The Care Break

In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary Daynes Kearney speaks with Damien Connolly about the reality of trying to support employees while also running a business.This is a conversation about tension.The tension between wanting to be a good employer and needing to deliver for clients, manage costs, and keep a business running.Damien shares his experience of navigating flexibility, fairness, and competing demands in a small business environment. What becomes clear is that decisions are rarely straightforward.The episode explores:the challenge of balancing employee needs with business requirementshow efforts to support one person can create expectations for otherswhy well-intentioned actions can lead to unintended consequencesthe gap between how employers are perceived and what they are managing in practiceand the wider system pressures shaping how care is supported at workThis is a conversation about what it really means to try to be a good employer when the system itself is under pressure.Social links for RosemaryThe Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneySocial Links for Damien ConnollyI am the founder and MD of Sakura Business Solutions, which is an accountancy practice with offices in London and Dublin, that offers outsourced bookkeeping and an ‘end to end’ finance team solution to SMEs struggling to combine the right mix of staff and finance software to manage their growth. Separately I specialise in providing a Fractional CFO solution along with early business sale or exit planning to €1.0 to €10.0m businesses and have more than 20 years experience of working with SMEs. To date, I have worked with more than 50 SME clients, helping them to improve business profitability, ‘free up’ cashflow, deliver commercial projects and mitigate business risks, while supporting better  decisions that drive consistent growth. GO TO OUR WEBSITE - 🇮🇪: https://sakurabusiness.ie   CONNECT ON LINKEDIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianconnollyfcca/ SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more information, resources, FAQs and podcasts on this and other topics - https://www.youtube.com/@sakura-business BOOK a call directly with us on - https://calendly.com/d/cmzn-6n5-zgp

In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary Daynes Kearney continues her conversation with Sinead O’Donovan, exploring stress, leadership, and what is happening underneath how people show up at work.A central idea runs through this discussion: the body andmind are one integrated system and both need to be cared for. Stress is carried in the body, shaping energy, sleep, clarity, and how people respond day to day.Through her own experience, Sinead describes how this buildsover time through small, gradual shifts that accumulate, particularly where there is ongoing demand, such as balancing work and care.The conversation explores:how stress is experienced across body and mind together how the nervous system responds before conscious thought how sustained pressure affects energy, sleep, and decision-making how care creates an ongoing, unpredictable pattern of demand and how everyday interactions shape whether people feel safe or under pressure.We reflect on leadership and the creation of physiological and psychological safety. This is a conversation about understanding stress and whatthat means for how we lead, work, and sustain energy over time.Social Links: The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest Links:Dr. Sinéad O'Donovan spent over a decade as a corporateexecutive and knows firsthand just how demanding leadership can be. Sinéad's mission is to transform how leaders perform, scale their impact, and sustain it for the long haul, with energy left for life outside the role. Through herbusiness, The Leadership Biome, she works with organisations to buildleadership capacity by integrating human physiology into how leaders are supported and developed. Because the body is not separate from performance. It is the foundation of it.⁠⁠www.theleadershipbiome.com⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadmodonovan/ https://www.instagram.com/sineadmodonovan/

A real conversation about leadership when care changeseverything.Episode 6: What does good look like? Leadership wheneverything changes. In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary DaynesKearney speaks with Sinead O’Donovan about a real leadership experience thatbegan with a single conversation and how that moment shaped her approach as aleader.This conversation explores how leaders can navigatecare-related conversations in practice, including:the importance of connection and honest conversationsasking “what does good look like?” as a starting pointunderstanding the cognitive, emotional and logistical load employees carrybringing individual learning back into the organisationand the relationship between care, stress and health over timeSinead also shares her own experience of asking for support,and how leadership shaped that experience.This episode offers a practical and human approach toleadership, grounded in real experience.Social Links:The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest Links:Dr. Sinéad O'Donovan spent over a decade as a corporateexecutive and knows firsthand just how demanding leadership can be. Sinéad's mission is to transform how leaders perform, scale their impact, and sustain it for the long haul, with energy left for life outside the role. Through herbusiness, The Leadership Biome, she works with organisations to buildleadership capacity by integrating human physiology into how leaders are supported and developed. Because the body is not separate from performance. It is the foundation of it.⁠www.theleadershipbiome.com⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadmodonovan/ https://www.instagram.com/sineadmodonovan/

When caring enters someone’s life, the path they expected can change overnight.Episode 5: When Care Changes Your PathMany of us imagine our lives and careers unfolding in a particular way. For family carers, that path can change suddenly.In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary speaks with Caroline Lawless about her experience of becoming a family carer and how that reshaped her plans, identity and confidence.Caroline reflects on navigating the reality of being both a parent and a carer, how confidence can shift during long periods of caring, and how those experiences can also develop resilience, adaptability and new ways of seeing the world.Together they explore how caring can change the direction of a life and how carers can reconnect with their own ambitions alongside their caring role.Social links :The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest links:Caroline Lawless is a qualified personal, business and executive life coach. LinkedIn Ikshana LinkedInWebsite Ikshana Life CoachingInstagram @ ikshanalifecoaching

In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary is joined by Jean Evans to explore the role connection plays in sustaining confidence, adaptability and engagement with work over time. Drawing on Jean’s lived experience and professional insight, the conversation examines how caring and career interruption can reduce confidence, and how connection helps rebuild it.This episode shows that connection underpins confidence, visibility and opportunity at work particularly during periods of caring and life disruption.Connection supports:confidence and self-beliefnegotiation and boundary-settingstaying visible and engaged with workresilience during caring and career interruptionThe conversation also considers what this means for workplaces, and how supporting connection can help people remain engaged with work through periods of change.Social Links:The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest LinksJean EvansWebsite: www.networkme.ieFollow Jean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanevans-thenetworkingarchitect/

Care, confidence and the path back to employment.In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary is joined by Amy Lavelle from Care Alliance Ireland to explore the practical and emotional challenges carers face when returning to work and the actions that make a meaningful difference. Amy has numerous family members who require additional support and has gained an understanding of the importance of external support for family carers. Since 2021, Amy has worked with Care Alliance Ireland within their employment support projects for family carers. The aim of these projects is to offer individual and holistic supports to family carers who are returning to employment after a period of full-time care or alongside their current caring role.In this episode we explore: - the loss of confidence many carers experience, - the barriers created by rigid job design - why caring is skilled work, even when it isn't formally recognised. - the importance of reaching out for support as an employer or as an carer who wants to return to work. Social LinksThe Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest DetailsIf you are a family carer returning to employment or education or an employer seeking advice on family carer needs, you can contact Amy by email [email protected] or phone 085 2683589.

A practical look at caring responsibilities, intermittent absence, and early intervention in the workplace.In this episode of The Care Break, Rosemary speaks with HR and workplace resolution specialist Louisa Meehan about the realities of family caring and work, and the threads that often go unnoticed in workplace conversations.Louisa unpacks the difference between caring responsibilities and being a family carer, explaining how this gap in understanding shapes everything from communication to absenteeism. She also explores why intermittent absence is one of the biggest operational challenges for employers, and how hidden caring can quietly affect performance, wellbeing, and workplace culture.Together, they talk about the emotional load carers carry, the risk of late disclosure, and the reality of capacity and career progression during intense caring periods. The conversation is honest, practical and grounded in what HR leaders, managers and working carers experience every day.In this episode, we explore:- The distinction between “caring responsibilities” and being a family carer - Why intermittent absence is often the real operational challenge- The risks when caring stays hidden until performance conversations begin- What support is realistic for employers to offer and what isn’t- The emotional weight of caring and the need for early, honest communication- Why early intervention protects both employees and organisations- How capacity, progression, and wellbeing intersect during caring periodsThis episode unpicks a complex issue thread by thread, from workplace wellbeing and employee support to HR leadership, communication and the expectations placed on working carers.Take a short break with us as we look at what really happens when caring and work overlap.Social links:The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest Details: Follow Louisa: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisameehanWoodview HRMhttp://www.woodviewhrm.com/

In this first episode of The Care Break, Dr. Rosemary Daynes Kearney speaks with Mary Seery Kearney, barrister, former senator, and Managing Director of Purple Tree HR, about why caring must become a workplace conversation.Together, they explore the reality of family caring in the workplace, the impact of hidden caring, and why so many working carers remain unseen. Mary shares insights from years advising employers on HR, employment law, and workplace culture, as well as her personal experience of caring within her own family.This episode shines a light on how not supporting caring responsibilities affect businesses, employees performance and wellbeing, turnover and retention, and why inclusive and supportive workplace cultures are essential for the future of work.This episode reveals why caring is a workplace conversation we all need to have.Topics include:Hidden caring in the workplace and why it goes unnoticed The emotional impact when employees feel unsupportedWhy caring is a root cause of turnoverHow policies create trust and future-proof organisationsRights and entitlements every employee and employer should knowThe strengths carers bring to their rolesWhat Gen Z expects from workplace cultureWhether you’re an employer, HR leader, working carer, or someone interested in creating healthier workplaces, this conversation offers practical insights, real experience, and a powerful reframing of caring as a workplace issue. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, and join us for a short, meaningful Care Break.Social links:The Care Advocate website: www.thecareadvocate.ieFollow the Care Advocate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-care-advocateFollow Rosemary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemary-daynes-kearneyGuest Details: Follow Mary: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-seery-kearneyPurpleTreeHR:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purpletreehr