The Phone Call That Saved My Darkest Day | Síle Seoige
· 1 h 09 min · S3 E5
Episode The Phone Call That Saved My Darkest Day | Síle Seoige
At 32 Síle Seoige was diagnosed with cancer, but the hardest moment of her life came a year later, when she lay on her bed unable to move.
Brian sits down with Síle, broadcaster and host of the Ready to Be Real podcast, for an honest conversation about loss, vulnerability, empathy and what it really takes to find yourself again.
Still under care for cancer, Síle went through the end of a long relationship and lost a radio job she loved, all at once. On her lowest morning, a friend rang and talked her down the stairs, step by step, to make a cup of tea. Then he asked the question she didn't want to hear: "Okay, what are you gonna do about it?" That question led her to a yoga therapy class where she cried at the back of the room, and into four years of deep, difficult inner work that taught her to finally like the person she was.
Brian and Síle explore why pride kept her from vulnerability for so long, why sound and chant became her way into meditation, and how she holds the weight of being a deeply empathetic person. She speaks openly about her awakening to injustice in the world, why she believes self care was always meant to lead to collective care, and what she has learned from well over 200 conversations on her own podcast.
There are lighter moments too: her gardening era at 47, moving home to Galway to live by the sea, and the sticky notes all over her house that she credits with helping her through two unmedicated births (with "radish sandwich" as the safe word she never needed).
This is a conversation about hitting the floor, getting back up one step at a time, and being the friend who picks up the phone.
Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by Turas Nua, helping people build skills and take the next steps towards employment, because with the right support, change really is possible. Learn more at Turas Nua
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Chapters:
0:00 The hardest year wasn't the cancer
3:29 A friend's call on the darkest morning
6:15 Finding refuge in a yoga class
8:06 Letting go of pride and embracing vulnerability
11:52 Four years of turning inward
18:22 Finding peace through sound and chant
22:16 Being ready to be real, and Hala's story
26:46 Living with deep empathy
35:17 Why self care was always meant to be collective care
51:36 A belief that the soul is infinite
57:53 How motherhood rewired her
1:05:47 Admitting you're not okay
Spotify themes: Resilience, vulnerability, cancer, heartbreak, identity, empathy, yoga, meditation, spirituality, motherhood, community, mental health
Links in the notes 6
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