Healing Gals

About Healing Gals

Welcome to Healing Gals, the podcast where we reconnect to who were were before society got its hands on us! Each episode is a conversation about healing with women who are brave enough to be vulnerable and share the lessons they learned on their individual healing journey. We have a bit of craic along the way and we know we are never finished learning or healing. We cover topics such as feminism and the patriarchy, boundaries, gender based violence, self-love, being a single gal, being a mam, shame and listening to our bodies. We talk about all of these things through the lens of growth, learning and healing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Molly Smyth

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

7 Jan 2024

Latest episode

27 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

95 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Aug 2026

   S6 Ep 11: What If It's Not Your Personality? Trauma, Survival & the Wounded Healer with psychotherapist Katie McKenna

   This is Part 2 of my conversation with accredited psychotherapist and co-author of You're Not the Problem, Katie McKenna—and it's also the final episode of Season 6 of the Healing Gals Podcast! In Part 1, Katie and I explored the wounded healer: the person who may be drawn towards a caring profession because of experiences in childhood that taught them to become highly attuned to other people's needs. In this episode, we take that conversation further. We explore why wounded healers can struggle with boundaries, rest and asking for help. We talk about hypervigilance, the fear of being "in trouble", rejection, learning to identify a safe person and what healthy relationships can teach us about healing. We also explore the saviour complex, the difference between helping and rescuing, and one of the biggest questions of the episode: What if something you think is your personality is actually a trauma response? At the beginning of the episode, I also speak about my experience working in mainstream residential care, the state of our social care and juvenile justice systems, and the recent concerns around young people engaging in dangerous behaviour for social media attention. This opens up a wider conversation about patriarchy, the systems we create and how we can begin bringing more nurturing, relational and community-centred values into our own lives. • Wounded healers and boundaries • Why rest can be difficult • Struggling to ask for help • Learning to receive • Hypervigilance • Fear of being "in trouble" • Fear of rejection • Identifying a safe person • Healthy relationships and healing • The saviour complex • Helping vs rescuing • Your personality vs your trauma responses • Patriarchy and our social systems • Young people, belonging and social media • What a more nurturing culture could look like This conversation is particularly personal for me because I worked in mainstream residential care for 12 years and identify as a recovering wounded healer. Perhaps healing isn't about becoming less caring. Perhaps it's about learning that you can care deeply for other people without abandoning yourself. Katie is an accredited psychotherapist and co-author of You're Not the Problem. She specialises in parentification, emotional abuse and breaking generational trauma. You can find Katie and take her nervous system quiz at: www.katiemckenna.ie (http://www.katiemckenna.ie) If you have gotten anything helpful from Season 6 of the podcast, and you feel you'd like to send a few euro as thanks on my Buy Me A Coffee Link you can do so here: buymeacoffee.com/Healinggalspodcast Thank you so much! Season 6 is proudly sponsored by DARA Mats — luxury yoga mats designed to support your wellness journey both on and off the mat. Visit www.daramats.com (http://www.daramats.com) and follow @daramats on Instagram. Don't forget to use the exclusive Healing Gals listener discount shared during the episode. Healing Gals Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, therapy or mental health support. If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional or trusted support service. Ireland Support Services: Samaritans — 116 123 Pieta — 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 Text About It — text HELLO to 50808 HSE Mental Health Services And that's a wrap on Season 6. ❤️ Thank you for listening, sharing, supporting and being part of Healing Gals. Remember, you are good enough exactly as you are.

2. 

   12 Aug 2026

   S6 EP10: Working in Caring Professions: "The Wounded Healer" with Katie McKenna

   This week I'm joined by accredited psychotherapist and co-author of the international bestselling book You're Not the Problem, Katie McKenna, to explore the concept of the wounded healer. This conversation is particularly personal for me. I worked in mainstream residential care for 12 years and identify as with this role. Looking back, I can see how some of my own childhood experiences and unmet needs influenced the way I showed up in caring roles. Katie and I explore the kinds of childhood experiences that can lead someone towards caring professions such as social care, social work, nursing and psychotherapy, and how we can become so attuned to other people's needs that we lose touch with our own. We talk about the "empath", growing up with a narcissistic parent, identifying our own needs, the difference between helping and rescuing, and what happens when being needed becomes part of our identity. We also discuss the nervous system and Katie's quiz, available on her website, which can help you identify your number and understand more about how your nervous system is functioning. Find Katie & take the quiz: www.katiemckenna.ie (http://www.katiemckenna.ie) • The wounded healer • Childhood and caring professions • Unmet needs and adult careers • Social care, social work and nursing • The "empath" • Narcissistic parents • Identifying our own needs • Helping vs rescuing • The nervous system • Being needed as an identity • Molly's 12 years in residential care • Evolving away from that role of the wounded healer • Learning to care without abandoning yourself. Season 6 of the Healing Gals Podcast is proudly sponsored byDARA Mats — luxury yoga mats designed to support your wellness journey both onand off the mat. You can explore the full collection at ⁠www.daramats.com⁠ (http://www.daramats.com/)and follow along on Instagram at @daramats for wellness inspiration, newlaunches, and more. There’s also a special discount code exclusively forHealing Gals listeners shared in every episode. Healing Gals Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, therapy or mental health support. If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional or trusted support service. Remember, you are good enough exactly as you are. 💛

3. 

   5 Aug 2026

   S6 Ep 9: The Stories Women Inherit | Breaking Generational Patterns with Caoimhe Gibney

   This week is Part 2 of my conversation with The Mindful Physio, Caoimhe Gibney. In Part 1, we explored the science of intergenerational trauma and epigenetics. This week, we turn our attention to the stories passed down through generations that shape what women believe about themselves, relationships, motherhood, ageing and belonging. Together we discuss inherited beliefs about womanhood, honouring older women, calling people in instead of calling them out, the Maiden, Mother and Crone archetypes, embodiment as resistance, weight gain, healthy masculinity, lessons from nature and much more. Season 6 of the Healing Gals Podcast is proudly sponsored by DARA Mats. Visit www.daramats.com (http://www.daramats.com) to explore their luxury yoga mats and don't forget the exclusive listener discount shared at the end of Episode 1. Healing Gals Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, therapy or mental health support. If this episode brings up anything difficult for you, please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional or trusted support service. Ireland Support Services • Samaritans – 116 123 • Pieta – 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 • Text About It – Text HELLO to 50808 • HSE Mental Health Services Remember, you are good enough exactly as you are.

Who has been a guest on Healing Gals

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ciara Mangan
• Michaela
• Laura Lavelle
• Breda Larkin
• Mary

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

1.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

114 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

75

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

Contact Healing Gals

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Healing Gals