Breaking bread with Rachel Allen

We continue the fascinating conversation that I had with leading psychotherapist and author Tony Bates. We covered so much ground in part 1 (and if you haven’t heard it yet I strongly encourage you to do so) and in this episode we chat about many more very interesting and important things, including family trauma and therapy,  the scourge of over-prescription of medication worldwide, particularly for young kids, his experience with patients who use a lot of cannabis, and also why we should all embrace pain.    COMEDY Tucker Carlson has had quite the week, have you heard the things he’s saying about Ireland? Well, we got access to his voicemails and there are some interesting messages from people you may know… For more info about Tony's new book, click https://www.gillbooks.ie/biography/biography/breaking-the-heart-open The Mario Rosenstock Podcast is produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

Tony Bates is one of Ireland’s leading psychologists. He has worked with thousands of patients throughout his many decades in practise, most notably as head of the Department of Psychology at St James’s Hospital, a position he held for over 30 years. He also created Jigsaw, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health. And if you’re a fan of Bressie’s podcast, Where is my Mind?, you’re probably very familiar with Tony from his regular appearances on that great show. But having spent his career seeking to understand the lives of others, Tony has now turned his therapeutic eye on himself and describes the events and people in his own life that have made him the insightful thinker and teacher that he is today. His new book is called Breaking the Heart Open: The Shaping of a Psychologist. And In it, he recalls the traumatic events in his own childhood that brought him to a very low point in his 30s ,the years he spent building himself back up, from which he spent years, and what he has learned from the many people in his care over the years. Tony shares that story with me, but this whole area of trauma, recovery, family relationships, therapy, and learning about ourselves and who we are is one that fascinates me, so we talked a lot about all these things too.  COMEDY – Patrick Kielty is about to present his very first Late Late Toy Show: Eamon Dunphy and John Giles look ahead to his debut performance  Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

You have probably heard a lot of interviews with Minister Paschal Donoghue on radio and on TV, but I’m pretty sure you will not have heard one quite like this. My plan is going into this particular interview was, not to talk about all the usual topics you’ll hear the minister talk about in the media and in the Dail, but rather to get behind all of that, to learn about the person, not the politician. And thankfully, Paschal was well up for having that kind of conversation. You are about to hear a whole different side to Paschal Donoghue in this episode of The Mario Rosenstock Podcast. COMEDY  - Kevin Bakhurst, RTE Director General, has just introduced a salary cap for presenters – and they’re not happy. We got exclusive access to his voicemails.  Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand

This chat with Al Porter was genuinely one of the most enjoyable conversations I have had on this podcast series to date. Not only is Al totally hilarious, he is also deeply intelligent, self aware, and has a very powerful personal story to tell. He has just come out the other side of an incredibly difficult few years where he was, by his own doing, completely out of the public eye, having been very much in it for many years. But now he’s back on tour, selling out venues again,  and he joined me in studio to share his story and tell me about how it feels to be back in action. This is part two of that conversation, and just like part 1, we have a real treat in store for you. For details about Al’s new tour, check out alporter.ie   COMEDY – Bruce Springsteen is back again and tickets are pretty hefty!   Produced by Patrick Haughey,  AudioBrand

A few years ago Al Porter was one of Ireland’s most rapidly rising stars in the entertainment world. He had become the youngest headliner in Vicar Street’s history at 21, his award-winning stand up was receiving rave reviews from critics, he had his own TV and radio shows, and big plans in motion for the USA. And then, as he says himself,  it “all fell apart”.  For reasons that we cover in this episode, Al suddenly stepped back from all of his public work and spent the next few years living at home, eating and drinking heavily, and mentally not in a good place.  But now, after several years of self-reflection and analysis, and some serious work on himself to get sober, Al is back. He’s selling out venues with his new stand up show, supporting great comedians like Reginald D Hunter, and he’s off the booze and looking and feeling great.  We met up in the studio earlier this week and over the course of almost two hours, Al told me the full story about the last few years he has spent out of the public eye and how he has got himself back on track. This is part 1 of that conversation.  COMEDY – Johnny Sexton has hung up his boots but his career is far from over- we get exclusive access to his voicemails and hear who’s been getting in touch  Produced by Patrick Haughey of AudioBrand