#171 - Jack Kavanagh
Jack Kavanagh - Pharmacist, Speaker and on the Board of Directors of the National Disability Authority
This episode was brought to you by Hauora - a performance wellbeing growth partner. Hauora aims to educate and impact individual and organisational culture to ignite health, wellbeing, and performance. Find out more at www.HauoraLife.com
Description
Today we spoke with Jack Kavanagh - Pharmacist, Speaker and on the Board of Directors of the National Disability Authority. Every so often you have a conversation that changes you, that makes you reflect on perspective...this was one of those conversations.
In 2012 Jack suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury leaving him with 15% muscle function. Jack has challenged the perceived limitations of his situation every day since, with the question being 'why not me?', rather than 'why me?'. In 2014 Jack gave the acclaimed TEDx Talk “Fearless Like A Child, Overcoming Adversity” - watch it. Jack has also received several international awards for his documentary Breaking Boundaries. As a Pharmacist, Speaker and Facilitator Jack is passionate about the value of health and wellbeing as drivers for business performance coupled with cultivating diverse and inclusive environments, where people belong and are valued. He hosts the 'Only Human Podcast', and is part of the board of directors of the National Disability Authority and Center for Excellence in Universal Design, as well as the leadership development organisation 'Common Purpose Ireland'.
Today we listened to Jack's story, his life in school and his changing of identity over time. Jack unpacked navigating the world now, how life rewards effort...and why vulnerability and kindness are so important. In the darkest of times, Jack chose his response, and showed strength and courage - we can all take something from today. Listen through deeply, and again even!
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In this episode we discuss 🗣
🌟 Removing the victim label in challenging times
⛰ Having an adventurous sense from a young age
💪 Life Rewards Effort
🧠 Adopting a growth mindset
⭐ Overcoming perceived limitations
😓 Why showing vulnerability is so important
Key Timestamps
(1:09) - Having a sense of adventure from a young age
(2:05) - Being emotionally attuned to people and being diagnosed with dyslexia
(2:56) - Teachers ingraining a growth mindset in Jack
(3:28) - Getting it wrong but trying again
(3:53) - Life rewards effort
(5:14) - Pushing out against the limits of the comfort zone
(6:17) - Learning to be less critical of self and self-thoughts
(8:50) - Words that best describe Jack
(9:50) - Building perspective with distance and reflection
(11:44) - Setting and measuring success for you
(14:17) - Being in a difficult environment
(15:51) - Sharing vulnerability and sharing strength
(16:33) - What resilience truly looks like
(18:18) - Having a sudden awareness of being alive
(19:15) - Experiencing a life-changing spinal cord injury
(21:10) - Finding strength in a moment of immense adversity
(22:12) - Shifting out of a victim scenario
(26:00) - Choosing a manual wheelchair for motivation
(32:20) - Studying health from a broader perspective
(33:20) - Creating environments for people to be their authentic self
(35:30) - What does high performance mean to you?