I Love My Job

Melanie MacGregor

I remember that feeling when I left university, wondering what I should do for a living. I wasn't drawn to anything in particular at that point (the inspiration came much later) and I wish someone had sat me down and said "take your time, it's a big decision, and don't let money be your only guide." In this podcast, we listen to people who have embarked on a career that means something to them. Not just a job, but a vocation. Some have known all along it was what they wanted to do, and others have changed direction mid-career. What is life like when your job feels like a part of who you are?

  1. Mar 15

    Our Dawn Patrol

    I've gone off-piste from I Love My Job for this episode. This is a love letter to my cycling group Dawn Patrol, which meets three times a week at 05:40 (yep, in the morning) to cycle the same 18 miles / 30 km or so each time and then have coffee together, before heading off and tackling the day. This group has become very special to a lot of us and I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to explain why and how. At the heart of the story is the value and joy of spending time together in person, no screens involved. Turning the pedals along the same route through all four seasons. In Scotland! No day is the same. The constant is that we love to do it together.

    56 min

  2. 10/31/2024

    Nigel - guitar maker

    Today I’m talking to Nigel Forster, who builds guitars for a living. He did his apprenticeship with Stefan Sobell, who is considered one of the best in the world at his craft. After working under Stefan, Nigel set up his own guitar-making workshop in Newcastle back in 2004. If you ordered a guitar from him today, you would need to wait at least a year before you got it. When I look at the photos on Nigel’s Facebook page of some of the guitars he's been building, I can see why people are willing to wait. I don’t play the guitar, but these instruments are a thing of beauty. https://www.nkforsterguitars.com/

    39 min

  3. 10/15/2024

    Angie - yoga teacher

    Today I’m talking to Angie, who’s been a yoga teacher for the past 10 years. About a year ago, Angie set up her own yoga studio in Edinburgh with two good friends and I’ve been taking her classes there for the last few months. I liked Angie straight away ... it would be hard not to … she’s one of those people who doesn’t put up any barriers, right from the beginning. She’s warm and friendly and she definitely doesn’t take herself too seriously. It's a moving story of how she found her way to yoga. https://www.lilayogaedinburgh.com/

    20 min

  4. 07/24/2024

    Chef Jean-Pierre

    Today I'm talking to Chef Jean-Pierre, who I found out about when a friend put me on to his YouTube channel. He demonstrates how to cook anything from classic French onion soup to the perfect steak, and strawberry tart. At last count he had 1.6 million followers. You quickly understand why when you take a look at what he does, or more to the point how he does it. He has a great sense of humour, a zest for life, and above all the desire to explain the "why" behind fundamental cooking techniques. This is a man who has been cooking for more than 50 years, since he started his apprenticeship in a 3-star Michelin restaurant in France. So imagine how happy I was when he answered an email out of the blue, asking if I could interview him. I hope you enjoy the episode.

    37 min

  5. 09/29/2023

    Tim - mountain guide

    Today I'm talking to Tim, who after working his way through different jobs in the travel industry, took a leap of faith 10 years ago to become a freelance mountain guide.  Tim leads groups of either adults or school children in places as diverse as the Scottish Highlands, Nepal and East Africa. He not only guides people around the mountains, he also tries to teach his guests something about the area’s wildlife, history and culture.  One of the places that Tim works for is Wilderness Scotland. In his bio on their website, Tim is asked what some of his biggest personal travel adventures have been. His answer includes trekking the 21-day Annapurna circuit in Nepal, ski touring inside the Arctic Circle in Norway, canoeing down the Zambezi River, and a 10-day sea kayak expedition in Greenland. This is clearly someone who loves to explore the world and I started my chat with Tim by asking him how far back we would have to go to find when the travel bug began.

    39 min

  6. 08/11/2023

    Zoë - oil industry helicopter pilot

    Today I’m talking to Zoë, who flies helicopters to transport people from Aberdeen in Scotland to offshore oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Before moving over to commercial flying, Zoë was in the military, having trained at the highly-regarded Sandhurst academy. Even before I spoke to Zoë, I got the impression that she was a high achiever and when I listen back to the recording of our interview I can hear in my voice that I was a bit intimidated by the image I had of her in my mind. But you’ll hear Zoë talk about moments early on in her career when she didn’t yet have the confidence she has today, and about how she dealt with setbacks when things didn’t go to plan. Those are the moments I’m always hoping to hear about when I interview someone - a glimpse into what that person went through (good and bad) to get to where they are today.

    38 min

  7. 07/21/2023

    Victoria - director/producer

    Today I’m talking to Victoria Watson, creative producer at Eyebolls, her own animation company in Scotland. Eyebolls creates things like cinema ads and short films using live action (real people) or animation. It sounds like Victoria was hooked on animation before she even left school. This is one of those stories where teachers tried to tell Victoria she would never get into art school. She very much proved them wrong. Not only did she get in, she built a career in animation. And she now has her own award-winning studio. https://www.instagram.com/weareeyebolls

    28 min

  8. 04/11/2023

    Niamh and Mark - French cycling lodge owners

    Today I’m talking to Niamh and Mark, who realised a long-held dream when in December 2017 they took over the Pyrenees Cycling Lodge in France, right near the border with Spain. Tucked away in a picturesque village, the lodge has breathtaking views of the Pyrenees from its bedroom windows. The cyclists who arrive from around the world on holiday only have to concentrate on one thing - cycling up and down the famous Tour de France climbs on their doorstep. Niamh and Mark look after everything else, including cooking breakfast and dinner. That means working seven days a week, up early and going to bed late, for what can be a five-month season. Theirs is a wonderful success story and it’s tempting to be jealous of the life they have created. But it takes guts to not only pack up and move your life to a foreign country, but also to buy a business there and take on all of the administration in a foreign language. I hope you enjoy their story. https://pyreneescyclinglodge.com www.facebook.com/pyreneescyclinglodge www.instagram.com/pyreneescyclinglodge

    42 min
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About

I remember that feeling when I left university, wondering what I should do for a living. I wasn't drawn to anything in particular at that point (the inspiration came much later) and I wish someone had sat me down and said "take your time, it's a big decision, and don't let money be your only guide." In this podcast, we listen to people who have embarked on a career that means something to them. Not just a job, but a vocation. Some have known all along it was what they wanted to do, and others have changed direction mid-career. What is life like when your job feels like a part of who you are?

Information

  • Creator
    Melanie MacGregor
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 I Love My Job
  • Show Website
    I Love My Job