Meet Avril

I'm Avril Tierney. An experienced psychotherapist, life coach, speaker, writer, and media contributor.

I live with stage 4 metastatic cancer BUT I am currently NED (No Evidence of Disease) — a phrase that carries both relief and reality.

Cancer didn’t make me who I am, but it changed how I understand life. It stripped things back. It taught me how fragile certainty is, and how powerful the smallest decisions can be. It also deepened my work, my compassion, and my commitment to helping people find their way forward when life doesn’t go to plan.

My work blends professional training with lived experience. I support people who are navigating change — illness, loss, burnout, identity shifts, leadership pressure, or moments where the ground feels unsteady. I don’t believe resilience is about pushing through or pretending everything is fine. For me, resilience is about stopping, breathing, reconnecting with yourself, and rebuilding in a way that’s honest and sustainable.

I’m the author of I Just Decided…, a book about rebuilding after life-altering change, coming in March 2026. My talks, workshops, and programmes are built around simple but powerful wellbeing pillars: breath, thought awareness, presence, and hope. These are not abstract ideas — they are tools I use myself, every day.

At the heart of everything I do is this belief: we don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to decide how we move forward. Sometimes that decision is big. Often, it’s small. One breath. One choice. One step.

This space is for anyone who is rebuilding, questioning, or beginning again. You don’t need to be strong. You don’t need answers. You just need a place to start.

Experience

• Over 15 years experience working as a counsellor & psychotherapist

• Life & mental health coach working across a variety of issues with adult clients

• Regular panellist & speaker for Breast Cancer Ireland, Network Ireland Dublin events & Macra Na Feirme events.

• Developed & rolled out a successful school wellbeing talks programme focusing on resilience.

• Regular contributor to podcasts, radio shows & print media.

• 7 years lived experience navigating a breast cancer diagnosis

• Social Media Contributor @AvrilTierneyStage4

• Author: I Just Decided........Coming March 2026