Win Happy Podcast

I discovered an eclectic treasure trove of a shop called ' East Meets West ' in the beautiful town of Schull in West Cork. When I chatted with the owner, Amanda Connell , I discovered the most fascinating person who has had a life and career with the most interesting twists and turns. She left her little village in Norfolk in England after she told her parents at just nine years of age that it was...

On today's podcast I chat with future careers and workplace expert, John Fitzgerald , the founder of Harmonics . John, the author of " Future proof your career from the inside out " and host of " The Chord " podcast chats about his life and career as well as all things work. We spend huge chunks of our lives at work so we owe it to ourselves to get the most from this precious time. Enjoy the show...

On a beautiful summer's afternoon I chatted with  John Smith , the new CEO of Nano Nagle Place about his new role, his career to date and what drives him. John is as passionate about social justice as he is about hurling and he explains to me why this new role is the perfect fit for him. We chatted about Nano Nagle Place, what is on offer in this very special centre and his plans for the future. E...

Welcome back to part two of my conversation, Michael Cronin , one of the really good guys. In part one we heard about Michael's early life, his career, and how he tried his best to keep financial pressure a secret, while he desperately tried to find a solution.  Michael had a breakdown, he tried to take his own life and in this episode he talks about his road to recovery and much more. Enjoy the s...

On today's podcast I chatted with my friend, Michael Cronin , one of the really good guys. Michael shares his story and without giving too much of this away in advance, it is all about the pressure of keeping secrets totally to yourself and our limited ability to soak up this pressure. We had our chat outside at the coffee dock at the back of the Kingsley Hotel, sipping on our coffees and watching...

12 brave men left Ireland on a very special mission to Porto with a very daunting task to complete - preparing Brendan Canty for his marriage to Ayla Amano next month. 12 brave men returned with the mission complete - we gathered some martial advice from these wise men for Brendan to carefully follow, we had fun, we made new friends and we all learnt a few things from this trip away. Enjoy the sho...

On today's podcast I chatted with Magda O'Driscoll from Poland, who has very much made Crookhaven her home since coming here 18 years ago to take up a summer job. 18 years later, this talented artist, photographer and craftsperson, has her own business, Crookhaven Art Studio , is married to Jimmy a local fisherman and she must be one of the best ambassadors for this special corner of West Cork. We...

On today's podcast I chat with Brigid Collins of Ardmore Open Farm and Mini Zoo and Ardmore Glamping Pods . 12 years ago when their auctioneering business had slowed down due to the recession, her husband Denis suggested they start an open farm to hopefully supplement their income. 10 years ago that open farm opened to the public and this extended to a mini zoo gradually as exotic animals were add...

On today's podcast I chat with Katie Krimitsos , who is based in Tampa Florida in the USA. Katie has had an eventful career and as well as being a busy mum, she is also the founder of the Women's Meditation Network where she creates many different "love notes" to women. Having a second baby and a determination to be a great mum as well as a great business person guided her to this business, which...

In part two of this two part podcast Johnny Quaid chats about getting on with his "Life Part two" as a young wheelchair bound man. He dug deep.went back to school, joined the Global Volunteers in Greece for a month and he found work. He chats about the difficulties that people with disabilities face, the attitude of people towards him, and his wheelchair basketball career that satisfies the compet...

On Friday the 23rd of March, 2006 17 year old Johnny Quaid fell off a roof while collecting his jacket after work from the building site where he was working. Two weeks later, Johnny eventually woke up from a coma in the Mater Hospital with no recollection at all of what had happened. While recovering he quickly learnt that he would never regain the use of his legs as a result of a spinal injury....

On today's podcast I chat with Gizem Cetgin , originally from a military family in Turkey who now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina This engineer and innovation consultant turned her back on a successful career when she experienced so much "disconnection" in the workplace. She started her own business, Omnipresence Consulting helping people and teams to connect again and she says that "we should sh...

On today's podcast I chatted with Cork City FC legend, Gearoid Morrissey about his career and life. On part two of our conversation Gearoid chatted about his successful career with Cork City FC , a short spell in England with Cambridge United including a debut in the FA Cup at Old Trafford against Manchester United . He also spoke about the difference between the leagues and the mentality it takes...

On today's podcast I chatted with Cork City FC legend, Gearoid Morrissey about his career and life. On part one of this two part conversation Gearoid chats about his early career, the joy of playing football with your friends and the excitement of fulfilling your dreams of becoming a professional footballer at the highest level in England. Arsenal, Derby, West Ham, Southampton, Blackburn and Liver...

On today's podcast I chatted with the very special Mary Doherty and her equally special son Aaron about her career and their lives together. Mary has spent 30 years with An Garda Síochána , a career that saw her progress through the ranks to the position of Detective Inspector , looking after the Protective Services unit , dealing with the worst of abuse and sexual crimes. Mary's son Aaron is a vi...

On today's podcast I chat with founder of Next Wave Africa, Greg Serandos , the Californian, who is living in Johannesburg in South Africa . At the time of recording he was in the middle of one of the daily scheduled rolling power outages as we chatted about his life and career with the company of some very loud crickets! He spoke about the beautiful country and climate, the declining economy, eve...

On today's podcast I chatted with two very special and talented people, the duo behind the new musical project, Hibsen . Grainne Hunt and Jim Murphy have teamed up to bring the James Joyce book " Dubliners " to life through a special collection of songs inspired by each story in the book. This project was born during a "Covid lockdown" songwriting workshop and now it comes to life with a new album...

Sometimes figuring out what you want to do in your life can be difficult, unclear and confusing and sometimes it can be crystal clear and there is only one path that is right for you. On today's podcast I chat with the super talented Fiona Kennedy , my old neighbour who was born to write and sing beautiful songs. She chats about her new album ' Find Me ', the life of a professional musician in Ire...

On today's podcast I welcome back Professor Connell Fanning , Director of The Keynes Centre at UCC and co-author of The Leadership Mind . Books are a key part of the development programme at The Keynes Centre and critically he says " It's not the book, it's how it is read" that is important . Connell describes how we should "read with intent" , developing a dialogue with ourselves, engaging with t...

In part two of this two part podcast I chat with Eoin Kernan , about his recovery from mental illness and his new venture, Discover SUP . In part one he spoke about his OCD and his eating disorder, which led to a full breakdown in 2019, and his subsequent road to recovery. In this episode he speaks about his partner, Carolina and his family and the role they played in his recovery, as well as his...

Eoin Kernan: " It's like I fell off a cliff in 2019 " In part one of a two part podcast I chat with Eoin Kernan , founder of Discover SUP about his OCD and eating disorder, which led to a full breakdown in 2019.  Eoin found his own secretive ways of coping with his mental illness until eventually it came to breaking point and he needed help. He speaks about the pressures of modern life, workplace...

On today's podcast I welcome back to the podcast, Paul Niland , CEO of Lifeline Ukraine , the suicide prevention helpline service in the country, to reflect on a year of this terrible war. Paul chats about his experience of Ukraine in his 20 years of living there, the relationship with Russia, the political environment and the unlikely rise to power of Volodymyr Zelensky , the comedian and star of...

On part two of this two part podcast I chat with  Daryna Hruzdieva , Recruitment Resourcer with AA Euro Group . In part one she spoke about escaping from Kyiv in Ukraine, leaving her happy, successful life behind and finding her way to safety in Ireland with her family. On this episode she speaks about the kindness of strangers, in particular the host family, Mike and Matilda Morrison. She also sp...

On part 1 of this two part podcast I chat with Daryna Hruzdieva , Recruitment Resourcer with AA Euro Group . Nearly one year ago she was forced to leave her life in Kyiv in Ukraine when the unthinkable happened and she woke up on the 24th of February to the sounds of bombs landing in her city. She speaks about the political environment in Ukraine, being forced to leave her home with her family, ho...

On today's podcast I had the privilege of chatting with the down to earth, no messing, Dr. Paul Deane , a senior research fellow at UCC and someone who could be referred to as an "Architect for a Cleaner Future". Paul who comes from a farming background has a huge love and connection to our earth which has led him to a successful career with all things environmental. He spoke about the challenge o...