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Everything you want to know about your breast cancer diagnosis but are too afraid to ask. If you’ve just been diagnosed, this is the show for you. Hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer.
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
This week’s guest is Alex Hewitt, founder of AOK events, and he’s come on to talk about how he coped with severe anxiety when his world was crumbling around him. He wants to set a good example for his sons by opening up about his own mental health problems and encourage others to do the same.
I’ve often wondered if men find it harder than women to talk about depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Is it because of the traditional alpha male role model that men were expected to fill? I hope that things are changing but we’ve a long way to go.
Many of you have written to me to tell me that your partners don’t understand what you’re going through or that you find it hard to talk to them. This is definitely a topic to explore again in season three.
If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental health, here are some safe resources for you:
CALM https://www.thecalmzone.net
Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org
Shout https://giveusashout.org
Don’t Ignore the Elephant Knitting pattern
Use the code DITE for 20% off
Knitting Pattern by Claire Fairall Designs
All profits go to the Institute of Cancer Research
Alex Hewitt https://www.aokevents.com
Liz O’Riordan
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
This week’s guest is Maggie Hope. She’s a Psychotherapist and Counsellor and she’s come on to talk to me all about therapy. What is it? How do you know if you need it? What to expect when you have it?
I’ve needed therapy at several times of my life, and I was ashamed to tell people about it. We talk about the importance of removing the stigma from therapy, and how to talk to our friends and family about what we’ve discussed in a session.
We also talk about self-care, and what it really means. I loved Maggie’s take on this and would love to know what you think.
If you want to find a therapist, these are the websites that Maggie recommended
https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk
Don’t Ignore the Elephant Knitting pattern
Use the code DITE for 20% off
Knitting Pattern by Claire Fairall Designs
All profits go to the Institute of Cancer Research
Liz O’Riordan
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
This week’s guest is Felicity Cornelius-Mercer. She’s become the female James Blunt of Twitter by defending attacks on her husband Johnny Mercer, MP with humour and wit.
We talk about the realities of living life in the public eye and what it’s like to work with your husband and still make a marriage work, and a little bit about male grooming. We also chat about how hard it is to be a politician in this current climate, whether they should go on reality TV shows and will the Online Abuse Bill will make any difference. I’d love to know what you think.
She definitely gave me food for thought when I deal with hurtful comments in the future.
If you want to follow Felicity on Twitter, and you really, really should, this is where to find her -
Twitter @mercer_felicity
If you’re want to know more about becoming a lifeguard, see below
https://www.everyoneactive.com/about-us/careers/nplq/
Don’t Ignore the Elephant Knitting pattern
Use the code DITE for 20% off
Knitting Pattern by Claire Fairall Designs
All profits go to the Institute of Cancer Research
To find our more about me -
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
This week’s guest is the inspirational Jaz Ampaw-Farr, an award-winning motivational speaker who shifts mindsets and leaves her audience on a high. She’s known in the US as the ‘British Oprah’ who’s gone from broken to Beyonce (if you squint a bit).
She had an awful childhood, subjected to poverty and horrific abuse at a very young age, but a handful of teachers helped her change her trajectory. Instead of calling herself “not good enough” she says “I am enough”.
I can’t wait for you to hear her story and find out what she’s inspired you to do.
You can find out more about Jaz here:
Twitter @jazampawfarr
Instagram @jazampawfarr
YouTube @jazampawfarr
Jaz Ampaw-Farr Website https://jazampawfarr.com
Don’t Ignore the Elephant Knitting pattern
Use the code DITE for 20% off
Knitting Pattern by Claire Fairall Designs
All profits go to the Institute of Cancer Research
Liz O’Riordan
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
My second guest is the wonderful Debbie Bliss MBE. She’s the most published knitwear designer in the world. She revolutionised the pattern industry and makes knitting cool. But she also looks cool as well. Debbie has had thymus and breast cancer and has accepted her new figure after a mastectomy. She’s a savvy business woman in her seventies and there’s no sign of her stopping any time soon.
As well as her cancer journey, we talk about how fell in to knitting almost by accident, which led to Elton John owning one of her knitted house plants. She shares with us her own mother’s struggles with mental illness, the challenge of redefining yourself as an older woman in this world of filters and influencers, and the importance of being kind.
You can find out more about Debbie here:
Twitter @debbieblissnews
Instagram @debbieblissknits
Debbie Bliss Website https://www.debbieblissonline.com
LoveCrafts (for patterns)
Don’t Ignore the Elephant Knitting pattern
Use the code DITE for 20% off
Knitting Pattern by Claire Fairall Designs
All profits go to the Institute of Cancer Research
Liz O’Riordan
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
The first episode of season two it a little bit different. It’s a legacy listen with my mum, Isobel. She was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer three months before we recorded the interview. I wanted to chat to mum and find out what it was like for her when I got breast cancer, before talking about her own experiences as an amputee.
Sadly Mum died less than three months later from a pneumonia she developed during chemotherapy. I’ve listened back to our chat so many times and in my heart I knew I had to share it with you. It’s what she would have wanted.
She approached her cancer with a positive, cheery attitude and I hope that you feel a little bit of joy after listening to us natter.
If someone close to you has died recently, here is a great list of charities and organisations that can help:
This is a link to Donna Ashworth’s website who’s book of poems called ‘Loss’ really helped me.
If anyone you or anyone you know has been affected by bone cancer or sarcoma, I can recommend these two charities:
If you’ve been moved by Mum’s story and want to donate to her legacy fund to raise money for research into osteosarcoma, you can donate here.
I’d love to know what you thought of this episode. This meant a lot to me, and I hope I’ve done the right thing in sharing it with you. You can watch the full video on my YouTube Channel
Liz O’Riordan:
Instagram @oriordanliz
Twitter @Liz_ORiordan
YouTube @DrLizORiordan
Website www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, in association with Elizabeth Richards, proudly sponsored by AOK Events, produced by Bird Lime Media.
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
How do we talk more openly about divorce? In the final episode of season one, veteran broadcaster Jane Garvey talks to me about her own experience of splitting up in the spotlight, why you should get on with your ex for the sake of your children, and how to kickstart your career when you reach ‘middle age’, whatever that might be.
Jane almost needs no introduction. After launching Radio 5 Live she spent 13 years at the helm of Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. She now spends her days chatting about the chuff of life with her co-host Fi Glover on the soul-warming podcast Fortunately. She’s shown that there is a demand for simple, honest, female conversation and friendship. Jane went through her divorce in the spotlight and she describes adjusting to life as a single parent with humour and honesty in her and Fi’s new book, Did I Say That Out Loud?.
You can listen to Jane and Fi Glover’s podcast ‘Fortunately’ here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04x5pd7/episodes/downloads / https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/fortunately-with-fi-and-jane/id1220808096
And their book ‘Did I say that out Loud?’ is available here: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Fi-Glover/Did-I-Say-That-Out-Loud--Notes-on-the-Chuff-of-Life/25632880
The audiobook has some added extras!
Social media
Jane Garvey
Twitter @janegarvey1
Liz O’Riordan
Twitter @Liz_Oriordan
IG @oriordanliz
Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Do you ever talk openly and honestly about money? Do you feel guilty or ashamed over how much you spend? Do you know how much is in your bank account at any given time? Does your partner know about your debts? Do your children know how to save for the future?
Davinia Tomlinson is founder of RainChq, an organisation promoting financial inclusion to women. She talked to me about when we should spend, when we should save, how we can talk more openly about money and why women need to feel more confident with things like investing in stocks and shares. She showed me that budgeting can be the ultimate freedom and that a pension is a must, not a maybe.
To find out more about RainChq visit https://www.rainchq.com/
You can also hear Davinia on her own podcast ‘Let’s Make it Rain’ - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lets-make-it-rain-the-podcast/id1591463088
Here are some of the budgeting apps that Davinia says are a good place to start:
Chip - https://www.getchip.uk/
Plum - https://withplum.com/
Emma- https://emma-app.com/
And for investing, the app Moneybox helps you invest your spare change - https://www.moneyboxapp.com/
Social media
Davinia Tomlinson
IG @rainchq
Website: https://www.rainchq.com/
Liz O’Riordan
Twitter @Liz_Oriordan
IG @oriordanliz
Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Clara Swedlund is a physique coach and sports psychologist who overcame bulimia and binge-eating in her teens and early twenties. She competes in bikini bodybuilding competitions and helps clients like me train to get strong and fit for life. She’s only too aware of the impact of social media when it comes to defining what a perfect body looks like, and how important it is to be kind to yourself.
If you’ve been affected by an eating disorder or know someone who might be, these are some helpful resources
NHS Advice - How to help someone with an eating disorder
Social media:
Clara Swedlund
Twitter @ceswedlund
Website: https://linktr.ee/claritasw_vwphysique
Liz O’Riordan
Twitter @Liz_Oriordan
IG @oriordanliz
Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Orla Chennaoui began her career as a news journalist but moved over to sports for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2019 she joined Eurosport as the lead presenter for cycling events, in a very male-dominated field. She was diagnosed with post-natal depression after the birth of her first child, and lives with anxiety on a daily basis. Orla spoke to me about how she’s learnt to reframe anxiety into something positive, and how grateful she is to be more bad-ass because of it.
Orla talks about breathing techniques that help her cope when she starts to feel anxious. For more information, see below:
We touched on some pretty heavy subjects in this episode. If you’ve been affected and need someone to talk to, remember you can always reach out to the Samaritans - call 116 123 for free. More info here.
Social media
Orla Chennaoui
Twitter @SportsOrla
IG @sportsorla
Belfast Telegraph weekend column
Liz O’Riordan
Twitter @Liz_Oriordan
IG @oriordanliz
Website: www.liz.oriordan.co.uk
Don’t Ignore The Elephant is hosted by Dr Liz O’Riordan, produced by Bird Lime Media in association with Elizabeth Richards.