Just Between Us with Jennifer Zamparelli

Love doesn’t always arrive neatly or on schedule. This week on Just Between Us, Jennifer is joined by Jennifer Rock and Jill Deering to talk about building a family that doesn’t fit the traditional script. From parenting young and navigating small-town scrutiny, to coming out later in life and becoming a stepmother in your 30s, they share what it really takes to blend lives with care. They open up about co-parenting with ex-partners, putting kids first, and learning to do the work even when relationships change shape. It’s a warm, honest conversation about choosing kindness, earning trust slowly, and trusting that love can still be full and meaningful when it takes an unexpected path.
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Dating in Ireland can feel like a minefield. The apps are draining, ghosting is normalised, and everyone seems either too busy, too picky, or quietly panicking about timelines. Somewhere along the way, what should feel exciting has started to feel like hard work. This week, Jennifer is joined by professional matchmaker Feargal, who has spent over 15 years setting up real-life dates and watching what actually works and what really doesn’t. From app fatigue and sky-high expectations to the danger of sticking rigidly to a “type,” he shares the patterns he sees again and again. They talk about Irish pride and privacy, the reluctance to travel for someone who might be worth it, the pressure around age and fertility, and why “not settling” can sometimes become self-sabotage. It’s an honest conversation about effort, compromise and being realistic about what truly matters. Just Between Us is the Irish Independent’s sex and relationships podcast, hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli. New episodes every Thursday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if porn isn’t the villain we’ve been told it is and masturbation is actually one of the healthiest ways we learn about ourselves? In this episode of Just Between Us, Jennifer Zamparelli is joined by Cindy Gallop to talk about pleasure without shame, curiosity without guilt, and why understanding what turns us on can be deeply empowering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you might be thinking about buying a sexy gift for someone you love, or for yourself, but not know where to start. This week on Just Between Us, Jennifer Zamparelli is joined by Shawna Scott of Sex Siopa to break it all down. From bullets to bondage, dildos to dilators, Shauna explains what’s out there, how it all works, and how to find what actually suits your body, your needs and your curiosity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Just Between Us, Jennifer Zamparelli is joined by counsellor and psychotherapist Margaret O’Connor (specialist in parenthood ambivalence and decision-making) and Niamh Madden, founder of Sisterhood, a community for child-free women in Ireland. Together, they unpack the pressure to follow the “default” life script, what it means to feel uncertain, and why a joyful, meaningful life can look many different ways — with kids or without. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.