Best Sally Madden Podcasts (2025)

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Maria Steen’s handbag / Love your vulva 1:04:32

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44m ago1:04:32

1:04:32

We’ve got a jam packed episode for you this week, kicking off with a fascinating interview with Indian theatre artist, Mallika Taneja, who is bringing her show ‘Be Careful’ to the Dublin Theatre Festival next month. Running from the 7th to the 10th October, the show is a satirical piece that challenges our notion of safety in public spaces and addr…

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British Steel – a new future with Ben Holmes 34:16

2d ago34:16

34:16

In today's episode we’re talking about steel — but not in the usual way. My guest, Ben Holmes, is Head of Sustainability at Elliott Wood, the structural and civil engineers behind, amongst many other things, 30 Duke Street, the UK’s largest steel reuse project in which some 78% of steel from the original structure is being repurposed. Ben believes …

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Restorative Justice/ The Walsh Sisters 1:11:05

6d ago1:11:05

1:11:05

According to academic Dr Marie Keenan restorative justice is “a way of giving justice to victims that centres the victim of crime in the process, as distinct from the criminal justice system, which centres the perpetrator”. Keenan joined two women Janet O’Brien who’s son was killed in a one punch attack and Sophia Murphy who was sexually abused by …

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Private capital for public assets with Charlotte Madden 33:23

9d ago33:23

33:23

In today's podcast we dive into the rapidly evolving world of infrastructure investment — a space that has moved from the periphery of specialist portfolios to the centre of global capital markets. Once the preserve of a relatively narrow group of pension funds and specialist investors, infrastructure has now become a truly universal asset class, a…

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Leslie Dowdall & Flo McSweeney / Maria Steen for President? 59:12

13d ago59:12

59:12

1980s Dublin wasn’t all emigration and recession. There was great music, mad nights out and a capital city bursting with homegrown talent. Irish rock icons Leslie Dowdall of In Tua Nua and Flo McSweeney of Toy With Rhythm and Moving Hearts were at the epicentre of it and now they have teamed up to present Natural Women, a collaboration which will s…

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Cement - a critical UK resource with Dr Diana Casey 34:20

16d ago34:20

34:20

In today's episode we’re diving into cement – a material that underpins every road, every railway, every school, hospital, bridge, and home we build. Because without it, the UK’s infrastructure ambitions would, quite literally, crumble! My guest today is Dr Diana Casey, executive director for cement, energy and climate at the Mineral Products Assoc…

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162 - Runnin' with the Devil 1:41:11

20d ago1:41:11

1:41:11

Katie and Sally discuss two big 2025 releases: The Devil's Grin by Alex Graham (Fantagraphics) and Face Meat by Bonten Taro (Living the Line). But first: the Cloweses in Eddington, Aya Takano in Los Angeles, and Kirby at the Skirball. Ciao summer! We're so back. Find Sally at SPX in Bethesda, MD on 9/13 & 9/14: www.smallpressexpo.com Pick up Viscer…

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Rosie O’Donnell at Electric Picnic / Earthquake in Afghanistan / The Traitors 1:04:07

20d ago1:04:07

1:04:07

We’ve a special live episode of the podcast for you today, a wide-ranging chat with actor, writer, presenter and mother of five Rosie O’Donnell at The Electric Picnic. We teamed up with Jan Brierton’s Wild Words at the festival where O’Donnell talked to Róisín Ingle and a packed Manifesto tent about everything from her feud with Donald Trump, movin…

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HS2 - "Off the Rails" with Sally Gimson 46:27

23d ago46:27

46:27

In today's bumper post summer special episode we return to the HS2 project - infrastructure’s poster child for delay and cost overrun – as we discuss the content of a brand new book examining how this project went, as the title suggests, so badly Off the Rails. Few infrastructure projects in British history have generated as much debate and scrutin…

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Taylor’s big announcement / Wild Words with Jan Brierton 46:42

27d ago46:42

46:42

This weekend the Women’s Podcast is joining the line up of Jan Brierton’s Wild Words at Electric Picnic. For the event, Róisín Ingle will be hosting a special live recording of the podcast with American comedian, actor and new Irish resident Rosie O’Donnell. Brierton joins the podcast today to look ahead to the weekend’s festivities and to explain …

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161 Arrugas/Wrinkles by Paco Roca with His Name Was Dusk PART ONE 1:24:01

28d ago1:24:01

1:24:01

Remember me? Sally is joined by her friend, translator and dungeon master, His Name Was Dusk to read Arrugas (Wrinkles in English) by Paco Roca, in both Spanish and English. Topics include, Bubbles Con, spying on Charles Burns, unseen Spanish comics, Dungeons & Dragons, dementia, and so much more. Thank you to our subscribers over at our Patreon, y…

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Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine Action / Hungary's poisonous women 58:35

1M ago58:35

58:35

In the early 20th century, in a remote village in Hungary, a group of women, driven to despair by their violent, abusive husbands, decided to take matters into their own hands. Their solution to their difficult life circumstances was arsenic, a deadly poison easily extracted from fly paper or arsenic-rich “flystones". The women began slipping this …

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Commissioning is not testing with Paul Turner 31:31

1M ago31:31

31:31

In today's episode we revisit the subject of project commissioning - a vital, often underestimated stage of infrastructure delivery. What is commissioning – well in a nutshell it’s the complex process of preparing an asset to operate exactly as intended from day one. So to be clear, it's not testing! And to discuss this we are back with Paul Turner…

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Childfree by choice at 77: Helen Taylor reflects on a life without children 39:48

1M ago39:48

39:48

In recent years, more and more women have been speaking openly about their decision to not have children. There are numerous books on the subject, dedicated social media spaces for childfree women and an ever increasing media interest in sharing the stories of those who refuse to go down this well-trodden path. However, some of the lesser told chil…

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Orla Donoghue: Busting the stigma of single parenthood 37:06

2M ago37:06

37:06

Following the breakdown of her long-term relationship in 2021, Orla Donoghue became a single parent to her then one-year-old son, Rory. The transition, however, was far from easy. As a new mother, she grappled with feelings of isolation, shame and uncertainty and despite the fact that one in five households in Ireland are single parent families, sh…

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Nuclear waste solutions with Mike Pigott 35:05

2M ago35:05

35:05

In this episode we’re focusing on the management of nuclear waste; one of the most complex, long-term, and often misunderstood aspects of the UK’s energy future. Because while nuclear power is increasingly seen as a vital part of the transition to a low-carbon energy system, - and the UK government has just committed tens of billions of public poun…

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Book Club: The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden 27:27

2M ago27:27

27:27

This month on The Women’s Podcast Book Club, Bernice Harrison, Niamh Towey, Róisín Ingle, and Ann Ingle are discussing The Marriage Vendetta by debut author Caroline Madden. The book tells the story of Eliza Sheridan, who seeks the help of a marriage therapist to mend her relationship with her unloving and unsupportive husband Richard. As their ses…

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Water sector reset with Blair Mitchell 34:25

2M ago34:25

34:25

In today’s episode we’re diving into one of the most pressing – and controversial – sectors in UK infrastructure: water. Following years of public outrage over pollution, poor service and rising bills, the water industry in England and Wales now faces a once-in-a-generation reckoning. That reckoning arrived this month with the publication of the fi…

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Sleep Divorce: Why sleeping separately might be good for your relationship 56:07

2M ago56:07

56:07

Would you sleep in a different room to your partner? Or do you think couples should share a bed together? That's what we’re asking on today’s episode of The Women’s Podcast. While many people enjoy sharing a bed with their other half, there are many others who prefer to go solo when it comes to sleep. This could be for reasons including loud snorin…

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159- Make Me a Woman with Siobhán Gallagher 1:44:36

2M ago1:44:36

1:44:36

Sally has too much to say to girl's girl Siobhán Gallagher about her pick and our bible, Vanessa Davis' Make Me a Woman (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010). Topics include 90's fashion, Hello Kitty, eating disorders on family sitcoms and more on this slumber party of an episode. Please enjoy Siobhán's terrific book, Full of Myself- a must-read for anyone who…

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Infrastructure investment strategies with Mark Gilligan 35:23

2M ago35:23

35:23

In today's podcast we delve into the fast-evolving world of infrastructure investment - an area that has never been more critical to delivering the economic growth, national resilience and transition to a net zero future demanded by the UK government. As we saw in the latest 10 year Infrastructure Strategy and in the Industrial Strategy that sits b…

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Why women should be lifting weights (especially as we age) 57:28

2M ago57:28

57:28

In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle is joined by women’s health and fitness coach Elaine Gillespie, to talk about the transformative power of lifting weights and strength training. From navigating fitness during perimenopause to returning to exercise postpartum, Gillespie explains why lifting weights isn’t just for bodybuilders - it’s essential for wo…

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158 The Far Side by Gary Larson with Mattie Lubchansky 1:20:54

2M ago1:20:54

1:20:54

This episode was recorded prior to Scott Adams' announcement of his cancer diagnosis. As always, Thick Lines wishes good mental, spiritual, and physical health to all creators and createes. Joining Sally today is the business pleasure that is Mattie Lubchansky: former associate editor of The Nib, author of Boys Weekend and the rapidly impending rel…

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TEASER 159- Dilbert with Mattie Lubchansky 3:34

2M ago3:34

3:34

This episode was recorded prior to Scott Adams' announcement of his cancer diagnosis. As always, Thick Lines wishes good mental, spiritual, and physical health to all creators and createes. Enjoy the full episode at patreon.com/thicklinespod Joining Sally today is the business pleasure that is Mattie Lubchansky: former associate editor of The Nib, …

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A 10-year infrastructure strategy with James Corrigan 29:47

2M ago29:47

29:47

In today’s episode we are focusing on the government’s latest - and long awaited - 10 year infrastructure strategy. Because after decades of underinvestment, fragmented planning, and inconsistent delivery, the government has finally published what is perhaps the most comprehensive and ambitious infrastructure strategy in a generation. Backed by at …

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Anne Marie Allen on her lost years inside Opus Dei 1:10:12

3M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Anne Marie Allen was just 15 years old when she first entered the world of Opus Dei. It was the late 1970s and the young woman from Cork had enrolled in a cookery course run by the religious order. The program promised culinary qualifications and a pathway to a professional career, but it didn’t take long for her dreams to shatter. As Allen spent m…

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Sizewell C nuclear realities with Julia Pyke 34:59

3M ago34:59

34:59

In today' podcast we are focusing on the UK’s new nuclear power ambitions and specifically, exploring the Sizewell C project. As I said a few weeks ago on the podcast, it’s perhaps one of the most significant moments for the UK’s nuclear industry in over a generation. Last month, the government announced a multi-billion investment to drive forward …

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In Plain Sight: Noelle Brown and Camille O’Sullivan 43:28

3M ago43:28

43:28

This month, actor and mother and baby home survivor Noelle Brown and singer Camille O’Sullivan will take to the stage together for a new theatre performance called In Plain Sight. The project, written by Brown, focuses on Ireland’s history of mother and baby homes, paying particular attention to the large stately buildings dotted around the country…

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Lessons from HS2 with James Stewart 36:32

3M ago36:32

36:32

Today’s podcast takes a deep dive into High Speed 2 via the recently published Stewart Review, a detailed piece of work which attempts to help government to learn lessons and take stock from this much discussed project. And I’m pleased to say that to help me with this task today I am joined by the report’s author, James Stewart, long-standing infra…

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Deepfakes and AI Girlfriends: How artificial intelligence is putting women at risk 1:00:05

3M ago1:00:05

1:00:05

Concerns about the rise and rapid development of artificial intelligence often tend to focus on AI’s threat to jobs or its potential to influence politics and elections. But what about the very real threat that AI poses to women? In her new book, The New Age of Sexism, feminist writer Laura Bates explores how the ever-evolving world of technology h…

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Grading US infrastructure with Tom Smith 36:17

3M ago36:17

36:17

In today’s episode we will focus on the state of public infrastructure in the United States of America. Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers releases what’s been called “the nation’s most important report you’ve probably never heard of” - the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Using a simple A–F grading scale, it assesse…

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The Book Club Live: Summer Reads with Marian Keyes 1:21:02

3M ago1:21:02

1:21:02

Last weekend our Book Club gathered for a live show at Kildare Village to discuss the best reading recommendations for summer 2025. Róisín Ingle, Bernice Harrison and Ann Ingle were joined at the event by special guest bestselling author Marian Keyes and a room full of Women’s Podcast listeners. There were recommendations to suit every style and ev…

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A new nuclear 'golden age' with Tim Stone CBE 35:56

3M ago35:56

35:56

In today's podcast we’re going to explore the UK government's latest announcement to invest vast sums of public cash in the nuclear industry. The latest spending review included £14.2bn to kickstart the Sizewell C plant and £2.5bn to underpin ongoing research into fusion technology. But crucially, it also outlined plans to pump £2.5bn into Small Mo…

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Why do some women still take their husband’s last name? 44:54

4M ago44:54

44:54

The tradition of women taking their husband’s surname stems from a time when marriage effectively erased a woman’s legal identity and she would become her husband’s property. While this is no longer the case and society has thankfully moved on, the practice of women changing their last name upon marriage still persists today. But why? In a recent f…

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Rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge with Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller 35:47

4M ago35:47

35:47

Today’s podcast is another special episode, this week recorded live in New York at the recent Transforming Infrastructure Performance Summit hosted by Bentley Systems. My guest is Aruna Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland State, who I interviewed to open the summit with a discussion on her role in the recovery and rebuild of Baltimore’s Francis…

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Greta Thunberg sets sail for Gaza / Mary Ann Kenny on loss, psychosis and healing 1:03:43

4M ago1:03:43

1:03:43

It was a bright afternoon in April 2015 when Mary Ann Kenny, a university lecturer, received a call that changed her life in an instant. Her husband John, with whom she had two young sons, had collapsed while out jogging and died at the age of 60. Struggling to cope with the sudden loss and the loneliness that engulfed her life in the aftermath, Ke…

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The future of precision technology with Ivan Di Federico 31:19

4M ago31:19

31:19

Today’s podcast is a special episode recorded live at Bauma 2025 in Munich—the global showcase for construction technology innovation. My guest today is Ivan Di Federico, the newly appointed President and CEO of Topcon Positioning Systems, a leader in geo-positioning and construction technology, with solutions that are being used everywhere in infr…

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The Macron 'wife shove' / Talking periods with Dr Hazel Wallace 1:00:15

4M ago1:00:15

1:00:15

What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? Can you tell your follicular from your luteal phase? Can masturbation ease period pains and why do so many women get the dreaded ‘period poo’? To answer all these questions and more we’re joined this week by Dr Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, nutritionist, and author of Not Just A Period, a groundbr…

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Engineering leadership with Claire Gott MBE 36:14

4M ago36:14

36:14

In this week's podcast we talk about the challenges of building a career in the complex modern world of structural engineering. My guest today is Claire Gott, Head of Structures at global consultancy WSP - an engineer whose work has helped shape some of the most ambitious and high-profile structures in the UK and beyond but who has also devoted lar…

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Kit de Waal on identity and belonging / Starving children of Gaza 1:04:59

4M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Kit de Waal novelist, memoirist, and fierce advocate for working-class voices in literature. In conversation with Roisin Ingle, de Waal discusses her powerful new novel The Best of Everything, set in 1970s and 1980s England, which follows the interwoven lives of a single mother, her son, and their neighbours…

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Decommissioning for the future with Stuart Miller 35:20

4M ago35:20

35:20

In today's podcast we look at the world of nuclear decommissioning Nuclear power has played a vital role in the UK’s energy story for more than half a century. But as the country transitions toward a low-carbon future, there’s another story unfolding—one of responsibility, innovation, and transformation. The story of the decommissioning. At the hea…

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Jacqueline Connolly: ‘I didn’t know what coercive control was until my family were killed’ 1:14:22

4M ago1:14:22

1:14:22

In 2016, Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) were murdered in their Co Cavan home, by their husband and father Alan Hawe, who took his own life shortly after. It was and still is Ireland’s largest murder-suicide and the brutal killings sent shockwaves throughout the country. In her book, Deadly Silence, Clodagh’s you…

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The water investment challenge with Siân Thomas 36:01

5M ago36:01

36:01

In today's podcast we focus on the UK’s mammoth, unprecedented, and, often, highly controversial water investment challenge. As climate pressures mount, population grows, and economic demands increase, the security of our water supply is becoming a defining issue for national resilience. Last December, Ofwat’s latest Price Review - PR24 – underscor…

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Down with that ‘skort’ of thing / Celebrating Tina Turner 45:28

5M ago45:28

45:28

Two years ago this month, Tina Turner died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland. The global superstar and rock icon had a career spanning more than five decades. Although she retired from performing in her late 60s, one of her final projects was to collaborate on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which debuted in London’s West End in 2018. This…

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Zero-carbon buildings with Lord Adair Turner 36:31

5M ago36:31

36:31

In today's podcast we focus on decarbonising the UK’s vast building stock. The global buildings sector is one of the most essential but also perhaps the most overlooked frontiers in the fight against climate change. Homes, offices, shops, schools, and factories - they're where we live, where we work, and where we gather. They are the fabric of our …

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Irish woman detained by US immigration / The Steminists 43:06

5M ago43:06

43:06

In March, a group of secondary school students from Co Offaly made history when they became the first ever all-female team to win the VEX IQ All-Ireland Robotics Competition. ‘The Steminists’ will now represent Ireland at the World Championships in Texas this month. The team consists of five students aged between 12 and 14 years old, from the Sacre…

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Infrastructure's AI realities with Tom Bartley 35:32

5M ago35:32

35:32

In today's podcast we delve into the world of Artificial Intelligence to explore the future of infrastructure and technology - and the people reshaping both. To do this we’re diving into one of the biggest - and most urgent - challenges facing the built environment: namely how we manage and maintain our ageing infrastructure in a world of rising co…

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Climate Changemakers: Three women on their fight against climate change 47:03

5M ago47:03

47:03

According to the latest European State of the Climate Report, 2024 was the hottest year on record for Europe and the fourth warmest year ever recorded in Ireland. As part of the global fight against climate change, Ireland has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 — but are we really on track to meet that goal? In today’s ep…

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TEASER 157- Akbar and Jeff with Sam Szabo 1:59

5M ago1:59

1:59

Full episode at patreon.com/thicklinespod. What says "Happy 420, Two Days Late" like host and guest favorites, Akbar and Jeff? Sally and Sam Szabo find out what it means to be gay in Regan's America with Akbar and Jeff's Guide to Life by Matt Groening (Pantheon, 1989). This strip continued beyond the book's publication date for another TWENTY THREE…

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156- Poor Helpless Comics! with Sam Szabo 1:14:41

5M ago1:14:41

1:14:41

Happy Earth Day! Listener favorite Sam Szabo (Comics Will Break Your Balls, The Enlightened Transsexual, The Onion) is back to look at the PG-13 porno comics of Poor Helpless Comics! by Ed Subitzky (NYRC, 2023). Topics include, Heather McAdams' Cartoon Girl, going to the movies, National Lampoon, David Letterman, and so very much more. Sally was mi…