After spending 18 days doing my Yoga Teacher Training at Nydum this January in Spain, I was very fortunate to sit down with the founder and owner Amèlia Valls.

Amèlia's journey as a teacher started 20 years ago, having been trained in Pilates, Fitness and Personal Training, working with a diverse range of people and communities. She has a degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences and has completed her 500 hrs Yoga Teacher Training at Kranti Yoga, Goa, India. Initially, it was to complement her field of work and studies, and has developed into a business training Yoga Teachers over the last number of years.

In this conversation, we explore Amèlia's passion for teaching, the journey of founding her Yoga School and how she has learnt to balance running a business with motherhood. Amèlia shares the joy she gets from spreading the knowledge and wisdom of Yoga and mixing that with her passion for movement and the human anatomy. I loved learning more about her journey, especially after experiencing her teaching first-hand.

Here's a link to Nydums website and Instagram Page, as well as Amèlia's page:

https://www.nydum.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nydum

https://www.instagram.com/amelia.valls/

As always thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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Have a listen back to our conversation from one of our previous episodes:

What's the relationship between the quality of the questions that we ask ourselves, and the quality of the answers we get?

How are the narratives that we tell ourselves related to our overall wellbeing and success?

These are some of the questions that we explore on this week's episode. I get to ask Dad some of the tools he's used over the years, both with himself and for his clients. We talk about incremental personal changes, fresh perspectives on old challenges and renewed vigour in approaching life. Through our work with people and companies, we're privileged to be able to sit with many different people, from all walks of life, generally through the prism of helping them in their business. Here are some of the insights and questions that have helped us and our clients over the years.

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

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n this short clip from a previuos episode - Get a glimpse int a conversation from the garden of our guest house in Kathmandu, Nepal we spoke with the founders of 2 non-profits. Their work impacts many children and families in Nepal.

We hear from Lia Wyler and how she came to found Rokpa.org and in turn, how she met RamHari when he was a young boy living on the streets of Kathmandu. 

She took RamHari in, after much consideration and RamHari went on to get an education and found his own Non-Profit, Indreni.org

Both Lia and RamHari are passionate about providing shelter and education to children in Nepal. Their organisations have impacted thousands of children and it was so inspiring to hear their story. 

We’ve been helping raise money for Indreni.org for a number of years and it was so inspiring and touching to hear how RamHari met Lia and started his journey to his work with Indreni.org

I got a lot from this conversation, in terms of being passionate about a vision and mission, while also the power of small actions with big results. 

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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Dad and I discuss mental health, wellbeing and the stories that we tell ourselves, all brought up from our most recent episodes with Paul Gleeson and Mitch from Movember.

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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On this week’s episode, we discuss all things adventure and pushing boundaries with our friend, colleague and all-round explorer and coach Paul Gleeson.

We discuss lots about the work that we do, some of the insights Paul has gotten from bringing groups on Arctic expeditions, an Atlantic rowing trip and a trip up Mt. Blanc.

We both loved this conversation and got lots from it!

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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How can we better support the men in our lives?

What are some tools to combat the alarming statistics around men’s mental health?

This week I spoke with Movember Director of Development Mitch Hermansen who I’m proud to call a friend and fellow MoBro.

I got to ask him about his passion for supporting men’s health through Movember every year by growing a moustache and raising money. Movember supports research into men’s prostate cancer research, testicular cancer research and men’s mental health.

Warning: we mention suicide in this episode. If you know anyone who is at risk or you need to talk to someone here’s some links:

Samaritans

Samaritans services are available 24 hours a day, for confidential, non-judgmental support.

• Freephone 116 123
• Email jo@samaritans.ie
• Visit www.samaritans.ie for more information

Pieta

Pieta provide a range of suicide and self-harm prevention services.

• Freephone 1800 247 247 anytime day or night
• Text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)
• Visit www.pieta.ie for more information

Text About It

Text About It is a free, anonymous, 24/7 messaging service providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for our mental health and emotional wellbeing.

• Text HELLO to 50808, anytime day or night
• Visit www.textaboutit.ie for more information

Childline

A free 24/7 support service for children and young people up to and including those age 18 years of age.

• Freephone 1800 66 66 66
• Live chat at www.childline.ie

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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Dad speaks about his recent volunteer trip to Kathmandu, Nepal to visit Indreni.org a charity that supports the education and wellbeing of children in Nepal.

We cover the experience of going out to Nepal, the reflections on coming back to Ireland after spending a week in a beautiful but developing nation with lots of social, economic and welfare issues for it's citizens. Dad touches on what makes the trips so special, the group dynamics at play between the volunteers, the staff and the children as well as a bit of the backstory of how we got involved in Indreni.org.

We reference an earlier episode (Ep 24) where we sat down with Indreni.org Founder and CEO RamHari Kadka on our last trip to Nepal. Here's a link to that episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qDlkFLOCe7ndeIEtG2BFz?si=bQv5V9fgQmC5bthFJ50qNA

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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In this short, diary-style episode, I talk about the Ironman 70.3 that I'm about to do in 3 days in Malaga, Spain. I touch on what it's brought up for me in terms of pushing boundaries of what I'm capable of, the life that has gotten in the way of training and the themes that I have reflected on with my clients.

There's themes of self-compassion and self-talk that I touch on, as well as the drive behind why I have been attracted to endurance sports and these types of challenges.

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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Can you teach someone to see the big picture?

What's difference between talent, drive and ambition when it comes to the longevity of success?

The week Dad and I discuss the link between success in things like sport, music and business and the commonalities that exist in people who succeed. Drawing from our own life experiences, what we've seen in dealing with business and our clients, we chat about elements that we believe set some performers apart from others.

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What's the relationship between the quality of the questions that we ask ourselves, and the quality of the answers we get?

How are the narratives that we tell ourselves related to our overall wellbeing and success?

These are some of the questions that we explore on this week's episode. I get to ask Dad some of the tools he's used over the years, both with himself and for his clients. We talk about incremental personal changes, fresh perspectives on old challenges and renewed vigour in approaching life. Through our work with people and companies, we're privileged to be able to sit with many different people, from all walks of life, generally through the prism of helping them in their business. Here are some of the insights and questions that have helped us and our clients over the years.

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is Purposeful Leadership?

What is the link between purpose, spirituality, authenticity and leadership in business?

How can we live more meanignful lives, while also contributing to the world?

These are all questions we explore this week on the Essential Training podcast with Fiona English. Through her MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, Fiona conducted research into how spirituality, meaning, purpose, and authenticity manifest for individuals in our modern society. She continues to focus on her research areas of purposeful leadership, meaning and purpose, self-actualisation, authenticity and spirituality through her speaking and writing. Alongside her speaking practice, she coaches and advises purpose-led entrepreneurs, business leaders and individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of who they are so they can live, work and lead with greater impact and authenticity. She writes a Substack publication called ‘Expression with Fiona English’ of personal essays on what it means to live a fully-expressed life and how that amplifies your impact in the world.

This was a fascinating conversation and one that we're excited to share with our listeners!

We hope you get something out of it and enjoy!

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

Email us at brian@essentialtraining.ie or reach out to us on our socials!

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What are some of the unconscious stories we carry around about ourselves?

What are some of the insights we’ve learned after 37 episodes from our various guests?

We discuss the some of the common themes that we’ve seen:

• The ordinary people doing something extraordinary.
• The common themes we've seen in our guests uncovering more of their potential.
• The trailblazers we’ve been inspired by listening to.
• Some podcasts that we love to listen to.
• What we’ve learned so far on this podcasting journey.

We hope you enjoy!

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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What’s the link between language learning and coaching?

What ways can we celebrate and support the Irish language?

How can business, passion and service intersect to create a win-win-win scenario?

Mollie teaches the Irish language online to over 220k people across all of her social media platforms.

We discuss her career journey into teaching and eventually teaching Irish, then moving her business online, transferring to online courses and ultimately to the community model she now runs.

It was fascinating and inspiring to speak to Mollie about her passion for the language, for facilitating learning and growth for her students and for her passion for what she does.

I was so impressed by the articulate and well-informed way that Mollie approaches her craft. This is a wonderful episode for any business owner, trailblazer or just anyone interested in some concepts important to learning something new.

Check out Irish with Mollie on Instagram and TikTok!

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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What's the link between entrepreneurship and fulfilling own professional needs?

How can we look after ourselves and create something of value at the same time?

How important is taking time out to help us figure out what we want?

These are questions that Rise Up Founder Susan Dwyer and I explore on this week's episode, as well as chatting with Dad in our regular post-interview reflection. Rise Up is a leading career destination for women in Ireland. They focus on supporting underrepresented female talent to rise up and avail of new career growth opportunities. Their mission is to narrow the gender leadership gap and advance more women in their careers.

Susan shares her own career journey, going travelling in Latin America solo after a successful period in recruitment and how that led her to found Rise Up, when she was looking for a forum to find female career mentors and she couldn't find any. I love stories where people create something out of a need that they wanted themselves. We talk about burnout, authentic leadership and the similarity of women's groups and the men's groups I'm involved in.

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What might happen if we look at a situation from a new perspective?

What are some internal narratives that we can become more aware of?

Where in our lives could we do with some reflection and questions of what's working for us?

Dad opens up the conversation with his take aways from the book "It's Not About the Shark: How to Solve Unsolvable Problems" by David Niven. It's all about how we can solve problems from looking at things from a new perspective, how the obstacle can sometimes be the way, and how the answers lie in the quality of the questions that we're asking ourselves.

We relate that to our work as facilitators, our own lives and the value in looking at things from a different perspective.

We hope you enjoy this episode, I personally love sitting down with Dad and shooting the breeze and seeing what comes from it.

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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What are ways that we can more authentically connect with our inner wisdom?

How can live performances facilitate healing and insights for the audience and for the performer?

What's the relationship with our intuition and our ability to hold space for others?

These are all questions we explore this week in our conversation with Éabha McMahon. Éabha has garnered world attention for her stunning, unique voice, firstly as part of Anúna, the internationally renowned Irish Choral group and then as principal vocalist with the globally successful Irish music collective, Celtic Woman with whom she recorded five albums, filmed three television specials and performed sell out concerts in 20 countries across 6 continents. She has been number one on both Billboard’s World Music Chart and Classical Chart and has received her first Grammy nomination.

It was an absolute joy speaking with Éabha, we touched on so many topics that are close to my heart, and on the work we do at Essential Training. Namely, encouraging and facilitating conscious communication, high performance, authenticity and genuine passion and drive. We spoke about The Circle Sessions, SEANCHOÍCHE, Éabha's journey into motherhood and her relationship with creativity and her own intuition.

We spoke about the Celtic World Forum that Eabha is hosting in 2 weeks time in north Dublin, Ireland. It's second annual 3-Day, Celtic World Forum comprising a mix of talks, panels, workshops and song circles all connected to the world of Irish Traditional. Folk and Celtic Music, followed each evening by specially curated concerts featuring the very best in Celtic talent.

Use the discount code "iimsbuddies" at checkout for a discount!

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

,

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How does endurance sport relate to business?

What's it like merging passion and a company?

We explore these questions with Heather Gordon, founder of Trails and Roots, who specialise in curating unforgettable trail running experiences across the globe. Heather speaks eloquently about her coming to the sport of trail running, and deciding to bring more people into the transformational experience of multi-day running events. During this walk and talk in Roundwood, Wicklow in Ireland, Heather and I get a chance to reflect on the journey of Trails and Roots so far and her vision for the future. We also explore some of the insights Heather has learned about herself through competing in multi-day trail running events and the impact they've had on her life and her business.

As always, thanks for Fad Saoil Saunas for making this episode possible and for supporting us on our podcast journey! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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What can running a 6-day long, 257 km ultramarathon teach us about life?

How can we unlock more of our own potential through pushing ourselves physically?

How can coaching facilitate insights for startup founders, women in tech and the people in our lives?

Listen to Lorraine's incredible story of resilience, ingenuity and drive in this fascinating, wide-ranging conversation about startups, adventure races and personal physical challenges. Lorraine covers her role as Head of Operation @NDRC in Dogpatch labs, one of Ireland's biggest startup incubators and accelerators and their fascinating initiatives to support women-led founders. Then we get into the amazing stories Lorraine has from completing the Marathon des Sables, a seven-day, 257 km ultramarathon, which is approximately the distance of six regular marathons. And her excursions climbing mountains in Latin America and Africa, all while managing a condition where she gets regular migraines.

I was blown away by Lorraine's resilience, determination and drive to make the most of life and her career, despite dealing with often debilitating migraines.

This episode exemplify's the running theme of our podcast, chatting with someone carving out their own path, doing so against many obstacles, and following their intuition, even though difficult obstacles.

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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What makes a successful team?

How do we learn to play to our strengths within a team dynamic?

Where do our weaknesses lie in teamwork and how can we protect against them?

How do Belbin behavioural assessments improve the collective intelligence and performance of a team?

These are all important questions that I get to explore with Jo Keeler, the CEO of Belbin! We sat down after their conference just outside of Cambridge in July 2024 and had a fascinating conversation.

I got to ask Jo about the origin and development of Belbin assessments, how hundreds of organisations like the BBC, UN, Legal and General, Caravela Coffee and many others have used Belbin to develop the effectiveness of their teams!

We use Belbin behavioural assessments as a coaching tool in our work with corporate teams and find it a great way to facilitate impactful conversation and increase the awareness of each team member and the team as a whole.

Through using these reports in a series of workshops, 1-1 coaching sessions and group discussions, we see an increase in team cohesion and overall results!

I’m so glad I got to attend their conference, meet their team and chat with Jo!

Dad and I reflect afterwards on the impact of Belbin and other assessment tools to make an impact on organisations! I’m so excited to release this episode!

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

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Pierce Dargan is the founder & CEO of Equine MediRecord and Chief Growth Officer of Business Infusions.

https://www.equinemedirecord.com/

In this episode, we discuss Pierce’s background in horses, how he saw a massive opportunity in digitising their medical records and the obstacles he overcame to build his business.

it’s an inspiring story, with lots of bumps and bruises along the way, with lots and lots of success and wins and learnings.

I loved getting to sit down with Pierce on their farm in Kildare and get a tour and a feel for the all they do. Also, we took the last part of our conversation up at Johnny Foxes pub in Glencullen.

Zach and I really enjoyed learning more about Pierce’s story!

Pierce is also an ex-PRO North America Rugby Player, founder and racing manager of the Blackrock Racing Syndicate, co-founder and non-executive Chairman of the non-profit Secret Street Tours.

Check us out at essentialtraining.ie, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialtraining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/essential-training/

Thanks to our sponsors Fad Saoil Saunas! https://fadsaoilsaunas.ie/

We hope you enjoyed! Speak soon!

Brian and Ian

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.