Stretch Marks

Shortlisted for Best Conversation Podcast in the All Ireland Podcast Awards 2026

Here we talk about the parts of life stretching us to our limits, the necessary growth and the marks left behind.
Stretch marks don't just happen on our bodies - they happen throughout our lives.

TRIGGER WARNING
This episode discusses mental health, psychiatric hospital care, medication & postnatal depression. This conversation isn’t a substitute for professional advice.

Laura O'Connell joins Sinead for an honest conversation about motherhood, mental health and her recent experience in psychiatric care last month.

With humour and grace, she talks about the pressure to keep going, the shame that can surround asking for help, and why seeking care doesn’t make someone less.
We discuss what can happen when stress, depression or anxiety piles up, Laura’s experience of having her medication adjusted under medical supervision, the relief of being in a place where people can speak openly and why we need to make it safer for people to say they’re struggling.

Supported by Mabelle Menocare, created by Clonmel Healthcare.
Visit Mabelle.ie

Host: Sinead O'Moore
Insta: You can find me on instagram @sinead.omoore and @stretchmarkspodcast
Produced by the brand story
For brand collaborations and sponsorship please email stretchmarkspod@gmail.com

GUEST: Laura O'Connell
https://www.instagram.com/just_lauraoconnell/?hl=en

Links to Maternal Mental Health Support
Nurture
Aware
Samaritans call 116 123
Turn2Me
Pieta House text HELP to 51444
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this award winning podcast we talk about the parts of life stretching us to our limits, the necessary growth and the marks left behind.
Stretch marks don't just happen on our bodies - they happen throughout our lives.

"You are only resilient when your resources to cope outweigh the stress you're coping with."
If you're carrying too much, this episode is for you. host Sinead O'Moore talks with Dr Joanna Fortune about why a bubble bath and a scented candle often don't touch the stress we're under.
They also cover why adults need to play, and how to build up the resources that make us resilient.
Dr Joanna Fortune is an Irish psychotherapist and attachment specialist with over 20 years' experience working with children and families.
She is the author of the 15-Minute Parenting books and Why We Play.

We talk about
Date nights and friendship
The value in regular nervous system regulation, not elaborate trips away
Why adults forget to play and why feeling safe might be the key to unlocking a lighter state of mind
Deserving therapy instead of resigning to it
Burnout and fatigue, and why you're only resilient when your resources outweigh your stress

You can find me on instagram @sinead.omoore and @stretchmarkspodcast
Produced by the brand story
For brand collaborations and sponsorship please email stretchmarkspod@gmail.com

GUEST: Dr. Joanna Fortune
https://www.drjoannafortune.com
https://www.instagram.com/drjoannafortune/

Supported by Mabelle Menocare, created by Clonmel Healthcare.
Visit Mabelle.ie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this award winning podcast we talk about the parts of life stretching us to our limits, the necessary growth and the marks left behind.
Stretch marks don't just happen on our bodies - they happen throughout our lives.

Siobhain Gibbons joins Sinead on Stretch Marks to share the story of her sister, Eileen Rush.
Eileen was diagnosed with cervical cancer in December 2018, at 33.
She became a blogger and advocate, and her slogan was "Check your bits.

We talk about:
Who Eileen was: a single mum at 21 who took no bull and was her sister's soulmate and chief bridesmaid.
Eileen's diagnosis, treatment and the year that followed, and her message to get your smear test and the HPV vaccine.
How surgical menopause hit Eileen overnight, and why women so often dismiss their own symptoms.
Siobhain's own journey: a traumatic birth, a triple prolapse, a hysterectomy at 36 and learning what "sleepy ovaries" means.
Miscarriage, grief, redundancy and losing her sense of identity.
Starting her own business supporting women returning to work after maternity leave.

This is an honest conversation about the shame and silence around women's health.
It is also about carrying on a loved one's voice, and being kinder to yourself.
BOOK YOUR SMEAR & CHECK YOUR BITS

You can find me on instagram @sinead.omoore and @stretchmarkspodcast
Produced by the brand story
For brand collaborations and sponsorship please email stretchmarkspod@gmail.com

GUEST:
Siobhain Gibbons

Supported by Mabelle Menocare, created by Clonmel Healthcare.
Visit Mabelle.ie
Ad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this award winning podcast we talk about the parts of life stretching us to our limits, the necessary growth and the marks left behind.
Stretch marks don't just happen on our bodies - they happen throughout our lives.

Kelly Connor on career pressure, motherhood, and why the pressure has to come off.
Kelly Connor joins Sinead for a candid conversation about the stretch of midlife: juggling work, young children, ageing parents, and the pull to rethink what success looks like.
Kelly shares how building a home with little money shaped her fearlessness, and how becoming a mother changed her priorities, her pace, and her definition of a good life.
We also get into the emotional load of parenting, the pressure women feel to keep doing more, and why exercise is not about punishment or perfection but staying mentally and physically well.

All the good stuff!! let's go. xx

You can find me on instagram @sinead.omoore and @stretchmarkspodcast
Produced by the brand story
For brand collaborations and sponsorship please email stretchmarkspod@gmail.com

GUEST:
Kelly Connor

Supported by Mabelle Menocare, created by Clonmel Healthcare.
Visit Mabelle.ie
Ad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this award winning podcast we talk about the parts of life stretching us to our limits, the necessary growth and the marks left behind.
Stretch marks don't just happen on our bodies - they happen throughout our lives.

In this episode, Sinead and Dr. Ciara McKenna GP and women's health specialist discusses the complex realities of hormonal fluctuations emphasizing the importance of understanding our bodies, managing symptoms, and breaking societal stigmas.
We explore treatment options, lifestyle adjustments, and the emotional journey women face during this transition.
An essential listen for women being stretched by modern life.

menopause, perimenopause, hormonal health, HRT, women's health, aging, stress management, lifestyle medicine, menopause in the workplace

You can find me on instagram @sinead.omoore and @stretchmarkspodcast
Produced by the brand story
For brand collaborations and sponsorship please email stretchmarkspod@gmail.com

GUEST:
Dr. Ciara McKenna insta
Rose Clinic Bray website

Supported by Mabelle Menocare, created by Clonmel Healthcare.
Visit Mabelle.ie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.