A Kiwi living in Armagh has launched her very own podcast that she hopes will serve as a cathartic, listener-led forum that will also empower women to be more confident and unapologetically authentic.
Personal trainer and mum-of-three, Ayla Ferrier first moved to Armagh from New Zealand in December 2015 to start a new life with her then boyfriend.
Moving to the other side of the world for love is a bold move for anyone, but as a 24-year-old with a 10-week-old baby in tow and “not a soul here” that she knew, for Ayla it was beyond brave.
That near decade has had its ups and downs. She is now a single mother who has openly returned to the dating scene – something which has also had its ups and downs.
But she is also a fiery women’s advocate who is acutely aware of what it means to use your voice – especially in the largely male-dominated industry in sports and fitness.
And, while starting a podcast has been “in her head” for many years, a particularly strange dating app encounter prompted the super-confident Ayla to whip out the microphone and put her tale to good use.
Entitled, “But, what would I know?”, the view for Ayla’s podcast is to discuss everything and anything. “Nothing is off the table,” she says.
The title is her very own “personal insurance policy”. While she might be talking about a controversial topic, it serves as a reminder that she’s definitely not claiming to be any sort of expert.
The freshly released episode one discusses her unusual Hinge experience earlier this year with a man she calls ‘Harry’ (not his real name… “or is it?” she jokes).
As a mother-of-three in her 30s the dating world is difficult but in Harry’s episode, Ayla explains how it’s all too easy for people online to take advantage of those hopefuls in pursuit of true love.
It was tantalising to start with. Had she really just met another Kiwi in Ireland? Did he actually frequent a bar back home where she used to work? How had they never crossed paths before?
Or was it just all too good to be true?
And while the almost catfish-esque story is both outrageous and nothing short of scandalous, Ayla brings the conversation back to the real reason for the podcast.
Speaking to Armagh I, she explains: “I think because my journey here and everything I’ve been through I know it helps to talk.
“I also think with building my own brand, my own network etc and if I can do it on the other side of the world – I just wanted to empower people and let people know to give themselves some credit.
“It’s very much about owning your confidence as a woman. We deserve to be heard and we deserve to have a voice and move accordingly.
“And I’ve always been very passionate about women’s safety. I think it’s an issue that’s swept under the rug. Women face derogatory messages daily and with the podcast I feel like it’s safe to talk about it and we can talk about it.”
Ayla (far right) with some of the women joggers at their weekly Mall-based running club
Back home in New Zealand, Ayla explains that there’s a wellness term called ‘hauora’.
It’s taught in their curriculum with huge emphasis on its importance. There are four dimensions of hauora including the physical well-being, mental and emotional well-being, social well-being and spiritual well-being.
Ayla adds: “You’re not well unless all four of those are looked after. It’s the way I was raised and I think that’s how I perceive things.”
With her podcast, Ayla is hopeful that for herself – and for her listeners – at least some of these pillars will be met.
She has also set up a weekly running club for women to exercise outdoors in the evenings with safety in numbers to help fulfil the physical wellbeing element too.
Her podcast fulfils a desire to connect, it provides a conduit for those conversations and – by sharing as guests on her podcast – Ayla is hopeful that others may find some inner confidence and quieten their noisy minds.
For now, speaking as a solo podcaster, Ayla has found – that while it can be “chaotic” at times – she has discovered a new personal confidence and comfort in being on camera or hearing her own voice.
She said: “We have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. You get that in the gym and you get through it.
“I would have been really big into my ice baths and that is very uncomfortable but that was where I would process all my thoughts. In that area, that’s where our confidence grows.”
Ayla is welcoming others who wish to take part in her podcasts to reach out via her dedicated Instagram page But What Would I Know_Podcast.
You can also listen along via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
