Only Human Podcast

A Creative Adviser, Artist, Educator, Curator of Exhibitions and Arts Activist committed to using the arts to promote Creativity & Self expression, Positive Mental Health & Well being, Suicide Prevention. A proud recipient of The Unlocking Creativity Sir Ken Robinson Awards  awarded in March 2021 by The Nerve Centre and NI Screen. Noelle is a founding member of Hope, Healing & Growth in aid of The Aisling Centre, Enniskillen and a member of Team Ohana ZERO suicide.

Noelle is a beautiful soul and story teller committed to hope and healing through the arts. 

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by @evbalfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

In this episode we journey through Paul's life so far we explore what it means to develop an Expedition Mindset, how to incorporate Daily Non-Negotiable Actions (DNAs) for performance and wellbeing and what it means to Be Fully Alive. From rowing the Atlantic, to crossing the north-west passage, cycling across Australia and finding peace and perspective in the back garden, this episode explores what it means to "Live The Bollocks Out Of It".

Paul describes himself as a Dad, Adventurer, Performance Coach, Facilitator, Public Speaker with "big ears and a funny nose". What he forgot to include is Gentleman and Philosopher who doesn't take himself or life too seriously and in doing so embraces more of what it is to be fully alive.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by @evbalfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

I’ve been avoiding making this episode. I don’t necessarily believe in disability, I believe in people and people have diverse abilities.

The thing that enables or disables any individual is the environment in which they exist. The legal, cultural, social, physical, mental, emotional environments we live and work in are the places that either dampen our potential or allow us to flourish. Check out this short episode to hear my thoughts.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

It has been a while. We all need to create space sometimes to process, that doesn't mean we always give ourselves what we need. My absence on the podcast over the past few months was an act of self-care. All will become clear.

I hope this episode moves you, moves you in a particular way. In a world where there is so much comparison, resentment, expectations and judgements I hope it gives you a little more permission to be human. To be where you are, to let go of the things that don't serve you, to allow yourself embrace the things that do and most of all to give yourself permission.

This episode is an exploration of the themes that worked for me in 2020 that I want to bring forward with me. This episode is a reminder, me giving myself permission to be human.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

Dr. Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist. He has worked across a range of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services both in Ireland and abroad and he has a wealth of national and international clinical experience.

Colman specialises in the treatment of all emotional disorders and has a keen interest in the effects of contemporary media on child development and mental health and frequently contributes to national media on this topic. Colman is the resident Psychotherapist on The Ray Darcy Show on RTE Radio One and he is a frequent contributor to both the national broadsheet press (Irish Times, Irish Independent) and Broadcast media. He is the author of "Cop On. What it is and why your child needs it to thrive and survive in today’s world” was published in March 2015.

Colman has worked in Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin and the Lucena Child Mental Health Services and St Patricks Mental Health Service. He is currently an Associate Professor in University College Dublin. He also has a small private practice in the Basin Street Centre in Naas.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

Former Showtime Networks exec, Mark Shapiro, is a relationship building  expert and the founder of the LoveBomb app - the 1st ever relationship  management system and social wellness tool that brings together the  power of technology and the best of our human hearts to help you deepen  your connections, keep in touch consistently, and show up when it  matters most.

From sending over 10,000 appreciation videos,  creating a simple system that helps him keep in touch with over 3,000  people per year, and giving the premiere TEDx talk on human connection  in the digital age, Mark is at the forefront of social innovation  demonstrating not only how kindness makes human sense but also business  sense.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe @evbalfe

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ️
#onlyhuman #onlyhcumanpodcast

EP27 - Fiona Lennon - Fiona Lennon (Fí) hails from Mullingar. Coming from a musical town Fí is her artist name. She  began writing music at 18 and has since accumulated hundreds of songs,  only a few which she allowed to grace the airwaves. She spent time  working with Grammy nominated songwriters and has played big stages like  Electric Picnic, Whelans and Cyprus Avenue. Alongside  this, Fiona worked as a primary school teacher for many years until  completing a masters in Business and moving into a different space in a  career which can bring more variety to grow and travel. She has learned  over the years through hard times in her youth and experience of  anorexia the importance of self-love and self-development. Fí is an  advocate for fitness, reading, writing and through exploring and  expressing herself in different ways in life she has been able to  conquer the challenges of her teenage years. Her life has been coloured by a desire not to fit in one box, but to sample  and explore many areas of life by relaxing expectations and trusting  her gut to guide her. 

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe - @evbalfe 

Until next time, stay well, stay curious. 

Jack ️ 

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast

Katie Geaney, although most commonly known in the Instagram realm as Natural Born Optimist, shares the twists and turns of her journey to becoming a High Risk Youth, Social Worker - a job her 16 year old self would be so proud of her for achieving.

Katie speaks honestly about the highs and lows that came with working in front line homeless services in Dublin, and shares the powerful learnings that she gained from listening attentively to the clients who graced the service where she worked.

In the midst of the current pandemic, Katie is tucked away and masked up in Melbourne. She speaks about recently turning 30 and her (not so commonly chosen) goal of spending the first year of her new decade getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in her own company.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by @evbalfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast  #naturalbornoptimist

Shane Finn from Dingle in County Kerry is  a 28-year-old Ultra Endurance Athlete & Charity Fundraiser. Since  starting running almost 10 years ago, Shane & his team have raised over €300,000 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, a charity very close to his own heart!

Shane has  turned his passion for fitness, health, endurance & helping people  into a business now too and works full time as an Online Coach to people  from all around the world.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Castbox, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe.

Until next time, stay well, stay curious,

Jack :)

On October 8 2013, Brian Pennie experienced his first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction. Instead of perceiving his addiction as a failure, however, he embraced a second chance at life and went to university to study the intricacies of human behaviour. Since then, he has become a keynote speaker, a PhD student, a lecturer in Trinity College and University College Dublin, a life change-strategist, a radio presenter, and author of his recently published memoir, Bonus Time.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by @evbalfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

#onlyhuman #onlyhumanpodcast  #changeispossible

Pat is an author, speaker and high performance coach who is passionate about helping people reach new levels of purpose, passion and fulfilment through movement and mindset.

Setting up Pat Divilly Fitness in May of 2012 as a small fitness class on Silverstand beach Barna Co. Galway, Pat's philosophy centred around belief and belonging- instilling increased levels of self belief in clients whilst making them feel a part of a supportive community of like minded people. The philosophy resonated and within a year his cliental had grown to 500 clients at which point he brought out his first book '21 Day Jump Start' and opened his gym. At this point Pat was one of the first Irish trainers to implement 'online training' for clients around the world. Between 2012 and 2017 over 20,000 clients went through Pat's online training courses. He brought out two more books 'Naked Paleo' and 'Upgrade Your Life' and organized groups who raised over €250,000 for local charities.

In more recent years Pat has emerged as one of Ireland's top speakers in the area of personal development. He regularly speaks at his own one day workshops and three day retreats as well as providing trainings in leadership, self awareness and wellness for some of Ireland's leading corporations. Outside of this work Pat is passionate about travel, mountaineering and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has scaled the highest mountains in Europe, Africa and South America.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

In many ways it's crazy to think the Only Human Podcast has reached 20 episodes. In this episode we welcome Evan Balfe, the producer, onto the mic. We explore watch the first 20 episodes has taught us, sharing our insights from each guest and what only human means to us.

The Only Human Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, etc. and is produced by Evan Balfe.

Until next time, 

Stay well, stay curious,

Jack

It is hard to believe we are at the point of releasing our twentieth episode. It just goes to show what can happen in a short space of time when people come together around a mission that is bigger than them and commit. Todays episode is perhaps the most important we have released to date. Only Human Podcast is about everyday human beings, the magic each person has within and the struggles each goes through on their journey through life. We learn from everyday people who are on the journey of becoming themselves and contributing to the world. Each person shares their insight, expertise and experiences.

Today's guest, Dr Hannah McCormack, is uniquely positioned to speak to some of the most important movements and topics of our time - mental health and racism. Hannah, a Sports Psychologist, is the Campaign Manager for Tackle Your Feelings, a mental well-being campaign run by Rugby Players Ireland in partnership with Zurich. We explore mental "health" through the lens of being "mentally fit" as opposed to the common connotations of speaking of mental health as being only a negative mental health topic. We explore practices for self care, flourishing and for bouncing back that bit quicker when we face struggle or burnout - all through the lens of sports, of building your team to help you get across the line and perform well in life - I love it!

Hannah is Irish, living in Ireland full time aged 7 she is fully immersed in the sports, culture and life. Unfortunately Hannah and her family have been exposed to discrimination, micro aggressions and outright racism on many occasions. This is an important conversation. It is uncomfortable and that is why it is necessary. I am so grateful to Hannah for her openness and sharing her journey on for allowing us as listeners into her perspective and experience. Having conversations like this and listening from a place of openness is the beginning of the journey of taking action towards a more inclusive, understanding, respectful and fair country and world.

TYF app is on the app store and playstore and is available at www.tackleyourfeelings.com

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, etc. and is produced by Evan Balfe.

Until next time, stay well, stay curious,

Jack

Rian Doris is the Chief Growth Director at The Flow Research Collective. Rian holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy & Economics from Trinity College Dublin and is enrolled in an MSc in Applied Neuroscience at King's College London. Rian has worked with multiple Fortune 100 companies implementing peak performance strategies in a consulting capacity. He has also led a number of research initiatives with Dr. Dan Siegel, Prof. of Psychiatry at UCLA, Imperial College London. University of Southern California, University of Zurich and Claremont Graduate University.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc and is produced by Evan Balfe 🎤

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Jack ✌️

When it comes to the breath so much attention goes on the first and last breath, but what about the breaths in between. The first and last act of our lives is to breathe in and finally to breath out one last time. Returning to the breath in our day to day is a powerful anchor for checking in with ourselves. `It teaches us to be more present in our lives, more responsive over reactive and increases our awareness and objectivity.  In a world where it can be hard to catch a breath this episode explores a simple breath can teach us. Enjoy. 

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, etc. and is produced by Evan Balfe. 

Until next time, stay well, stay curious, 

Jack :)

A 28 year old ultra runner from Cork, Conor O'Keeffe says it as it is.  He doesn't pull any punches in how he lives his life with remarkable honesty and commitment. Formerly a Mai Tai boxer, in May of last year he won the Enduroman 200 Mile Ultra Race 2019, becoming the youngest person to finish the race. A race which hadn't had a finisher since 2016. He hasn't stopped there with a list of endurance and fighting feats to his name, most recently  raising over €30k for Pieta House by running around his patio for 24 hours. He is passionate about being an authentic example of questioning the mental demons that catch us all at times, speaking openly about both struggle, failure and triumph. Much of this episode is about his martial arts career and what shines strongest is his his spirit. But most of all Conor is one of the most decent human beings I know. He has a massive heart full of compassion and is a leader in times where many feel lost.  Enjoy.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, etc. and is produced by Evan Balfe

Until next time, stay well, stay curious,

Jack 

This episode explores a fresh perspective - What is beginner’s mind? It involves dropping our expectations and preconceived ideas about something, and seeing things with an open mind, fresh eyes, just like a beginner. If you’ve ever learned something new, you can remember what that’s like: you’re probably confused, because you don’t know how to do whatever you’re learning, but you’re also looking at everything as if it’s brand new, perhaps with curiosity and wonder. That’s beginner’s mind. It’s not just something you practice when you’re learning something — though dropping the “expert’s mind” and seeing the learning as a beginner is an important practice in learning. It’s something you can practice every single moment of the day (if you can remember to do so).

Credit goes to ZenHabits.net and Shunryu Suzuki’s "Zen Mind, Beginner's mind" for the idea and insight.

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, etc. It is produced by Evan Balfe 

Until next time, stay well, stay curious,

Jack :)

A role model of mine and a wonderful example of someone endeavouring to express his potential, as he says "life rewards effort", I am delighted to have Gerry Duffy join this week. This episode is packed with actionable tips, a real exploration of Gerry's story as he went from his comfort zone to building purpose and confidence in different areas of his life through goal setting and personal development. He is humble and approachable, yet committed and deliberate as he displays repeatedly in his 32 marathons in 32 days and 10 ironman races in 10 days as well as going from pathological fear to professional speaker. He says "None of this was easy, but none of it happened by accident either". But more than that he is very human and incredibly grounded in gratitude for the simple priorities in his life, enjoy!

Only Human Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, etc. and is produced by Evan Balfe.

Until then, stay well, stay curious,

Jack

The language we use has a huge influence on our perceptions, feelings and actions. So often we talk about what we or others should do/be, should have done, must, ought to, have to, etc. We get caught as victims of the past, inaction in the present and fear of the future. We use disempowering, victim of circumstance, guilt, shame and anxiety inducing language in our internal and external narrative, ultimately doing ourselves a disservice. We add the weight of expectations, social expectations that may not be of our own choosing to our lives and in doing so get in our own way. But there is a different way of using language, of thinking, perceiving and behaving. A way of reframing, of letting go of expectations that don’t serve us and of recognising we have more freedom of choice than we previously thought. A more empowering way of framing thoughts and language which u back in the seat of control in our lives and more in the present moment. So are you “should-ing” on yourself? What could you do if you let go of some of those "shoulds”? Check out the podcast to hear more 😛

Only Human Podcast is produced by Evan Balfe and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.

Until next time, stay well, stay curious 🙂

Joe O'Brien is a trainee Health Psychologist who works with Spectrum Mental Health and is the founder of the @HeadFirst0 instagram account and podcast which has been influential in making health psychology accessible and understandable for anyone. Joe and I go all the way back to primary school. We discuss how our self image and identities have evolved over time before turning to how to bring the very practical insights of health psychology into play in our day to day lives so we can stay well during challenging periods such as Coronavirus. We look at sleep, habit formation, the fundamentals of mental wellbeing, environmental factors in health, managing relationships in stressful times, setting healthy boundaries, differentiating between psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry,  as well as getting his insights into what Coronavirus and quarantine life has taught him. This was such an enjoyable conversation and is packed with valuable, actionable information.

Please share what resonated with you @JackKavanaghIRL or by email at hello@jack-kavanagh.com. I love to get feedback as it helps us improve and add more value for you, the listener, so let me know your thoughts and what topics you would like covered. Share with a friend and spread the impact of the Only Human Podcast.

Until next time, stay well, stay curious.

Cheers :)

A businessman, plant based ironman triathlete, author, innovator, single dad of two, Conor Devine has his plate full. He does all this whilst living with MS. Conor has exemplified the power of hope in times of uncertainty, the importance of attitude in first surviving and later thriving in life and the art of building resilience through daily action. A committed student of humanity and life, Conor is insightful and inspiring yet humble and honest about his struggles. He is after all Only Human. Every interaction we share leaves me energised and with new learnings. This conversation is a testament to that. You can learn more about this wonderful human at www.conordevine.com

Welcome to the Only Human Podcast. My name is Jack Kavanagh and I am delighted you have decided to tune in. Only Human recognises that we are each simultaneously a masterpiece and a work in progress, that we can feel stuck in one are of life and be thriving in another, that we can in the same moment feel vulnerable and courageous. In this time of uncertainty and overwhelm for so many, Only Human aims to create some space, room to breathe as we explore the stories of people finding the magic in the messiness of their lives, everyday heroes and leaders as inspiration or as a reflection of our own nature. Yes we all face the many stark realities of life, we are all after all Only Human, but by the same logic that means we are full of our own potential, magic and capable of growth. This podcast aims offer new insights, different perspectives and to prompt new questions to widen our self awareness so we can lower our masks and live more fully. Once again, welcome and if what you hear resonates give the episode a share or tell a friend. Until next time, stay well, stay curious, cheers!