John Doran, Educator and International Speaker, Ways to Wellbeing
John Doran has been a teacher and guidance counsellor for over twenty-eight years. John is passionate about the transformative power of education to disrupt poverty and help young people do all that they can, with all that they have, in the time that they have got, in the space that they are in. John speaks to management bodies, businesses, education trusts, teachers, parents and students on the topics of resilience, EQ, well-being in the workplace, stress management, and maximizing performance both nationally and internationally. He is a TED speaker and a media contributor. He designed and delivered the SMART Training Programme (Stress Management And Resilience Training). John is also the author of ‘The Ways to Well-Being’, which is designed to help 15-18-year-olds explore how to maintain their own sense of well-being, leading to improved academic outcomes in school and a sense of accomplishment in life. Currently taught in over 180 schools in Ireland, mainland Europe and the Middle East.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter. Great to instantly communicate.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
My passion all of my working life has been empowering people to shine. To help unlock, unload and unleash the capacity, particularly of young people, to thrive and not just survive. In a world where the only certainty we lean into is that the pace of change in the future will never be slower than it is today.
So, in the workplace, how can we bring the best, rather than the stress, out of people? How can we redesign/recalibrate our education systems to be future fit to best serve young people currently being taught by processes best suited to a world that no longer exists?
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
For me, teachers touch the future through the children we teach. It’s the most important profession in the world after parenting. It’s a ministry of hope in the service of the young. It’s a calling. Life is a constant process of becoming. One stage leading to another. As an educator, as a facilitator and speaker, I get to ask questions about what’s really important in life?
We can all get weighed down by the luggage of living at times and miss out on exploring what’s vital. What might we yet become? How can we show up as the best version of ourselves? How can we shine? It’s the privilege of my career to help enable a conversation between one generation and another around what’s really important in life. Education of not just the head, but the heart.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
We spend so much of our lives worrying about what other people think of us. Sometimes sacrificing our own path, hopes and dreams on the alter of others perceived expectations or judgements. So, the best advice I ever received was when you are worried about what other people are thinking of you - don’t worry. They are not thinking of you. Follow your path and be true to yourself.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
The very word inspire means to breathe life into. What helps me move forward is to endeavour each day to live a life of significance rather than success. To be the best that I can be, with all that I have in the time that I have got. We sometimes seduce ourselves into thinking that we have an infinite number of tomorrows. The acute awareness that there is more behind me than in front motivates me not to get bogged down in the thick surf of small things. To keep the main thing, the main thing. To grow, serve and contribute. The essence of happiness, in my view.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Of making a difference in the lives of young people. Of being that one good adult in the life of a person when they needed that helping hand, a listening ear or an encouraging word. Of reminding those that I encounter that when the world says you are not good enough - get a second opinion. Belief in yourself costs nothing - and all of us, irrespective of circumstance, can afford it.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
LinkedIn. Meeting people face to face or through channels such as Twitter. It’s about connection in a world where we have connections a mile wide but an inch deep. Genuine face time will always beat FaceTime for me.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Curiosity and appreciation that everyone you meet has something to teach you. An awareness that no experience is wasted, if you learn from it and a growing appreciation, that some of the greatest gifts of growth come wrapped in sandpaper. Life is rarely a graceful leap from height to height, and you can distil disappointments and defeat into life lessons that would not have yielded to you otherwise. So, a good mindset and attitude are all.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That people are very willing to help you if you ask them. Asking for help far from flying a flag of weakness is actually the greatest superpower that any of us possesses. No less potent for being hidden in plain sight.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Professor Sheelagh Drudy, formerly of Maynooth University who was one of my magic makers. Who believed in me when even I didn’t believe in me. Also, my primary school teacher Ms. Holmes who taught me an immortal life lesson in ten words with only tau letters in each. If it is to be, it is up to me.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Helping promote the work of the Make a Wish foundation and helping make wishes come through for young people is a passion. Plus working with Cycle Against Suicide to promote positive mental for all.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
There have been many blessings in disguise amidst the obvious pain of the pandemic for me. The chance to pause, to slow down. To reconnect to friends and family and what’s important amidst the constant digital din of ding and ping of devices. To go outside to nature and remind myself that nearly everything works better if you unplug it for a while, including me! There is no WiFi in nature… but a much better signal and connection.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
A continuing source of inspiration to me and a mentor to many is the Patrician. Br. Aengus Kavanagh, who has been such a passionate pioneer for education in Sydney, and a powerful champion and advocate for young people. He continues to leave a living legacy in the many who owe his service a huge debt of gratitude. Of which there are many in Australia and beyond.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Be authentic. Be you. Believe in yourself. Take the leap... the net will find you... and ask for help. Make your vulnerability a superpower.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
A lack of belief in themselves or surrounding themselves with dream stealers. The negative naysayers who in a land of milk and honey would point out gleefully the calories and cholesterol! ;).
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
“If it is to be, it is up to me.”
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Pickford’s removal company. Mark Taylor MD went undercover, recognized that staff were not being treated or rewarded well and did something about it. He listened and acted.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Many people spend the whole of their short lives trying to climb and cling to the top of the tree before they discover they were barking up the wrong one! So success, to me, is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have done the best you can with the ability you have. You didn’t die with the music still in you.