Tools For Tough Times

In this episode, I chat with Laoise, a chef and recipe developer who swapped HR spreadsheets for chopping boards.....and never looked back. What started as a daily act of self-care turned into a full-blown culinary career.

Laoise shares how cooking became her mindfulness practice, a quiet ritual that helped her stay grounded through life’s chaos. From the meditative magic of chopping onions to the joy of simple, comforting meals, she reminds us that good food doesn’t need to be complicated, just made with love.

We also dive into the role of social media in Laoise’s journey and her work with Plate Up, a recipe and grocery app that takes the stress out of meal planning. Turns out, cooking isn’t just therapy, it’s also a love language :)

Whether you’re burning toast or braising brisket, this episode will make you want to slow down, grab a pan, and cook your way through the tough times!

Connect with Laoise

Instagram:

@laoisecooks
@plate_up_
@thetaste_ie

Download Plate-up, the app, here: https://www.plateup.app/home

Connect with Danielle:

Instagram - @danielle_phoenixrising

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In this episode, I chat with Shahd, founder of Peace is the Song — a community-based event that brings people together to share their art through spoken word, music, poetry, and more. Shahd is a published poet and author using her platform to foster community, connection, and empowerment.

We discuss:
The power of community and creative expression
Knowing your self-worth
Shahd’s journey from Palestine to the UK at age 18
How she centres Palestinian voices in her events and poetry
The importance of female empowerment and building connection
Peace is the Song Event on 9th August! Get your tickets now before they go: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-is-the-song-london-tickets-1465798666269

Shahd’s work demonstrates how art can heal, unite and create spaces for marginalised voices to be heard and valued.

Tune in to hear her inspiring story, and let us know what you think - your support helps keep these important conversations alive! :)

Connect with Shahd:

Instagram:

@shahdmah850

And here! https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/shahdmahnavipoetrybook?srsltid=AfmBOooVG3P7p1z5LjSK_KrhjAJm-gXBIHRPwtcC8RCSGCEW2GWTpxpT

[email protected]
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In this urgent solo episode, I return to the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza. As the genocide intensifies, it is clear that we can no longer participate in a system that funds, arms, and enables it. We must shut it all down. With a Global Blackout.

I share updates from the ground, my personal reflections, and the next steps of global mobilisation. I introduce the week-long global blackout already underway, a coordinated mass refusal to engage in business as usual. No work. No school. No social media. No spending. No fuel. No consent. Together, we’re using the power of absence to force the world to listen.

This is more than protest. This is strategic disruption.

Our demands are clear:

- An immediate end to the genocide
- Full access to food, water, medical aid
- The withdrawal of IOF/IDF from Palestine
- Justice and liberation for Gaza, and for all colonised peoples

And these are just the starting point. Everything that is happening is because of Capitalism and Imperialism. We MUST rise up. We must NOT comply. WE MUST TAKE THE POWER BACK!

We can make an impact. But only if we act as a global force.

The revolution has begun....

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This ep speaks for itself. Listen. Follow me on Insta for updates on the mobilisation I mention.

THIS IS WHERE WE RISE UP.

GAZA NEEDS US MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.

In hope, peace, love and solidarity x
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In this powerful and deeply human episode of Tools for Tough Times, I speak with Farah, a 19-year-old student currently living in Gaza. Farah has lived through the unimaginable, displaced more than 20 times in her short life, she has survived airstrikes, mass bombings, and the deaths of family and community members.

This conversation offers a raw, unfiltered look into the lived reality of a genocide, or as Farah has labelled it, a Holocaust. Farah shares what it means to grow up under occupation, to wake up under rubble, and to experience loss after loss - while still daring to dream of a better future.

Together, we explore:
•What daily life in Gaza is like for young people
•The personal toll of displacement, grief, and survival
•How Farah holds on to hope and vision in the face of horror
•The words that keep her going, and the dreams she refuses to let die

Farah’s voice cuts through the noise with clarity and heart. Her story is one of resilience, resistance, and a refusal to be silenced.

If you listen to just one story this week....let it be hers.

Farah and her family literally have nothing, if you are able to, she'd be grateful if you could donate to her GoFundMe for basic food, water and medical supplies: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-farah-support-her-family-and-fulfill-her-dreams-in-gaza

💬 Connect with Us:

Instagram -

Farah - @fara7_kmal

Thanks and see you next week :)

Peace x

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