Show Notes
On today's podcast I chatted with well known and much loved Pam Kelly, who has been a Head Chef in Cork city for over 20 years. Her early years were spent in a one bed flat in The LIberties in Dublin and then the family moved to the total opposite, a huge house in the country in Ballinasloe. The hospitality industry was in the family blood, so her career choice was no surprise even though at a very early stage Pam had a notion that she might like to become a nun until she discovered other interests including a love for heavy metal! We chatted about her early life, alcoholism in the family, the crazy but wonderful world of food, her favourite places to eat and her next career steps. She has worked as Head Chef in Cork in popular restaurants including Harvey's Bistro, Nash 19, Perry Street, Market Lane and The Farm Gate, and each of them comes with their own stories. Enjoy the Show
Podcast Production by Greg Canty Greg's blog Greg on Twitter Greg on LinkedIn Email Greg with feedback or suggested guests: [email protected]
More from Win Happy Podcast
On today's podcast I chatted with Dr. Daniela Jines who is the co-founder of the international non-profit, Happy Organizations. Daniela, the daughter of two scientists, is originally from Bolivia and is now living in Hawaii. After practising as a lawyer while working on human rights causes she pushed herself to the absolute limits through relentless hard work and succeeded in making herself very sick and experiencing a total burnout. Recognising what happened to her, including her part in creating a very toxic work culture she went about doing the exact opposite and started researching positive work cultures and the resulting benefits of these. This work led her to co-founding Happiness Organizations which helps work places to become happier, thriving places which benefit everyone. She talks about tools to destress, the importance of purpose, the role of leadership and how they go about diagnosing the culture of an organisation. She also talks about a special group that has been formed called 'Workaholics Anonymous' to help cure an unusual condition that many people suffer from. Enjoy the show Podcast Production by Greg Canty Greg's blog Greg on Twitter Greg on LinkedIn Email Greg with feedback or suggested guests: [email protected]
On today's podcast I chatted with Nadine Hughes Campbell, the author of the children's book series, Noah's Adventures. Nadine, a proud black woman from Montreal in Canada, found herself in her new home in Ireland with her Corkonian husband looking for books for their little boy, Noah. To her surprise practically all of the books didn't feature any mixed race children, so this new entrepreneur solved the problem by writing her first children's book, Noah's Cork Adventures featuring Noah and some of his favourite places to visit in the city. One book has turned into five with two more in the pipeline, all part of the popular Noah's Adventures series. Nadine who is now expecting their third child speaks about her life, race, her experiences in this country, her adventures as a children's author and why she says Ireland has made her. Enjoy the show
On today's podcast I chatted with John O'Brien, a farmer from Barryroe in West Cork, the Chairman of Barryroe Co-op and the Chairman of Carbery Group. When John's father died in an accident on the farm in 1979, life changed for this 15 year old. Instead of leasing out the farm, his mum Peggy decided to drive on, and two years later and without any regret, a veterinary career was swapped for farming. Since then, not only did John run the farm but he also got stuck in and got heavily involved in the institutions that support farming such as Grassland Association, Ornua, the local Barryroe Co-op and Carbery Group. On the podcast John spoke about his life, the business of farming, the election process that earned him these positions, the importance of the next generation of farmers, land use, climate change, the importance of innovation and we also discussed regenerative farming. The overwhelming thing that struck me about John was his positivity, which I am sure has been a huge gift to anyone he works with and the organisations that he serves. Enjoy the show
On today's podcast I welcome back urban planner, journalist and political commentator, Paul Kearns to the podcast. Paul, who is originally from Dublin, is living in Tel Aviv with his partner and his two young girls and is perfectly positioned to provide us with insights from Israel to help us understand what it is like to live there at this strange time. On this episode he talked me through the political system in Israel and the elections which will happen at the end of this October. Will Bibi Netanyahu and some of his far right ministers be given the road by the Israeli people, and what difference will that likely make to the country? While we desperately want to see the Israeli people using their votes to demonstrate to the world their disgust about the genocide in Gaza, is this really the big ticket issue that concerns them? As always I learn so much about Israel every time I chat with Paul, and yet I feel I still know so little. Enjoy the show
On today's podcast I had a very fascinating chat with Fiona Finn, CEO of The Sexual Health Centre in Cork. Like so many people, Fiona was forced to leave a very repressed Ireland for London in search of work and adventure. Working for a local authority she discovered a passion for making a difference when she was helping immigrants as part of her role. Following this passion she returned to Ireland and as a mature student she completed a Law Degree with a focus on human rights, she took a role with a migrants and refugee rights centre, NASC, and became their CEO, she joined the One Foundation and then The Sexual Health Centre, where she has been since 2024. The work here is very diverse covering everything from reproductive health, chem sex, transgender support to understanding the rising hatred against the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland. Everywhere Fiona goes she is determined to make a difference. Enjoy the show