{"id":372503,"date":"2026-03-07T09:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T09:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/372503\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T09:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T09:35:27","slug":"inspiring-women-share-their-life-lessons-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/372503\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring women share their life lessons \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Time travel, sadly, has not been invented yet but if you could go back in time and give advice to your younger self what would it be? In this special feature to mark International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>, we\u2019re celebrating the power of hindsight. The best wisdom is hard-earned, accumulated through challenging experiences and mistakes many of us made on a loop before finally learning valuable life lessons. We asked a range of influential women what advice<\/a> they would give their younger selves.<\/p>\n

\u2018Do not cut your own fringe\u2019Caitlin Moran, writer\"Writer<\/p>\n

Do not cut your own fringe, do not trust a loved-one to cut your fringe, and remember that life always divides into just two categories: 1. things that are fun AT THE TIME. And 2. things which AT THE TIME are terrible but which later make future, incredible anecdotes. And this all works out perfectly, because FUN is what your life is SUPPOSED to be, but it\u2019s all the anecdotes that make you who you are.<\/p>\n

\u2018Most people are thinking about themselves\u2019 Catriona Crowe, writer and activist\"Writer<\/p>\n

Try not to be self-conscious. Most people are thinking about themselves, not you. Read real books. Cherish your friends.<\/p>\n

\u2018You will be whole again. Not broken\u2019Lavinia Kerwick, activist and sexual abuse survivor\"Activist<\/p>\n

I want you to know some things. That you will be okay. That you will not be carrying this guilt and shame forever. It is not yours. It never was. You will come home to yourself again. You will feel safe again. The rape will always be part of you but you will find the space and grace to live alongside it. You will be whole again. Not broken. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are needed here.<\/p>\n

\u2018Women are stronger than you realise\u2019Anne Enright, author\"Writer<\/p>\n

Women are stronger than you realise and men more fragile than you currently think they are \u2013 this still does not mean they should get all the gravy.<\/p>\n

\u2018Value and nurture your friendships\u2019Caoilfhionn Gallagher, human rights lawyer\"Caoilfhionn<\/p>\n

First, you\u2019re stronger than you know. Teenage me would not believe I could cope with all the things which were to hit me in the years ahead. But often we stumble upon our strength because we have no choice. It\u2019s always there, waiting to be tapped when needed.<\/p>\n

Second, don\u2019t just secretly, silently hope things might happen that you dream about. Be confident. Get a plan. You are in control. <\/p>\n

Third, value and nurture your friendships. All too often we focus only on romantic and family relationships \u2013 don\u2019t neglect your brilliant, kind friends who will have your back for decades.<\/p>\n

\u2018You don\u2019t need a nose job\u2019Naoise Dolan, author and activist\"Author<\/p>\n

Trust your own instincts and perceptions, no matter how aggressively your environment makes you doubt them. Don\u2019t listen when adults say you won\u2019t succeed or that your every mistake is a character flaw; it\u2019s how they were raised themselves, and it\u2019s the only way they know how to interact with you. Know that the negativity around the Irish language that basically everyone older than you is modelling will rapidly diminish once your generation takes over, though it will remain necessary to fight for actual policy change that reflects this. And you don\u2019t need a nose job. Stop googling them.<\/p>\n

\u2018The regret how long I spent harshly judging what I saw\u2019Mariella Frostrup, broadcaster and women\u2019s health advocate\"Broadcaster<\/p>\n

Love your body and make it a priority to understand the miracle of how it works, rather than spending hours gazing at your reflection in dissatisfaction. Unless you want to go down the Kardashian route it\u2019s not going to change, but you will. And there is no stage of our sometimes challenging fertility journey that isn\u2019t enhanced by better knowledge. The only regret I have today is how long I spent harshly judging what I saw rather than celebrating what I had and failing to be an expert in the most important thing we have, our health.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re always young enough to start over again\u2019Katja Mia, presenter \"Presenter<\/p>\n

No matter what career path you choose, if you feel like you\u2019ve made a mistake and want to change your mind, you\u2019re always young enough to start over again. You will figure it out.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d tell her nothing\u2019Rachael Blackmore, retired champion jockey \"Retired<\/p>\n

I\u2019d tell her nothing because I wouldn\u2019t want to risk influencing what happens in her future.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tell people to f*ck off more\u2019Jan Brierton, poet\"Poet<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to always be friendly or available to please. Tell people to f*ck off more. Don\u2019t ghost nice boys, be honest. Don\u2019t wear a bra if you don\u2019t want to (you\u2019ll have no choice later in life). Get to know your brother better.<\/p>\n

This is all good. What is for you will follow you around and catch up with you when you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

\u2018Grit and perseverance are underrated\u2019Suzie Miller, playwright\"Playwright<\/p>\n

Know that the parts of yourself and your background that make you anxious and sometimes ashamed \u2013 that you don\u2019t come from an intellectual or educated family \u2013 are eventually going to be your point of difference. Your unique perspective growing up observing how the world works will allow you to interrogate and connect with so many other people. Grit and perseverance are underrated but fundamental. The torment of unfairness in the world is something you can add your voice to and challenge through storytelling. It will make a difference. Stay passionate, especially when other people consider it to be \u201ctoo much\u201d. Live boldly even when it feels vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\u2018I could\u2019ve slowed down to smell the roses\u2019Sonia O\u2019Sullivan, retired athlete and commentator\"SoniaSonia O\u2019Sullivan, retired athlete and commentator. Photograph: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile <\/p>\n

Take your time and enjoy the moment. For a lot of my career, I was always in a rush to get on to the next race, the next challenge, always wanting to be better. Maybe that\u2019s what you need to do to be the best in the world. But I also think there are definitely times when I could\u2019ve stopped, slowed down to smell the roses. And still achieved great things, and possibly even extended my running career for a few more years, if I listened to my body and was a bit more patient. I think I am listening more now but I am also not competing on the world stage.<\/p>\n

\u2018Continue enjoying being a woman\u2019Yvonne Farrell, co-founder of Grafton Architects\"Co-founder<\/p>\n

I\u2019d give her a big hug, because the road ahead is a combination of wonderful and difficult times. You\u2019re doing all the right things: valuing family, friends, colleagues. You\u2019re lucky to love, be loved, to have education, to have chosen a profession that contributes to people\u2019s lives, that will continue to be meaningful and creative. Continue being fascinated by ordinary things and the beauty of nature. Continue enjoying being a woman.<\/p>\n

\u2018Live honestly with yourself\u2019Sarah Lavin, athlete\"Athlete<\/p>\n

Continue to follow your heart in everything you do and your own path will emerge. Nobody is you and your journey is like no one else\u2019s. Live honestly with yourself, be present with those you care about most and continue to pour yourself fully into everything you truly love.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you need advice ask for it\u2019Tara Flynn, actor, writer, podcaster\"Actor,<\/p>\n

The saying \u201cwhat other people think of me is none of my business\u201d gets truer with time. Unsolicited advice, especially the hypercritical kind, usually tells us more about the person pushing it than it does about ourselves. Most of us are self-critiquing all the time, to the point of exhaustion. So if you need advice, ask for it, accept it and do the necessary self-reflection. But if it doesn\u2019t concern them and you didn\u2019t ask for it, the other person\u2019s opinion or advice might be none of your business. Maybe you are too much for them. And maybe that\u2019s good.<\/p>\n

\u2018Most judgment reflects where someone else is\u2019Grainne Seoige, broadcaster\"Broadcaster<\/p>\n

People will judge you. They will form opinions based on a moment, a mood or a version of you that isn\u2019t the whole picture. You can\u2019t control that and you don\u2019t need to. What matters is not letting their view become your inner voice. Most judgment reflects where someone else is, not where you are. <\/p>\n

Stay true to yourself. Keep growing, keep showing up, and be gentle with who you are along the way.<\/p>\n

\u2018Never forget who you are\u2019Lynn Ruane, senator and activist\"Senator<\/p>\n

If I could speak to myself at every stage, both past and future, I would remind myself never to trade collective solidarity for individual gain and safety. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d say: be more radical, speak up, and never forget who you are in this world among others.<\/p>\n

\u2018Start now. There is no perfect moment coming\u2019Chupi Sweetman, founder of Chupi Jewellery\"Chupi<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait, figure out what you want and give it everything. The things in my life that mean the most to me came from seasons of enormous uncertainty. Our gorgeous daughter arrived safely into our arms after a four-year rollercoaster that tested every part of us. My beloved brand, Chupi, was called an overnight success, but only after 10 years of showing up and believing when it would have been easier not to. <\/p>\n

We bought our home after 14 years of renting and wondering if it would ever happen. None of those moments came at the \u2018right\u2019 time. I was never ready enough, brave enough, certain enough. They required ridiculous amounts of belief and risk. So start now. There is no perfect moment coming. The only way forward is to begin.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ll fear for your life. You\u2019ll be right to\u2019Rosita Sweetman, writer, activist and mother of Chupi\"Rosita<\/p>\n

Listen, I know you think you\u2019re a flake, your bum is too big, you lack courage and you\u2019re no beauty.<\/p>\n

Actually you\u2019re okay, and, very soon you\u2019re going to have to walk through that \u201cvalley of the shadow of death\u201d you\u2019ve been terrified of for so long. <\/p>\n

It will be more terrifying than even you, with your wild imaginings, could conjure. You\u2019ll fear for your life. You\u2019ll be right to. You\u2019ll be alone.<\/p>\n

But you will come through, and win the right to the life you always dreamed of. Based on truth. Big bums. Beauty. Hooray!<\/p>\n

\u2018You must strive to let go of the need for approval\u2019Anna Geary, broadcaster, retired camogie player \"Anna<\/p>\n

You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there\u2019s still going to be somebody who hates peaches. When you are younger, \u2018fitting in\u2019 is everything. I understand that you want to feel accepted and liked, but you must strive to let go of the need for approval or validation, and practice self-acceptance instead. Forge your own path. Try new things. Fail. Then try again. Real success lies in having the courage to try. Give yourself permission to be unapologetically you. Because when you start to do that, amazing things can happen.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wasted a lot of time being too scared\u2019Edel Coffey, author\"Author<\/p>\n

I was watching the actor Viola Davis making a speech the other day. She talked about her idea of hell being that on your last day on earth, the person you have become meets the person you might have become. It resonated. I wasted a lot of time being too scared to pursue my dreams, so my advice for my younger self (and for anyone really) would be: do everything you can to become the person you might be. Whatever it is you want to do with your one wild and precious life, be brave and just go for it.<\/p>\n

\u2018Forgive quickly. Laugh uncontrollably.\u2019Rosaleen Linehan, actor\"Actor<\/p>\n

Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Laugh uncontrollably. And put off getting old for as long as possible.<\/p>\n

\u2018Confidence isn\u2019t about being perfect, it\u2019s about having the courage to stand tall in your own boots\u2019Ursula Jacob, retired camogie player and The Sunday Game hurling pundit\"Ursula<\/p>\n

Back yourself always. Work hard, stay kind and don\u2019t apologise for being ambitious. The setbacks will shape you more than the wins. Keep showing up, keep believing and remember that confidence isn\u2019t about being perfect, it\u2019s about having the courage to stand tall in your own boots. Never forget that sport isn\u2019t just about winning. Cherish the fun, the friendships and the joy in the journey, because those are what truly last.<\/p>\n

\u2018Maintain a healthy cynicism\u2019Lisa McInerney, author\"AuthorAuthor Lisa McInerney. Photograph: Br\u00edd O’Donovan <\/p>\n

My younger self wouldn\u2019t follow advice, and she\u2019d be right. I\u2019m also pretty happy with where I am so I\u2019ve decided not to have any regrets. But, if I had an advice session with my younger self, I\u2019d title it For the Avoidance of Doubt and it\u2019d be all about trusting my gut. As you get older, you get better at assessing people, by which I mean you stop wasting time berating yourself for being judgy. I\u2019d tell young Lisa she was right for doubting the flaky bestie, all those unctuous media producers, and the wannabe creatives who wouldn\u2019t work to warm themselves. Offer adventurous yeses to opportunity, but maintain a healthy cynicism. Be proud of your pessimism!<\/p>\n

\u2018Sit a bit longer with the uncomfortable\u2019Anna Nolan, director of Coco Content, NXF \u2013 National LGBTQ+ Federation and former Big Brother contestant\"Director<\/p>\n

If I was to look back at younger me, I would be in awe of the big leaps I took to change my life for the better. Moving country, three times. Changing jobs, numerous times. Reinventing and reframing. I would say to myself that that is wonderful and brave, daring and admirable.<\/p>\n

But I would tell myself that it will be important, too, to not be so hasty. To dig a little deeper to understand why [there\u2019s] the need to move on, why the desire to leave so much so quickly. To take time and sit a bit longer with the uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now risk it. Dare. Make mistakes. Fail\u2019Razan Ibraheem, Irish-Syrian journalist \"Razan<\/p>\n

Keep it up, girl. Well done. You\u2019ve already won battles that once seemed impossible: against fear, against silence, against the voices that tried to shrink you. And you will keep fighting. Against macho power, against injustice, against every small and mighty tyranny. Now risk it. Dare. Make mistakes. Fail. Especially now, while you are young and learning fast. Ignore the smirks and the warnings about \u201cthe folly of the fight\u201d. Stay fierce. Stay tender. Keep raging against the dying of the light.<\/p>\n

\u2018Do not let people underestimate you\u2019Sandy Wyer, co-owner of Michelin-starred Dublin restaurant Forest Avenue \"Sandy<\/p>\n

Trust your instincts, they will take you far. Be kind to yourself \u2013 you deserve it more than you know. Be okay with making mistakes in order to learn and get better. Your strength is immense, do not let people underestimate you.<\/p>\n

\u2018You can\u2019t control other people\u2019Aimee Connolly, founder of Sculpted by Aimee \"Aimee<\/p>\n

Back yourself and stop worrying about what everyone else is thinking. You can\u2019t control other people, so instead of trying to people-please, focus on doing the right thing, being fair and ultimately being guided by your own values. This saves time, energy and needless overthinking, and puts more focus into where you want to go so that you can back yourself on that journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Time travel, sadly, has not been invented yet but if you could go back in time and give…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[75],"tags":[3500,113211,98443,65571,107686,81017,18,117,2215,108893,19,12476,17,34977,172023,361,27311,98780,128818,46467,83999,172022,172021],"class_list":["post-372503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-advice","tag-aimee-connolly","tag-anna-geary","tag-anne-enright","tag-caoilfhionn-gallagher","tag-chupi-sweetman","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-for-you","tag-grainne-seoige","tag-ie","tag-international-women-s-day","tag-ireland","tag-katja-mia","tag-lynn-ruane","tag-magazine","tag-naoise-dolan","tag-rachael-blackmore","tag-rosita-sweetman","tag-sarah-lavin","tag-sonia-o-sullivan","tag-tara-flynn","tag-yvonne-farrell"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116187217023901017","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372503","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=372503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}