Get ready for another season of great guests with stories from their careers that could stimulate your move up the career ladder where you are now, or want to be in the future

To whet your appetite this episode touches on a few stories from Season 1 in 2025. What we learned during the 21 episodes is that in order to build a great career experience, whether it is advancing and growing in the organisation where you are currently employed, seeking to move to another job in the same sector or making a complete change to your career direction there are some common traits that can help anyone seeking purpose in their work. They are: lean into self-belief and grit; build your network early; embrace side hustles and lifelong learning; prioritise work-life integration and embrace change and have key mindsets such as self belief, curiosity, and connection.

Season 2 will bring more great episodes with interesting stories from super guests that highlight the opportunities to make the most of your career and have a fulfilling life.

We start Season 2 with a quick look back at the variety of guests who told Jim & Ellen in Season 1 about their experience of working in many different roles. These were in retail, journalism, cyber security, charities, digital, financial services, entertainment, hospitality, education, food,corporate coaching, fitness, advertising, broadcasting and even the catholic priesthood.

In this season we have another great lineup of guests waiting for you. Their stories will not only entertain you but could give you that impetus in your career that you might need.

It will also be helpful to those in people management and leadership roles seeking to encourage talent in their organisation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with Liam O’Dwyer which will inspire whatever your beliefs or career path.

Liam O'Dwyer began his working life as a Catholic priest. It wasn’t work as he saw it, more a life of service in the community. That became a focus of his future when he left the priesthood, married and went on to build a career leading financial and charitable organisations.

When he left the priesthood having met his future wife Mary his first job was managing e a programme for the traveller community which involved young travellers learning building trade skills.

He then moved to Amsterdam where Mary went to work with ITT the US global manufacturing company. When he saw the remuneration package, she was offered he said, “I’ll go with you.” While in Amsterdam he secured a six-month HR consultancy role.

On returning to Ireland with Mary and a young child Liam joined the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, first as co-ordinator for the East Region and then as National Director. From there it was CEO of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) before moving to the Catholic Institute for Deaf People where he oversaw the establishment of a national Deaf Village, a place where all organisations representing the deaf community in Ireland are based.When that project was completed, he joined the Irish Red Cross.

For those considering their career path Liam has these thoughts, “Take your time making decisions, listening and showing empathy are critical attributes as a leader”

he says.

On this podcast Jim and Ellen don't just chat about Liam's career. The conversation ranges across the changes in the Catholic church and the changing culture in the US. Liam also describes negotiating with the EU in Brussels on how different the ILCU was when compared with other much larger Credit Unions in Europe. Liam also describes the scale and operation of the Irish Red Cross in comparison with other Red Cross organisations throughout the world. Discussing the deaths of Red Cross personnel from different countries he believes that in many conflicts there has been a complete disrespect for humanitarian organisations. working in an unaligned manner.

Throughout the conversation it is clear that Liam’s beliefs are driven by the desire to live in a place where justice, peace and love are the starter point to drive services that enable communities to work together and to try and enable governments to support justice, fairness and the elimination of poverty.

An appropriate conversation going live in Christmas week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The red thread through a career

Corporate affairs and issue management have been some of the red thread through the career of Michael Patten.

But there were times when life might have been different. Like been in Washington DC on 9/11 when he should have been in New York at dinner in a restaurant in one of the Twin Towers.

Coming from a family immersed in media, the creative arts and politics, Sunday lunch in the family home was full of fun and debate which set the tone for his business career..

The conversation in this episode tracks across his career which involved learning about communications, agriculture, food and drink sectors and international business, He began in a relatively small agency specialising in agriculture and moved to high profile corporates working internationally and then to becoming a board member of organisations in the media, forestry, management and state sectors

Michael pivoted through agencies such as Sheedy Communications and Fleishman in Dublin and then in-house with Waterford Foods, Avonmore Foods, Glanbia plc, (twice) and Diageo plc.

Throughout his career he developed interests and accepted challenges at a senior level in reputation management, people management, climate and environmental issues, public affairs, business culture, best practice and purpose.

At one point in the conversation Ellen describes him as a ‘challenge junkie’

You will also hear in this conversation discussions around farmers as great adapters of change, how Irish people integrate so well into international business, particularly in the US and the contribution the Garda Siochana (Irish police) have made to Irish life.

An important career lesson from Michael as someone who has been through a wide variety of organisations is not to interpret purpose narrowly in the ‘me’, because purpose is more powerful if you make a difference to others.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.