Lean Into Life Podcast

Hi guys Welcome to Episode 42 of the Podcast and I was delighted to have chat with Ultimate Frisbee player Dylan Ryan. Dylan has represented Ireland and participated in European and World Championships in the sport. It is a sport that may not be familiar with a lot of people but you should check it out, it’s a very interesting and athletic sport which also looks like a lot of fun too. Dylan is one of the top 64 mixed players in the country and gave me an insight into the popularity of the sport especially at college level and also the type of training that goes into competing at the top level and how that differs from your more common played sports in Ireland such as your GAA, Soccer, Basketball etc. We touched on the benefits of Sport Psychology at the top level and the fact it can be played as a mix between men and women which is fairly unique and the players themselves govern the rules and fouls etc I learnt a lot about Ultimate Frisbee and the passion people like Dylan have about the sport and about promoting Ultimate Frisbee around the country with some secondary schools trying it out and hopefully it will increase participation and gives those kids who are not into your usual or common sports an outlet to make friends, play in a friendly and fun atmosphere whilst gaining the benefits of being part of a team which I think has many positive attributes which we also discussed during the podcast. It made me want to pick up a Frisbee and create a Killarney Team called the “Killarney Flyers” I am currently the only player but I welcome some more  I hope you enjoy this episode and you learn something new as I did. Type it into YouTube and you will see how athletic and skilful the sport is and you will be hooked. Thanks Michael

On the 40th episode of the podcast, I was delighted to welcome back on for her 3rd appearance, Psychotherapist Sheila Ryan. Sheila had previously talked about Confidence and Resilience and was one of the most listened to podcasts out of all the ones recorded so far so I was delighted she agreed to come back on. The topic of conversation this time was one of Gratitude, Kindfullness & self-compassion. It was such a powerful discussion explained only as Sheila can in beautifully broken down ways with very manageable tasks and tips which can help all of us including myself ways in which we can practice more gratitude in our lives as well as Kindfulness and self-compassion for ourselves firstly which then allows us to have compassion for others :) Please please give this one a listen and forward it onto people you know who would benefit from hearing Sheila's words of wisdom and also the science behind some of these concepts. Thanks guys Chat soon Michael

Welcome to Episode 39 of the Podcast. On this episode I was delighted to welcome Physical Therapist and Strength Coach, Andy Fitzgerald or Andy Fitz Move PT as he is know online. It was a great conversation on various topics including how after suffering a lot of injuries himself when he was younger, Andy decided he wanted to understand more about the body and how he could try to make himself more resilient to injuries happening in the 1st place. This led him to study Physical Therapy and Strength & Conditioning but also he tells the story of a chance meeting with some street performers opened his mind to the bodies capabilities given the right training. We discuss the current coaching styles and the pressure on the body is being put under, especially in young athletes and how we should be coaching more sport and also more position specific drills instead of generic training with no real set plan or model. It was a fascinating conversation with a very knowledgeable coach who thinks more laterally which I love. I have had a good few sessions with Andy myself and his approach is really impressive and backs that up with science and research which is great to see. I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did, there are plenty of take aways in there. Thanks guys Michael

Hey guys, Welcome to episode no. 3 of the revamped podcast and no.38 overall. In this weeks episode I was more than delighted to welcome on Life Coach Thomas McCormack on for a chat. We delved deep into various topics which I am sure you are going to love listening too. And as Thomas stated at the start, the art of conversation is the "Fuel for Life" itself :) love that We discussed the Journey he has been on since he felt stuck and lost in the job he was doing and was wandering if this is all life was?? he talks a lot about looking "inwards" in order to find sustainable change rather than looking externally. We delve into what Life coaching is and how he works with his clients to unearth their connection to the themselves. Thomas goes deep into talking about our Spiritual beings being far more powerful than we realise which was really interesting conversation to have. He breaks down one of his mantra's - the 3 C's - Clarity, Confidence and Connection and how important they are for growth and learning to be more as Thomas said "Inside/Out" rather than Outside/in. You will have to take a listen to hear the rest :) I really enjoyed digging deep with Thomas on this one and I learnt a lot as I am sure you will too. Click the link below to take a listen. Thanks Michael

on Episode 2 of the "Lean into Life" Podcast and 37 overall, I was delighted to welcome back on for his hattrick appearance on the podcast, Personal Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach, Alan Devane. He is the epitome of leaning into life and that's something we talk about during this very interesting 40 mins chat. We went deep on this one and talked about what Alan believes is his greatest gift that he brings to his clients and the world. If you follow Alan on his social media he is full of energy and his optimism and drive is infectious, however we can't be up all the time and Alan discusses his struggles but also his "toolbox" of go to habits that help him daily to be more mindful and flip his mindset. We discuss how as we grow older that we are more aware of ourselves, our bodies and our direction and I suppose our life's mission statement compared to when we were in our 20's. We also talked about his passion and empathy for his clients and how his clients invest in him because they can feel that he genuinely cares for them and their progress which can be rare these days to find a trainer like him. Alan recently started working with the Kerry GAA minor hurlers which has pushed him outside of his comfort zone after mostly working with footballers but he is loving it and enjoying working within a new sport and is having amazing results with the team already. Alan also discussed his tips and golden nuggets of information for people wanting to make changes in their lives whether that be diet wise or exercise wise and how people can succeed in their lives. It was an amazing chat with an amazing trainer but more importantly a fantastic human being who I am delighted to call a very good friend and glad that he is in my own inner circle because I know that anytime spent is his company raises my own mood and positivity. Please share and rate the podcast on apple podcast, tag it on your Instagram story and tag myself, I think a lot of people need to hear this conversation Enjoy guys Thanks Michael

Welcome guys to Episode no. 36 overall but no.1 of my new rebranded Podcast “Lean into Life” I was delighted to be able to welcome on a buddy of mine and former professional Soccer player and Irish Youth International Ryan Casey to the podcast. Galway native Ryan was scouted by Swansea City FC at the age of 13 and never looked back. He player for the Swans from 1996-2002 and his time there was cut short by a couple of bad injuries. Ryan returned to Ireland to play for a number of League of Ireland Clubs such as St. Pats, Cork City, Galway United, Longford and Athlone as well as a stint playing in Australia. Since retiring, Ryan is has been heavily involved in coaching especially at Academy and youth level and has also worked for the FAI as a Development Officer. He currently is coaching at Sligo Rovers as the U17 coach. We had a brilliant conversation about Ryan’s childhood as his passion for Soccer coming heavily from his hero, his own Dad who as Case said is still his hero today. We discussed his journey in youth football locally in Galway to playing for Belvedere FC in Dublin and was then noticed by a Swansea scout. It was a very different environment to the academies of today and he had to work hard and be driven to make it through which he succeeded in doing. Ryan went on to play in the winning Irish European U18 Championships under Brian Kerr in 1998 where they beat Germany on penalties to win the cup. A massive achievement with what was deemed by the press to be the “Golden Generation” of Irish youth football with some of his teammates including the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Stephen McPhail and Richard Dunne to name a few. We discussed the pitfalls of a career in soccer as well as some great stories on some fanatical fan bases and rivalries he came across in is playing days over the water. We also talked about the interesting topic of talent selection and development of young players which is a bit of minefield and how he sculpted his own coaching habits and skills from his years of playing and from some of the top coaches he played under. A quote that stood out for me from the podcast was “It’s good to be open to advice but to be really good at anything, you have to believe in what you are doing and believe in your own style and keep refining it” I loved that quote from Case, believe in you and your own style and then refine as you go on your journey. I thoroughly enjoyed the chat and I am sure you will too. Please share, tag and rate. I think you will get a lot from it and what it takes to become a high performance professional player. Enjoy guys Thanks Michael

Welcome to Episode 35 of the podcast. I was delighted to welcome Jack Kavanagh on for a chat. Jack is a Pharmacist, A Speaker, A Coach and first and foremost an amazing human being. He strives to help people, teams and groups to appreciate their potential to grow and help them reframe adversities for possibilities which is truly inspiring. Jack has had to overcome a huge adversity in his own life when in 2012 at the age of just 20, he broke his neck while on holiday witch left him paralysed from the armpits down with only minimal movement left in his shoulders, biceps and wrists and only 15% muscle function altogether. We discussed the moments of despair and isolation but more powerfully his mindset shift from asking himself “Why me?” to “Why not me?” Within 13 months of the accident, Jack was back at Trinity and completed his undergraduate in Pharmacy and is now studying for his Masters. He went on to make an award winning documentary called “Breaking Boundaries” about his story and his adventure to America. He has got stronger and more independent as the years have gone by and is now inspiring others to reach their own potential which is amazing. Jack is a truly inspiring individual who I am sure will have a great impact on you the listener as it did on me. I was so happy we were able to connect and can’t wait for you to hear his message of overcoming limitations. Jack was keen to state that everyone has their own crap to deal with and that your problems are relevant to you and they are no less important than his. He said “My story is just your story written in different words” .. Wow :) I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did recording it. Please share it and let’s get it heard by as many people as possible. It is a message of hope and overcoming adversity, a story of new beginnings and new possibilities. Thanks Michael

Hi guys, Welcome to episode no. 34 of the podcast. I was delighted to welcome back Psychotherapist Sheila Ryan back onto the podcast. Myself and Sheila got an amazing response to the 1st conversation we had on Resilience, in fact it was 2nd in the all time listened to pod :) So we decided to have another chat and this time I picked Sheila's brains on the subject of "Confidence" which in one way shape or form, we have all struggled with in some area of our lives. In the discussion, we talk about what Confidence is, how we can develop it, the Confidence Toolkit, the relationship between self-esteem and confidence and the role the Therapist or Life Coach can have with helping people improve their own confidence levels. It is a must listen too guys, make sure you share it with people you know who you think may benefit and please please please rate the podcast on Apple podcast and post a review. Tag the gym on your story on Instagram and I will share it. Let's get this one trending as we all could benefit greatly :) Thanks guys, enjoy!! Michael x

on Episode 33 of the podcast, I was delighted to welcome former professional football Brendan Moloney on for a chat. What happened next was a very insightful chat about how a teenager from the small town of Killarney in the south west of Ireland found his way over to one of the biggest and most historic clubs in the UK, Nottingham Forest FC. A club stepped in history, double European Cup winners, leagues and FA Cups and of course one of the best managers in English football history, Brian Clough. We discuss that journey and his time at some other league clubs in his 234 appearances in the English Football which is an amazing career. He has played under some top managers including Colin Calderwood who gave him his debut at Forest and Chris Wilder who managed him at Northampton Town before he went on to do heroics with Sheffield United and get them to the premiership. We also talk about how he rubbed shoulders during his career with Sven Goran Eriksson, Sol Campbell, Kasper Schmeichel and Jimmy Floyd and played against players you may have heard of like Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovich :) Unfortunately Brendans playing career was cut short due to a recurring injury and since retirement he has moved home and got into coaching locally for his boyhood club (and my last club) Killarney Athletic FC and also Kerry U17's which he will be starting with again soon all going well. Brendan got his UEFA B license and is about to embark on his UEFA A one and is showing the same passion he had for playing into coaching and from 1st hand experience watching him operate, I just know he's going to be a huge success. A very down to earth and driven individual from an early age was fascinating to me and how he adapted to being a young professional football which led to him graduating form the academy and reserves at Forest to play in the 1st team. A wonderful listen guys, take that hour, sit down, relax and take a listen to not just somebody who was a top professional but Brendan is a top human being too. Enjoy it guys and if you do please, share, tag and rate the podcast on apple podcast, lets get this to as many people as we can. Thanks Michael

Hey guys, on this solo podcast I decided to discuss my top tips from shifting your life from Average to Brilliant and ways you can turn your dreams into reality. It's tips that I have used over the last 4 years to help me achieve goals that I had. It took me a while though, as in a number of years before that to make the decision to change my way of thinking and to start "Doing" instead of just "Wishing" it would happen. I hope you enjoy this short 20 minute episode, if you do, please please comment and share and tag and rate. Tag it on your story on Instagram and Facebook and I will share it too. Thanks so much guys, Chat to you soon. Michael x