The Left Turn
Education
Business
Malcolm Eadie
The Left Turn, hosted by Malcolm Eadie, interviews people from all walks of life who have had unusual career changes and explores their experiences and stories to uncover useful insights and inspiration to anyone contemplating their own career Left Turn. As host of the podcast, i've had a number of my own Left Turns over the last 20 years - from lawyer into wine sales into beer marketing, into architecture and construction and now pursuing organisational coaching and leadership development - I'm curious to know what makes people change careers, how they deal with the challenges along the way, and seize the opportunities that are there when you make a leap.
Total 10 episodes
1
From American government might to modular housing: John Avrett
This week's guest is John Avrett, who worked for over 15 years in two of the world's largest and most powerful institutions - the US military and the US State Department - before starting his own business in the Phillipines with a vision to manufacture homes at a speed and quality that will help solve the current housing crisis faced in the US (and Australia and beyond). To learn about John's follow-up advice to his younger self - he recommends reading the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz:Be impeccable with your wordDon't make assumptionsDon't take anything personallyAlways try your besthttps://www.miguelruiz.com/the-four-agreementsFrom the show:Hive Modular - John's start-up housing company innovating in building quality homes at speed https://www.instagram.com/hive_modularFriday Night Lights - https://amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/feb/06/best-sports-shows-watch-to-watch-friday-night-lights-streaming
46:3803/11/2024
From laughs to the law: Craig Evans
This week's episode is a conversation with Craig Evans who shares his unique journey from a career in comedy and radio broadcasting to deciding to go back to uni in his mid 30s and become a commercial lawyer. Craig reflects on his early years at a performing arts high school, his love of performance and the life skills it gave him, before deciding to take on a whole new intellectual challenge by pursuing a career in the legal profession. I've known plenty of ex lawyers doing something different with their lives, but not many ex comedians turned lawyers - so Craig's story is fairly unique!
54:1920/10/2024
From the Pilbara to the Podwaves: Lauren McWhirter
This week's guest is Lauren McWhirter who grew up with a dogged desire to be a helicopter pilot in the Australian Navy, but ended up working in the Pilbara as a geologist on an iron ore mine during the heady heights of the Australian mining boom.Lauren's career left turn took her from mining into radio broadcasting, including stints as a breakfast radio host, before she moved behind the microphone to produce shows for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as becoming a professional podcast producer just as the podcasting boom has taken off.Lauren shares her experience transitioning from the Pilbara to producer with honesty and a lot of humour and plenty of fab stories - from almost ruining the magic of Christmas for the people of Dubbo, to how she dealt with Donald Trump's curveball.
57:1406/10/2024
From anatomy to the Archibald: Julian Meagher
This week's guest is Julian Meagher, a doctor turned successful professional artist - including a five time finalist in Australia's most famous art prize, the Archibald, and having his work exhibited extensively around the world.Julian discusses his journey from a creative family to pursuing a career in medicine and eventually committing fully to following his lifelong passion for painting. Jules is open and honest about the ups and downs of making a career in art, with some surprising insights (at least for me) about what it takes to hone your skills as an artist.Jules also went back to medicine one day a week a few years ago, assisting in surgery, and speaks beautifully about the joy of helping other people and how his work in art and medicine complement each other.
01:02:1922/09/2024
Making your way through the big leagues - Reggie Duvalsaint
This week's guest on the Left Turn is Reggie Duvalsaint, an American who gave up a job at the HSBC bank after falling in love with hot dog vending. Reggie is currently a pursuing a goal to be the first person to work at all baseball, American Football and Ice hockey stadiums in the professional leagues of MLB, NFL, and NHL. Reggie's story has been covered extensively by US sports media through the lens of his record attempt, but in the Left Turn he talks about what it feels like to free yourself from the idea of what you should be doing, and just follow your passions to find your "thing".
42:3308/09/2024
Rugby's renaissance man - Ross Nesdale
This week’s guest is Ross Nesdale, currently working as a real estate agent in the competitive property market of Sydney but who made travelled across the world in his early 20s to make his name as professional rugby player, playing international rugby for Ireland and then coaching the most famous rugby team in the world, the NZ All Blacks.But Ross’s career story is more than just about rugby, and now in his 50s he talks with passion and excitement about the opportunity of still having at least one or two more career adventures up his sleeve.Themes that emerge from my conversations with Ross:* a combination of curiosity and courage to keep learning and growing can create colourful career chapters - Ross is still testing himself now he in his 50s, following passions and finding ways to keep having career adventures. * leveraging a number of standout strengths that Ross leveraged from an early age, honed during rugby but that continue to serve him in his career today * consistently creating opportunities for himself by putting himself out there and asking people to give him a chance to have a crack at doing something different
01:03:2925/08/2024
From marketing to metallurgy - Caroline Hugall
UPDATED AUDIOThis week's Left Turn guest is Caroline Hugall who had a 20 year career as a marketing executive in London, New York and Sydney, working on famous brands including Dove, Oreos, Cadbury, and NRMA.With three young kids and dealing with the challenges of working and parenting through Covid in Sydney, Caroline decided she need make a change and went from her high-flying corporate life to the foundry floor by taking over the running of her father's metal casting business in Western Sydney.Key insights that Caroline talks about in more depth :how her natural character strength of curiosity helped her quickly learn the ins and outs of manufacturing and find ways to improve how it operated the value a big change can give you in generating new perspective and insight about yourself and others important role of mentors who can help you navigate the challenges of a new industry through practical advicethe self-confidence to be gained by working out of your comfort zone - understanding what you're truly capable of.Refreshed and renewed in her role as Chief Strategy Officer for a leading media agency, Caroline's story is also a real inspiration for anyone worried that if you change career you are closing the door on what went before - in reality you can return to what you did, but rather than going "back" you're actually going forward by using the fresh perspective gained and seeing opportunities and problems in a new light.
48:0511/08/2024
Trailer - The Left Turn - a new podcast series of career change conversations
The Left Turn, hosted by Malcolm Eadie, interviews people from all walks of life who have had unusual career changes and explores their experiences and stories to uncover useful insights and inspiration to anyone contemplating their own career Left Turn. As host of the podcast, i've had a number of my own Left Turns over the last 20 years - from lawyer into wine sales into beer marketing, into architecture and construction and now pursuing organisational coaching and leadership development - I'm curious to know what makes people change careers, how they deal with the challenges along the way, and seize the opportunities that are there when you make a leap.
01:3102/08/2024
Many strings to her racquet - Taylor Ng
Welcome to the first episode of the Left Turn - a podcast about career change conversations. In this episode I talk to Taylor Ng, an American who started her post college career in the competitive world of investment banking before deciding to pick up her tennis racquet again and join the even more competitive world of women's professional tennis tour....just before COVID started.Taylor shares how her love for tennis as a youngster, among a raft of other sports, propelled her to being an All-American Ivy league champion while at Dartmouth College, before using her economics and social anthropology double major (what a combo!) to take up an internship in investment banking. Coming to end of a successful 2 year internship at the bank, she decided it was now or never to give professional tennis a red hot go. After successfully climbing the rankings and winning singles titles in Mexico and Finland, Taylor talks about the uncertainty of life on the road, where best laid plans can be thrown in the air depending on whether you win or lose. After 4 years on the road, she has recently decided to make her next move and is studying software engineering and working out where that career path might take her.Taylor reveals her "character" strengths she's leveraged across her careers so far, how important building and maintaining networks has been to supporting her career goals, and how its often "sliding doors" moments that can lead to new opportunities - you've just got to be ready to take them when they come.
01:05:1628/07/2024
Piloting through career ups and downs - Paul Winnister
This week's Left Turn guest is Paul Winnister, a combat pilot turned transformation and change expert who also has his own consultancy helping develop corporate leaders.Paul spent 15 years in the British RAF learning how to lead teams in the life or death pressure situations of combat missions during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Paul clearly thrived in the camaraderie and culture of the RAF, so when he decided that it was time to find a new career challenge, the shift into corporate life was not an easy one. Paul is very open and honest about those personal challenges, and how he navigated his way through his loss of identity when he was no longer a pilot.Paul talks expansively about his subject matter expertise, which is leading under pressure, but also reveals what he has learned about humility and curiosity being two of the key traits that have helped him succeed across his career changes, and how being a generalist rather than a specialist brings important advantages to managing complex and unambiguous situations - like a change in career.
59:2528/07/2024