Margaret Young: Becoming a Yoga Entrepreneur

Margaret Young: Becoming a Yoga Entrepreneur

Thank you all so much for tuning in to Series 1!  It has been a real pleasure. We hope to have in-person Interviews for Series 2, where Ed will play an active role! Having said that, we wanted to end Series 1 on a high note with Margaret Young.  Margaret Young is a vinyasa, restorative & yin yoga teacher and wellness entrepreneur who founded Wild Soul in 2020. As well as teaching online and at her home studio, she teaches yoga for a number of top Dublin studios and corporate clients, as well as the prestigious Powerscourt Springs Hotel. Based in North Dublin like us, Mags talks to us about her extremely varied career to date. From starting off working in various Admin roles, she entered the Fashion domain before embarking upon a 10 year journey in Beaumont Hospital.  She eventually left to start on her path as an Entrepreneur, which has not been straightforward but has been very fulfilling and rewarding! “Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.”

Fiona Forman: Positive Psychology in the Classroom

This week we sit down with Fiona Forman. Fiona is a former Primary School Teacher with vast experience and has only recently taken the plunge to leave conventional teaching. She went back to college to study Positive Psychology. Fiona enlightens us about this very new field of Psychology and how her work today is changing the lives of Primary School Students. Fiona is a published Author and has just launched her latest programme “Welcome to Well-Being”. This programme has been adopted by Primary Schools on a national scale, with the aim of enhancing the wellbeing and resilience of Junior Infants, Senior Infants and First Class students by developing specific skills. This is very impactful for anyone with children at Primary Level and for those that wonder about the Psychology behind “Wellness” and “Well-being”.

Dr. Jenny Kennedy: Becoming a Qualified Anaesthesiologist

This week we sit down with Dr. Jenny Kennedy. Jenny is an Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit Senior House Officer at St. Vincent's University Hospital. We were introduced to Jenny by Dr. Shyam Gollapalli from Episode 2! Jenny graduated as Head Girl and Valedictorian of Muckross Park College Class of 2014. It seems as though she has only gone from strength to strength since then but not without challenge and adversity. We discuss how her Transition Year Work Experience nearly put her off studying Medicine. Dr. Kennedy breaks down her time at college and the reality of becoming qualified in this field. Jenny speaks about how she even toyed with the idea of dropping out before she broke through an inflexion point. Jenny has an exemplary CV. We discuss how she has had to develop in terms of her Leadership skills and how she has adapted to her current team dynamic. We also discuss Organisation as a key attribute to coping and thriving in both High Stress and High Performance Environments. Dr. Kennedy also breaks down what she does on a daily basis and how mistakes and failure play a role in the life or death situations she faces. We also chat about life outside the Hospital and what the future holds for this young healthcare professional!

Sarah Hawkins Bsc ANutr: Becoming a Qualified Nutritionist

Sarah Hawkins Bsc ANutr joins us this week and speaks to us about her determined journey on becoming a nutritionist and all the vast experience she has gained along the way. Sarah is a fellow Portmarnock local and is a school friend of the podcast!  We discuss Sarah taking the plunge and starting her own business after leaving Scotland, soon after becoming qualified. Sarah talks about how her Instagram page (FIG Nutrition) was conceived and how her business continues to go from strength to strength. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is at the forefront of Sarah’s work and we discuss why she specialises in this field. Sarah is also a qualified Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, which forms a large part of her business.

Dr. Shyam Gollapalli: Becoming a Qualified Doctor

This week, Dr. Shyam Gollapalli speaks to us about why he chose medicine and what each year of his course looked like at RCSI. Striking the balance was key to Shyam’s well-being throughout his time at college. He now works in a clinic for a few hours a week and lectures while he completes his Masters in Surgery. We discuss his career thus far and how he remembers COVID-19 breaking and the subsequent fallout. His passion lies in teaching and ultimately sees his future there. We talk about his personal fitness, his overall goals and what the future may hold. Also in this episode, Ciarán really ramps up his use of “yeah” and “absolutely”.