The Essential Training Podcast

After spending 18 days doing my Yoga Teacher Training at Nydum this January in Spain, I was very fortunate to sit down with the founder and owner Amèlia Valls. Amèlia's journey as a teacher started 20 years ago, having been trained in Pilates, Fitness and Personal Training, working with a diverse range of people and communities. She has a degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences and has completed her...

Have a listen back to our conversation from one of our previous episodes: What's the relationship between the quality of the questions that we ask ourselves, and the quality of the answers we get? How are the narratives that we tell ourselves related to our overall wellbeing and success? These are some of the questions that we explore on this week's episode. I get to ask Dad some of the tools he's...

n this short clip from a previuos episode - Get a glimpse int a conversation from the garden of our guest house in Kathmandu, Nepal we spoke with the founders of 2 non-profits. Their work impacts many children and families in Nepal. We hear from Lia Wyler and how she came to found Rokpa.org and in turn, how she met RamHari when he was a young boy living on the streets of Kathmandu.  She took...

Dad and I discuss mental health, wellbeing and the stories that we tell ourselves, all brought up from our most recent episodes with Paul Gleeson and Mitch from Movember. Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/ Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas!  https://fadsao...

On this week’s episode, we discuss all things adventure and pushing boundaries with our friend, colleague and all-round explorer and coach Paul Gleeson. We discuss lots about the work that we do, some of the insights Paul has gotten from bringing groups on Arctic expeditions, an Atlantic rowing trip and a trip up Mt. Blanc. We both loved this conversation and got lots from it! Check us out at esse...

How can we better support the men in our lives? What are some tools to combat the alarming statistics around men’s mental health? This week I spoke with Movember Director of Development Mitch Hermansen who I’m proud to call a friend and fellow MoBro. I got to ask him about his passion for supporting men’s health through Movember every year by growing a moustache and raising money. Movember support...

Dad speaks about his recent volunteer trip to Kathmandu, Nepal to visit Indreni.org a charity that supports the education and wellbeing of children in Nepal. We cover the experience of going out to Nepal, the reflections on coming back to Ireland after spending a week in a beautiful but developing nation with lots of social, economic and welfare issues for it's citizens. Dad touches on what makes...

In this short, diary-style episode, I talk about the Ironman 70.3 that I'm about to do in 3 days in Malaga, Spain. I touch on what it's brought up for me in terms of pushing boundaries of what I'm capable of, the life that has gotten in the way of training and the themes that I have reflected on with my clients. There's themes of self-compassion and self-talk that I touch on, as well as the drive...

Can you teach someone to see the big picture? What's difference between talent, drive and ambition when it comes to the longevity of success? The week Dad and I discuss the link between success in things like sport, music and business and the commonalities that exist in people who succeed. Drawing from our own life experiences, what we've seen in dealing with business and our clients, we chat abou...

What's the relationship between the quality of the questions that we ask ourselves, and the quality of the answers we get? How are the narratives that we tell ourselves related to our overall wellbeing and success? These are some of the questions that we explore on this week's episode. I get to ask Dad some of the tools he's used over the years, both with himself and for his clients. We talk about...

What is Purposeful Leadership? What is the link between purpose, spirituality, authenticity and leadership in business? How can we live more meanignful lives, while also contributing to the world? These are all questions we explore this week on the Essential Training podcast with Fiona English. Through her MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, Fiona conducted research into how spirit...

What are some of the unconscious stories we carry around about ourselves? What are some of the insights we’ve learned after 37 episodes from our various guests? We discuss the some of the common themes that we’ve seen: The ordinary people doing something extraordinary. The common themes we've seen in our guests uncovering more of their potential. The trailblazers we’ve been inspired by listening t...

What’s the link between language learning and coaching? What ways can we celebrate and support the Irish language? How can business, passion and service intersect to create a win-win-win scenario? Mollie teaches the Irish language online to over 220k people across all of her social media platforms. We discuss her career journey into teaching and eventually teaching Irish, then moving her business...

What's the link between entrepreneurship and fulfilling own professional needs? How can we look after ourselves and create something of value at the same time? How important is taking time out to help us figure out what we want? These are questions that Rise Up Founder Susan Dwyer and I explore on this week's episode, as well as chatting with Dad in our regular post-interview reflection. Rise Up i...

What might happen if we look at a situation from a new perspective? What are some internal narratives that we can become more aware of? Where in our lives could we do with some reflection and questions of what's working for us? Dad opens up the conversation with his take aways from the book "It's Not About the Shark: How to Solve Unsolvable Problems" by David Niven. It's all about how we can solve...

What are ways that we can more authentically connect with our inner wisdom? How can live performances facilitate healing and insights for the audience and for the performer? What's the relationship with our intuition and our ability to hold space for others? These are all questions we explore this week in our conversation with Éabha McMahon . Éabha has garnered world attention for her stunning, un...

How does endurance sport relate to business? What's it like merging passion and a company? We explore these questions with Heather Gordon, founder of Trails and Roots, who specialise in curating unforgettable trail running experiences across the globe. Heather speaks eloquently about her coming to the sport of trail running, and deciding to bring more people into the transformational experience of...

What can running a 6-day long, 257 km ultramarathon teach us about life? How can we unlock more of our own potential through pushing ourselves physically? How can coaching facilitate insights for startup founders, women in tech and the people in our lives? Listen to Lorraine's incredible story of resilience, ingenuity and drive in this fascinating, wide-ranging conversation about startups, adventu...

What makes a successful team? How do we learn to play to our strengths within a team dynamic? Where do our weaknesses lie in teamwork and how can we protect against them? How do Belbin behavioural assessments improve the collective intelligence and performance of a team? These are all important questions that I get to explore with Jo Keeler, the CEO of Belbin! We sat down after their conference ju...

Pierce Dargan is the founder & CEO of Equine MediRecord and Chief Growth Officer of Business Infusions. https://www.equinemedirecord.com/ In this episode, we discuss Pierce’s background in horses, how he saw a massive opportunity in digitising their medical records and the obstacles he overcame to build his business. it’s an inspiring story, with lots of bumps and bruises along the way, w...

Can business be a force for positive change in the world? How does storytelling and business intersect? Marie France Montpetit is a Canadian serial entrepreneur, investor and business coach. She is the co-founder and former CEO of the Market Gardener Institute, Growers & Co. and Heirloom, an ecosystem of companies empowering thousands of small-scale regenerative farmers ail...

After 5 years leading a marketing agency, Ross founded his own consultancy company, advising agency founders on growing their business. I first met Ross when he founded his company, and we spoke at length about his growth, his processes for success and the value he puts into coaching. Ross is such a genuine communicator and I got a lot out of this conversation in terms of sales, being ok with putt...

How can our breath offer us solace in times of stress, anxiety and suffering?  How can we utilise our breath to facilitate healing?  Mary Fahey talks us through her transition from banking to Breathwork and studying under Wim Hoff. We hear how she discovered the power of the breath for her own healing journey and the impact she’s seen it have on her clients.  Listen to learn ways to...

Can we turn our hobby into our work? Is taking time off even more important when our job is our passion? Listen how Business owner and dance instructor Vicky Andreanska turned her passion for dance into a thriving business. From working behind the desk at a gym, to teaching oversubscribed Zumba classes to starting and running her own thriving business for the last 8 years. I loved hear about the c...

From the garden of our guest house in Kathmandu, Nepal we spoke with the founders of 2 non-profits. Their work impacts many children and families in Nepal. We hear from Lia Wyler and how she came to found Rokpa.org and in turn, how she met RamHari when he was a young boy living on the streets of Kathmandu.  She took RamHari in, after much consideration and RamHari went on to get an education...