What’s the Next Smallest Step?

Shauna Garvey
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What’s the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. Positive Health Coach Shauna Garvey talks to people about their real experiences of change - what prompted it, what helped, what got in the way, and what they learned along the way. Different conversations, different stories, all circling the same question: what’s the next smallest step?

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Twenty-three years to be believed

    Linda Murray has lived with endometriosis and adenomyosis for over thirty years; twenty-three of them before anyone put a name to what she was experiencing. Linda is Employee Engagement Manager at TU Dublin and a positive health coach for women in midlife. In this conversation, we talk about living for years with pain that isn't understood, the way chronic illness can shape your identity, managing unpredictable energy, and making space for the things that matter to her. We also talk about creativity and childhood joy, psychological safety at work, parenting with chronic illness, and Linda’s experience of different approaches to managing endometriosis. Throughout, we come back to the fact that there is no single answer that works for everyone. In this episode Twenty-three years of pain before diagnosis When chronic illness becomes part of your identity Pacing, energy and unpredictable days Creativity, childhood joy and reconnecting with yourself Linda's experience of different approaches to managing endometriosis Psychological safety and chronic illness at work Parenting with chronic illness       Making space for yourself when you're used to looking after everybody else Chapters 00:13 Living with chronic illness: a new perspective 01:49 Recognising something was wrong 08:22 The long road to diagnosis 12:29 The mental and emotional impact of chronic illness 18:10 Finding an identity beyond illness 27:42 What helped, what didn’t, and searching for solutions 31:04 Acceptance and moving forward 36:10 Navigating daily life with chronic illness 41:02 Creativity and reconnecting with yourself 54:51 Workplace support for chronic conditions 59:52 Psychological safety at work 01:07:30 Parenting with chronic illness 01:10:33 The loneliness of chronic illness 01:15:32 The next smallest step About Linda Murray Linda Murray is Employee Engagement Manager at TU Dublin and a positive health coach for women in midlife. Her coachingfocuses on supporting women who feel overwhelmed by the competing demands of this stage of life and helping them reconnect with themselves and what matters to them. Connect with Linda on LinkedIn Further information and research Endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting an estimated 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide. Symptoms and their impact vary considerably between individuals. World Health Organization — Endometriosis Ireland introduced its first National Framework for the Management of Endometriosis in 2025. HSE — National Framework for the Management of Endometriosis in Ireland ESHRE Guideline on Endometriosis A note on diet: Linda discusses dietary approaches that she and other women with endometriosis have explored. Research is developing, but there is not currently enough evidence to recommend one particular diet for everyone. Mazza et al. (2023) — The impact of endometriosis ondietary choices and activities of everyday life About the show What’s the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. Hosted by Shauna Garvey, PhD, Positive Health Coach, EMCC Senior Practitioner and founder of Éistim Coaching; Éistim being the Irish word for “I listen.” Connect with Shauna on LinkedIn Éistim Coaching A note for listeners The experiences and views shared in this podcast are personal and are not medical advice. Health conditions and responses to different approaches vary between individuals. If you haveconcerns about your health or are considering significant changes to its management, please speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

    Twenty-three years to be believed

  2. Oct 20

    The steam train and the stop sign

    Thirty years in the Emergency Department, a patient's warning she wasn't yet ready to hear, and learning when to pause. Niamh O'Gorman has spent thirty years working in the Emergency Department, twenty-two of them as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. After years of working in a high-pressure environment, she began to recognise what chronic stress and burnout had come to look like in her own life. In this conversation, we talk about the patient who described Niamh as a steam train travelling at 80 miles an hour towards a station, ignoring the stop sign; years before she was ready to hear what he was telling her. We talk about the moment in Croatia when she realised something had to change, the small practices she's built into her life since, how she has learned to notice when something that once helped is no longer helping, and what “reset” actually looks like in the middle of a twelve-hour shift. In this episode What burnout looked and felt like for Niamh after years in a high-pressure environmentThe patient who saw what Niamh couldn't yet see herself The moment in Croatia when she realised something had to changeSelf-compassion, journaling and finding forms of mindfulness that work for youWhat a two-minute pause can look like in the middle of a busy Emergency Department shiftWhy awareness is the first step towards change - and why a reset can happen more than onceRebuilding movement, enjoyment and social connection after burnoutWhat Niamh has learned about bad days, self-forgiveness and beginning again  Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Thirty years in emergency nursing 03:58 What burnout looked like06:30 Stress, purpose and healthcare12:12 The steam train and the warning signs18:56 The Croatia wake-up call20:18 Self-compassion and mindfulness 24:36 Practical reset techniques 32:42 Lessons learned and moving forward 52:48 Reset, awareness and small steps   About Niamh O'Gorman Niamh O'Gorman is an Emergency Department nurse and Advanced Nurse Practitioner with thirty years' experience in theEmergency Department. She is also a mentor, positive health coach and founder of The Reset Coach. Find Niamh on LinkedIn About the show What's the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and biggerideas that change a life. Hosted by Shauna Garvey, PhD, Positive Health Coach, EMCC Senior Practitioner and founder of Éistim Coaching, istim being the Irish word for “I listen.” Connect with Shauna on LinkedIn Find out more about Éistim Coaching A note for listenersThe experiences and views shared in this podcast are personal and are not medical advice. Health conditions and responses to different approaches vary between individuals. If you have concerns about your health or are considering significant changes to its management, please speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

    The steam train and the stop sign

  3. Oct 13

    The work nobody could see

    The work nobody could see. A school principal on the pressure of leading through the pandemic, and the practices that helped her stay in the role she loves. Jean Cunningham is the principal of a special school in Navan and the founder of Cairde Coaching; Cairde being the Irishword for friends. She is a positive health coach working with children, teenagers and adults. In March 2020, Jean found herself sitting at her kitchen table trying to run a school of 125 children and support a staff of 54. When the school reopened, the work continued well beyond the school day: Saturday calls with the HSE, close-contact lists, worried families and the responsibility of keeping a vulnerable school community safe. Jean knew she needed something that would help her manage the pressure. That search eventually brought her to positive health and the MSc in Positive Health Coaching at RCSI; work she says allowed her to remain in principalship. In this conversation, we talk about the practices that became part of Jean's own life, and how she began bringing some of them back into her school. We also talk about the particular pressures facing young people and their families, what Jean has learned from coaching teenagers, and why social connection — from close relationships to the smallest everyday interactions — matters so much. In this episode The unseen work of leading a special schoolthrough COVIDWhy the pressure led Jean to positive health,lifestyle medicine and the PERMA modelMicro-moments of positive resonance and thevalue of everyday social connectionHow a ten-minute meditation practice became part of a demanding working day - and how Jean brought meditation and sound baths into schoolWhat Jean has learned from coaching teenagersand their parents about fear, friendship and belongingThe particular pressures facing parents of children with additional needs, including the social connection they can missWhy wellbeing practices don't eliminate bad days; but can change how quickly you recover, and how you live with what you can't fixThe smallest step Jean recommends: find a friend, talk to them and share the load Chapters 00:00 Introduction 04:26 Managing fear and protocols in a special school 10:49 The work nobody sees 12:41 Self-care and mental health practices 15:59 Positive psychology and the PERMA model 19:13 Micro-moments of positive resonance 23:14 Bringing meditation and sound baths into school 28:24 Coaching parents and teenagers 34:21 Small habits that make a difference 43:14 Young people’s fears, friendship and resilience 50:41 Bad days, resilience and what practice can’t fix 57:11 The next smallest step: sharing the load   About Jean Cunningham Jean Cunningham is the principal of a special school in Navan and the founder of Cairde Coaching. Her work blends positive psychology, lifestyle medicine and a compassionate,strengths-based approach with children, teenagers and adults. Find Jean on Instagram: @cairde_coachingFind Jean on LinkedIn About the show What's the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. Hosted by Shauna Garvey, PhD, Positive Health Coach, EMCC Senior Practitioner and founder of Éistim Coaching— Éistim being the Irish word for “I listen.” Connect with Shauna on LinkedIn Find out more about Éistim Coaching A note for listenersThe experiences and views shared in this podcast are personal and are not medical advice. Health conditions and responses to different approaches vary between individuals. If you have concerns about your health or are considering significant changes to its management, please speak to an appropriatelyqualified healthcare professional.

    The work nobody could see

  4. Oct 6

    Forty-two years of nursing

    Forty-two years of nursing, and what those years have taught Dr Aoife Lane about listening, relationships and caring for the person in front of you. Aoife is a nurse, teacher and researcher with more than four decades of experience. When she began studying positive health, she recognised many of the ideas she was encountering: listening to the person rather than simply the problem,working in partnership, and understanding health in the context of someone’s life. In this conversation, we talk about the patient encounters that have stayed with her, why listening matters, what nursing and lifestyle medicine have in common, and what more than four decades in nursing have taught her about leadership, self-compassion and getting to know yourself. In this episode Why the patient encounters Aoife remembers most aren't the medical emergencies;  they're the moments of listeningThe partnership at the heart of nursing, and why it takes time we don't always haveWhat nursing and lifestyle medicine have in commonWhy self-care, self-compassion and getting to know yourself matterWhat Aoife means when she describes people as “patchwork quilts” - and the relief of accepting how you actually are Why good leadership includes noticing what people are doing well, inviting junior voices into the conversation and remembering that we are always role-modellingWhy “there’s no need to be mean to yourself” might be some of the best behaviour-change advice there is Chapters 00:00 Introduction08:12 The partnership between nurse and patient14:43 Listening to patients’ stories18:04 The pressures and systems surrounding nursing30:20 Why lifestyle medicine felt familiar36:24 The power of small positive changes40:34 Self-knowledge and authenticity45:50 Role-modelling and the people around us55:25 Recognising good practice01:00:58 Advice for junior nurses01:07:38 The next smallest step  About Dr Aoife Lane Dr Aoife Lane, Ph.D., MSc (Econ),MSc Positive Health Coaching, BNS, RNT, RGN, FFNMRCSI Nurse, educator, researcher, leadership facilitator and coach with a particular interest in developing the potential of positive health coaching for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Find Aoife on  LinkedIn About the show What’s the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. Hosted by Shauna Garvey, PhD, Positive Health Coach, EMCC Senior Practitioner and founder of Éistim Coaching - Éistim being the Irish word for “I listen.” Connect with Shauna on LinkedIn Find out more about Éistim Coaching A note for listenersThe experiences and views shared in this podcast are personal and are not medical advice. Health conditions and responses to different approaches vary between individuals. If you have concerns about your health or are considering significant changes to its management, please speak to an appropriatelyqualified healthcare professional.

    Forty-two years of nursing

  5. Trailer

    Trailer — Episode 1: Forty-two Years of Nursing

    What’s the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. In this preview, Dr Aoife Lane reflects on why meaningful change does not have to be huge - sometimes the next step can be very small. Episode 1, Forty-two years of nursing, is out Tuesday.

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About

What’s the Next Smallest Step? is a podcast about lifestyle medicine, positive health, and the small habits and bigger ideas that change a life. Positive Health Coach Shauna Garvey talks to people about their real experiences of change - what prompted it, what helped, what got in the way, and what they learned along the way. Different conversations, different stories, all circling the same question: what’s the next smallest step?

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