Introduction
I’ve been lucky over the last number of years to have some great conversations. These have often inspired me around areas of animal health and beyond. So, I said, why not start having more of them and sharing some of these inspiring stories of people in agriculture.
I also want to challenge my thinking and who knows, even occasionally, the status quo.
So I’m giving #Aginspire conversations a go for a few months.
The aim is simple “To have conversations with interesting people doing inspiring things in agriculture.”
This week I catch up with Dr. Des Rice, someone who I have been hugely influenced by myself. A veterinary surgeon who spent his early career working in nutrition and diagnostics, he has spent the last 15 years as an executive coach. In 2004 he received an OBE, and in 2017, he received an Alumni Award from UCD for his role in agriculture. Des is very humble when it comes to recognition and his message his own story is about triumph in the face of personal adversity.
He is a remarkable person who, through his work, has made a considerable difference to the people he has worked with.
His interest in the development of people and coaching has seen him transform businesses and people. Now retired, he is concentrating on his charity work with www.lifeskilz.co.uk and the ambitious goal of training 500 mentors in the next five years, to go into schools and sporting clubs to teach children how to stay calm and master their emotions.
Des is a person whose spirit, passion, and enthusiasm are infectious, and through his work, continues to make a difference.
We discuss:
His early career and journey
The lessons he has learned along the way through good and bad experiences
The power of goal setting and listening
Managing our reptilian brain
He fondly also remembers his wife, Anne, who sadly passed away last year.
After talking to Des I was reminded of the quote
Be the change you want to see in the world
WATCH HERE: