Embracing change
As he takes on his 14th season of Operation Transformation, psychologist Dr Eddie Murphy profiles the five leaders sharing their challenges and progress this year
The Operation
Transformation team is super-excited to be in Kilbeggan in Co Westmeath, where we are filming this year’s series. The focus on older people’s health and well-being continues this year and I am proud to say that in its 17 seasons, OT has looked closely at mental health and well-being. This is my 14th season with the show, during which time I have worked at breaking down the stigma of mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, loss and depression. In addition, there is a positive focus on emotional well-being, fulfilling possibilities and promoting a balance between work, rest and play. OT challenges us all to take stock and helps us reset with some great tools and techniques. Let’s meet the leaders.
Noel O’connell (57) from Kilcullen, Co Kildare
Noel is married to Katrina and they have four sons: Daniel (24), Jack (22) Niall (17) and Ollie (11). In the past 18 months, Noel has been diagnosed with tachycardia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type II diabetes and sleep apnea. Noel talks about being in “sniper’s alley” and as he is in his late 50s, this really resonates with me as I am at the same age now too. So, I am following Noel myself as it’s a timely reminder that ‘your health is your wealth’ and making deposits now is the way to go. Noel is very grounded and psychologically robust; one of his challenges is stress management. As a business owner, can he have a helicopter view of his life, not just the view from the ground?
Michelle Rogan (36), hails from Kilmessan, Co Meath
Originally from Dublin, Michelle now lives in the lovely Meath village of Kilmessan with her husband David and their three children: Layla (11), Danny (10) and Sam (1). Michelle has lost herself; she would say “I don’t know myself any more” and she would like to find herself again. The loss of her sister Elizabeth, who died from sudden cardiac arrest five years ago, was followed more recently by pre-eclampsia, after the birth of baby Sam. Pre-eclampsia is dangerous high blood pressure associated with pregnancy. All of this triggered significant health anxiety for Michelle. In addition, she has a thought pattern of “compare and despair.” All of this leads to a cycle of worrying and overthinking. Essentially, this is an energy drain. Michelle wants to find her old self; I think she needs to push the boat out, to find her old self and develop new self-belief.
Edel O’ Malley (36) from Castlebar, Co Mayo
Edel now lives in Ballinrobe with her fiancé Marcin and their one year old son, Daniel. Edel works in HR for Ashford Castle in Cong, a role that she loves. Life is very busy for this working mother; juggling parenting and work responsibilities leave little room for herself. Edel has a wonderful smile and she reminds me of a swan: serene, looking graceful on top and working really hard underneath the surface. There is a lot of stress in life, managing work and parenting. We might say that is life, just get on with it, but that’s too glib and lacks compassion. Finding that sweet spot where we are challenged but not overwhelmed by stress is going to be the challenge for Edel.
Anne Cushen (55) from Co Wexford
Anne lives with her husband Thomas and their two children, Seán (23) and Breda (21). Anne is a homemaker and the eldest of nine siblings. She has osteoarthritis and has had two hip replacements, the most recent one being in August 2023. Karl Henry describes Anne as a 55-year-old in an older person’s body and the challenge for Anne is to build a foundation of strength for her future health. There is a fork in the road for Anne, a pathway of more limited mobility or one where she can actually improve her mobility. If you are similar to Anne in terms of mobility, I encourage you to follow her experience on OT. Remarkably, in the few weeks already, I can see massive changes in Anne. Already, she is re-engaging in social dancing, once a much loved amd enjoyed activity. I want to challenge Anne to consider developing a new purpose in this third phase of her life.
Darragh Fitzgerald (37) from Limerick
Darragh is engaged to Yvonne and they have two children, Rían (8) and Róisín (3). Rugby is a big part of Darragh’s life, having played from a young age. As a teenager, Darragh overcame a rare form of nonHodgkin lymphoma when he was 16. He had a tumour removed from his bowel and underwent intense chemotherapy. Naturally, this has an impact, not least the unnatural question for a 16-year-old: will I die? Will I have a future? One of the outcomes of this, I think, is that Darragh spends too much time thinking about the future and not being present in the now. Darragh’s ideal picture is of his family, but he acknowledges that his inability to say no and over committing to others eats away at family time.