When we become a parent (or in many cases well before that...) we usually know whether we want to be a stay-at-home parent or if we want to be a working parent.

But what if we choose the latter but the Universe has a different plan for us? How does it feel to give up on the plan we have had for ourselves?

In this episode Anna talks about her personal experience of taking a career break to become a full time carer for her son! and how does it feel to see your child struggle or to be rejected?

Also, from a very personal perspective, Anna talks about how does it feel to lose her personal/ professional identity and the judgment and societal expectation she felt on her!

And why making this decision mostly defaults to a women? (Do I dare I say always?)

Tracy Gunn is a co-founder of Platform55, an award winning HR platform that transforms how organisations supports modern families at work, with solutions for Leaders, Employees and HR.  Tracy was a former Head of Leadership Development for Marks & Spencer in the UK, and has over 25 years of experience in learning and leadership development.  As a Mum of two boys, she is well versed in juggling work and family life, and has supported thousands of parents to navigate family life alongside their career. Originally from Scotland, Tracy has lived in Ireland since 2010. 

In this episode we talked about how and why we need to learn to set clear boundaries. Why it is important to be a role model in your organisation in order to create a balanced working culture. And why we need to be more assertive with our language.

We also touched on flexible and remote working and new skills that we all need to learn to accommodate the future way of working and not burning ourselves out...!

Enjoy :)

Pat Finnerty is a psychological coach dedicated to guiding organizations and individuals toward more meaningful and rewarding outcomes in work and life. With over two decades of self-employment, he possesses a diverse skill set marked by self-motivation, enthusiasm, and resilience. As a proponent of lifelong learning, his recent educational endeavors have further refined his abilities, particularly in group dynamics, personal and professional development, and program development and delivery.

Pat's focal point is fostering positive work environments and maximizing employee engagement and satisfaction. He collaborates with leaders and teams to identify factors contributing to engagement, employing tailored coaching sessions, workshops, and strategies to enhance motivation, productivity, and retention. Drawing from positive psychology and the PERMA model, Pat aims to promote well-being and optimal functioning, aiding individuals and organizations in cultivating fulfilling lives both within and beyond the workplace.

In this episode we talked about:

1) Imposter syndrome- what it is and how we can navigate through our lives without it effecting us,

2) The difference between self awareness and imposter syndrome,

3) The importance of saying 'I don't know'.

Enjoy :)

Ian Dinwiddie is Coach, Mentor and The Founder Of Inspiring Dads. He delivers coaching, presentations and workshops to innovative businesses who put supporting new dads at the heart of their gender equality strategy, recognising the positive impact on equality and well-being of helping dads solve the challenge of “how to be a great dad WITHOUT sacrificing a great career.”

An ex-Management consultant, twice a stay-at-home dad and an English National League hockey umpire, he was the co-host of 46 episodes of the Lockdown Dads podcast, where they interviewed politicians, PhDs and an international rock star. He is married to Lisa, a Lawyer and they have two children,  a 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son. Ian recently presented to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood – “What’s In It For Me(n)? Leveraging Fatherhood for Gender Equality,”.  

In this episode, we talked about the challenges and

A very interesting listen and a new perspective on equality!!

Enjoy! :)

In this episode I was joined by Ciara Fitzgerald and Janet Lavelle, my former work colleagues and now good friends.

In this episode we talked about:

1) What does female solidarity mean to us and the importance of female solidarity in work places as well as in private life.

2) The barriers that women were facing and are still facing when comes to building the solidarity between themselves

3) ... and why women working collectively like ants can help equality - yes you read it well :) and now you need to listen to find out more!

Enjoy :)

Marjan Mahoutchian is an independent global leadership and team advisor and coach. She is a co-founder of Captivate Coaching and Consulting. Marjan is a business transformation specialists, an ICF accredited ACC coach, a certified Gallup® coach, certified 4-Stages Psychological Safety coach and a chartered accountant. Marjan works with Small to Medium sized enterprises to transform their businesses through their people. Marjan also works with Coaches to support them on their mission in their life's work.

Enjoy :)

Claire is a qualified Executive and Career coach. She works 1:1 with mid-career professionals to identify and enhance clients’ strengths and values, so that they can tackle workplace & life transitions more effectively.

That could be changing jobs, becoming a manager, leaving a corporate to set up your own business, figuring out what to do after redundancy or returning to work after illness, moving countries or maternity leave.

Claire has a psychology background alongside a decade as a sales leader in Google and 10 years in global and local ad agencies - both in Ireland and New Zealand where she lived for some years.

What is this episode about?

In this episode we talked about the importance of finding work places were we truly belong, making hard career choices and things that are holding us back from making those choices.

So think now... you have been working for x numbers of years.. you are successful and you accomplished a lot … and there comes that thought 💭 🤔 - IS THAT IT? Is that what I am going to be doing for the next 20 years?

Enjoy ! :)

Marjan Mahoutchian is an independent global leadership and team advisor and coach. She is a co-founder of Captivate Coaching and Consulting. Marjan is a business transformation specialists, an ICF accredited ACC coach, a certified Gallup® coach, certified 4-Stages Psychological Safety coach and a chartered accountant. Marjan works with Small to Medium sized enterprises to transform their businesses through their people. Marjan also works with Coaches to support them on their mission in their life's work.

2) The importance of being authentic and showing our true selves to the world,

So stop worrying about what other people think about you or what they expect from you, reflect on what is that make you unique and learn how you can utilise on it! :)

Brian Pennie is a former heroin addict turned doctor who's on

In this episode we talked about the fear of change and why we find a change so difficult.

We touched on fear, failure, human nature and the importance of our identity.

Enjoy :)

Paula Fyans is an author of "The Invisible Job – How Sharing Home and Parental Responsibilities Leads to Happier Lives"

The book shines a light on the societal expectation that responsibility for parenting and managing a home defaults automatically to women. The book highlights the extent to which we all underestimate and undervalue the scale of these responsibilities, and the impact this has on women all over the world, both personally and professionally.

If you are a woman and you feel overwhelmed with the number of tasks/ jobs/ craziness of your life.. you are not alone !

If you are a man, please go into this conversation open-minded.

Enjoy :)