Rambleland

Mixing it up for a change, more free-flowing, easy going conversation between two mates. That being said, Oisin is still a Criminology graduate who is extensively well read in topics such as philosophy, sociology and anything written on paper. It's like watching an older brother explain the birds and the bees to their younger brother. They get the job done but you're painfully aware of how much more one understands than the other. A truly enjoyable and entertaining podcast.

Recording date: 04.03.21

Stephen Winters is an Irishman who left Ireland at a young age because life there wasn't suiting his personality. While running from trouble, he landed a career in danger. He went from Australian handyman-for-hire to frontline battlefield trauma special forces medic. How does one make such a transition you ask? Guess you'll just have to listen and find out.

Theo is an energetic and full-of-life Nigerian who has lived in Ireland for nearly 20 years. Upon coming to Ireland, he was under the impression that study-based education was the path to success. However, after acquiring 3 masters and multiple certificates, he began to realise there was something else missing from the content of the Irish education system. While spending more than 8 years teaching English to international students, he began to build his own idea of what is required to get ahead and it did not lie in a text book.

Theo began to focus on more subtle but desperately important aspects of life such as emotional communication, listening to understand and non-verbal means of communication. Through watching his own children complete their Junior and Leaving Certs (mandatory elements of Irish schooling) he realised there was a gap in the school system that was leaving students discouraged, full of self-doubt and dependant on others for success. In this podcast we looked to unpack some of his observations as well as positing ways of injecting these much needed pieces of information into the lives of those who need it and, like everything important in life, it begins with the individual.

Kevin is a young and enthusiastic Mixed Martial Arts fighter who recently moved to Australia in search of something different. Originally from South Africa, Kevin grew up in a town in Ireland called Clonmel. Kevin, like many young people who grow up in isolated towns, began to experience what I call "small pond syndrome", which I see as the sensation that you are going to live and die in the same town, walking the same streets, seeing the same people, hanging out in the same places without ever experiencing that something 'more'.

Kevin began to feel his mental health, his motivation and his quality of life deteriorating but he couldn't see what to do about it. However, when his brother from Australia came in a surprise visit with a suggestion, he knew what he had to do. Kevin threw caution to the wind and within a month of his brother arriving, Kevin had his bags packed and moved to Perth, Australia.

I've known Kevin since he was a child but we ran in different circles and so years went by with no communication until a chance encounter sparked a sudden and instant friendship. In an alcohol induced ramble, we both laid out our goals to each other but this wasn't one of those conversations that gets forgotten. We held each other to our statements and we have watched them materialise in front of our very eyes.

Both of us are chasing something big. What it is exactly, we don't know but take this podcast as an honest assessment of our progress. I am honoured to share what is primarily a personal conversation between friends with other people looking to live out their truth.

Within our catch-up we cover his fighting career so far, his extensive personal knowledge of cutting weight, having serious long-term relationships and committing your life to something bigger than you. There really is something in this for everyone.

Ciaran O'Regan is a Conditioning Coach and a doctoral candidate with the University of Central Lancashire. He has a B.Sc. in Sport and Exercise Sciences from the University of Limerick. While his in-person coaching work is done in Cork, Ireland, he does online coaching with Sigma Nutrition where he specializes in Combat Sports weight management and physical preparation. In terms of sporting hobbies, Ciaran competed from 2011-2017 in amateur Boxing and K1 kickboxing but now enjoys bouldering and mountaineering. His interests in writing has brought him to begin writing a book to be called "Justifying Death" and he publishing his essays on a variety of topics across numerous sites. He hosts the "Quarrelsome Life Radio" podcast, and co-hosts a Youtube show called "The Axiom of the Infinite Unknown". All of his content can be found at his website QuarrelsomeLife.com.

Paul is a young Irish man who up until a few years ago, lived life as carefree and unrestrained as any young man in his twenties would. It wasn't enough for him though. He had tasted all that was out there and it was found wanting. There had to be move to life than living for the weekend and seeing what top model could be pulled next.

Paul turned back to religion when searching for answers on how a man should behave and what he should strive for. When exploring the world religions he arrived back at his childhood Catholic faith only he wanted more than what was preached on a Sunday. He wanted to know how deep the roots of Catholicism really go in history and fact. The results he found were so convincing, he became a Catholic Apologist (someone who defends the Catholic faith in a scholarly manner).

I tried to pick his brain around why he believes as strongly as he does along with what can people derive from religion, faith and a code of behaviour that governs all of life's aspects. Safe to say he knew his stuff.

Dar is Kerryman (native to the Irish county of Kerry) who traveled the world at a young age. He experienced an Australian prison, opted for homelessness in Canada, during which he was the victim of a violent stabbing, and got a job among the illicit vocations found in the mountains of California before becoming a U. S. Marshall in Colorado County and serving the people of Nederland with his life for 11 years. After two separate run-ins with the FBI, he returned to Kerry to set up a camping facility among the Kerry wildness at the foot of the McGillycuddy Reeks called the Black Dog Farm.

To describe Dar's life as one of adventure fails to do it justice. He has lived a truly remarkable life that pines at the let-loose-care-free-adventurer in all of us. The only catch is that his life shows that the only real adventures of meaning, are the ones that take as much as they give.

Kevin Sweeney is currently a Criminology lecturer who started off his life in the military before joining An Garda Síochána (Irish police force). He worked with them for the majority of his life before moving on to lecture in University College Cork.

He had an action-packed career in the Guards (colloquial term for the Irish police), including working in Ireland's counter-terrorism unit, "Special Branch". He brings insights and stories from working among some of Ireland's most dangerous criminals as well as life as a Guard and the impact it takes on a person and their family. He also provides a unique insight into the culture found within An Garda Síochána, the good and the bad.

A deeply enthralling and compelling podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

Branislav is a psychologist and business associate of mine who recently moved to Norway. We spent the first few minutes catching up on his new life before delving into the concept of New Year resolutions and their significance.

We reassembled the framework with which a New Year's resolution could be viewed, hoping to give clarity to some of the more elusive aspects of this yearly pledge to 'bettering ourselves', (whatever that means). We looked at some of the reasons behind the fact that most resolutions fail within the first 3 months and provided a number of steps which may increase the longevity of even some of the resolutions we make.

John Mitchell is a professional mixed martial arts fighter for Bellator. He has an incredible calm and powerful mindset that gives him a unique, inspirational energy. We discuss his fighting career and what brought him to where he is now. He spoke about his experiences with high level fighters in the mountains of Thailand, his health, nutrition and recovery as well as the recent disappointment of an knee injury that has pulled him out of his most recent fight (Nov 2020).

However, we also discussed life outside of fighting. We looked at the concept of the 9-5 desk job and its' impact on those who live under it. We talked about how people need to use the time in their 20's to maximise quality of life when they're older. An all-round important podcast to watch, especially if you are under the age of 30.