Willie Anderson is a rugby coach, former Ireland rugby captain who earned 27 international caps, won a Five Nations Championship and Triple Crown, and famously stepped forward to face the All Blacks’ haka in 1989. But there is much more to his story than what happened on the rugby pitch.

Willie shares how taking a flag during a rugby tour landed him in an Argentinian prison for 3 months. He speaks openly about alcoholism and recovery, including the letter from his son Thomas that helped him confront his drinking. He talks about the pressure to drink when you’re trying to stay sober and what being there for his family means to him now.

Willie shares leadership lessons that go far beyond sport. He explains his 360 feedback approach, why a coach or business leader needs to hear uncomfortable truths, and how improving yourself can help your whole team improve.

He also talks about his wife Heather’s support and his pride in his children, including fashion designer Jonathan Anderson. We hear how Jonathan and Chloe learned to work with their dyslexia, and why Willie believes effort matters more than talent, whether you’re building a career or chasing a place on a team.

Links from Episode

Willie Anderson’s Book

Crossing The Line - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crossing-Line-Willie-Anderson/dp/1914197151

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McKeever Hotels:

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ProfileTree:

A Belfast web design, SEO, video and AI agency, founded by Ciaran Connolly in 2011, that helps businesses across Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK get found online. Ciaran speaks and trains regularly on practical AI for business, and the team now works on AI SEO, which means checking and fixing whether a business shows up when a customer asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for a recommendation.

FREE AI Visibility Check https://profiletree.com/ai-seo/

Paul Merriman, better known as Ask Paul, is an Irish financial adviser, entrepreneur and CEO of Fairstone Ireland, helping people understand their money and plan for their future.

You’re working hard and paying the bills, but how do you know whether you’re doing the right thing with the money left over? Paul discusses saving for your children, investing, pensions for the self-employed and whether overpaying your mortgage could make a difference.

He also shares how putting himself on social media helped grow his business, and how a phone call he nearly ignored led to selling it for far more than he expected.

If you keep putting off your finances because you don’t understand them or think you don’t have enough money to start, this conversation is for you. Paul explains why financial planning isn’t just for wealthy people, why you don’t need everything sorted today and how to prepare for your future without feeling guilty about enjoying your money now. It’s a starting point for anyone who wants to stop guessing and understand what to ask when they seek financial advice.

Links from Episode

Paul Merriman

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/askpaul.ie/?hl=en

Fairstone Ireland

https://www.fairstone.ie/

Fairstone UK

https://www.fairstone.co.uk/

Belfast - https://www.fairstone.co.uk/location/belfast/

Brought to you in partnership with…

McKeever Hotels:

You can purchase gift vouchers here - https://mckeeverhotels.com/

ProfileTree:

A Belfast web design, SEO, video and AI agency, founded by Ciaran Connolly in 2011, that helps businesses across Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK get found online. Ciaran speaks and trains regularly on practical AI for business, and the team now works on AI SEO, which means checking and fixing whether a business shows up when a customer asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for a recommendation.

FREE AI Visibility Check https://profiletree.com/ai-seo/

Clodagh Dunlop is a PSNI detective who had a stroke at just 35, leaving her with locked-in syndrome. Her only way to communicate was by blinking one eye. Today, she is back working full-time in a job she loves.

Clodagh shares the stroke warning signs she dismissed and why she wishes she had trusted what her body was telling her. She opens up about being able to hear and feel everything while desperately wanting to tell her mum she was going to be okay.

This conversation is about how you keep going when your life looks nothing like you planned. Clodagh talks about accepting what happened without letting it define her, learning to speak and move again, and setting small goals when the road ahead feels impossible. Sometimes, her only goal was to show up that day.

For anyone facing a life-changing diagnosis, or supporting someone through the unimaginable, this is an episode to listen to and share.

Links from Episode

Clodagh Dunlop

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/clodaghbeatinglockedin/?locale=en_GB

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/clodaghdunlopbeatinglockedin/?hl=en

NI Chest, Heart and Stroke

https://nichs.org.uk/

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McKeever Hotels:

You can purchase gift vouchers here - https://mckeeverhotels.com/