As a volunteer with Cuidiú and a mother of three, Tara’s work is driven by a passion for empowering parents and transforming birth experiences. Her holistic approach—covering emotional well-being, trauma support, and informed decision-making—reminds us that birth support is about more than just the physical; it’s about nurturing the whole person.  

Tune in as we discuss:  

✨ How Tara’s move from New York to Galway shaped her approach to birth, mental health, and community support  

✨ The vital role doulas play in empowering parents during pregnancy and birth  

✨ Practical tips for managing pregnancy anxiety   

✨ Resources for mental health and trauma healing

✨ The importance of emotional health and decision-making tools like BRAIN in supporting informed choices  

Whether you’re an expat, a parent-to-be, or someone passionate about holistic birth care, this episode offers heartfelt stories, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on supporting parents across borders.  

🎧 Listen now and discover how compassion, resilience, and community are transforming birth experiences worldwide.  

ℹ️ Check out the resources mentioned in this episode:

Find a Doula: https://doula.ie

Evidence on Doulas: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/

Mental Health & Birth Trauma Supports - Pregnancy and Postnatal

• Perinatal Mental Health Team at your hospital 
• Community Mental Health Services
• Therapies that can support birth trauma healing and are available privately and some publicly: Birth Trauma Resolution (BTR) see Birth Trauma Ireland;  EMDR Therapy - Therapists in Galway : Therapists in Galway
  https://www.ebtc.ie/emdr-therapy/

Cuidiú Ireland: @cuidiuofficialireland @cuidiuparentsupport

📌 Follow Tara:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doulanextdoor.galway

Email: tara@doulanextdoor.ie

Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share!  

#BirthSupport #ExpatParenting #HolisticBirth #BirthTrauma #MentalHealthMatters #Doula #NaturalBirth #miscarriage #highriskpregnancy

Tune in as we discuss:

✨ How Faith’s personal journey from Canada to Ireland shaped her perspective on healthcare and advocacy  

✨ The real stories behind systemic health disparities affecting Black communities and what can be done to tackle them  

✨ The importance of self-advocacy in healthcare—empowering patients to speak up and seek second opinions  

✨ How social media and personal experiences highlighted the urgent need for change in pain management protocols  

✨ Faith’s vision for a future where equity, compassion, and patient voice are at the forefront of medicine  

Whether you're interested in global health, social justice, or personal growth, this episode offers insights to ignite your passion and empower your voice.

🎧 Tune in now and discover how faith, advocacy, and systemic change are reshaping healthcare around the world.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share!
 #HealthEquity #PatientAdvocacy #MedicalStudent #Womenshealth #LifeAbroad  #studyabroad #ExpatLife 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/september-sundown

License code: LVUQME3L4DUFNJ1Z

Through laughter, vulnerability, and truth, Tessa reminds us that sometimes the most life-changing journeys begin when everything falls apart.

🎧 Tune in as we discuss:
✨ Healing through heartbreak — how a fresh start in Ireland helped Tessa rediscover herself
✨ The quiet courage of leaving home and beginning again, far from everything familiar
✨ Building community and connection as an international in a new land
✨ Navigating identity shifts, evolving values, and the beauty of unexpected friendships
✨ The emotional highs and lows of working in medicine across two very different health systems

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more expat stories!

Tune in as we discuss:
 ✨ How faith and fashion can coexist in a world that often separates them
 ✨ The leap of moving abroad and trusting the journey
 ✨ How Berlin’s edgy fashion scene has shaped her personal style
 ✨ Finding purpose in the daily grind of a new culture
 ✨ The challenges and rewards of faith-based living in a secular city

Whether you're a fashion lover, a spiritual seeker, or someone contemplating a bold move abroad, this episode is packed with insights to inspire you.

🎧 Listen now and discover how faith, fashion, and finding purpose intertwine in unexpected ways.

📌 Follow Salome here:
  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@salomecostello
  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salomecostello/

 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share!

#FaithAndFashion #MovingToBerlin #PurposeDrivenLiving #SlowFashion #SpiritualJourney #ExpatsInBerlin #StyleAndSpirituality #LifeAbroad

In this episode of The Galway Gal, I sit down with Virtue Shine, the visionary designer behind Emerald & Wax, a brand that blends the bold vibrancy of African wax prints with the sleek elegance of Japanese architecture. From growing up in Accra, Ghana, surrounded by rich textiles in her grandmother’s fabric warehouse to moving to New York as a teenager and eventually settling in Galway, Ireland, Virtue shares her inspiring journey of creativity, resilience, and reinvention.

✨ In this episode, we discuss:
 ✔️ How childhood memories of African textiles shaped her creative vision
✔️ Moving abroad for love & navigating life in a new country
✔️ The influence of Japanese design on her ethical fashion collections
✔️ The challenges of being a self-taught designer & entrepreneur
 ✔️ How to build community as an expat and being homesick..
 ✔️ The power of believing in yourself to overcome obstacles
✔️ Balancing motherhood, business, and creativity in a new culture

Whether you're dreaming of moving abroad, starting a creative business, or embracing your unique style, this episode is packed with insights, inspiration, and expat wisdom you won’t want to miss!

Virtue Shine Bio:

Emerald & Wax is born out of my passion for African wax prints that was ignited when as a child I used to sit on my grandmother’s lap in her wholesale African fabric warehouse in Accra. I still remember running around the warehouse surrounded by these incredibly beautiful, vibrant and bold patterns and colours amidst lots of laughter and banter.

These African wax print fabrics are a fondly remembered piece of my childhood that I carry with me always, a piece of my Ghana.

I draw on this Ghanaian upbringing to bring the art and colour of traditional African wax prints and my admiration of japanese architecture with their clean lines to European design, delivering what I like to describe as wearable art for today’s confident woman and also for women looking to bring colour into their everyday lives and wardrobes.

After moving to New York in my late teens, I grew to love Japanese design and architecture, and represents a strong presence in my collections. By combining these Japanese design elements with the unique African wax print fabrics, each piece becomes a bespoke, original and wearable work of art.

I am driven to design and produce each garment so that it is the essence of the Emerald & Wax brand.

My collections are extremely wearable and add both colour and style to any capsule wardrobe.

Separates, simple shift dresses, and colourful jackets combine easily with simple plain pieces that can easily be incorporated into any wardrobe all year round.

A self-taught designer, crafter and maker, I now live on the Wild Atlantic Way in Galway, Ireland, with my 4 growing boys, husband and our very cute and loving dog Loki.

🎧 Listen now & get inspired!

📌 Follow Emerald & Wax:
 Website: https://emeraldandwaxdesigns.com/
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeraldandwax/

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more expat stories, creative journeys, and global entrepreneurship insights!

#FashionEntrepreneur #MovingAbroad #ExpatLife #AfricanWaxPrints #WearableArt #SelfTaughtDesigner #WomenInBusiness #GlobalFashion #CulturalIdentity #PodcastInterview #EthicalFashion

This is a story about reinvention, resilience, and finding home, in the most unexpected places. If you’ve ever dreamed of starting over, questioned where you belong, or felt the pull of something bigger, this episode is for you.