
I Love My Job
I remember that feeling when I left university, wondering what I should do for a living. I wasn't drawn to anything in particular at that point (the inspiration came much later) and I wish someone had sat me down and said "take your time, it's a big decision, and don't let money be your only guide." In this podcast, we listen to people who have embarked on a career that means something to them. Not just a job, but a vocation. Some have known all along it was what they wanted to do, and others have changed direction mid-career. What is life like when your job feels like a part of who you are?
Episodes
22 episodes
Nigel - guitar maker
Today I’m talking to Nigel Forster, who builds guitars for a living. He did his apprenticeship with Stefan Sobell, who is considered one of the best in the world at his craft. After working under Stefan, Nigel set up his own guitar-making works...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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39:18

Angie - yoga teacher
Today I’m talking to Angie, who’s been a yoga teacher for the past 10 years. About a year ago, Angie set up her own yoga studio in Edinburgh with two good friends and I’ve been taking her classes there for the last few months. I liked Angie str...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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19:38

Chef Jean-Pierre
Today I'm talking to Chef Jean-Pierre, who I found out about when a friend put me on to his YouTube channel. He demonstrates how to cook anything from classic French onion soup to the perfect steak, and strawberry tart.At last count he had ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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36:57

Tim - mountain guide
Today I'm talking to Tim, who after working his way through different jobs in the travel industry, took a leap of faith 10 years ago to become a freelance mountain guide. Tim leads groups of either adults or school children in place...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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39:25

Zoë - oil industry helicopter pilot
Today I’m talking to Zoë, who flies helicopters to transport people from Aberdeen in Scotland to offshore oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Before moving over to commercial flying, Zoë was in the military, having trained at the highly-reg...
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38:14

Victoria - director/producer
Today I’m talking to Victoria Watson, creative producer at Eyebolls, her own animation company in Scotland. Eyebolls creates things like cinema ads and short films using live action (real people) or animation. It sounds like Victoria was hooked...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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27:42

Niamh and Mark - French cycling lodge owners
Today I’m talking to Niamh and Mark, who realised a long-held dream when in December 2017 they took over the Pyrenees Cycling Lodge in France, right near the border with Spain.Tucked away in a picturesque village, the lodge has breathta...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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41:55

John - pianist
Today I’m talking to John Flinders, who is a classically-trained pianist who graduated from York University and then the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He was drawn to the idea of being on stage with other musicians, working tog...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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50:15

Rebecca - singer
Today I'm talking to Rebecca Roger Cruz, a Venezuelan singer, songwriter, and vocal coach. Rebecca lives in France and I saw her perform in December as part of the group Aa'in (Rebecca plus a Venezuelan guitarist and a Colombian musician, who s...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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30:20

Stan - executive jet pilot
Today I’m talking to Stan Medved.Stan has quite an unusual job. He works for a large global company that has its own three business jets to fly the company’s executives around the world. Stan is not only one of the pilots, he's also in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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36:33

Adam - semi professional squash player & coach
Today I'm talking to Adam Turner, who started playing squash when he was six years old and basically hasn’t stopped since. He was clearly a talented and motivated young player because he reached no. 1 in England for under 13s and then again for...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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30:45

Orissa - paediatric physiotherapist
I met Orissa in July when I rode a few stages of the Tour de France (which I talk about in the episode Something a Little Different). Orissa was one of the physios looking after us as cyclists and she did that work to take a quick breather from...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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37:30

Scott - physio & bike fitter
Scott lives in one of the most stunning parts of the world - Chamonix, France. He works for himself as a physiotherapist and bike fitter and has done some very impressive long-distance, self-supported bike races and solo bike adventures around ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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41:14

Pierre - therapeutic clown
Meet Pierre, who talks in this interview about how laughing can be an escape from the difficulties of life and how, as he said, love is joy. Pierre's clown character is Anatol, someone who Pierre says has a big heart. But I think it is Pierre w...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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34:03

Suzie and Diane - therapeutic clowns
I first met a therapeutic clown a couple of years ago and I was captivated as he described what his work was about - walking into a hospital room in clown character, with his heart on his sleeve, and inviting the child in front of him to put as...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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41:23

Tim - IT entrepreneur
Tim built the company Innovatise from scratch with his business partner and today the apps the company has developed attract 2.1 million users per month. He started his career with IBM and went on to work for Intel in Silicon Valley. Once back ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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45:28

Something a little different ...
You might have noticed that there haven't been any new episodes for a while ... I have been distracted in July in the best possible way as I put normal life on hold and cycled seven stages of the 2022 Tour de France with a group of other amateu...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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31:46

Golda - theatre/opera surtitle translator
Golda Fischer grew up speaking three languages - German, Hungarian and English. She also grew up with a love for the theatre and she has managed to combine both into quite an unusual job. Golda translates the surtitles that enable someone to wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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52:57

Emma - author, public speaker, coach
Emma Bell rose quickly through the ranks during her first career, becoming one of the youngest people to make partner in a law firm in Scotland. She went on to become a judge. On the back of a lightbulb moment, Emma followed her instinct and be...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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58:21

Chlöe - trainee paramedic
On the heels of my interview with Joe, meet Chlöe. Chlöe and Joe met during their ambulance technician training a year ago.I've asked both of them almost the same questions, because ultimately everyone's take on the same situat...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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55:22

Joe - trainee paramedic
This was a very special interview for me and it stayed in my mind for several days afterwards. Joe is my nephew. I have photos of him from when he was about five years old. He's now 22 and his job is genuinely to save lives. In the past, I main...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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49:32

Jean - concert clarinettist
I vividly remember my first clarinet lesson with Jean, who was there to help me prepare for a music exam. I felt very self-conscious as I played my exam pieces in front of her, a professional clarinettist, and I was pretty mortified with how I ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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31:06
