Straight Line Path

Jim Callaghan, a seasoned legal expert with a rich history as General Counsel for Ryanair, Etihad Airways, and Uber, joins the Straight Line Path podcast. Now leading Wellness Story, with his wife Natasa, Jim shares his journey from the corporate world to wellness advocacy, offering unique insights into balancing high stakes careers with personal well being.

In this episode, we delve into the pervasive issue of chronic stress and its impact on both personal health and a company's bottom line. Jim discusses the critical role of mindset in navigating stress and enhancing performance, providing listeners with practical strategies to foster a healthier work environment and improve overall productivity.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with wellness innovators, mindset experts and business leaders.

Episode #17 - Jim Callaghan

Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes is a professional investor and has previously founded companies in the architecture and fintech space. Her journey begins in Beirut to now building multi-generational wealth, showcasing how resilience and mindset drive financial freedom and legacy creation.

In this episode, Stephanie joins the Straight Line Path to share her unique investing approach, emphasising internal mastery and strategic long-term holdings. Discover how understanding your personality and biases can transform your financial journey, and how to know which type of investing style suits you best: passive, selective, and active engagement.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with serial entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders.

Episode #16 - Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes

Brendan Newe is the Managing Director of Venture Business Network, one of Ireland's leading B2B networking organisations. He's been in the world of business networking since the early 2000s, starting with BNI, building a career around helping businesses grow through the power of connection.

In this episode, Brendan joins the Straight Line Path podcast to break down what networking actually is, and more importantly, what it isn't. We get into why most people approach networking with the wrong mindset, why attitude and follow-through matter far more than just showing up, and why something so critical to business success is never taught in school. 

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with business leaders, networkers and sales and marketing experts.

Episode #15 - Brendan Newe

Will Sparks is the founder of Sparks Wealth, an Ireland based financial planning firm. He began his career in finance before launching the business in 2019, and since then has built it around helping individuals and families take a smarter, more long-term approach to managing their money.

In this episode, Will joins the Straight Line Path podcast to break down what actually matters when it comes to building wealth. We go deep on how to think about risk, why most investors get it wrong during uncertain times, and why preparation always beats prediction. We also explore Ireland’s financial landscape, the role of financial planners today, and the habits that separate long-term winners from everyone else.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with founders, industry experts and business leaders.

Episode #14 - Will Sparks

Bobby Healy, is the founder of Manna Aero, a drone delivery company and one of the highest value startups in Ireland today, raising over €100 million to date. Bobby is also the founder of Meili and was a major stakeholder in Cartrawler, both B2B travel tech companies.

Curiosity led us away on this one as Bobby joins the Straight Line Path podcast to share everything about Manna Aero; His thoughts on the future of delivery, how Amazon is in trouble and how crazy people are when it comes to getting food delivered.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with founders, industry experts and innovative leaders.

Episode #13 - Bobby Healy

John Canniffe, is the Co-founder of Exeo Advisors and ExitEngine and fellow podcaster who helps entrepreneurs grow and sell their business joins the Straight Line Path podcast.

In this episode John reveals why everyone needs an exit strategy, what’s actually important for buyers and his top tips for owners to maximise the value of their business when the time comes to sell.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with founders, industry experts and thought leaders.

Episode #12 - John Canniffe

Tim Healy, the Managing Director of Couverture Desserts and GainLine Capital Investment, joins the Straight Line Path podcast to reveal the core skills that drive success in the food industry.

In this episode Tim shares raw insights from over 15 years in food and retail, managing margins in a fickle industry, scaling production without losing flexibility and navigating the unique challenges of airline logistics vs supermarket shelf space.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and retail innovators.

Episode #11 - Tim Healy

Pierce Dargan, the CEO and founder of Equine MediRecord, councillor for Fine Gael and entrepreneur mentor joins the Straight Line Path podcast to share his insights on how to give your startup the best chance at success.

In this episode Pierce shares his journey as a young entrepreneur, building an 8 figure business straight out of college. He explains how to navigate and make real use of grants and accelerator programmes, and offers an honest look into politics in Ireland.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to speak with great people influencing society, young entrepreneurs and politics alike.

Episode #10 - Pierce Dargan

Kingsley Aikins, founder of The Networking Institute & The Diaspora Institute, joins the Straight Line Path podcast to share how to become a better networker in 2026, why hard work alone isn’t enough and why your success depends on other people.

In this episode we chat about the different types of networks we have, how everyone has a personal brand, why hanging around with likeminded people is not always productive and much more…

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to learn from the people shaping careers, leadership and the world of influence.

Episode #9 - Kingsley Aikins

David Jelly, the founder of peer to peer lending platform, Property Bridges joins the Straight Line Path podcast to talk about the current housing crisis, Irish investing culture and the rise of alternative investments.

We also dive into the current stock market valuation, tax policies that are preventing people from building wealth and how long term thinking is often missing from property discussions.

Join the conversation and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes as we continue to learn from the people shaping how investing, property development and the economy.

Episode #8 - David Jelly