Paths Podcast

A conversation about Peter's life.

Peter grew up in Cardiff, Wales. He studied medicine first at Oxford University and then St Barts in London before leaving med school just weeks before graduation to pursue his long held passion - acting. After training at Guildhall drama school, he had a successful career, doing lots of television work in particular both in the UK and, after his big break in the tv show Highlander, in the US. He worked on numerous famous shows including 24 and CSI: Miami. In 2011 Peter returned to medical school in Vermont - having to do the whole course again despite having only missed the last few weeks in St Barts - and now he is Peter Wingfield, MD and Anesthesiologist in Cedar Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. He lives up in the hills near the Hollywood sign. I’m sure you’ll agree Peter has had a fascinating journey in his life and I really enjoyed hearing all about it.

Episode guide:

0.00 Intro

2.58 Childhood in Cardiff

6.38 Studying medicine in Oxford and St Barts

13.22 Decision to leave Med School weeks before graduation to become an actor, then starting at Guildhall

25.05 First acting job out of Guildhall. Starts working regularly in British TV. The employment insecurity all actors face

33.35 Big break. Methos in Highlander

44.18 Hollywood film sets. Behaviour of high status actors etc. Working on 24. Kiefer Sutherland going off at an actor for not bringing character to set. Peter's own behaviour being possibly a bit "Hollywood"

59.25 Transition out of acting and return to medicine

1.14.15 Going to Med School in Vermont. Why anesthesiology? Most memorable and profound moments since practising

1.32.34 Does he miss acting?

1.37.43 Post-script on the mysterious nature of anesthesiology and consciousness

1.42.26 Outro

Guest: Peter Wingfield

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Conor's life.

Conor was born and grew up in Dublin. After studying Business, Economics and Social Studies in Trinity College Dublin he went to Sandhurst to train as an officer in the British Army. He served in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in the winter of 2012/2013 - a Lieutenant and Police Advisory Commander - and later rose to the rank of Captain as he travelled the world conducting training exercises as a Forward Air Controller. He left the army in 2017 and after a tricky couple of years figuring out what he wanted to do and an MBA in Edinburgh, he has arrived in his current role as a Vendor Operations Manager at Google - running a team of about 500 people around the world who make sure the advertising mechanisms and metrics of google partners’ websites are working as they should.

We delve into a lot of fascinating subjects in this interview - with particular focus on Conor’s time in Afghanistan.

When so much of what we hear about the events unfolding there is filtered through the media, it was a privilege for me to have a conversation with someone who’d seen it with their own eyes. Obviously no one perspective can be definitive - and the most important perspective would have to be that of Afghan people themselves - but nevertheless I really enjoyed hearing Conor’s very honest take on what he saw and experienced.

Episode guide:

0.00 Intro

4.00 Decision to train as an officer in British army as an Irish guy.

12.00 Relationship with fear. Incident involving one of his men being injured in Helmand Province. Injured man's later success.

22.45 Military training - is it as elite as general populace thinks? His time at Sandhurst and a vivid story from a training exercise. Do soldiers grumble to commanding officers?

40.50 Afghanistan. The mission. What has happened lately is no surprise to anyone who served there. A medieval world. Insider threat. Good people who wanted change. Agrees with Biden's point on the original intent being anti-terrorist. Lost their way. Is it ever appropriate for Western powers to intervene elsewhere?

1.01.17 Conversations with Afghan people. Poppy fields. Don't stand down wind of burning hash fields. The women of Afghanistan. Brief mention of the darkness involving children.

1.08.22 Post-Afghanistan life in the military. Forward Air Controller. Most fun he had in military. The strange phenomenon of military operatives feeling like they're in a video game. Adventure. His awkward moment of being an Irishman in the British army. Pisstakings - Captain Potato. Thoughts on UK and Ireland.

1.24.30 Decides to leave military. Trying to figure out what to do. Brexit made up his mind to leave UK. Tries out finance, not his cup of tea. MBA in Edinburgh. Opts against a career involving Saudi weaponry that's a little too evil. Gets job at Google.

1.31.15 Describes job at Google. Did being a former army officer make him shit hot at his job? Taking a leading role in preparing his teams to work from home around the world. Company culture. His thoughts on the controversial aspects of Google. Data etc.

1.50.10 Does he miss the military? Did he fire a gun in anger?

1.58.13 Outro.

Guest: Conor O'Shea

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Brad's life.

Born in Boston, he worked for giant Swiss bank UBS until 2005. Following his resignation, he blew the whistle to US authorities on practices enabling US citizens to evade billions of dollars in taxes. Though his whistleblowing caused UBS to pay huge sums of money to the IRS, and triggered large-scale reform of the Swiss banking industry, Brad was the only person involved who went to jail for these practices. He served 30 months in a prison nicknamed Camp Cupcake. Whilst incarcerated he discovered that (due to a law introduced in late 2006) the IRS were going to reward him with a percentage of the money he helped them recoup. He received $104m as a first payment. Today he lives between Malta and Italy and still rails against the corruption he believes is endemic in America and the world at large.

Those are the bare bones of the story. Discover much more in our interview.

Brad's website: https://lucifersbanker.com

Episode guide:

3.27-18.40 Ubringing, education, first finance job in State Street, Boston. Beginning his behaviour of standing up against employers. Brad is fired and decides to move to Switzerland.

18.40-32.20 His time and work in Switzerland and US before blowing the whistle.

32.20-42.29 The background of Swiss banking and how it related to the US. Tax evasion. Turning point - the three-page memo. Resigning and deciding to become a whistleblower.

42.49-54.20 Motives. Noble act/Revenge/Seeking reward? Thoughts on whistleblowers in contrast to criminals and how society feels about them.

54.20-1.01.59 Back to his story. Approaching different US Authorities. Deferred prosecution for UBS. Prison for Brad.

1.01.59-1.17.14 Time in prison. Whilst there discovering he would receive $104m. Thoughts on extreme wealth. Tax avoidance vs evasion. Being single. Charitable acts.

1.17.14-1.28.05 What changed in Swiss banking as a result of his actions? How he sees his role now. Thoughts on corporate corruption. How did UBS not see his whistleblowing coming?

1.28.05-1.42.44 What would it take to stop tax evasion in the world? More thoughts on corruption. US-Swiss relationship. Does he reflect happily on his journey? Has he ever feared for his life after upsetting these powerful people? Recommending his book.

Guest: Bradley Birkenfeld

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Pete's life. Pete has had a successful career as an author, writing numerous novels and non-fiction books on topics including the 1918 flu pandemic, women’s football, hurricanes and much more. He is most well-known for writing what is considered by many people to be the best book ever written about football, All Played Out, the story of Italia 90 for which he had extraordinary access to the England team with Gazza, Gary Lineker et al. After writing his books in all-consuming passionate bursts over the course of two decades, he burned out in 2002 and went to work in a Sainsburys store in his hometown of Huddersfield. In the last few years he has returned to writing, self-publishing his most recent novel Playlist. Join me to hear his amazing story.

Episode guide:

2.49-14.56 England vs Germany. His thoughts on the upcoming Euros tie and why England often struggle at tournaments.

14.56-27.50 How has football changed? It's safe. Other thoughts on modern game. The Qatar World Cup.

27.50-40.56 How he became a writer. First two unpublished novels. Third novel the breakthrough. Then the difficult second album.

40.56-57.00 All Played Out. Thoughts on football and culture at that time. Thoughts on the players. Paul Gascoigne.

57.00-1.03.07 Books written after All Played Out. 1918 Flu Pandemic. American plains. Hurricanes.

1.03.07-1.11.32 Burnout. Illness. Depression.

1.11.32-1.15.11 Working at Sainsburys. Realising that he has always seen people as material. Sainsburys taught him to genuinely get on with people.

1.15.11-1.24.05 Writing another book - Playlist. Finishing at Sainsburys and gratitude for time there. Self-publishing.

1.24.05-1.30.35 One of the themes of podcast. Artists leaving the arts for their own reasons. Or having a healthy relationship with it.

1.30.35-1.40.46 Greatest adventure? The characters that stood out? His Nostradamus quality and where we go from here.

Guest: Pete Davies

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Huddersfield

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Andrew’s life. Having trained in the same school as Dame Julie Walters and Steve Coogan, Andrew spent the first part of his adult life as an actor (known as Drew Thompson) with a career full of interesting highlights including working with his hero John Hewitt in the Lyric Theatre Belfast and sharing the screen with Dame Julie in the film Mo. In his thirties, having reflected deeply on what he wanted to do with his life, he decided to change direction and devote himself to his faith, training to become a minister in Church of Ireland. Today Andrew is a chaplain in the British Army, having served in Afghanistan shortly before we spoke. 

Episode guide:

3.30-27.15 Childhood. Inspired by actor Northern Irish actor John Hewitt. Beginnings in acting, beginnings of faith. Getting a "proper degree" in engineering but all his focus on acting. MMU and the Hacienda. Assaulted by "The Plum" and leaves England.

27.15-53.22 In Belfast, working as an actor with Centre Stage. Works with hero John Hewitt. Time with him is thrilling but also lifts the curtain on reality of actors' lives and the sacrifices often entailed. Goes to Cambodia and discovers goal-setting and gets into great shape. Returns home. Highlights of his time as an actor. Meeting his wife Sharon. Working with Julie Walters. Magical film sets.

53.22-1.13.57 Then something changed. Wants to be a better person. Discovers spirituality. Goes from being non-religious to devoutly Christian. Asks himself 'Why am I acting?' The four needs. Seeing a clash and feeling like a puppet. Spat with director of Mo over profanity. Founds drama ministry with Sharon creating Christian-themed theatre.

1.13.57-1.41.01 How he becomes a priest. Talks about his faith and how he sees it all. 'What does a good life look like?' Becoming an Army Chaplain. Wanting to help people understand who they are. Was he worried about going into a war zone? Counselling soldiers who have killed people in combat.

1.41.01-1.58.30 Impressions of Afghanistan and Western presence there. Having a family. Not missing acting but appreciating the skills it gave him. His belief in the providence of God. Stories about the Gurkhas and what we can learn from them.

Guest: Andrew Thompson

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded in person in North London

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Enda’s life. This was an exciting one for me because Enda is both a perfect guest for this podcast - he initially set out on a career in accountancy but quickly realised that he should become a musician instead and is now really gathering steam in terms of public acclaim for his music - but also he is a relative of mine. We share a great great grandfather from Ennistymon in Co Clare. Before this interview we had literally never met or spoken before. You’ll hear more about our Gallery connection early in the interview and from there you’ll hear all about Enda’s genuinely inspiring story of leaving accountancy to study music, a bold move to Berlin to give it a crack in an exciting and artist-friendly city and much more about his trajectory since then including his thoughts on the fear people experience in trying to be creative, the effect of meditation on his life and how he set up his own music label.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R9Sg7ssqJSc

Episode overview:

2.40-10.18 Gallery connection, Ennistymon and Enda's family

10.18-17.25 Beginnings of passion for music, work ethic and youth

17.25-33.33 Moment of epiphany in Porto, time studying commerce, triathlon training, time in accountancy

33.33-54.55 Transition to music, reaction of others, his approach to creating music, choosing Berlin and early days there

54.55-1.13.21 Effect of meditation on his life, things feeling more solid, getting a job in an AI startup to pay artists he worked with, setting up his own label

1.13.21-1.41.05 Collaborations with other artists, Irish hip-hop, facing fears in creativity, the value of trying, how he feels in performance, closing out with more on Enda's family and the Gallery connection

Guest: Enda Gallery

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Kilfenora, County Clare, Ireland

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've lived unusual lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Spencer’s life. If one thing rings out from Spencer's story it's the amount of hard graft he always put in. Join me to hear how he managed to turn an overheard conversation whilst serving customers in Cafe Rouge into a corporate job offer in London and, later, how a chance encounter with stylist Stuart Weir - and Stuart’s death thereafter - dramatically changed his life and set him on the road to becoming a photographer, founding and running his own production company, Still Moving Media. We hear tales of having one pressurised minute to get a perfect portrait of Hillary Clinton, nearly being decapitated whilst shooting an elite snowboarder on top of a mountain and how despite his obvious success he still battles with regular doubts and fears in trying to grow his business.

Episode overview:

2.17-17.30 Recent assignment with Phil Vickery's fashion brand, parents, upbringing and deciding on Law at Swansea

17.30-49.09 The importance of his time at Cafe Rouge, conversation there leads to job at Lloyds in London, cut-throat environment, leaves Lloyds and London for St James Place Wealth Management, tells us about tax and trusts work, EIS etc

49.09-1.05.24 Transition to photography, nightclub photography, meeting stylist Stuart Weir, Stuart's death and the profound effect he had on Spencer's journey

1.05.24-1.39.52 An orderly withdrawal from finance to set up his own production company, juggling many major life events, highlights from career including shooting Hillary Clinton and more, plus the doubts and fears he still contends with despite outward appearance of success

Guest: Spencer McPherson

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Cheltenham

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've had dramatic changes in their lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Esh’s life. A classically trained and award-winning actor and simultaneously a fully fledged doctor who works in A&E whenever he’s not acting. We cover so many topics in this conversation including studying medicine at Cambridge, studying acting at Lamda, what it’s really like on the ground in the NHS, what it’s like working at the National Theatre and how the fearlessness of his acting colleagues there took him aback, winning the UK Theatre Award for his performance in Hobson’s Choice at the Royal Exchange, the internal experience of performance, being a successful person who suffers from depression, coming out to his parents as bi and how being a doctor during Covid has changed his relationship with the medical profession.

Recorded 15-03-21

Episode overview:

2.50-21.53 Parents, early life, school and early passion for performance

21.53-48.29 Time at Cambridge University, elective in Kenya and Tanzania, early days as a doctor, thoughts on the NHS

48.29-1.30.22 Esh' acting career from LAMDA to the National Theatre, winning a UK Theatre Award, mad stories of jumping out of actor mode into doctor mode and much more

1.30.22-1.54.26 Coping with depression, coming out as bi and how his experiences working through Covid have changed his relationship with the medical profession

Guest: Esh Alladi

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Manchester

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Additional editing by Seán Butler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've had dramatic changes in their lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Morris’ life. An All-American college football player for The Citadel - The Military College of South Carolina - he suffered the disappointment of not making it to the pro leagues and headed off to a job in corporate America instead. Almost a decade later, the opportunity arose to pursue his life-long passion for singing. Today Morris is one of the most sought-after bass opera singers in the world, performing at the Metropolitan, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, La Scala and the Sydney Opera House amongst many other great houses.

Join me to hear his incredible story and his thoughts on subjects as diverse as playing in front of giant college football crowds, how he handles operatic press nights, religious faith, race and how young men in military college learn to break the rules occasionally.

Guest: Morris Robinson

Host and producer: Donal Gallery 

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Atlanta, Georgia.

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/ 

Music by Donal Gallery 

Additional editing by Seán Butler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast 

Get in touch with stories of people who've had dramatic changes in their lives at [email protected] 

Thanks for listening

A conversation about Rose' life which took her from a marketing role in 1980s Silicon Valley to a PhD specialising in the Victory Gardens of the the World War Era - completing her doctorate just before her 50th birthday. Her expertise in the field of food systems and gardening has brought her all the way to the White House as an invited guest. Join me to hear about these stepping stones of Rose' journey along with many more.

Guest: Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith

Host and producer: Donal Gallery

Recorded using Zoom between North London and Ventura, California.

Find the video of interview at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbtmnNyleHMC13O28gvnvhA

Artwork by Anna Obert https://www.instagram.com/annaobertillustration/

Music by Donal Gallery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathsPodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PathsPodcast

Get in touch with stories of people who've had dramatic changes in their lives at [email protected]

Thanks for listening