

Kickoff Sessions
Darren Lee
Weekly podcast episodes with the sharpest minds in the world to help you live a richer & more fulfilling life. Previous guests include Luke Belmar, Justin Waller, Sahil Bloom, Gad Saad, Peter Schiff, Stirling Cooper, Jack Hopkins, Sadia Khan, Matt Gray, Daniel Priestley, Richard Cooper, Justin Welsh, Arlin Moore and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 15, 2021 • 45min
#42 Kris Holmes – Ignite Your Career & Develop a Strong Network
Kris Holmes is the author of the best-selling book, Ignite Your Career, Strategies and Tactics to Unleash Your Potential. The information in the book was built during Kris's 25+ years at O’Connell Group where she placed more than 1000 candidates and counselled more than 20,000 on how to navigate their careers. Kris's book is aimed at students graduating college to people changing careers or those just seeking to move up in their industry and needing to dust off their resume and build their interview skills.After a foundational decade in marketing, Kris joined O’Connell Group in 1995. In her 25 years as an executive recruiter, she have been passionate about building strong productive relationships, acting as a trusted advisor and mentor, while building her clients’ business and candidates’ careers. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:16) Kris Holmes background (08:08) Skills for beginning your career (13:10) Building your skills & experience (18:00) Developing a strong network (25:12) Changing careers & industries (31:28) Transition courses & further education (36:40) Moving up & progressing in your career (44:52) Outro__________________________________________Launch your own podcast with Buzzsprout and receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1469641Today is a great day to start your own podcast. Whether you're looking for a new marketing channel, have a message you want to share with the world, or just think it would be fun to have your own show. Podcasting is an easy, inexpensive, and enjoyable way to expand your reach online.Buzzsprout is hands down the easiest and best way to launch, promote, and track your podcast. Your show can be online and listed in all the major podcast directories (like Apple, Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more) within minutes of finishing your recording.__________________________________________Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!Subscribe to Kickoff Sessions's new YouTube channel!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

Jun 8, 2021 • 28min
#41 The Happy Pear – The Importance of Doing What You Love
The Happy Pear started out back in 2004 with a small veg shop and a big dream. Dave & Steve Flynn had been travelling on opposite sides of the world and they both switched to a plant based diet within a week of each other. The Happy Pear seed was sown.The brand has slowly been building for 14 years. First came the shop, then the cafe, followed by the farm, the product range and the roastery. Then came the learning with both online and classroom Happy Heart Courses. Lastly, the digital avalanche; Part of Jamie Olivers Foodtube network, a successful Youtube channel, multiple digital awards as well as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and everything in between.KS Media:📞 Accelerate Your Podcast Today: https://bit.ly/3LtOhG9🚀 Launch & Scale Your Podcast: https://bit.ly/3RQ8QPD(00:00) Partnership: KS Media(01:42) Introduction(02:02) Travelling & founding of The Happy Pear (08:46) Change and internal growth (10:56) Learnings from starting a company (13:12) Doing things you love (18:23) Learnings from COVID-19 (20:57) Turning negatives into positives (22:55) Reevaluating and making changes (28:07) OutroPlease leave a review:- Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36RrL9Y- Apple: https://apple.co/3uCwViFSocials:- YouTube: https://bit.ly/3HleVy2- Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EE3FuG- Apple: https://apple.co/32ArW7D- LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3FCS3JA- TikTok: https://bit.ly/314iZD6Services:- Career mentoring: https://bit.ly/3FCS3JA- Podcast consulting: https://bit.ly/3aYzm5w- Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3JqwkXASupport the show

Jun 2, 2021 • 45min
#40 Conor Carlson – How to Plan Your Training & Nutrition After Lockdown
Conor Carlson is a bodybuilder and co-founder of Accomplish Fitness, providing online physique coaching, tailored training and nutrition for clients. Conor has a BSc in Sports Science and MSc in Sports Management from University College Dublin. Bodybuilding has been a major component of Conor’s life and after university he made the difficult decision to concentrate entirely on training and online coaching. Conor has competed as a muscle model since 2016 and in 2018 won his pro card to become the Pure Elite Overall World Champion. Listen to my first episode with Conor Carlson on high performance here. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(02:27) Returning to a gym environment (06:26) How to build a training routine (10:59) Having patience, recovery & injury (14:10) How to set realistic expectations (17:27) Building cardio into your routine (22:33) Creating a tailored nutrition plan (32:21) How to plan a bulking phase correctly (37:05) Conor's training schedule(42:35) Summary of training & nutrition (44:12) Outro__________________________________________Launch your own podcast with Buzzsprout and receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1469641Today is a great day to start your own podcast. Whether you're looking for a new marketing channel, have a message you want to share with the world, or just think it would be fun to have your own show. Podcasting is an easy, inexpensive, and enjoyable way to expand your reach online.Buzzsprout is hands down the easiest and best way to launch, promote, and track your podcast. Your show can be online and listed in all the major podcast directories (like Apple, Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more) within minutes of finishing your recording.__________________________________________Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!Subscribe to Kickoff Sessions's new YouTube channel! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

May 25, 2021 • 1h 4min
#39 Daniel Mauro – Lessons From The Military, Market Bubbles, Equities & Bitcoin
Daniel Mauro is a portfolio manager with Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor and has been actively involved in financial markets since 2000. Dan received a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Nuclear Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1998. He served as an artillery officer in the United States Army from 1998 to 2002, serving in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2002, Daniel joined Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor and in 2005 received a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has extensive experience working with option trading firms at the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Capitalizing on his mathematics and science background, Dan specializes in quantitative investment techniques. In addition to managing investment portfolios, Daniel has traded extensively in equities, commodities, futures, and options.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:21) Daniel Mauro's background(09:07) Lessons from the military in markets (17:17) History repeating in financial markets(19:47) Market bubbles & crashes (24:28) Peak of equities(26:32) Inflation & rising bond yields (30:23) Protecting a portfolio from inflation & bond yields (32:57) Commodities, gold, silver & oil(38:55) Cryptocurrency & bitcoin (47:31) Store of value & Elon Musk (49:48) Institutions & bitcoin (1:01:15) Outro__________________________________________Launch your own podcast with Buzzsprout and receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1469641Today is a great day to start your own podcast. Whether you're looking for a new marketing channel, have a message you want to share with the world, or just think it would be fun to have your own show. Podcasting is an easy, inexpensive, and enjoyable way to expand your reach online.Buzzsprout is hands down the easiest and best way to launch, promote, and track your podcast. Your show can be online and listed in all the major podcast directories (like Apple, Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more) within minutes of finishing your recording.__________________________________________Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

May 18, 2021 • 52min
#38 Graham Allcott – How to Improve Your Productivity
Graham Allcott is founder of Think Productive, host of the Beyond Busy Podcast and author of several books including How to be a Productivity Ninja and How to Fix Meetings.Think Productive offers practical support to organisations that aim to increase productivity. Graham helps employees to beat stress, increase engagement and develop actionable, productive momentum, through in-house workshops and at-desk coaching sessions.In the age of information overload, traditional time management techniques don’t cut it anymore. How to be a Productivity Ninja uses techniques including ruthlessness, mindfulness and practical advice to work smarter, getting more done and learning to enjoy what you do.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:03) Graham Allcott's background(08:00) Managing levels of attention (11:13) Optimizing your productivity (13:31) Overcoming procrastination (20:45) Deadlines & stress management (26:52) Managing meetings, emails & workload (34:03) Jeff Bezos & productivity (38:33) Management styles & communication (51:19) OutroFollow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

May 11, 2021 • 47min
#37 Neal Schaffer – How to Build & Monetize Your Personal Brand
Neal Schaffer is a digital marketing expert, podcast host, author, and lecturer in areas of digital and social media marketing. Neal is a guest lecturer to executives at Rutgers Business School, the Irish Management Institute, and the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. Some areas of expertise include influencer marketing, social selling, digital transformation of sales and marketing, social media strategy and content marketing.Neal is the author of three books on social media including The Age of Influence educating the why and how every business should leverage the potential of influencer marketing. Check out Neal’s podcast, Maximize Your Social Influence where Neal presents his views on all things social and digital.Our conversation deconstructs the value in building a personal brand to support your digital identity. Neal discusses how to begin creating content to share with your audience and monetize your personal brand. We discuss the difficult nature in publishing content and how to actively work on areas of public speaking and writing amongst many others. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction (02:43) Neal Schaffer's background (07:36) Strategic pivoting & new opportunities (11:14) The importance of a personal brand(14:47) How to build a personal brand (18:52) Leveraging the content of experts(23:00) Sharing your perspective & experiences(27:12) How to monetize your personal brand (32:23) The influence of Instagram & partnerships (38:32) How to become an effective communicator (41:37) Becoming multilingual & challenges(46:35) Outro Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

May 4, 2021 • 50min
#36 Darragh Lucey – Utilising Subject Matter Expertise, Outsourcing & The Risk/Reward Paradigm
Darragh Lucey is cofounder of Yooni, alongside his best friend and business partner Nathan Mayes. Yooni is a machine learning career guidance tool which simplifies the university course searching process. The youthful and vibrant platform uses machine learning, Yooni's Assessment Tool and Yooni Fit that enables students to discover their best-fit university courses.Darragh is also the founder of Grade Academy which aims to transform the way Leaving Certificate students study. Grade Academy is an online platform that provides tuition in the form of concise and exam-driven revision courses that students can access on any device, anywhere, anytime.We discuss how to utilize subject matter expertise to create products that are aligned to your experience. Darragh discusses his founder’s journey, the struggles, and challenges to manage your workload and excel in a variety of fields. We exchange some thoughts on the primary elements behind successful entrepreneurs, professionals, and the steps to take to begin your journey. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction (02:28) Darragh Lucey's background (06:31) Access to university information (09:14) Career advice & data insights (13:19) Building a platform & minimal viable products (17:10) Machine learning & data science platforms (20:50) Outsourcing advantages & responsibility(25:42) Working in the business versus on the business (29:50) Advantages of cofounder relationships (33:36) Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl(36:13) The Strangest Secret & Alan Watts(39:24) Drive & determination in entrepreneurship (43:10) Risks/reward paradigm & long term thinking (46:10) Competitiveness & hard work Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

Apr 27, 2021 • 45min
#35 Paddy Ryder – Identifying Market Opportunities, Balancing Side Projects & Creating Value
Paddy Ryder is cofounder of Covid Interns, a social enterprise established to connect businesses with university students and graduates to help combat the commercial challenges of Covid-19. Paddy is a recent graduate from Trinity College Dublin and currently pursuing a masters in Finance & Accounting in Imperial College London.Covid Interns has placed over 300 students into internships by scaling operations to 50+ universities worldwide, onboarding over 2000 organisations and students in the process. Placements now consist of a mix of short term projects, internships and full time graduate positions that have taken place across Ireland, UK, Germany, France, New York and Singapore.Our conversation deconstructs the business model behind Covid Interns as we share our experiences in a rapidly evolving job market. We discuss how to balance side projects with your career and the value this creates. Lastly, Paddy and I dig into topics such as learning, productivity and time management. Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:33) Paddy Ryder's background & Covid Interns(06:54) Cancelled internships & job demand(11:21) Covid Interns application process(14:29) Supply shrinkage & demand shocks(17:22) Expansion, organic growth & marketing(20:30) Content deficit vs. content abundant platforms (24:10) Hiring experts & outsourcing(27:00) Accessing options & balancing side projects(32:00) Neuroplasticity & learning(35:19) Fear of failure & managing expectations(39:04) Productivity tipsFollow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

Apr 20, 2021 • 52min
#34 Colin Bryar – Creating Scalable Processes, Customer Centric Focus & Working Backwards
Colin Bryar joined Amazon in 1998, four years after its founding and spent the next 12 years as part of Amazon's senior leadership team as Amazon grew from a domestic seller of books to a global, multi-dimensional powerhouse and innovator. Colin served as Vice President at Amazon, and for two years was Chief of Staff to Jeff Bezos working directly with him advising on technical and business areas.After Amazon, Colin relocated to Singapore where he served as Chief Operating Officer of the e-commerce company RedMart, which was subsequently sold to Alibaba. Colin is now co-founder of Working Backwards LLC where he coaches executives at both large and early-stage companies on how to implement the management practices developed at Amazon.Check out Colin’s new book, Working Backwards which is an insider's break down of Amazon's approach to culture, leadership, and best practices: https://amzn.to/3t9wFWbOur conversation discusses the principles applied by Amazon to achieve rapid growth from the early stages. We discuss the factors which make a company truly successful from scalability and operationalisation to the product development lifecycle and customer obsession. Lastly, Colin offers his advice for young professionals navigating their career at the moment.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(03:52) Colin Bryar's background & Working Backwards(07:15) Amazon & Jeff Bezos/scalability/long term strategy(10:22) Customer centric focus/competitive edge/leadership principles(13:11) How to scale successfully/creating & inventing(17:22) Single threaded leader & Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) (21:33) Taking risks/failure/product development lifecycle(26:56) Defining metrics & success criteria(29:48) Core principles & repeatable processes(32:37) Competition/capital/finding a niche(35:51) COVID-19 shift towards e-commerce/Brexit/regulation(40:57) Careers advice/building on your interests/passions(47:30) When to change company & find new challengesFollow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show

Apr 13, 2021 • 48min
#33 Simon Ree – Building a Network, Passions, Learning From Mistakes & Managing Fear
Simon Ree is a best selling author, options trader and senior finance and investment professional with over 28 years of experience with leading global investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and Credit Suisse. He has significant experience across all major asset classes in areas of equities, derivatives and fixed income. Other specialties of Simon include asset allocation, wealth management and portfolio management.Simon recently published his first book, The Tao of Trading, which focuses on building wealth and managing risk by learning the techniques and processes to trade effectively. His book has consistently ranked amongst the best selling trading and investing books on Amazon. Check out Simon’s book here: https://amzn.to/39l9WP8 Our conversation focused on the soft and hard skills required to break into competitive roles of all industries. We discuss the full end to end process such as the initial application, interviewing, and career progression once in prestigious companies. Lastly, Simon discusses the principles of options trading, risk management and steps to take to build an investment strategy that is aligned to your personal preferences. ⏺️ Voics: https://www.voics.co/🎙️ Podcast University: https://bit.ly/3Dqip2S🎤 Podcast Accelerator: https://bit.ly/3f1ir81📞 Schedule Free Call: https://bit.ly/3GsNyTU Follow Kickoff Sessions on Spotify to keep updated with new sessions!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the session on Instagram or leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts. Tell everyone I'm a semi-decent guy and it really helps to grow the show!For show notes and more episodes, visit Kickoff Sessions website. Sign up to the Kickoff Sessions email list for regular updates and content.Follow me on LinkedInFollow Kickoff Sessions on LinkedInSupport the growth of Kickoff SessionsSupport the music artist FarsiThank you internet people!Support the show


