Making Feel-Good Changes. Philosophies on Luck and Risk

EP014 with Alison O'Leary & Michael Taggart

Happiness Propelled by Provocative Philosophies

Do you ever wonder how to find the courage and resilience to make big work and life-affirming changes, when those changes feel risky or hard?

If so, join me as I talk to my long-time friend, Michael Taggart, whose career and life path has seen numerous twists and turns; some chosen by him, some not.

Through a mix of employment and self-employment, he’s been a journalist on national newspapers, a comms guy for city councils, a PR for financial services companies, he’s built and run his own content marketing agency, and he now co-owns and manages a gourmet tea business with his wife Helen, suppling tea to hotels, restaurants and cafés, and running an actual bricks and mortar shop in Brighton. 

In this episode you will hear us talk about the different career shifts that Michael has made during the course of his life, and why.

Plus: we delve into the fascinating philosophies that underpin his courage, resilience and attitude to risk as he continues to chase his dreams. 

This stuff is provocative and engaging in equal measure, so without further ado click play and come listen.

In this episode Michael and I discuss

  • The twists and turns of Michael’s career path over the last 20 years, and what propelled each change.
  • Michael’s self-confessed “low tolerance for dissatisfaction”, and how this has helped shape his seeming courage and resilience.
  • Michael’s belief systems around luck, a lack of free will, a pre-determined existence, and what happens when we die, and how this impacts his choices and how he lives.
  • My philosophies on luck and life after death, and how they inform my own perspective when it comes to risk
  • How our theories and philosophies can spur us on, no matter what our belief system.
  • How Michael feels pursuing his new venture at MDTea, and how his days are now so much more satisfying because he determines his own destiny

It’s a really relaxed conversation and we cover a lot in the time we have together. Join us if you’re looking for some interesting and thought-provoking perspectives that might help you make changes that, like Michael, see you looking forward to your work days with relish!

A bit more about Michael Taggart

EP014 Guest Michael Taggart

Michael Taggart started his professional life in the 2000s as a journalist, rising through the ranks, at first, of local and regional newspapers.

Following a stint as deputy editor of a group of newspapers in Spain, he went on to work on Fleet Street for several national titles (“all the worst ones”, he says!), finally hanging up his notebook in 2005 to switch to local government communications. After six “mostly enjoyable, mostly productive” years at three city and county councils, Michael moved to Brighton, fell in love, got married and began a 10-year career in finance and tech marketing.

In perhaps his most eyebrow-raising professional move, he took over the reins at his wife’s tea company, MDTea, just over a year ago (at the time of recording), and describes his current managing director role as “the most satisfying so far”.

If you would like to discover more about Michael or would like to connect with him, please follow his LinkedIn profile, visit the MDTea online shop, or follow the behind-the-scenes comings and goings of the business on Instagram.

There is a community with this show

If you enjoy this podcast show, then you will definitely enjoy being part of the Dream Chasers Unite community.

Come and meet, learn from and be inspired by awesome, like-minded people who are on their own Dream Chaser journeys (at various stages).

Find out what’s possible, by seeing what other people are doing to determine and go after their ideal careers and lives.

Join the group here.

Questioning your options to change careers?

You may like to wander over and check out my Work Wonderland™ Course. You can use this as a temperature check to make sure that what you are thinking of, in terms of changing your work or job, makes sense.

The course and web application are a low investment to help you to confirm what you are thinking, or give you some routes that you hadn’t considered possible. Read all about it here.

Ways to watch and listen

Listen on the go, on your mobile phone:

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If you want to watch with auto-generated captions – click the captions icon on the YouTube play bar menu at the bottom of the video.