The Think And Learn Smarter Experience.

Connell Kennelly
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We sit down with noteworthy people from Ireland and chat about how they succeed at their chosen craft while also trying to balance everything else. We look at the Leaving Cert specifically and take gems of knowledge from the people who have gone before and look at how we can implement them in our own situations.

  1. Episode 18 - Dermot Bannon

    10/09/2021

    Episode 18 - Dermot Bannon

    In this episode I sat down with Dermot Bannon, Irelands most prominent architect. Dermot's the front of a few different TV shows on RTE such as ,"Room to Improve" and ,"Dermot Bannon's Incredible Homes". Some of the things we chatted about were, what got Dermot into his field, his own college experience and creating a TV show. What stuck me during this conversation was just how easy and engaging Dermot is to chat with. The way he was able to tell stories about the different parts to "Becoming an Architect" that were really interesting was brilliant.  What also stood out was how he was able to disseminate some of the tools that were taught in college and which other ones an architect would benefit from learning along the way. In addition to this, we chat about the process of making a TV show in which the events are happening in real life. Dermot explained how they manage to balance keeping the realness fully intact while also instilling some TV drama naturally. He also goes into the many benefits both socially and professionally of loading up in a transit van with his college course mates and travelling to some of the most spectacular buildings in Europe. Overall I really enjoyed this chat due to how great a storyteller Dermot is. It's obvious to me now why his TV shows continue to be so popular along with his actual business ! This one is definitely for the wannabe architects as it gives a great insight into some of the steps along the way while the great unwashed ( like myself ) can really enjoy listening while probably missing the importance of the finer details. In essence, it runs like his own TV show !

    31 min
  2. Episode 17 - Conor O'Neill (Know Yourself Performance)

    13/07/2021

    Episode 17 - Conor O'Neill (Know Yourself Performance)

    In this episode I chat with Conor O'Neill, founder of "Know Yourself Performance. Conor is one of the most prominent performance coaches in the online GAA world along with working with athletes across other fields too. Conor himself has a club All Ireland with Crossmaglen in his back pocket so he certainly isn't just a theory based coach. With that being said, Conor has nutrition and training qualifications along with being in the process of finishing a masters in psychology so he's got the homework signed off on too. Conor has his own podcast too in line with his own online coaching. We chat about a whole host of different areas such as optimal nutrition, law of diminishing returns with regards to gym work, psychology of training etc primarily through the lens of GAA performance. Conor is brilliant at explaining tricky concepts to get your head around such as the possible benefits of prolonged fasting. The fact that he's worked with over 750 athletes over the years really shines through as he has now developed a hierarchy of importance with regards to performance and isn't married to one approach. Overall, this was one of the podcasts that I've done that contains the most clear takeaways for anyone. While most of the conversation was developed through the lens of a GAA output, the concepts really ring home for everyone. It was great chatting to Conor and it's clear to see why he's such a successful coach himself !

    57 min
  3. Episode 16 - Lena Tice

    22/06/2021

    Episode 16 - Lena Tice

    In this episode I chat with Lena Tice, current Hockey player for the Irish ladies team about to head off to the Tokyo Olympics. Lena has over a 100 caps for Ireland already across cricket and hockey combined and is the second youngest international cricket player ever male or female. We chat about what it was like for Lena going through secondary school in St Gerards, Bray while playing international sport at the same time.  We then get around to chatting about how Lena was preparing for her Leaving Cert while on tour with the Hockey team in New Zealand and leaving all her Chemistry notes on the North Island ! Lena definitely had a unique experience preparing for her Leaving Cert and she shares some well earned tips about balancing extra curriculars. We then talk about going to UCD and continuing with her Irish Hockey career. It's great to get an insight into how top level athletes prepare for big matches ( or even Olympics !) and Lena details the different parts that make up her prep. From dealing with high pressure games such as the Olympic qualifier or the 2018 World Cup final to how she analyses her day to day training, it's great to see what areas are key to focus on.  What's really revealing is that Lena knows what she's elite at and is willing to not get lost in the weeds of improving every part of her game and then losing sight of the bigger picture. I thought this was one of the key learnings from the whole conversation as the same in a funny way applies to everything, most especially the Leaving Cert ! Overall I really enjoyed this podcast again. Lena clearly has a knack for storytelling and probably should be the one hosting the podcast based on ease of chatting to her ! There's so many great takeaways from one of Ireland's future Olympians and I hope you all find it interesting.

    58 min
  4. Episode 15 - Professor Luke O'Neill

    03/06/2021

    Episode 15 - Professor Luke O'Neill

    In this episode I sit down with the most well known immunologist in the country, Professor Luke O'Neill and we chat about how he got into such a role. Professor O'Neill is the chair of biochemistry in Trinity and has won numerous awards in his field. In addition to this Luke is in a rock band ready to get out and start doing gigs once the outdoor venues are available again. Luke talks about his experience of starting out in the field and what enticed him in going down this route. We talk about his move to London and eventually to Cambridge and what it was like being Irish in that time in England. Luke talks about his own role in co founding a company that has recently sold for €380 million. Finally we get around to talking about the area that really put Luke in the spotlight of the Irish public which is his knowledge of all things Covid related. I asked him some questions that I myself simply wanted to know the answer to and I'm glad to say the answers were really promising. This was a really insightful podcast and it's great to see such a bright academic be able to articulate himself and the complex issues he diagnoses in simple terms for the everyday listener.

    30 min
  5. Episode 14 - Jack Kavanagh

    11/05/2021

    Episode 14 - Jack Kavanagh

    In this episode I sit down with Jack Kavanagh, a man whose hard to put a label on. He's a trained pharmacist, resilience coach, host of the only human podcast, a Ted talk speaker and much more. Jack's had a documentary ,"Breaking Boundaries" made about him and his trip with his friends through America. We talk about the traumatic experience that Jack went through and how he's used that as a springboard to achievement. Jack's real skill is his ability to talk about his own experiences in a way that ends up making the story feel like your own. Jack describes how when he's giving a really good talk or coaching lesson, the talk ends up becoming about the audience as he is only a doorway into analysing their own experiences.  We talk about Jack's own Leaving Cert experience and what lessons he has learned in the 10 years or so since then. From about 40 minutes in Jack starts talking about the resilience coaching that he's been doing and that part is what I myself took the most from. Overall I think this is the one that I've learned the most from so far. Jack's got an incredible way of extracting lessons from his own experiences that do apply to everyone. His focus on the positive and being a "rational optimist" as he describes it himself is inspiring and is definitely one of the take aways from the podcast. I hope you all enjoy this episode and take something away from it too !

    1 h y 2 min
  6. Episode 13 - Joe Flaherty

    06/05/2021

    Episode 13 - Joe Flaherty

    In this episode I sit down with Joe Flaherty, current Fianna Fáil TD for Longford and Westmeath. Joe lifts a lid on what it's like to be the voice for his own people in the most influential room in the country. What was revealing to me was the percentage of time Joe spends dealing with local issues and everyday struggles of the individual person in comparison to the more national topics. Joe also spends time talking about how Covid has sped the movement online where hosted a "town meeting" online which garnered over 10,000 log ons. The ability for more people to attend these meetings from the comfort of their own homes seems to have been a real added benefit as normally only a few hundred at best would come in person. Joe also gives a revealing insight into some of the personal challenges he went through and how he's overcome them. This experience of experiencing adversity at a young age allows Joe to empathise with the younger generation now with their own specific problems. He reminds me that all these middle aged  Fianna Fáil TD's were young teenagers at one stage too ! He also talks about the dynamics inside the Dáil and the relationships he'd have with other TD's. We also talk about what he hopes to leave behind him for the next younger generation to have when his turn is passed and the kind of Longford he would like to see his daughters grow up in. Overall this was a great podcast and one that I personally learned a great deal from. Having the chance to actually see what a TD's main roles are was very interesting as it's an area that I at least wouldn't understand well. His own story along with his plans for the future are very inspiring and I hope the rest of you enjoy this one too.

    52 min
  7. Episode 12 - Jessica Mc Mahon

    29/04/2021

    Episode 12 - Jessica Mc Mahon

    In this episode I chat with Jessica Mc Mahon current Mental Health Senator for Maynooth University in addition to completing her own degree. Jessica is also the Mental Health Society President, the founder of the Educate to Eliminate Disclosure Training and is a crisis volunteer for 50808 and Turn2me.  We chat about what all of these roles entails and what sort of impact these roles have had on her. In addition to this Jessie talks about some of the one to one experiences she's had in these roles and what lessons she has taken from them. She talks about various techniques such as CBT ( Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ) and the like and how you can implement them into you everyday life. Jessie also talks about her experience of being essentially in isolation for over a month in a hospital during Covid and some of the takeaways she got from the solitude. Overall this was an insightful talk into what it's like being such a key member in a society and various charities that really exposes you to some tough conversations. I'm grateful that Jessie came on and talked about her own Leaving Cert experience too and I do think this one has some gems especially around the CBT area.

    47 min
  8. Episode 11 - Going to NUIG.

    22/04/2021

    Episode 11 - Going to NUIG.

    In this chat I sit down with 4 students who are all still in NUIG doing courses ranging from Medicine to Marine Science. We talk about how they originally all found moving to Galway and getting stuck into their particular courses and college life in Galway. Some of what we got around to was the suss with accommodation, part time jobs, Christmas Day, Rag Week and much more.  What really struck me during this chat was the culture that being a college student in Galway seems to have. It sounds more like being in a big town rather than a city and it has quite an open feel. From listening to stories of nights out and how they made random friends, it's clear to see that Galway really is a student town with a welcoming undertone.  Once again I really enjoyed talking with some of my mates about better times back in college. It was actually hard to wrap up the chat in the end as they kept thinking of more stories and things to talk about. Even parts like the craic at Spanish Arch didn't get in ! Overall it was a very enjoyable chat and there's definitely some tips in here for any student thinking about going to Galway or even just going out in Galway.

    1 h y 4 min
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We sit down with noteworthy people from Ireland and chat about how they succeed at their chosen craft while also trying to balance everything else. We look at the Leaving Cert specifically and take gems of knowledge from the people who have gone before and look at how we can implement them in our own situations.

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