With a reputation as a woman who is not afraid to ask the tough questions on RTE Radio One's DriveTime, Sarah McInerney talks to Ciara McDonnell about the twists and turns that brought her to where she is today. She talks about growing up in Galway and planning to become a writer and how that set her on a path towards journalism. From early beginnings as a social diarist with the Sunday Tribune to a career in political broadcasting, she recalls the twists and turns, successes and mistakes that brought her to where she is today. As the mother of two young boys, Sarah reflects on how difficult it can be to switch roles after a tough news week, and how it is her life's mission to show them that strong women are a good thing.

Mairead Ronan is a broadcaster and presenter, she has her eponymous lunchtime radio show on Today Fm, and she hosts Irish Fittest Family every Sunday on RTE 1. The mum of three is also an entrepreneur with her Faro brand of hair products. She talks to Esther McCarthy about key moments in her life. Mairead shares lots of insights with us in this interview, especially about losing her mum and the journey of dealing with that grief. Want to get in touch? Email [email protected]

Vicky Phelan was instrumental in exposing the CervicalCheck controversy, but long before she stood on those high court steps, Vicky had been through other great traumas in her life: a horrific car crash in her teens that took the lives of her friends. Later her daughter would suffer serious burns in a devasting accident at their home. She talks to Vickie Maye about these and other moments that have been instrumental in her life - experiences that she says have helped her cope with the cancer she lives with today.

Derval O’Rourke was a professional track athlete for 12 years. She travelled all over the world competing in sprint hurdles, including three Olympic Games, with the highlight of her career being crowned World Champion in 2006 in Moscow. Derval has written two best selling healthy cookbooks, “Food For the Fast Lane” and “The Fit Foodie” and went on to create her website, derval.ie, a one stop site for health and wellbeing, from fitness classes to nutritious recipes. Derval still writes about food in her weekly column for the Irish Examiner. She is mum to two kids, five year old Dafne and one year old Archie. Here, she talks frankly about parenting in the pandemic and the impact, in particular, lockdown had on women.

Louise O’Neill is the best-selling author of Only Ever Yours and Asking for it, ground-breaking titles that changed the national conversation and challenged our attitudes to everything from consent to body image. In her weekly column for Weekend at the Irish Examiner she teases out issues around gender politics. Her latest book, After The Silence, is a new direction for her, a thriller and an absolute page turner but again, bigger issues are at play here too: domestic violence, psychological abuse are all key themes. She talks to Vickie Maye about key moments in her life. Louise is incredibly open, honest and speaks from the heart in this interview, especially about her eating disorder and the road to recovery. Want to get in touch? Email [email protected]

This week, Sonya Lennon joins Vickie Maye to talk about five defining moments in her life. She chats about home and career - from her shock at learning she was expecting twins, to the life-long friendship she forged with Brendan Courtney after a producer paired them on Off The Rails. She speaks about her mission to bring equality to our workplaces - and reflects on the difficult decision to put her mother into residential care as her dementia progressed. This is the Sonya Lennon you've never had to opportunity to meet before. Sound and editing by JJ Vernon. 'The Moments That Made Me'. This is the podcast that asks people not where they are now, but rather - how they got there.

This is the 'The Moments That Made Me', the Weekend Podcast from the Irish Examiner. Where we ask well known people not just about where they are now, but how they got there. The show is hosted by Vickie Maye, Features Editor of the Irish Examiner. We ask our guests to take a walk through their lives and pick moments, good and bad, personal and professional that have shaped their lives.