Denise O'Sullivan admits she's endured a "very tough year mentally" in the USA after the controversy surrounding ex-North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley that rocked the National Women's Soccer League.
Last October, serious allegations of sexual coercion and misconduct by Riley came to light.
A full FIFA investigation followed, with Riley - who led the Courage to back-to-back NWSL championships in 2018 and 2019 - sacked and stripped of his coaching license.
O'Sullivan has been at the Courage since 2017, and though she admitted that period was hard, the Corkwoman was emphatic in her insistence that she never considered leaving the club.
"Having a coach for four, five years and him being a big influence in your life, it was really tough."
"Not leaving the Courage, definitely not," she said at the Republic of Ireland's team hotel ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Sweden.
"I always knew no matter what changes there were in the team, I really love the environment there. I'm playing with some of the best players in the world and against some of the best players in the world.
"It's really one of the top leagues in the world - it's got me to where I am today, going to the Courage. I think that changed my career and I became better for it. I didn't consider leaving at all at the time."
That being said, O'Sullivan found the whole fallout draining.
"Obviously it was a very tough year mentally," she added. "By the end of the season, there were players... we just didn't want to be there at the time. I think it was just so mentally tiring what happened.
"Having a coach for four, five years and him being a big influence in your life, it was really tough.
"Now, it's a fresh start, we have a new head coach in (Sean Nahas) and he's fantastic. I really respect him, he has a very intelligent football brain as well. And the team has changed a lot.
"I think we have really recharged as a team and there's a new energy that's exciting. So, a tough year... but we've moved past it and we're ready to go again."
O'Sullivan is now hoping Ireland can get a huge result in Gothenburg against the world No 2-ranked Swedes, who edged a 1-0 win in Dublin when the teams met back in the autumn.
They are laced with quality, warming up for this one with a 15-0 annihilation of Georgia on Thursday night - but Ireland have a confidence and steel about them that means they will go there with genuine belief.
"First thoughts, very excited," said O'Sullivan. "To play such a huge team, they're the games we want to be part of. It's going to be a great opportunity and a huge challenge.
"You see the clubs that the Swedish players play at, it's a very high level all around and I think the intensity of the game is going to be the biggest challenge. But all our players, a lot of them are overseas and at good clubs as well, so I think it's a really exciting opportunity for us to take on one of the best teams in the world."
If the Irish are to plunder anything from Sweden, they'll need playmaker O'Sullivan to be on top of her game.
The technically excellent midfielder is a master at retaining possession in tight areas and with the hosts expected to really turn the screw when they have possession, keeping the ball may be the best form of defence for the Girls in Green.
"I do feel a big responsibility to be good on the ball in that game. I think that is the job in the number 10 role when we do attack and take the opportunities that we get because there are not going to be many in front of goal.
"I think we'll only have a handful of chances and we'll need to really take those opportunities because we're not going to have the ball much. We're going to be defending for the majority of the game, so... the ball needs to be our best friend in that game. We have to keep it well."
The Courage are in pre-season at the moment but there's no danger of O'Sullivan being rusty.
She's always been diligent about her recovery after training and matches, using the cryotherapy chambers and IV drips available at her club.
Now she's taken on the '75 Hard' challenge - a 75-day fitness regime that revolves around five daily tasks: following a nutrition plan with no alcohol and no cheat meals; completing two 45-minute workouts every day; drinking a gallon of water every day; reading 10 pages of an educational or self-improvement book every day; and taking daily progress pictures.
"Honestly, I don't know how I ended up doing it!" she laughed. "A few of the girls were doing it already and I'm always down for a challenge.
"I'm on day 14 now I think, so it's grand. Most things in it are okay. No alcohol, a gallon of water, they're little things that I do anyway. I don't drink, so they're easy, it's just chocolate and stuff. I's a mental challenge, that's all it is.
"For me the workouts probably add up to more because of the intensity of our training sessions. Then it's just reading. It's grand. It's nothing too much for me, honestly. It's only the chocolate and sweets that really catch me out. I love a bit of chocolate after a game!"
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