- Trainer Karl Henry calls on thought leaders from all walks of life to join the conversation on incorporating health and wellness into everyday life – with sporting hero Katie Taylor top of the wish list
- Celebrating over one million listens to his health and fitness podcast, Karl Henry has shared some of the most inspirational pieces of advice from an eclectic line up of speakers so far, including Leo Varadkar, Adam Clayton from U2, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Leinster rugby and many others
A sure sign that Ireland’s appreciation for all things health and wellness is growing, celebrity trainer Karl Henry is celebrating over one million listeners[i] to his podcast, Real Health, sponsored by leading health and wellbeing provider laya healthcare.
Covering all topics of health and fitness, from interviews with well-known personalities in Ireland as well as expert tips from Karl himself, the podcast shows that there are countless ways to boost health and fitness in a way that works for you.
“During the first year of Real Health podcast we have had amazing advice from such a variety of walks of life, and some of the most useful information comes from the simplest tips,” Karl says. “For example, Leo Varadkar actually came to do our podcast whilst in the middle of Brexit talks, and his advice on how he keeps healthy despite his incredibly busy schedule is, I think, a really valuable insight. He weighs himself once a week and trains three or four times – and I think this is inspirational as it shows how an incredibly busy person can fit this into his daily life, then there’s ways we can strive to do the same.”
Other interviews include a frank conversation from broadcaster Dermot Whelan, whose turning point was waking up in a pool of blood at the bottom of a stairs in a karaoke bar – and turned out to be the first step on a journey to embracing meditation to deal with life’s stresses.
88-year-old Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh spoke to Karl about his lessons from a life lived, and how forgiveness has played a part in achieving his own personal wellness. Minister for Health Simon Harris discussed placing health as a prioritisation on the national agenda, and why winning the prize for the world’s fattest nation is not where we need to be.
The most listened-to podcast to date is the inspirational discussion with former athlete and TV presenter Anna Geary, who spoke about how feeling unfulfilled in her job prompted her to retire from her corporate job, and bravely embark on a whole new career path as a lifestyle coach.
Real Health with Karl Henry is now Ireland’s number one health and fitness podcast, reaching over one million listeners in just over a year of launching. Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular in Ireland, with a recent Reuters study reporting that roughly two-in-five (38%) of news consumers in Ireland saying that they listened to a podcast within the past month. This puts Ireland well ahead of the 27% EU average.
Laya Healthcare’s Marketing Manager, Alan Morris says: “We put innovative health at the heart of what we do and are continuously looking for new ways to empower our customers to be at their best, always. Working with Karl to deliver great content and really useful health and wellbeing tips through the Real Health podcast has been a huge success and we’re delighted the podcast has reached over a million listeners. We look forward to supporting the podcast to reach even more people in the coming year.”
Where next for the Real Health podcast? Presenter Karl Henry says the aim is to double the listenership in the next year, and has also called for more of Ireland’s inspirers to share their own personal take on health. “On the wish list next is Katie Taylor,” says Karl. “We’d love to have her on the show in the next year – if you’re reading this Katie! And if you’d like to hear from someone in particular make sure to send your suggestions to me on Twitter and Instagram @karlhenryPT.
Listen to the show on the SoundCloud player or iPhone users can subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, and Android users can subscribe and listen on Google Podcasts.
[1] Source: Soundcloud, Youtube, independent.ie, as of May 2019