IT IS WHAT IT IS!

Aisling and Katie are finally back in studio together, and there’s a LOT to catch up on!
This week, they’re talking mean girls. Why do some people go from cheering you on to tearing you down? They chat about celebrating each other’s wins, the sting when that support disappears, and why grown women can still bring playground behaviour into adult friendships.
Aisling also opens up about her daughter expecting a baby boy and how she feels about becoming a nana. And after everything the last few weeks have brought, both women reflect on finding a place of sheer and utter peace, feeling happy in themselves and caring a little less about what everyone else thinks.
An honest catch-up full of big feelings, big life changes and plenty to say.

This week, you asked and we delivered. The one and only Joanne Duffy joins Katie and Aisling in studio, and Katie has them locked in and ready to answer the questions nobody has asked before. 
Joanne takes us right back to her first video and suddenly finding herself exposed to the world of social media. She opens up about dealing with negativity, why she actually finds pages like Tat Life hilarious and even admits she follows them herself.
But behind all the laughs, we get to know a different side of Joanne. She shares stories from her childhood, life before meeting Thomas and how she was always the minder, the cook and the one looking after everyone. She talks about what she wants from the future and why, above everything else, family will always come first.
Plus, could there be a night out with YOU on the way? The girls chat about plans for a listener night to celebrate the launch of Aisling’s brand.
Hilarious, honest and probably not the Joanne Duffy interview you were expecting.

Content warning: This episode contains open conversations around depression, mental health struggles, alcohol and medication that some listeners may find difficult or triggering.
This week, Limerick man Brian Hayes from What’s The Story joins us for an incredibly open conversation about hitting the depths of mental health struggles and finding his way back.
Brian shares how depression affected every part of his life, from struggling to even string a sentence together and masking how he felt with alcohol and medication, to periods where he says he spent three weeks of the month asleep. Looking back now, he reflects on just how much that time took from him, including what he describes as losing two years of his daughter’s life.
Katie and Brian open up about the signs they experienced that they can now recognise as depression, while Aisling shares how she first met Brian and Brian reveals the impact she had on him during a particularly difficult time in 2022.
Today, Brian uses the voice he once struggled to find through his What’s The Story pages, positivity and his work helping charities across Limerick. He admits helping others became almost addictive because making someone else feel good made him feel good too.
A raw conversation about losing yourself, recognising the signs and discovering that your darkest chapter does not have to be your last.

Katie and Aisling are back in the studio together ahead of Katie heading off to Ibiza.
This week, Aisling decides she wants to sit in the driver’s seat, where Katie normally takes charge. She has plenty of questions she wants to ask Katie, and absolutely nothing is off limits.
This episode takes it right back to basics with plenty of laughs, unexpected truths and the kind of honest conversation that happens when it is just the two girls in the studio. From getting personal to discovering that Aisling is living a champagne lifestyle on a Coca Cola budget, this is one you will not want to miss.
 

Body Image Expert Aoife O’Brien: Why You’re Never Happy With What You See
This week on It Is What It Is, Katie is joined by body image expert Aoife O’Brien, who brings both professional expertise and her own powerful lived experience to the conversation.
Together they explore why so many of us have become focused on fixing our bodies instead of understanding the root of why we’re unhappy with them in the first place.
Aoife breaks down body dysmorphia, emotional eating, binge eating, restriction and the cycle of swinging between them, while sharing her own experience of struggling with body image. Katie also opens up about her relationship with her body, allowing Aoife to unpack where some of those feelings may have started.
If you’ve ever changed your body but still weren’t happy with the person looking back at you, this episode is for you. 

Katie and Aisling are back with another episode of It Is What It Is, and there is plenty to unpack.
This week they get into two worrying online trends, one frightening children and another with devastating consequences. That opens up a bigger conversation about life online, judgement, trolling and the pressure that comes with putting yourself out there.
Katie opens up about why she has never really pushed to grow her following and reveals what she is genuinely terrified of.
Aisling also gets very honest about her most recent surgery, why she hates the results and how she really feels about it now. Plus, she addresses the rumours surrounding her and Shane and tells us what is actually going on. 👀
 

Katie and Aisling are BACK! 🎙️
After a summer break, the girls return for Season 2 of It Is What It Is with plenty to catch up on. From what they’ve been up to over the summer to what’s coming next, nothing is off limits.
Aisling shares a wild experience that almost completely changed her mind about having her summer home in Lithuania, before opening up about her plans for the future, life, aesthetics and the exciting launch of her brand new business.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be It Is What It Is without the usual tangents, oversharing and plenty of laughs.
Season 2 has officially landed… and the girls have a LOT to talk about. 👀

Katie and Aisling are back together and by popular demand, they’re firing random questions at each other once again.
What starts as a simple game quickly turns into hilarious debates, unexpected stories, and a trip down memory lane. From things that instantly send them over the edge, to whether ketchup belongs in the press or the fridge, to reminiscing about their favourite perfumes as teenage girls, absolutely nothing is off limits.
Along the way, stories about airport drug wipe tests and other questionable life moments make this one of their most random episodes yet.
Funny, nostalgic, relatable, and guaranteed to make you laugh. This one will take you back.

This week on It Is What It Is, Katie sits down with Nicola Ryan, women’s hormone health specialist, menopause advisor, and pharmacist from Tipperary, for an eye opening conversation about the realities of women’s health.
Together, they discuss PCOS, endometriosis, PMDD, perimenopause, menopause, surgical menopause, and the impact a full hysterectomy and oophorectomy can have on a woman’s life. Katie shares her own experiences and gets expert advice from Nicola along the way.
They also explore why more women are being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and how hormonal changes can affect symptoms and overall wellbeing.
Packed with practical advice, expert insight, and honest conversation, this is an episode every woman should hear.

Katie is back from Ibiza and reunited with Aisling for a long overdue catch up.
From funny holiday stories and unexpected moments abroad to life lessons, reflections, and everything that has happened since they last sat down together, this episode feels like catching up with your best friend over a coffee.
The pair chat about the highs, the laughs, and some of the things Katie learned while away. What starts as a simple catch up soon turns into conversations about life, perspective, and the lessons that often show up when you least expect them.
As always, there are plenty of laughs, honest moments, and a few tangents along the way. In true It Is What It Is fashion, the conversation takes a completely unexpected turn towards the end, leading to a discussion neither of them planned on having.
No script, no filter, just two friends catching up and seeing where the conversation takes them.