean reminds us of the deep connection between nature and presence, showing how the simple act of listening can ground us in the moment and open our hearts to wonder. In this conversation we also look at the role his neurodivergence diagnosis has played in unlocking his passions and self discovery, how love has opened up his world and how a near fatal illness transformed the way he sees the world.

If you want to catch Seán on his nationwide tour of theatres in which he discusses his fascinating work, visit www.irishwildlifesounds.com for all tour dates.

If you're new to the series, why not take the time to go back and catch up on the wonderful interviews that you may have missed!

Visit www.dermotwhelan.com for more information and don't forget my new book Busy and Wrecked is out now!

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