Veronica Kenneally was a vibrant presence in Smarter Egg Peer Circles and Offsites over the past five years or so. In the safe environment where open conversations are possible, she had a significant impact on dozens of colleagues.
Veronica was born with superpowers, which came to light a few years back when melanoma developed to a life-threatening level. Faced with impending doom, and discouraging news, she got to work. She challenged the prognoses and direction given, she doubled down on the activities that gave her the best physical and mental health and she sought to align how she spent her time with the things that meant most to her.
By tapping into the courage that was within her all along, she fought the disease that would eventually take her life and she wrestled it into submission, buying priceless years to spend with her young family and to make progress on her business projects.
If you haven’t spent time with Veronica, you might think that I’m overdoing the praise just because I’ve lost a valued friend. Those who’ve worked with her will possibly suggest I’m under-doing it.
You can see for yourself, and I’d actually encourage you to do so.
This talk is a masterclass in persistence, sharing her experiences of setting up her successful Veronica’s Snacks business.
What no one else knew that night in a packed White Horse was that Veronica had just traveled from a cancer treatment in Dublin. She was due on stage ten minutes earlier than her eventual arrival, and as I stood at the back of the venue, worriedly checking the latest text messages, she came in, took a deep breath and took to the stage. This was what she said.
When Veronica began to respond positively to new treatments, she started to share her cancer story more widely. I had the privilege of a front row seat on multiple occasions as she inspired many others, and she herself drew courage from their reactions.
Rather than hiding, Veronica dug deep, tapped into her bravery and began to craft her experiences into a message that others found to be uplifting and motivating. Which resulted in…
This was Veronica’s final project, and one for which we had great plans. Alas, her illness re-emerged recently and denied her the opportunity to reach more people.
I’d love it if you spent some time on Be Bold and read a little more about Veronica, and think about the messages she felt were important for us.
Here’s the thing: we too have many of her superpowers but most of the time we’re either too scared or too distracted to access them. We often underestimate the power of our choices.
We can craft a better life for ourselves. Being bolder is a good place to start.
Martin Brennan is one of Ireland’s top executive coaches and corporate trainers. His experience from over a quarter of a century working at an elite level has generated a lot of wisdom and resources that help him help others.
This fascinating and important talk tackles our potentially dysfunctional relationship with fear. By raising our awareness of how our internal self-talk can significantly impact our actions, Martin sets the stage before guiding us through a range of useful resources.
This was Martin’s second appearance on the Smarter Egg White Horse stage having previously spoken on insights he picked up from his first 25 years in coaching.
Martin Brennan, speaking at a Smarter Egg event at The White Horse in April 2018. Photo: Donagh Glavin.
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This conversation was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in April 2018. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get on our exclusive events list, getting first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
Canice Kennedy is an experienced sport psychologist, working as a coach to athletes in all sports and in the corporate world with AFRESH.
In this informative and useful Egg Talk, Canice shares his perspectives on a vital component of preparation for any area of performance: sleep.
Research is telling us that we’re not sleeping as much as we need to be, and that’s a problem.
Canice speaks about the troika of good health: diet, exercise & sleep.
He asserts that the bedroom should be kept for two activities only: the first is sleep, and the other, ahem, well…
You’ll learn about the importance of a good pre-sleep routine, and how preparation for sleep, like any vital activity, will ensure you get the most from it.
Packed with practical tips, this talk is likely to ensure you sleep better in the weeks and months ahead!
Sport Psychologist Canice Kennedy at the Smarter Egg event at The White Horse Ballincollig. Photo: Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in June 2016, also featuring Kathryn Thomas, Conor McCarthy & Neil O’Brien. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
Colm O’Brien is a successful businessman. He owns and runs Carambola Kidz, a catering business that feeds 23,000 school children with healthy lunches every day.
But Colm hasn’t always been successful. In fact, he oversaw a major business failure when his coffee shop became unsustainable.
In this entertaining Egg Talk, Colm shares some of his story, of how he built his career with Bewleys, but lost everything when a punt on his own franchise hit a perfect storm.
He tells the story of a chance meeting with a man on the train, how a simple offer of help opened up an unlikely opportunity, and concludes on the importance of working from the attitude of service.
Colm O’Brien of Carambola Kidz, and author of Feeding Johnny at a Smarter Egg event at The White Horse, Cork. Photo: Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in April 2016, also featuring Laurence McCahill and David McCarthy. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
Neil O’Brien is one of Ireland’s top coaches and conference speakers.
In this entertaining Egg Talk, Neil reveals a key question we must all ask about our performance in life, business and sport. Our answer to this question is an excellent predictor of our future success.
This key question is the centre-point of a hilarious story that Neil tells about his first interaction with a Gaelic Football team. Coming from the world of golf coaching, Neil steps outside his comfort zone as he grapples with an untrusting and sceptical audience.
If you’ve ever struggled with nerves and confidence while speaking, you’ll identify with Neil’s story!
Neil O’Brien, Time To Fly, speaking at “Smarter Eggs at The White Horse” on June 28th 2016. Photo: Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in June 2016, also featuring Kathryn Thomas, Conor McCarthy & Canice Kennedy. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
In June 2015, Niall and Jennifer O’Callaghan both spoke at a special Smarter Eggs at The White Horse event on the topic of performance. In the lead-up to a similar event on June 28th 2016, Aodan caught up with both Niall and Jennifer for a quick chat.
Aodan: It’s been a busy year for you since that White Horse event, and for you Niall, you’ve made some changes.
Niall: Yes some big ones. I moved on from my Engineering Project Management Role and have gone full time into the Fitness & Wellbeing Arena. I went straight into the role of managing Pure Results Bootcamp for Kathryn Thomas so I have not had much time to think about it. It’s been great so far, challenging but very rewarding. Jen and I have also set up our own company: Everyday NFW (Nutrition Fitness & Wellbeing) so getting that off the ground has also been very exciting.
And what’s been going on with you Jen?
Jen: Yes things have been growing quite progressively since last year. It’s amazing once you are open (lift the fears!!) how things start to flow. I have seen a lot of growth in my Nutrition4living business taking part in companies’ Health and Wellness weeks. Companies like PM Group, VMWare and Kerry Foods. It’s great to see how companies are starting to see the value of bringing this in for their employees. I am also having good fun with the food demos here. My one to one consultations have grown especially in weight loss, sports nutrition and digestive ailments. I am also doing a day in Mallow in an Osteopathy clinic where there is a very integrative approach to clients health. I still do events with our local SuperValu, I have been giving a lot more talks to clubs and schools on nutrition.
Of course Pure Results has grown even more this year, where we have also visited companies on their wellness weeks. At present a lot of time is taken up with onsite camps. As Niall has mentioned we have set up our own company Everyday to incorporate our skills. As I have found when working with people, in order to get the best results you have to look at the whole picture not to be one dimensional in your programmes. We want our clients to live their best life!
Tell us more about your collaboration, what services are you now offering?
Niall: We are primarily based in the Nutrition, Fitness & Wellbeing space, offering entire packages to Corporates like Health & Wellbeing Days incorporating awareness sessions, interactive demonstrations and personal assessments.
We will be providing fitness classes from September which I am very excited about and also personal Strength & Conditioning sessions for those who wish to push to the next level of fitness.
We are also very excited about our new Lifestyle Assessment Products. We have teamed up with a Finnish company Firstbeat to provide Personal Lifestyle Assessments which are based on Heart Rate Variability measurements. This evidence based coaching has been used for years by elite sportspeople including national rugby & soccer teams, but is also now very popular among executives. It measures stress reactions during the day and also the amount of recovery achieved during the day and during sleep. It provides valuable information as to how anyone with a demanding role can manage their activities to ensure adequate recovery to allow peak performance when it is needed in any situation at work or on the pitch etc.
Jen: Yes our Everyday company is now going to offer companies/clubs and the individual a wide range of programmes to choose from. At the end of the day when we feel at our best we perform at our best.
Of course, you’ve already been working together as part of the Pure Results bootcamp team, what’s that been like?
Jen: When you work for yourself you can sometimes spend a lot of your time on your own. So it’s great to also be part of such a great team who are as motivated and passionate as we are on health and wellbeing. When you are working on this kind of project and you are there on site for a number of days it is great support to have Niall there as well. You have an understanding of what you have to give to the camp and the long hours involved. It has been a fantastic opportunity to work on as we have met so many people, all with their various struggles and inspiring stories, which inspires us more to do what we love.
Niall: It’s great. We have met some amazing people over the past two years and work with a great team. Our roles are quite different at the camp but we then come together to offer Nutritional & Exercise workshops including all aspects of Health & Wellbeing. It’s a demanding role but it does not seem like work when you love what you do. It is inspiring to work with clients who give their all in making the leap to change their lifestyle for the better.
Your boss at Pure Results, Kathryn Thomas is in our Red Chair on June 28. What kind of a boss is she?!
Niall: She is an absolute ball of energy. It’s been a huge challenge for her to set up Pure Results and get it to where it is in just two years. She is very open to how we would like to provide our service but always pushes for the best. She is also good fun and always up for the craic.
Jen: Yeah, Kathryn is great, she is a very driven, open and an honest boss. She is open to everyone’s ideas and contribution to camp. She will wash a plate and set a table – no problem, she just gets stuck in and has endless energy. She gives 150% so her standards are high in the service provided at camp, but as we believe in the same thing we are on par with this.
What are we likely to learn about Kathryn in The White Horse?
Jen: What you see is what you get, there is no pretence. She is good fun, honest and doesn’t mind admitting to her mistakes or making them. You will probably be surprised as to how grounded and normal she is.
Niall: You’ll probably see that she is exactly like she is on TV, very down to earth and genuine. You also see that she is always up for having a laugh and good fun to have around.
And what’s on the horizon for you now?
Niall: My new journey has only just begun so I’m very excited about that. I’m excited to build Everyday NFW with Jen and I know we will have lots of fun building it. I’m also excited to keep building Pure Results which continues to go from strength to Strength and working with Kathryn is a great experience and is always opening up new and very exciting opportunities.
Jen: Well, right now it’s the work of our new company Everyday NFW that we are looking to nurture and grow. Already this has started to take off and new projects are coming at our door-step. We are working with other team members on different things and there are lots of different projects coming up with Pure Results Team and Kathryn. It’s an exciting time, so keep watching!
Niall & Jennifer with Kathryn Thomas and the Pure Results team
Jack O’Rourke is one of those special talents that once you’ve heard him perform, you inevitably find yourself evangelising about him to others.
In this special Egg Talk, Jack shares an intimate story of how he found his true voice in music.
Jack delighted the full house at The White Horse with a couple of visits to the keyboard, with a selection of standout lines from his musical heroes, as well a fabulous performance of his song, “Silence”.
Amongst the many highlights of his story include:
traveling the journey of being an imitator to an original
sharing John Spillane’s invaluable songwriting advice
his realisation that his songs needed to be credible and real
how he was the great pretender before coming out as a gay man
finding that ‘style is a product of your limitations’
how his song, ‘Silence’, became an anthem for the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum
his belief that the truth will always out, and that people will respond to it
Singer/Songwriter Jack O’Rourke at the Business of Music event at the Ballincollig Winter Music Festival in The White Horse. Photo Donagh Glavin.
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in January 2016. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get on our exclusive events list, getting first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
We’re often seduced into believing that success in life is linear, that hard work will inevitably move the line up and to the right.
But it’s rarely, if ever, that way.
Richard Barrett’s story reminds us that the curve looks more like a roller coaster. And his philosophy has been to embrace the negatives as a prelude to some positives.
Co-founder of startup sensation Pundit Arena, Richard shares his life story in this candid and inspiring talk.
Amongst the many highlights of his story include:
his early entrepreneurial flair while being a popular misfit in school
how his interest in sport and learning (and holidays) put him on the path to teaching
his constant desire for self-improvement
the dramatic consequences of multiple broken bones & months in a wheelchair
how he taught himself to build a website
the serendipity of meeting his co-founder on the UCC Ignite programme
finding a business model around giving a voice to the writing of sports fans
the excitement and disappointment of raising investment
the successful growth of Pundit Arena
Richard Barrett, of Pundit Arena, speaking at the Smarter Egg ‘Business of Sport’ event, held at The White Horse, Ballincollig. Photo Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in November 2015. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get on our exclusive events list, getting first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
Mary White has written the first major book about an Irish women’s sports team, and she passionately believes that it was a story that needed to written.
She left behind a full-time job as a journalist to pursue her dream. And in this Egg Talk she gives us a sense of why.
Before Eamonn Ryan took over the managerial role in 2004, the Cork ladies football team had no history of success. They hadn’t won a single Munster championship, let alone an All-Ireland. Incredibly, in the eleven years since, they have won ten All-Irelands.
Mary was in a unique position to tell this story given her involvement as a player, as PRO, and as a journalist reporting on the team.
Some of the highlights of the team’s story shared by Mary include:
a team with a losing habit divided by club rivalries
a new coach, fighting cancer, and leading by example
the philosophy of commitment based on “a choice, not a sacrifice”
the endless pursuit of learning, always assessing progress
a dramatic turning point in a losing dressing-room in Cahirsiveen
a culture based on high expectations rather than rules
a relentless pursuit of success, and a habit of winning close matches
Mary White, author of “Relentless – The Inside Story of the Cork Ladies Footballers”, speaking at the Smarter Egg “Business of Sport” event at The White Horse. Photo Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in November 2015. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get on our exclusive events list, getting first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
When was the last time you really felt healthy and well? When last was your mood 10/10 or your energy 10/10?
Nutritional therapist Jennifer O’Callaghan begins with these provocative questions in this energising talk on the significance of nutrition in our lives, and especially in improving our performance.
She shares her own personal story, of how her lifestyle wasn’t working for her. A car crash was a turning point in her life, and as she rebuilt her energy she discovered how nutrition could positively impact every aspect of her life.
She talks about moving into a new paradigm of health, where individuals take responsibility for their health by more mindfully managing their lifestyle choices.
And she reflects on the lessons learned from the ‘controlled experiment’ of working successfully with participants in the Pure Results Bootcamp.
You’ll also gain inspiration from stories of long-living people from the “blue zones”, and ultimately you’ll be motivated as Jennifer challenges us to “get living”!
Jennifer O’Callaghan of Nutrition4Living speaking at the Smarter Egg Performance event at The White Horse, Ballincollig. Photo Donagh Glavin
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This talk was recorded at a Smarter Egg event at Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig, Ireland in June 2015. The video footage was filmed and edited by AV3 Productions.
If you would like to get on our exclusive events list, getting first notice of forthcoming events along with more behind-the-scenes goodies, just sign up here.
