I’m Done! Now What?

Do you find yourself being really hard on yourself? You miss a workout, eat something you think you “shouldn’t” have, or fall behind on something. Then that voice in your head kicks in, telling you you’ve failed again.

This week I’m chatting with psychotherapist Trisha McHale about why so many of us are so tough on ourselves. We talk about where that inner critic comes from, how it quietly keeps us stuck and starting over, and what you can actually do to change it. That way you can feel calmer, more consistent and a lot kinder to yourself.

If you’re tired of beating yourself up and want to finally break that cycle, this episode is for you.

Click play and let’s dive in!

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750

About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

Sunday night you promise yourself “this Monday is different”. By Wednesday, life has taken over, and by Friday you’re telling yourself you’ll start again next week.

Sound familiar?

On this week’s episode I’m sharing why it’s not about willpower (and never was), the hidden reason so many of us get stuck in the Monday cycle, and the moment I realised what was really going on for me, as a fitness coach who couldn’t get fit.

Plus 3 simple things you can do this week to finally break the cycle. Click play and let’s dive in!

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttps://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

I chatted with psychotherapist Trisha Mac Hale about boundaries on this week's episode: why we find them so hard, why we work so much, unconscious living versus conscious living, and how to start small when it comes to boundaries. Click play and let’s dive in!

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:

galway@mindandbodyworks.com

091 725 750

About Trisha McHale:

Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

Have your clothes started feeling a little tighter as you’ve got older, even though you don’t feel like you’re doing anything particularly different?

Maybe you’ve tried to eat better, exercise more or “get back on track”, but the results don’t seem to come as easily as they once did.

And it can leave you wondering… what has actually changed?

Because getting older doesn’t mean you have to accept feeling uncomfortable in your clothes or constantly trying to lose weight.

In this episode, I’m talking about 3 areas that could be playing a role — your training, your nutrition and your mindset.

We’ll look at some of the things that can change after 40, the habits that can creep in over the years, and why the way you approach getting fit and healthy may need to change too.

If you feel like what used to work just isn’t working anymore, this episode is for you.

Click play and let’s dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

Do you find yourself thinking about food morning, noon and night, believing that if you can just get your food right, it will finally help you get fit and healthy?

But no matter how much you think about it, plan it, restrict it or try to get it “right”, you always seem to end up back at square one.

I hear you. This was me for years.

In this episode, I’m talking about why putting so much time and energy into thinking about food might actually be keeping you stuck — and what you can start focusing on instead.

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

Feel like you’re failing?

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by psychotherapist and Director of Mind and Body Works Trisha MacHale to talk about what happens when you decide you’ve had enough and you want to make a change — whether that’s getting fit and strong, giving up alcohol or cutting back on sugary foods.

What happens when you’re struggling your way to success? How do you detach your self-worth from whether you’re succeeding or failing? And what can you do to stop feeling so bad when things aren’t going the way you hoped?

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:

galway@mindandbodyworks.com

091 725 750

About Trisha McHale:

Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

Working out but not seeing the results you want?

You might be working hard, but if your strategy is wrong, you’re not going to get the results you’re looking for.

In this episode, I’m sharing 5 common mistakes women make with their workouts that could be keeping you stuck — and what you need to do instead.

If you want to get fit, feel strong and feel good in your clothes again, this one is for you.

Click play and let’s dive in.

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by psychotherapist Triaha MacHale to talk about neurodiversity in women.

We chat about why so many women are only discovering they’re neurodivergent in adulthood, why it has historically been missed or misunderstood, and some of the signs that might be more than simply being busy, stressed or overwhelmed.

We also talk about masking — what it is, what it can look like in everyday life, and how women can become so used to masking that they don’t even realise they’re doing it.

A really interesting conversation for anyone who has ever wondered, “Why do I find some things so much harder than everyone else seems to?”

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:

galway@mindandbodyworks.com

091 725 750

About Trisha McHale:

Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

Always starting over?
Feel like you never get past the 4-week mark?
You start with loads of motivation. You really want it, you care, and you know exactly what you want.
But then the danger zone hits.
Your motivation drops, things start to feel harder and before you know it, you’re back at square one.
In today’s episode, I talk about why this kept happening to me for years and why the answer isn’t to try harder, find more motivation or have more willpower.
I share what I realised was actually keeping me stuck — and the simple things that helped me finally break the cycle.
If you’re tired of starting over and want to understand what might actually be getting in your way, this one is for you.
Click play and let’s dive in.

In this episode, Trisha and I answer two listener questions about overthinking, self-doubt and taking a break from your usual routine.

The first listener asks about those middle-of-the-night overthinking spirals, when your mind starts questioning everything you've done and telling you that you're not doing enough or you're not good enough.

The second listener is heading off on a much-needed two-week holiday but is worried that taking a break from workouts and her usual routine will mean losing all the progress she's made.

We explore these questions and look at the thoughts and fears that can make it difficult to switch off, step away from our routines.

As always, Trisha McHale brings her psychotherapist's perspective to the conversation, helping us look at these challenges with more understanding and compassion.

If you struggle with overthinking, self-doubt or feeling like you have to stay on track all the time, this episode is for you.

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrivehttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750

About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

In this episode, I answer a listener's question about what it was really like when I gave up alcohol.

I chat about the adjustment period, whether people treated me differently, and what it was like explaining to others that I had decided not to drink anymore.

I also share some of the biggest benefits I’ve experienced in my life since giving up alcohol, and how my relationship with socialising, meals and going out has changed.

Sometimes it can feel like alcohol is just expected. A glass of wine with dinner, drinks with friends, a night out — it can become such a normal part of life that you don’t even stop to question whether you actually want it.

So what happens when you decide to step away from that?

I share my own experience, what I found difficult, what surprised me, and what life looks like now.

If you’ve ever questioned your relationship with alcohol, felt like drinking is simply a habit or expectation when you’re around other people, or wondered what life could look like without it, this episode is for you.

Click play and let’s dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

In this episode, Trisha and I answer a listener's question about emotional eating and why we sometimes turn to food for comfort.

She shares how, when she’s feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or upset, food can sometimes become a way of coping. She also asks about the connection between emotional regulation, autism, and emotional eating.

We explore this topic and chat about some of the reasons we might reach for food when emotions feel difficult, and the importance of understanding ourselves with more kindness and compassion.

As always, Trisha McHale brings her psychotherapist's perspective to the conversation, helping us look beneath the surface of the challenges we face.

If you've ever found yourself turning to food when life feels overwhelming, or wondered why emotional eating can feel so hard to break, this episode is for you.

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750 About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

Just me this week for a solo episode.

I'm chatting about my goals for the rest of 2026, the struggle of getting back into routine after time away, and what I'm doing to cope with feelings of loneliness.

Click play and let's dive in.

To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive

In this episode, Trisha and I answer two thoughtful listener questions that so many women will relate to.

The first is about perfectionism and the pressure to get everything right. If you've ever felt like giving up because you couldn't do something perfectly, you're not alone. We explore why this mindset can keep us stuck and how we can begin to be kinder to ourselves.

The second question looks at the balance between self-discipline and self-compassion. How do we know when to push ourselves and when it's ok to rest? It can be difficult to tell the difference, especially when guilt gets involved.

As always, Trisha McHale brings her psychotherapist's perspective to the conversation, helping us look beneath the surface of these common struggles.

If you've ever wrestled with perfectionism, questioned whether you're being too hard on yourself, or wondered how to find the balance between discipline and compassion, this episode is for you.

Click play and let's dive in. To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750 About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

In today's episode, Trisha and I answer two powerful listener questions that so many women will relate to. The first question comes from a listener who wants to stop drinking but feels stuck in the same evening routine. She knows she'll feel better without alcohol, yet the thought of a glass of wine after a long day is hard to resist. If you've ever wondered why willpower isn't enough or why evenings can feel incomplete without a drink, this conversation is for you. The second question is about self-belief. It's about looking confident on the outside while feeling overwhelmed and not enough on the inside. We explore why so many women hold themselves back, fear putting themselves out there, and struggle to see themselves the way others do. As always, Trisha McHale shares her psychotherapist perspective, helping us understand what's really going on beneath these struggles and how small shifts in awareness can lead to lasting change. Whether you're trying to break a habit, build confidence, or simply understand yourself a little better, we hope this conversation leaves you feeling encouraged, understood, and ready to take the next step. Click play and let's dive in. To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750 About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

In today’s episode, I talk to the older version of myself that’s really struggling, feeling really bad, anxious, overwhelmed and unhealthy. The version of me back in 2021 that was still drinking way too much alcohol, overeating, restricting, dieting and feeling desperate that nothing was working.

I tell her what to do and what to stop doing.

If you’re struggling right now, if you’re going around in circles, this one is for you.

Click play and let’s dive in.

In today’s episode, Trisha and I answer two listener questions. The first question is about feeling stuck in cycles of restarting instead of progressing, using food for comfort, and struggling to build consistency even when there is a strong desire to change. The second question is about ageing and the inner critic, and how it can feel difficult to let go of a younger version of yourself. As always, Trisha McHale shares her psychotherapist view, helping explain why these patterns happen and how to change them for good. Click play and let’s dive in. To apply for membership to Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrive To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services:
galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750 About Trisha McHale:
Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director of Mind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

If your clothes are feeling uncomfortable and you’re feeling really frustrated, like you’re going around in circles and nothing is working, this one is for you.

You can feel great in your clothes at any age. It doesn't matter about menopause or getting older. There is a positive way to do it that doesn’t involve weighing yourself or obsessing about food.

Actually feel good in your skin again.

Click play and let’s dive in.

In today's episode, Trisha and I answer a listener's question about anxiety, overthinking and the need to control. The question comes from a listener who asks: "Has Trisha any tips for dealing with overthinking due to anxiety and wanting things to go a certain way? Why do we feel that need when all we can control is ourselves?" It's a great question and one I think many women will relate to. If you find yourself worrying about the future, replaying conversations, trying to make things go a certain way or feeling uncomfortable when things are out of your control, this episode is for you. Trisha McHale brings her grounded psychotherapist perspective as we explore this listener's question together. Click play and let's dive in. To join Thrive Academy, Jessica’s coaching program, go tohttp://www.jessicacooke.ie/thrivewww.jessicacooke.ie/thrive To contact Trisha McHale for more information on Therapy and Counselling services: galway@mindandbodyworks.com
091 725 750 About Trisha McHale:

Trisha is a Psychotherapist and Director ofMind & Body Works Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, based in Galway, with centres in Galway and Dublin. Their team of over 50 Psychotherapists and Psychologists work with adults, couples, adolescents, and children, offering therapies including CBT, EMDR, and Art Therapy. They also run a low-cost counselling service.

You know what to do.

So why do you keep ending up back in the same place?

For years, my answer was simple:

Try harder.
Work harder.
Be more disciplined.

It never worked.

In this episode, we're exploring one of the most frustrating experiences so many women face: knowing exactly what they need to do, but struggling to actually do it.

If you've ever wondered:

"Why can't I just stick to it?"

This episode is for you.

Because the reason you're stuck may not be the reason you think.

And until you understand what's really going on, you'll keep finding yourself back at the same starting line.

Click play and let’s dive in.