The Shona Project Podcast with Alison Curtis and Tammy Darcy

Our ambassador Rachel is many brilliant things, and autistic is just one of those things. Her diagnosis took some time, and she was dismissed because "girls don't have autism". She shares her experience with us today.

Lets talk about SEX baby! This week we chat with the fab Sarah Sproule, occupational therapist and sexuality expert about how we can empower and educate our girls without bringing shame and fear into the conversation. Its a good one!This is our last episode of season 1, but please be sure to send your suggestions for season 2 to podcast@shona.ie and stay in touch with Tammy and Alison through instagram or however floats your boat. Chiao for now!

Therese has a real bee in her bonnet about how adults speak to teenagers, and she's not wrong people!

This week we were supposed to chat about supporting teens through a disability or additional challenges, but it became SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!Bobbie Hickey was born blind, and since then has had more surgeries than you've had hot dinners, but she is one of the most accomplished, motivated and positive voices you'll ever hear. Her Mom Jen, has stood behind her and beside her every step of the way, and we talk to her about her experience and how we can all empower our girls to overcome any challenge they experience. Legends, both of them.Send your questions to podcast@shona.ie

Isabella has travelled the world to find her home here in Ireland. Today, she shares her experience of being the new girl, and how we can all be more inclusive in our schools and communities.

When home is not a happy place, it impacts everyone, and is tricky to navigate. This chat is quite personal to Tammy and our guest this week, Dr Malie Coyne. Alison will be back next week.Send your questions to podcast@shona.ie

Today's minisode is a chat about grief, a topic that Aoife knows all too well, having lost her Mother when she was just nine. We talk about how talking about our people helps, no matter how much time has passed...

The benefits of sports to girls have been long discussed but who knows more about this than Anna Geary? We speak to her about keeping girls in sports, but also about how to support girls who are defined by their sport when they realise it no longer serves them?Send us your questions as always to podcast@shona,ie

You asked! We answered! This week we're bringing some of your questions to our beloved Dr Joanna Fortune. In your emails, one of the most common arguments is about fake tan, eyelashes, and how our girls dress. So where is the line in terms of how we police our girls? They're just trying to figure it out, but so are we! Don't worry, Joanna will sort us all out in this one. Send us more questions and feedback to podcast@shona.ie

Joanna is a real philosopher. She just sits and contemplates life while Tammy waffles on. We need more Joanna's. She shares her experience of trying to find her community after leaving her religion, something many of us have struggled with.As usual, send all your questions and feedback to podcast@shona.ie, Cheers!

Empowering girls to know their worth is vital, especially during the years when they're navigating their first relationships. How do we teach them what a healthy romantic relationship looks like, and what red flags to look out for??Mary Hayes from TooIntoYou is with us today to tell us about what we need to we aware of, how to chat to our girls, and where to access support if we need it. She's fab, our girls are so lucky she's out in the world doing this work.Find out more here https://www.toointoyou.ie/

Its the first our our weekly episodes with our girls and this week we chat to Rena and Lynetta about friendships. Enjoy xSend your questions and feedback to podcast@shona.ie. Thanks !

A friendship breakup is one of the biggest heartbreaks we'll ever experience, but some friendships are just not meant to be for the long haul, and nobody ever equips us for it. Today, we're joined by Aoife Lee, parenting coach, who gives us a little perspective and a lot of sense. Email your questions and feedback to podcast@shona.ie

So we asked Dr Coleman Noctor how to build confidence and he told us we shouldn't be focused on confidence at all at all. So that's us told! Rather we need to build a self of self, which makes total sense to be fair. Email us podcast@shona.ie with your questions.

In this week's episode, Tammy puts on her big girl pants and gets a parenting critique from the horse's mouth. The "horse" being Freya of course. Enjoy x

There's no two ways about it, we are in an anxiety epidemic. Today we're joined by the wonderful Louize Carroll of Prism Therapy who explains that not all anxiety is bad for us, how we can regulate ourselves and our girls, and how to stop trying to just fix everything.

This Christmas we've heard of girls as young as eight asking for skincare products as presents, including Retinols, Acids and other stuff we don't understand. So to help us figure it out, we asked Dr Laura to chat to us about if these products are necessary or if we're wasting our money. Spoiler alert... yes we are. Dr Laura breaks down what the products do, which are helpful for acne, and which are actually harmful in the long run. Tammy, who is the WORST when it comes to being influenced to buy stuff online has a word with herself, and alls well that ends well.Send your emails to podcast@shona.ie, we'd love to hear from you.

In this episode Alison and Tammy speak to Harriet Parsons of BodyWhys - The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland. They start by discussing healthy habits we can instil in our daughters from an early age to help them have a healthy relationship with food. We then discuss early warning signs of disordered eating, first steps to support our child if this develops and the definite things to avoid doing as a parent if you suspect your child has disordered eating.

Tammy tells of her own experiences with bullying in this episode and that her experience was one of the main driving forces for establishing The Shona Project. Tammy and Alison invite Allie Leahy on to talk of her experience of bullying. Allie was this year's Offaly Rose in the Rose of Tralee, she bravely shared her story and has since become a wonderful advocate for anti-bullying in Ireland. In the 3rd part of this episode Alison speaks to parenting consultant Dr. Mary O'Kane on ways to support our child if they experience bullying, warning signs and things to avoid in supporting our child through this situation.

Tammy and Alison talk in this episode about their own home rules around social media and online life for their daughters. Tammy very cleverly set up an agreed contract between herself and her daughter about those rules, a great idea! Alex Cooney CEO of Cyber Safe Kids then joins in to talk about the ever changing landscape of various social media platforms and importantly safety mechanisms in each that parents should be aware of before they let their kids join an online platform.

Tammy and Alison talk about what their experiences were like as teenagers themselves. As well as mothers to their daughters. Tammy's daughter is 18 and just coming through the teenage years whereas Alison's daughter is just at the start at the age of 12. Tammy goes into detail about why The Shona Project began and what they do in schools across the country. They also speak to Psychotherapist Dr. Joanna Fortune about ways parents can set their daughters up for fun and successful teenage years.

Alison and Tammy introduce themselves and talk through what The Shona Project does. They explain why they felt it important to create this podcast series and as well their own experiences being teenage girls and now mothers to teenage girls.