How To Pivot: Recent Episodes
How To Pivot
Hello, I’m Aideen Finnegan. I’ve been in broadcasting for almost 17 years. It’s a career I’ve loved. But, lately, like a lot of you out there, I’ve been doing a bit of soul searching. If I were to change careers, I don’t even know how or what I would do. It’s massively intimidating to think about starting again. I want to be a bit nosy and find out how other people have done it. If the pandemic has prompted you to reassess your life and how you make a living, this is the podcast for you – this, is How to Pivot.
Heather Condren is well known for her bold and beautiful floral company @flowerpop.ie. What many of you probably don't know is that Heather was a social care worker, working with people with intellectual disabilities in a residential setting. Burnout meant she quit her job cold turkey, won a scholarship on a floristry course, set up Flowerpop in 2017 and has never looked back.
Heather knew she wanted to have a baby but that multiple 24 hour shifts a week would not be conducive to family life. Floristry was a hobby and it was never meant to become her career, especially when she wanted a bank to give her a mortgage.
This is an inspiring story about lacking confidence, wrestling with a scary decision and then absolutely SOARING. I couldn't be happier to round out Season 2 of How To Pivot than with the amazing Heather
If you've ever been lucky enough to stay at Adare Manor, Cliff House Hotel or The Merrion, the spas in those hotels were designed by Peigín. She had a glamorous jet-set lifestyle until Covid-19 grounded her, literally and figuratively. A life-long advocate of aromatherapy and essential oils, she put the pot on the cooker and began producing her own blend of balms and oils. The brand 'Ground Wellbeing' was born and 15 months later, it's stocked in Brown Thomas and used in The Shelbourne and Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh among others. Peigín has brilliant advice around taking the leap, starting a business, coping with failures and managing the dreaded imposter syndrome.
Derval O'Rourke came up with the idea of a membership-based health platform (Derval.ie) not long after she retired from international athletics in 2014. Only the likes of Joe Wicks were really known for them at that point so the three-time Olympian and World Indoor Champion struggled to explain the concept initially. Here, Derval speaks about starting a business while juggling childcare, how she dealt with disappointment and why almost everything is survivable. It's grand, like! Derval is super-inspiring and this is a particularly motivating episode for anyone feeling like they're in a career rut.
Sarah Shannon was a corporate lawyer in Dublin. In her own words, she swapped pencil skirts and high heels for the flowing white clothes of an Indian ashram. It was there she realised she had to change careers. She set up a practice in Dublin but relocated to Portugal during the pandemic. There, she runs yoga retreats aimed at people who are looking to escape to The Algarve for a few days. (Find out more about 'Wild and Free' on SarahShannonYoga.com).
Sarah talks about the lightening bolt moment when she realised she had to leave law, how she figured out yoga was the career for her and how she went about creating the life she wanted to live. Sarah even met the man of her dreams when she moved to Portugal. This is a real-no-messin'-straight-up-Irish Eat, Pray, Love story. Hope you enjoy!
Lucy Wolfe is Ireland's most well-known sleep consultant. She coaches exhausted parents in developing their babies' sleep skills, allowing everyone in the house to get better rest! She has an international client base and is the author of two manuals; 'The Baby Sleep Solution' and 'All About The Baby Sleep Solution.' But before she pivoted into this area, Lucy was 'Selling Cork.' She was an auctioneer, valuer, chartered surveyor, lecturer and business owner. Changes in the industry and the birth of her first child prompted Lucy to seek out another way of making a living. This is the first time she has shared the inspiring story of her career pivot.
Eugene Garrihy is a well-known businessman, but his face has become all the more recognisable for his appearances on his daughters' Instagram stories. You can tell Aoibhín, Ailbhe and Doireann Garrihy adore him. In this episode of How To Pivot, we delve into a difficult chapter in Eugene's life. The construction business he'd built up over 25 years was liquidated during the recession. He pivoted into the tourism business and is now a ferry operator, founding Dublin Bay Cruises and running Doolin2Aran in Co. Clare. Eugene shares his knowledge, advice and witty observations in this brilliant episode about having to start all over again.
Georgie Crawford was a successful broadcaster with Dublin's 98FM. Her world was turned upside down when, on maternity leave, she developed breast cancer. That health 'earthquake' set in motion a chain of events which led to Georgie ultimately resigning from her job to concentrate on her own podcast, The Good Glow, full time. Since then, Georgie has become a wellness speaker and health coach. Her online course, Rise and Thrive, with Gerry and Miriam Hussey launches on the 10th of January, 2022. All the details can be found on thegoodglow.ie
Anne Morgan has scouted some of the most famous Irish models walking the international catwalks today. But she quit the business in 2019 to become a psychotherapist, life coach and mindfulness teacher. The birth of her daughter, Lily's shaky start in hostpial and her disillusionment with the industry led Anne to close her renowned agency, Distinct Model Management. She has since founded sparkback.ie- a business which focuses on helping women to negotiate motherhood and #career advancement.
Anne Marie Boyhan was working in a safe, prestigious marketing job but handed in her notice in January 2020. A visit to the doctor just before Christmas was the wake up call she needed - she was burnt out and she needed to change her life. She spent a huge amount of time thinking about what career to pivot to and did PhD levels of research into how to make that transition. Anne Marie founded The Sleep Care Company in March 2021 with a mission to give people the gift of a good night's sleep.
Resources mentioned in this podcast include:
Playing Big by Tara Mohr
The Imperfect Life podcast
16personalities.com
Brian Bateson quit one of the pillar banks at the height of the recession with no plan in place. He worked random jobs before figuring out his passion was in the outdoors. Brian set up his own mountaineering / rock climbing company Climbit in 2015. Today he lives in Lahinch, Co. Clare, happier and more fulfilled than ever.
Ciara Kelly presents prime-time radio on Ireland's national news and current affairs station, Newstalk. She trained as a medical doctor in the 90s and ran a GP surgery in Co. Wicklow until she pivoted careers and swapped her stethoscope for headphones in 2017. Ciara reveals what it was like to work 80 hours a week while she wore both hats. In her own words, she's a 'carpe diem kind of person' and knew that even if things didn't work out, she wouldn't regret taking the leap of faith. But for the more risk averse among us, she has sage advice for anyone who dreams of doing something different.
Andrea Horan is a tour de force who went from being a director at Thinkhouse PR to world-famous nail salon owner and social activist. In this episode of How To Pivot, she speaks about why she wanted to quit the industry, how she landed on the idea of opening a nail bar and how the pivot has helped her create the life she always wanted to live. Her own pod, the United Ireland podcast, is available wherever you listen to yours.
Aoife Dunican aka @TheStyleBob pivoted from the corporate world to personal styling in 2019. Her business was in its infancy when the pandemic hit, forcing her to pivot online and enter people's wardrobes virtually. She talks about taking that leap of faith in her late 40s, how she laid the groundwork while she was still working and how she dealt with the fear that it might not work out. "When you're scared about something, it's just another word for excited."
Sinead Brophy was a successful product manager in the tech sector when she left to become a personal trainer. She has since qualified as a mobility coach, nutrition coach and is studying to become a fertility awareness coach. She's passionate about women's health and phased-based training, which optimises workouts for people who menstruate in accordance with their hormonal cycles. Sinead began her new career in a Dublin gym before striking out on her own and becoming fully self-employed this year. She's the founder of Go With The Flow Coaching and Bumps and Babies.
In 2012, Jenny Huston was at the top of her game when she left 2FM without a real plan. She has since founded and cultivated the highly successful jewellery brand, Edge Only, which counts Michelle Visage among her fans. In this episode we talk about taking the leap, imposter syndrome, financial uncertainty, learning all over again and ultimately reaping the rewards.