{"id":262850,"date":"2026-01-02T05:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/262850\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T05:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:10:09","slug":"kathryn-thomas-reveals-how-she-juggles-her-high-energy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/262850\/","title":{"rendered":"Kathryn Thomas reveals how she juggles her high-energy life"},"content":{"rendered":"

KATHRYN THOMAS has been superbly \u201cjuggling\u201d it all since she first appeared on our screens 26 years ago, and until last year, the Carlow-born broadcaster thought she thrived on \u201cflying by the seat of your pants\u201d.<\/p>\n

In February 2025, for the first time in her working life, she settled into a routine, having joined Dublin radio station Q102 to present The Morning Show with Kathryn Thomas from 7am each weekday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure how I was going to cope with that,\u201d she says of her new regimen. \u201cBut physically, emotionally, and mentally, it\u2019s been really good for me. I\u2019ve learned that, actually, I\u2019m not unlike anybody else, and routine is good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most would consider Thomas\u2019s new routine punishing \u2014 up at 5.30am, at her desk by 6am, then a three-hour radio show followed by a stint in the gym and either an afternoon filming Forever Young, her upcoming documentary for RT\u00c9, or the school run.<\/p>\n

\"KathrynKathryn Thomas: ‘After a week of 5.30am starts, I don\u2019t generally agree to going out on a Friday evening with the girls, or with my husband on a date night, because I know I need that time to restore.’<\/p>\n

Also in there is recording episodes of Are We There Yet?, the podcast she launched last November; running her Pure Results retreats; co-presenting the Rose of Tralee; being a mother to Ellie (seven) and Grace (four); a wife (she married businessman P\u00e1draig McLoughlin in 2019), and fitting in friends, family, and a bit of self-care along the way.<\/p>\n

She has a live-in au pair to help with childcare, but it\u2019s still full-on by anyone\u2019s standards. She acknowledges her life is \u201cinsanely busy\u201d, however, she thrives on the variety her many hats bring. For Thomas, organisation and boundaries are key to achieving balance amid the busyness, and she\u2019s \u201csaying no to stuff when previously I would\u2019ve said yes\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d often be asked to go to things, and if it\u2019s on the weekend, no. If it\u2019s on a Thursday, no, because [my daughters] have swimming and gymnastics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n By the time I get to the end of a week of 5.30am starts, I don\u2019t generally agree to going out on a Friday evening with the girls, or with my husband on a date night, because I know I need that time to restore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I need that time to be in my four walls with my family, with the fire on, in order to replenish myself. So it\u2019s about saying no a lot more, getting early nights as well, which are key to allowing me to do all the things that I love to do, and those things that I love to do actually give me energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evening ritual is vital<\/p>\n

Thomas\u2019s evening prep facilitates the smooth running of her pre-dawn start. \u201cMy evening ritual is key to my morning ritual.\u201d<\/p>\n

She decides her outfit the night before, leaves her makeup and packed breakfast in the car, her bags and computer at the door, and having put her girls to bed and read to them both, she\u2019s in bed with a book by nine and asleep by half past 10. \u201cLiterally, I jump out of bed at 5.30, wash my face, into the clothes, gone. By six, I\u2019m having a coffee at my desk.\u201d<\/p>\n

She loves getting \u201cto wake people up and brighten their day\u201d on her gig at Q102. She\u2019ll be a year at the helm next month, but deciding to accept the role took \u201ca long time\u201d as she was aware she\u2019d miss out on breakfast with her girls and the \u201cmagical morning conversations\u201d the trio had walking to school.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A chat with her husband and other mums brought the realisation that she\u2019d have them back at the end of the day, and \u201cthere\u2019ll be lots of days that I can [collect them from school]\u201d, so she\u2019s \u201chad that trade-off, and it\u2019s working\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"KathrynKathryn Thomas: ‘I\u2019m a huge advocate of strength training, especially for women in their 40s.’<\/p>\n

At 46, Thomas is slightly older than the average mother (in 2018, the year she had Ellie, the average age for first-time mothers in Ireland was 31.1 years; Thomas was 39. She has been open about the fact that she suffered two miscarriages before having both children through IVF).<\/p>\n

Having \u201cdone a lot of living\u201d and travelling in her 20s, which gave her \u201ca zest for life \u2014 I feel like I\u2019m 30 still\u201d, at this juncture, she finds her children \u201cmake me feel like I\u2019m young again\u201d, although she acknowledges that \u201cfor sure, you\u2019ve got to manage your energy levels\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey keep you laughing, there\u2019s lots of laughter in our house. As an older parent, I appreciate that. And I appreciate what I\u2019ve learned from them. I\u2019ve had a great life, I\u2019ve done a lot of travel and so many incredible bucket-list experiences that actually now it\u2019s the simple things with them. Their view on the world is just so magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Age has also given her the wisdom not to allow her identity as an individual to be subsumed by her mothering role. \u201cMy life experience has taught me that being a parent is an incredible gift, but not to lose yourself in it. I\u2019m still very much me, and I know what feeds my energy \u2014 I\u2019m not afraid to go out and do that and have my career as well as being a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledges she wouldn\u2019t have taken on the radio role, or indeed any other projects, two years ago when her youngest was still a toddler. While the girls \u201cstill very much need me\u201d, they\u2019re also now both in school during the week, meaning there\u2019s a little more leeway for Thomas to take on projects.<\/p>\n

Safeguard your body<\/p>\n

Thomas works hard to make her projects and self-care seamlessly fit into her day: the podcast studio is across the road from Q102, as is the gym that supports her three-times-a-week habit. Having exercise \u201cboxed off\u201d is something she prioritises weekly. Sometimes she mixes it up and runs with her husband, but weights are a pillar of her routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a huge advocate of strength training, especially for women in their 40s. Going through perimenopause, heading into menopause, I think it is so important for our bone health, for our mental health, to safeguard your body as much as you can, going forward. That, for me, is key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, sleep is another priority. About a year and a half ago, she went on HRT because she wasn\u2019t sleeping, but didn\u2019t find a huge benefit and, having spoken to her doctor, came off it after six months.<\/p>\n

\"KathrynKathryn Thomas loves getting ‘to wake people up and brighten their day’ on her gig at Q102.<\/p>\n

Stopping the hormone treatment coincided with starting at Q102, and she began to notice how her much earlier bedtime made a positive change in her sleep. \u201cMy energy levels increased and improved just by going to bed earlier\u2026 I\u2019d never really taken on board that the sleep that you get before midnight, as opposed to after, is light years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up until then, she hadn\u2019t joined the dots of poor sleep equalling low energy and brain fog, \u201cbut now I feel like I have more energy by getting those couple of hours\u2019 sleep before midnight\u201d. She will, she says, \u201cgo back on HRT when the time is right\u201d.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been running her Pure Results retreats for over a decade. The name change from its initial iteration, Bootcamp, speaks to the fact that she\u2019s embraced the benefits of a more holistic way of life as her own has evolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her retreats advocate for \u201cthe importance of time out, time away from your four walls, time away from your job. Step away from being a mom, from being the boss, from being the provider, the carer, and actually focus on you. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first,\u201d and she\u2019s ever mindful of practising what she preaches.<\/p>\n

Every aspect of her work life makes her feel \u201cvibrant and alive\u201d, but she also schedules in date nights and time with her friends, \u201cto make sure that I\u2019m getting that energy from the people that I love, so it\u2019s not just a work focus all the time\u201d.<\/p>\n

The former Operation Transformation host is \u201ca real believer in fun and socialising\u201d, and to relax, she loves a book, or the double delight of an audiobook on a solo car trip (no \u2018are we there yet?\u2019 interjections), but also finds hanging out with her kids to be a de-stressor. \u201cI know there are parents who are going: \u2018Sorry, what?\u2019 There are times when my children send me into a spin, 100%, but I actually find hanging out with them really relaxing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent years saw cancer enter her world for the first time, when one of her best friends, whom she\u2019s known since they were 13, \u201cgot very sick\u201d. The realisation that \u201cit could have been any one of us\u201d gave her pause, so when I ask where she sees herself in five years\u2019 time, her reply is unsurprising and heartfelt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I\u2019m as happy and healthy as I am now, and all I can wish for is the happiness and health of my family and friends as well, because you realise nothing else matters. That\u2019s all that matters \u2014 living your life to its fullest, and enjoying it wherever you can. Trying not to sweat the small stuff. All of the things that we hear said all the time, but actually it\u2019s so important to keep hearing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s where I hope I\u2019ll be [in five years] \u2014 as happy and healthy as I am now, enjoying my work, enjoying family, and enjoying life.\u201d<\/p>\n

See: pureresults.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

Kathryn\u2019s top tips for health and wellbeing in 2026<\/p>\n

\n Figure out your why\n <\/p>\n

The pressure to jump on the January bandwagon of new habits and resolutions often sets people up for failure. \u201cIf you haven\u2019t figured out why you\u2019re making the changes, why are you putting yourself under pressure? In health and wellness terms, you really need to figure out your why: what are your goals, and why do you want to achieve them? Drilling down into the \u2018why\u2019 of those goals is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Prioritise wholefoods where possible\n <\/p>\n

“Have healthy recipes you can cook. I\u2019m not the greatest cook in the world, but having five recipes I can cook or have in the fridge takes the pressure off and keeps you feeling well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Laugh a lot\n <\/p>\n

“That\u2019s my top tip. I remember reading that kids laugh 400 times a day, while many adults laugh 14 times. When you spend as much time as I do with a seven-year-old and a four-year-old, you realise how much they laugh at themselves, at the world, at each other. There\u2019s such power in that. I think we could all learn a thing or two from them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KATHRYN THOMAS has been superbly \u201cjuggling\u201d it all since she first appeared on our screens 26 years ago,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[135014,18,19,17,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-262850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-feelgood-season","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115823786376553563","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}