IMAGE The Check-in

In 1961, Finola Cassidy's mother was prescribed a new "wonder drug" for morning sickness. It contained thalidomide, which caused miscarriages and severe birth defects in babies around the world.

Weeks after Finola was born, it was withdrawn worldwide. In Ireland, no public warning was issued and the drug remained on shelves for years.

Sixty-five years on, in a moving conversation, Finola talks to Leonie Corcoran about growing up wit...

Longevity is much more than a trend - it is about optimising your health at every stage of life.

Recorded live at the recent IMAGE Women's Health Clinic event, this special episode features consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan as she breaks down the exact science, nutrition, data tech, and daily lifestyle habits needed to live your best life at every age.

Key Takeaways:

• Nurture vs. Nature: How genetics interact direc...

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, recorded live at the IMAGE Women’s Health Clinic event at The Conrad Hotel, we unpack the ultimate blueprint to female longevity and optimum health. 

Host Melanie Morris sits down with three of Ireland’s leading health professionals – consultant dermatologist Professor Caitriona Ryan, preventive cardiologist Dr. Paddy Barrett, and performance coach John Belton—...

In the second half of our deep-dive conversation with medical doctor and neuroscientist Dr Michael Keane, we shift our focus inward. 

Dr Keane returns to show us how to master our mindset by making small, powerful adjustments to our daily routines and internal habits.

If you are ready to quieten a loud inner critic, overcome the secret fear of being exposed, and build a morning routine that actually sets you up for a fulfilling ...

In the first part of this special two-episode series, we check in with neuroscientist Dr Michael Keane, co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Evolve Neuro.

Dr Keane specialises in how the brain functions under pressure, using advanced brain-mapping techniques to make neuroscience practical for everyday life. He’s worked with business leaders, elite athletes and people who want a bigger, better, happier life.

Dr Keane speaks w...

Here comes summer!This month we welcome back Caoimhe McAuley, Director of Pharmacy at Boots Ireland and President of the Union of Pharmacists Ireland to talk all things sun health.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland, with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed annually, so let’s get ahead of the curve and create some super-safe sun habits.

Caoimhe has plenty of simple, faff-free tips to share, a personal story, and the ...

In this essential episode of IMAGE The Check-in, Ellie Balfe sits down with Chartered Psychologist and author Allison Keating for a thoughtful conversation about the pressures women are carrying, often quietly.

Together they explore burnout, the mental load, people pleasing, health anxiety and the deep connection between psychological wellbeing and physical health. They talk about why so many women have normalised stress, what happe...

How often do we think of oral health as part of our overall health picture?

In this fascinating episode of IMAGE The Check-in, Ellie Balfe is joined by dentist, Dr Bronagh Keane, better known to many on social media, as Ireland’s Tooth Fairy, for a conversation that opens up the much bigger story behind our teeth and gums.

They explore why oral health is far more than check-ups and cleanings, and how the health of our mouth ca...

Our skin is often treated as something simply aesthetic, something to perfect, correct or preserve. But what if we considered skin as a vital indicator of our overall health?

In this fascinating episode of IMAGE The Check-in, host Ellie Balfe is joined by Professor Caitriona Ryan, consultant dermatologist and co-founder of the Institute of Dermatologists, for a wide-ranging conversation about skin health through a very different len...

In this episode, Ellie Balfe is joined by Dr Fiona Keogh, consultant gynaecologist with Blackrock Health, to explore what is really going on when it comes to pelvic health, and why so many women are left unsure of what is normal and what is not.

Together, they talk through the symptoms women often normalise, from bladder leaks to a feeling of heaviness or pressure, and why these are not simply things to accept as part of ageing or a...

This is an important and compassionate conversation about eating disorders, a topic that is often misunderstood, often hidden, and far more common than many of us may realise.*** Before listening, please note that this episode may be sensitive for some, so if you feel at any point that it is difficult for you, we encourage you to step away and be gentle with yourself.In this episode, I am joined by Laura Casey, Director of Services...

Pelvic health is something many women only hear about when something goes wrong. Leaking when you laugh, run, or workout. Or a feeling of heaviness or painful sex. These experiences are incredibly common, yet they are rarely spoken about openly.

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, host Ellie Balfe sits down with Aoife Harvey, specialist physiotherapist at the Women's Health Clinic Dublin, for a refreshingly honest and no-holds-ba...

Pregnancy is often described as a natural milestone in a woman’s life. But medically, it is also one of the most complex physiological events the body will ever experience.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Vicky O'Dwyer, Consultant Obstetrician and Director of Gynaecology at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. Dr O'Dwyer has a special interest in preventing preterm birth and caring for women who experience pregnancy with pre-e...

Did you know that heart disease is the number one cause of death for women? Yet many of us still associate it more strongly with men.
Women’s cardiovascular health has historically been under-researched, under-recognised and sometimes under-treated. With hormones influencing risk throughout our lives, our symptoms can look different, and life events such as pregnancy and menopause can significantly shape our cardiovascular...

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, host Ellie Balfe is joined by Claire O’Brien, a functional medicine nutritional therapist, for an insightful and grounded conversation about women’s gut health, nutrition and the deep interconnectivity of our body’s systems.

Together, they explore how gut health, hormones, metabolism, stress and energy levels are all linked, and why looking at the body in isolation via single ...

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, host Ellie Balfe is joined by Dr Aisling Loy, Consultant in Sexual Health and Genitourinary Medicine at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

This is an interesting, informative and vital conversation about sexual and genitourinary health, an area of health that affects all of us, yet is still too often surrounded by shame, silence and misunderstanding.

Together, they talk about what sexual healt...

In this episode of IMAGE The Check-in, Ellie is joined by Dr Harriet Treacy from Beyond BMI for a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about weight, health and longevity.

*** A gentle note for listeners that conversations about weight can be emotionally tender. Healthy weight looks different for everybody, and this episode is grounded in health, wellbeing and longevity rather than appearance. If you are living with or recoverin...

Do you know the menopause symptom that distresses women the most?

In this episode, guest host Leonie Corcoran is joined by GP and women’s health expert Dr Caoimhe Hartley  to decode the hormonal shifts that define every stage of a woman’s life.

From the confusion of "brain fog" and the "loss of self" in perimenopause to the truth about HRT and pelvic health, this conversation shares the info and the insight to help ...

Is your body speaking a language you don’t understand?

To open Season Two of IMAGE The Check-in, guest host Leonie Corcoran talks to nutritional therapists and founders of Gigi Supplements Jennie Haire and Lisa Hughes about cycle syncing, sleep foundations, post-partum nourishment and breaking the hustle culture stress cycle. 

Key highlights:

• The Stress Trap: Why your brain treats an inbox like a predator.

• Cycle Syncing:...