Don't let fear hold you back - with Joanna Murphy, COO of Connect Ireland.

Joanna has a very original career, having started and sold businesses before becoming an "intrapreneur".

Don't let fear hold you back - with Joanna Murphy, COO of Connect Ireland.

This eighth episode is about fearlessness and the difficult but exciting path to success. My special guest is Joanna Murphy, COO of ConnectIreland. Joanna has extraordinary energy and my only regret is that I couldn't record a video of this interview. She has a very original life path, having started and sold businesses before becoming an "intrapreneur".

I'm very excited to bring you this new podcast format, in which I interview some of the amazing people whose path I have been blessed to cross. I have many more fascinating guests coming up, and I'm curious what you think of this format!

Savvy Women Podcast Episode 8 (41.24 MB)

In this eighth episode, I talk to Joanna Murphy about her role as COO of ConnectIreland. ConnectIreland is an amazing organization whose objective is to bring more jobs to Ireland. Anybody (yes, even you - especially you!) can register as a "connector". Whenever a connector hears about a foreign company that might be interested in expanding into Europe, they get in touch with ConnectIreland. ConnectIreland then gets in touch with the foreign company and makes a compelling case for Ireland. The results are astounding, as you'll hear in the interview: right now there are 42,000 connectors, from all paths of life, keeping an ear to the ground for Ireland - and 1,000 jobs have been announced.

Look for the best that can happen

Joanna goes back to the very beginning of ConnectIreland: three years ago there was no digital wall in Dublin Airport, there were no connectors, ConnectIreland was starting from scratch with zero connections. Hear the amazing story of how they planned for success and overcame all the hurdles - even though the phones weren't exacty ringing off the hook in the beginning! By focusing on the best that can happen, you often see all the opportunities that are waiting for you.

The recipe for success lies in failure

Joanna has a very personal take on failure: she makes no bones about all the failures she has had herself. After all, she says, you learn more from failure than from success. I also ask her about fear: does she feel fear? Not at all, she says. She is hardwired to see the possibilities and go after them and not worry about the what-ifs. Listen in for her take on not letting fear hold you back.

What it really means to follow your passion

Joanna is a dyed-in-the-wool entrepreneur: if it was all smooth sailing she wouldn't be interested, she says! She loves beginnings, when everything is a challenge. Very interestingly, this is what she is passionate about. So if you think you still have to find your passion before you can follow it, remember that being passionate can also apply to building relationships, leading a team or coming up with original ideas: these passions can find an application in any walk of life and any job.

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Resources mentioned in the podcast:

ConnectIreland's website: ConnectIreland.com

Their Twitter handle is @ConnectIreland

The IDA is the Industrial Development Agency. Find out more at IdaIreland.com

I write a monthly column for the Irish Post

I'm an active member of IIBN, the Irish International Business Network.

Read more about the GROW model for setting goals on my blog at The Positive Economist.

I'd love to hear your feedback by email or on Twitter

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