Why Not Her?

We Don’t Talk About That… launches June 2026. Hosted by Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O, two perimenopausal, neurodivergent women who have reached the point where filtering feels entirely unnecessary. This is a podcast built to say what others avoid, soften, or refuse to platform. Across music, art, culture, healthcare, politics, and holistic and spiritual practice, we will bring together voices who are not just part of the conversation, but actively shaping it. Brought to you by @whynothereu . This is about power. Who has it, who does not and what that means in real terms. 🔹Linda Coogan Byrne is an award-winning publicist, strategist, writer, and activist whose work has influenced industry, policy, and public discourse. She is the recipient of the UN Women UK Award for Outstanding Contribution to Gender Equality, has been inducted into the Music Week Hall of Honour, and has been named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Leadership in Ireland. 🔹Ndidi O is a globally recognised artist, writer, and cultural voice working across blues, folk, and soul. A two-time Juno Award nominee and WCMA Blues Artist of the Year, her work has travelled internationally through touring and major screen placements including Orange Is the New Black, True Blood, The Flash, and Self Made. Our hosts are unafraid to confront what many still shy away from: identity, displacement, gendered violence, the global rise of fascism, and the material realities of women’s lives across time. Together, they host conversations that go where others will not. No scripts or sanitising. Just truth to power. This is an unfunded, volunteer-led project, built intentionally to create space for the uncomfortable, the overlooked, and the necessary. We Don’t Talk About That… #podcasts #news #feminism #WhyNotHer #womeninspiringwomen

A big moment for us here at Why Not Her? As the latest research - authored by @lindacooganb and edited by Dr Susan O’Shea - on gender, power, and gatekeeping across Irish and UK radio and festival programming has been peer-reviewed and published in @frontiersin_ in Communication. Frontiers is an international peer-reviewed academic publisher, meaning this research has been independently reviewed and is now part of the formal evidence base. This paper builds on years of data-led work through Why Not Her?, examining patterns in airplay, visibility, and access. That work has always been evidence-based. Moving it into an academic context adds external scrutiny and formal recognition, strengthening its weight in industry and policy discussions. The outcomes we see across line-ups, airplay, and recognition are not accidental, they are the result of systemic exclusion across race and gender. Again we would like to thank Dr Susan O’Shea for her editorial guidance throughout this process, and to Damiano, Deborah, and the team at Frontiers in Communication for their work in bringing this research to publication. The full paper is available here: /articles/10.3389/fcomm.2026.1765784 Cited in this academic research is: Vick Bain of The F List for Music, Dr James Nissen, and Why Not Her? #genderequality #musicindustry #musicnews #datascience whynother

What a night! 🎉🙌🏼🎊🍾 Last night at the UN Women UK Awards 2025 in London, our founder and fearless leader Linda Coogan Byrne took home the Outstanding Contributor to Gender Equality Award. It was a recognition of years spent shifting the music and media industries toward equity, accountability, and lasting change. From Why Not Her? to Good Seed PR, Linda has fought tirelessly to amplify women’s voices, challenge bias, and build a future where fairness and equity replaces favouritism, racism, sexism, gender bias and misogyny in music. This award is shared with every woman, every ally, and every voice that refused to stay silent. We’d also like to congratulate our fellow peers and nominees including the wonderful artist who designed the award @colbertcharlotte 👏🏻👏🏿👏🏾 @womenshealthrights @alexlight_ldn @zehra_chatoo @em_clarkson @mityov @tabitha.morton @kianjamusic @blackwomenrisinguk @jjayda.sh @thekarenking @womenbborders @thestylishmum_ @alcaselyhayford @saferspacesnow @drkatrinenohr @birthtbetter @thatpixierosex @sophiathakur @drmpwolf @theflistmusic @unwomenuk @soooldn Here’s to louder futures, fairer stages, and a world where we never have to ask why not her? again. 🏆💪💜 #UNWomenUK #WhyNotHer #GenderEquality #WomenInMusic #CultureChange #GoodSeedPR #Leadership #FeministFuture #WomenSupportingWomen #EquityInAction #AwardWinning #ActivismInAction @unwomenuk @unwomen @unitednations

Ladies please contact @amanda_stanhope_official if you have experienced or are a victim of this horrendous crime and wish to speak up. Please know it is also ok if you are a victim and choose NOT to speak up. You are entitled to your own peace of mind whatever that may be.

Our sentiments exactly! @joe.ie #repost via Joe Incredibly brave and inspiring 👏 Dublin Rose Suad Mooge has stood up to those subjecting her to racist abuse online. The 25-year-old medical scientist was chosen to represent Dublin in the Rose of Tralee last week. Since then the Irish woman has been subjected to horrific racist vitriol online. Ms. Mooge said that she was surprised not by the comments but by the sheer ‘volume of hate’ she was receiving. The Dublin Rose, who was born and raised in Ireland, told RTÉ’s Liveline: ‘As long as I know myself that I’m Irish, I’m very confident and secure in that fact.’” And frankly, she should never have had to justify her Irishness to anyone in the first place. Irishness is not a skin tone. It is culture, community, history, belonging, language, humour, family, place and lived experience. A woman born and raised in Ireland should not be met with abuse for representing her county in a festival that supposedly celebrates Irish women. The sheer obsession some people have with policing who gets to “count” as Irish says far more about them than it ever will about her. Fair play to Suad for handling it with dignity because the level of projection and bitterness online lately is grim. Solidarity with her. 🇮🇪

Oh how we miss her and the chats along with the banter. Her courage was unstoppable. #repost via @vickyslegacy 🫂 This week marks another anniversary of Vicky Phelan’s 2018 High Court settlement. 8 years on, a moment that the people of Ireland will never forget. Vicky took her case after learning her smear test results had been misread, something she hadn’t been told about for years. Her case exposed serious failures in the CervicalCheck system and forced a level of honesty and accountability that should have been there all along. But what stays with people most is who Vicky was. Open, determined, and incredibly generous with her voice, even when she was going through so much herself. She spoke up not just for herself, but for every woman who deserved answers. Because of her, things changed. And because of her, people are still asking questions and demanding better. We miss her so much ❤️

The last few weeks has brought a run of nominations that I’m genuinely honoured by. On Monday, I was also informed that I have been nominated for the most prestigious “Diversity Power List” (UK) by one of last years cohorts. That makes 4 major nominations I am up for this year: 🔶National Diversity Awards 2026 Positive Role Model – Gender (second year running) 🔶IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards (shortlisted) Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year 🔶Villa Maria Women of Vision Awards (HiStyle) (nominated) 🔶“Diversity Power List” (UK) (nominated) All landing in a year where my academic research was peer reviewed and published via the worlds third largest publisher @frontiersin_ “Why Not Her? Gender, Power, and Gatekeeping in Irish and UK Radio and Festival Programming”. It draws on six years of data (2018–2024), the wider Why Not Her? campaign, and the book, to expose what many in the industry still avoid saying plainly. Who gets played, booked, left out and why. I’ve spent over two decades working across music as a publicist, researcher and advocate. Through Why Not Her? and Good Seed PR, the aim has always been the same. Challenge the systems that limit opportunity. Back the artists and voices who should never have been sidelined in the first place. I know that not just professionally, but personally. I grew up across council estates, in and out of foster homes. Sleeping wherever there was space. I was told I’d never amount to anything by my business studies teacher. I hope he sees this post 🙋🏼‍♀️ I take these nominations as a signal that this work, pressure, and refusal to stay quiet, is being taken seriously across industry, policy and culture. To everyone who put my name forward, thank you. It means more than I can properly say & to the women across these lists, especially those reshaping industries in Ireland, the U.K. and beyond, I’m proud to stand alongside you. Go raibh míle maith agat 🙏🏻 #whynother #womeninbusiness

We’ve lost a Banríon of Irish music. Moya Brennan, born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin, has passed away aged 73. To the world, she was Moya. At home, in Gweedore, she was Máire. That quiet shift between names says a lot about the life she lived, rooted in Irish language and tradition, while carrying that culture onto a global stage. As the voice of Clannad, she didn’t just perform music, she shaped a sound that travelled far beyond Ireland, long before the industry made space for it. Raised alongside siblings including Enya, Ciarán and Pól, what that family created is a legacy that will echo forever. “Theme from Harry’s Game” wasn’t just a breakthrough moment, it was a cultural one. An Irish language song breaking into the UK Top 10, carried by her voice, layered, haunting, unmistakable. Over 15 million records sold. Decades of work. Máire to her own. Moya to the world. Thank you for the music. May she rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. 📸 Steve Humphreys #irishmusic #moyabrennan #traditional #music #musicnews

#repost @dublinrapecrisis It was never your fault. Today, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has placed this message on Ireland’s largest billboard, on Liberty Hall in Dublin city centre. To every survivor who has had their experience questioned, or questioned it themselves. To those who are grappling with self-blame in the immediate aftermath of sexual violence, and to those who have spent years carrying shame that belongs to the person who harmed them: It was never your fault. We want you to know that Dublin Rape Crisis Centre will always believe you. When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen. If you have been affected by sexual violence, you are not alone. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s National 24-Hour Helpline is free, anonymous, and confidential: 1800 77 8888 @oursiptu

What kind of world makes death feel like relief? A young woman survives gang rape. And still, it is not enough to keep her here. Last month in Spain, a 25-year-old woman was granted euthanasia after years of living with the psychological impact of repeated sexual violence. Approved to die, while her rapists remained nameless and faceless across the media and as far as has been cited across news: free. We talk endlessly about resilience. About reporting. About doing the “right thing.” But what happens after? What happens when the system meant to protect you becomes another layer of harm? When justice doesn’t restore, it retraumatises. When survival becomes a life sentence rather than a second chance. When the only viable outcome is euthanasia. This is not about one woman, it is about a truth that so many already know and that women are no longer afraid to speak up about within their communities; the world is not a safe place for women and girls. We know that surviving violence is one thing. Living with what follows, in a world that does not hold you properly, is another. At some point, we need to stop asking women to be stronger. And start asking why the systems around them are so weak? We deserve better. Read the full piece: Link in bio. #WhyNotHer #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #WomensRights #SystemFailure #SpeakTruth

I’m honoured to be shortlisted for Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year at the @image.ie Image Media @pwc_ireland Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2026. Looking at the women in this category, I feel incredibly proud to stand alongside such game changers across Ireland. I’m looking forward to celebrating with you all on May 15th in the RDS. Alongside me are: • Caroline O’Driscoll (I Wish) • Eibh Collins (National Talent Academy for Film & Television Drama) • Emily Harnett (Codex) • Fernanda Duffy (Ipanema Agency) • Geraldine Joanes (Diageo Ireland) • Heather Lowry (An Post) • Karen Hackett (PTSB) • Katriona O’Sullivan (Triumph Talks) • Lorraine Curham (Fierce Tech Founders) • Olga Shevchenko (Immigrant Advice Bureau) • Sonia Harris Pope MPRII (Harris PR) “Diversity and inclusion” gets thrown around far too easily. It is about power, gatekeeping, structure, and who is still being excluded even when we pretend otherwise. I know that from lived experience as I grew up across council estates, in and out of foster homes, sleeping on floors, spare beds, wherever there was space. I was told I would never amount to anything by a teacher who threw me out of class for questioning who gets to succeed. But I also had teachers who believed in me. And that was enough. Someone seeing you. That’s where everything starts. In my advocacy work, I’ve faced resistance, gatekeeping, and blacklisting. So when I speak about access, I’m not speaking in theory. That’s why this recognition matters SO much 😭🫶🫂. Not as a personal milestone, but as a signal that this work is being taken seriously across business, policy and culture. The wider shortlist is exceptional. Women leading, building, and redefining what Irish business looks like. This work is not comfortable and rarely rewarded, but by jesus it is necessary. Thank you to IMAGE Magazine for recognising the work behind Why Not Her?. And to every woman on this list: You are not just part of the system. You are reshaping it. I am in awe of mná. Go raibh míle maith agat. Ps here is a short throwback excerpt from when myself and @aoifescottmusic appeared on RTÉ 6:1 News. 🫂 #BWOTY26

We’re proud to share that our Founder, Linda Coogan Byrne, has been nominated for Women of Vision 2026. This recognition reflects her continued work challenging inequality in the music industry and pushing for real, structural change for women, particularly those who have been historically overlooked. Through Why Not Her?, that work has always been rooted in action. Not just conversation, but accountability. Not just visibility, but change. This nomination stands for the work done, and the work still ahead. — Team Why Not Her? #WomenOfVision #WhyNotHer #WomenInMusic #GenderEquality #MusicIndustry