In this episode, Leanne and Orla sit down with Keith Dixon — personal trainer, coach, and friend for 16 years — for one of the most open and honest conversations yet. Born and raised in Blanchardstown, Keith has spent 25+ years in the fitness industry, but his story goes far deeper than the gym floor.
Keith opens up about growing up as the eldest of five in a tight-knit Dublin community, the lessons his parents instilled in him, and how that shaped who he became as a father, friend, and coach. He talks candidly about co-parenting after a separation, the moment he found himself homeless and living in a hostel, dark thoughts that crept in during that time, and how movement, mindset work, and the right people helped pull him through.
The conversation takes in men's mental health, loneliness in modern life, the "manosphere" and its influence on young people, unrealistic body image pressures, emotional affairs, and the ripple effect of one person shaping another. Keith also reflects on the ten trainers he's sent out into the fitness world, his relationship with his brother and sisters, and what turning 50 really means to him.
Raw, real, and full of Dublin warmth — this one hits different.
Timecodes:
00:00 — Introductions: meet Keith Dixon, friend for 16 years and coach
01:28 — Growing up in Blanchardstown, the eldest of five
05:17 — Childhood holidays, community spirit & how times have changed
06:56 — Blanchardstown reality: salt of the earth people, hard lives, and the lads who made it through
09:29 — Co-parenting after separation — putting the boys first, always
10:15 — Quality time with Joshua and Zachary as they grow up
17:00 — Losing the gym: chains on the door and starting over
26:24 — Homeless and living in a hostel — the lowest point
27:03 — Dark thoughts, the window, and choosing to get up and walk
28:23 — Losing people to suicide — personal loss and community grief
33:17 — Men's mental health: meditation, breathwork, shadow work and doing the inner work
35:29 — Loneliness in crowds — the silent epidemic
36:06 — Emotional affairs and the real cost of disconnection in relationships
38:18 — Co-parenting done right: why the boys always came first
42:11 — His sisters, the family tribe, and the Irish mammy way
47:02 — Being best man for his brother — what it meant more than words could say
48:39 — The ripple effect: 10 trainers who started with Keith
50:50 — Mindset over body: why physical change starts in the head
55:43 — What he'd say to a daughter today — body image, safety & the world young women face
57:31 — What he'd say to young men — be your true self, do the work
59:15 — The manosphere, online influence, and guiding kids through it
01:01:20 — His son Joshua and not following the crowd
01:02:46 — Steroids, unrealistic fitness expectations, and the truth about body transformations
01:03:51 — The one song that's always kept him going
(AC/DC — Thunderstruck) 01:04:30 — Reflections on turning 50 and how profoundly life has changed
01:05:15 — A heartfelt sign-off between old friends