For this extra special bonus-length live episode, I’m joined by Comedians and Actors Willa White and Eric Lalor. The lads sit down with me on stage at the fantastic Púca Festival in Trim, Co. Meath to talk about their very unique experiences with mental struggles, the power of friendship, life lessons and a home birth that went very very weird!

Willa White is living proof that you can come back from anything — with a bit of reflection, a lot of humour, and the kind of honesty that stops you in your tracks. He’s battled addiction, transformed his life, and now uses laughter and his award-winning acting chops— not just as punchlines, but as a path to healing. His hugely successful and powerful one man show the Examination has played in theatres across the world and, in recent times, he sold out both the 3Olympia Theatre and The Gaiety Theatre (the first comedian to do so in over 10 years), making him the first Irish man to play the venue since it was built back in 1939.

Eric is a multi award-winning comedian and his latest one man show, Lol’er By Nature was a sell out success at Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre. You also might know him as the loveable rogue Cathal Spillane from Fair City but off-screen and stage he’s one of the funniest, soundest, and most razor-sharp comedians in the country.

Check out one of Willa’s Work in Progress shows on the 18th & 19th June in the Axis Theatre in Ballymun, in the National Stadium in Dublin on Aug 2nd, or on Oct 1st in the TLT, Drogheda. Make sure you tune into the lads’ award-winning You Must Be Jokin’ podcast and follow @ericlalor and @willawhitecomedy on Instagram.

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.

My incredible guest this week has got a heart the size of a Great Dane, the determination of a Jack Russell, and the Instagram account that’s made millions ugly cry before breakfast!

Niall Harbison is a Tyrone man but later moved to Dublin where he became a chef with a career that saw him cooking for the likes of rock stars and business moguls often on luxury yachts! But beneath all of this lay troublesome deep seated mental health issues that culminated in chronic addiction and a traumatic breakdown in Thailand in 2020.

Niall’s journey since then is nothing short of fascinating and inspiring. Niall dedicates his time to rescuing dogs and is the author of not one but two wonderful books. First, there was ‘ - how street dogs taught me the meaning of life” and now—he’s back with a brand new book ‘Tina: The Dog Who Changed The World’, a follow-up that proves our greatest teachers can appear in the unlikeliest places. And they may love tennis balls.

In this lovely conversation you’ll hear how the high-adrenaline chef culture enabled his addiction, what he identified as his 3 drinking triggers, the pressures of a global online following, the celebs whose hearts his work has touched and how special dogs Tina, Hank the Tank & Cindy Crawford all carry stories that mirror his own healing journey.

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.

My special guest today to talk about ‘balancing the busy’ is a travel show trailblazer, a fitness warrior, and the friendly face behind Operation Transformation, Kathryn Thomas. Now she’s the voice getting you up, out, and dancing around your kitchen before 9am on Dublin’s Q102!

But beneath the energy and the epic playlists is a woman who’s done some serious life homework—stepping back, rethinking success, navigating the chaos of perimenopause, burnout and much more. Kathryn has so many brilliant relatable insights I just know you’re going to get so much from this week’s episode.

Aside from raising two kids and wrangling a peeing dog, Kathryn is the founder of Pure Results, a successful fitness retreat business helping people get strong and reset their lives. She’s hosted travel shows, documentaries, lifestyle series, and fronted Operation Transformation for a decade—changing lives one emotional weigh-in at a time.

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.