How To Pivot

Aoibhín Garrihy made her name playing Neasa Dillon in Fair City. In 2013 she turned her back on acting, moved to the west of Ireland and went on to found the wellness brand Beo. She has since added knitwear and well-being products to the line-up, opening a bricks-and-mortar store in Ennis, Co.Clare and a pop-up shop in Kildare Village. She recently edited an anthology of poems which was published last year, while her portfolio career also includes voiceover work and collaborations with brands such as Regatta. Everyday is a Fresh Beginning is published by ERIU and is available in all good bookshops now, or directly from the Beo web site.

Santis O'Garro ended up working for 17 years in a job she didn't enjoy. It was only meant to be a short-term thing until she figured things out. But then the economic crash happened and she felt she couldn't leave. In 2018 she found herself in the unenviable position of being €15k in debt and navigating lone parenting for the first time. In March 2019, she endeavoured to clear her debt and she did it ONE YEAR! It unlocked a whole new future for her. She has since qualified as a life coach, become a money mentor, presented a prime-time TV show on RTE and is a soon-to-be published author. Don't miss this incredible story of overcoming. 

You can find Santis on Instagram @TheCaribbeanDub, and her new book, The Money Mentor is availble to pre-order now. Published by Harper Collins, it will be available in all good bookshops from January 19th, 2023.

Tommy Bowe is a former rugby international who's played for Ireland, Ulster Rugby, the British and Irish Lions and Ospreys in Wales. After a formidable career where he scored 30 tests tries for Ireland alone, he hung up his boots in 2018 and wondered 'what next?'. Now he's the co-presenter of Ireland's biggest breakfast TV show, IrelandAM. Despite his public profile, it wasn't easy to break into presenting. Hear how he made that transition and what he would recommend to anyone hoping to pivot in their own careers.

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