Dream In Public

Mara Pereira, former Microsoft Cloud Solutions Architect turned founder and course creator, left corporate life to help technical professionals package skills into sellable offers. She discusses testing ideas to find clarity. She explains building demand before product, evolving offers through feedback, pre-selling cohorts, and moving from hourly work to scalable products.

In this engaging conversation, Tom Spark, co-founder of Voix and a transformative coach, delves into the complexities of identity and decision-making. He emphasizes how true self-trust is built through micro-commitments rather than adhering to borrowed societal norms. Tom shares insights on high-ticket coaching and the importance of embodying your message authentically. He also discusses using daily missions to create meaning in life and advocates for long-form content to foster deeper human connections.

Darren Lee, an entrepreneur behind multiple seven-figure businesses and the founder of Aura, shares insights on the reality of building meaningful ventures. He discusses how buyers are drawn to personal stories over products and examines the importance of emotional warmth in sales. Darren also dismantles the myth of the $10K/month target, pushing for a deeper understanding of success beyond vanity metrics. He highlights the necessity of resilience and the idea that sales skills are paramount for every business marking the difference between building a business and running a charity.

Eoin Dobbin Catto, an entrepreneur and coach, shares insights from his journey in building a resilient online coaching business. He emphasizes the looming threat of AI on jobs and how mastering the skill of agency can safeguard your career. Eoin discusses overcoming fear in content creation, the importance of practical decision-making, and why comfort can be riskier than change. He also shares a unique anxiety-reducing exercise and highlights the necessity of adapting quickly in an ever-evolving business landscape.

👉 Follow the show + leave a 5-star rating to help more people become shameless dreamers and turn vision into reality.He’s delivered over a thousand talks across Ireland and Europe - but the hardest stage he ever faced was inside his own mind.Brian Downes built a career helping others lead, perform, and speak with power - all while wrestling with ADHD, anxiety, and the kind of silence that doesn’t show on camera.This isn’t a story about public speaking.It’s a story about being seen - about turning chaos into clarity and learning that the bravest thing you can ever say on stage… is the truth.In this episode, we dive into:🟧 The misunderstood gift of ADHD - and how to use it as a superpower🟧 Panic attacks, Lexapro, and the two-year war nobody saw🟧 The “F**k It Switch”: how to kill perfectionism in real time🟧 Why therapy isn’t for the broken - it’s for the brave🟧 Doing hard things on purpose: how pressure builds peace🟧 Why audiences don’t want polish - they want presenceWhether you’re leading a team or just trying to lead yourself through the noise, this one’s proof that courage isn’t found in the spotlight— it’s forged in the shadows.Follow Brian:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianpdownes/https://briandownes.com/https://www.performancenerds.com/Follow Caolan:https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/https://open.spotify.com/show/1jMeGl3yO3JJYfPWQATbSDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/

I said yes to speaking LIVE in Dublin before I really thought about it.- No slides- No plan- Just a mic, and 60 strangers(Above a pub on Clarendon Street)The kind of night that reminds you why you started any of this in the first place...- A new notch on the belt- A new flag in the ground- One for the scrapbook—Big shoutout to Daniel Metadjer for hosting such a great night. Looking forward to the next one.Follow Daniel:https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-metadjer/Check out Dublin Entrepreneurs Meetup:https://www.linkedin.com/company/dublin-entrepreneurs-meetup/posts/?feedView=allFollow Caolan:Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/

👉 Follow the show + leave a 5-star rating to help more people become shameless dreamers and turn vision into reality.What if the thing you can’t control becomes the reason you double down on the thing you can?Gary was born with Spina Bifida and been a wheelchair user most of his life. On paper, he did everything right: degree, 30-year career in IT, stability, the life most people chase.But purpose doesn’t live on paper.At 45, he asked: “Is this it?”He gave up alcohol in 2018, unlocked energy and clarity he’d never felt before, and by 2023 had left corporate behind to become a full-time coach.Now he helps people in midlife rebuild self-trust, shift habits, and discover it’s never too late to change.In this episode, we dive into:🟧 Why self-belief started at home, with parents who never treated him differently🟧 The hidden cost of 30 years in corporate (and why security can be a trap)🟧 Giving up alcohol → energy + clarity → a new chapter🟧 Why “burn the boats” is the worst advice for most people🟧 Awareness → action → acknowledgement: the real system for rebuilding self-trust🟧 Why ordinary days well-lived matter more than chasing peak moments🟧 The lie of “I’m an all-or-nothing person” — and how to flip itWhether you’re 25, 45, or 65 — this one’s proof that reinvention doesn’t have an expiry date.Follow Gary:https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachgaryallen/https://thelifedesigner.substack.com/Follow Caolan:https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/

👉 Follow the show + leave a 5-star rating to help more people become shameless dreamers and turn vision into reality.What if society’s idea of “success” is just a golden cage?Aoife spent years leading teams at Instagram/Meta, and before that IBM — the job millions would kill for.Great salary, great title, great LinkedIn… and a quiet voice that wouldn’t go away. That voice got louder until it was impossible to ignore.She left the golden cage behind and learned to fly.In this episode, we dive into:🟧 How Aoife knew it was time to leave, even when everything looked perfect🟧 Success vs. fulfilment: the golden cage vs. wild bird analogy🟧 Why “you’re so brave” often means “I’m too scared”🟧 The heaviest hat in entrepreneurship: learning sales & marketing ethically🟧 Stressed leaders are contagious🟧 Food as fuel (or poison): beating brain fog, energy crashes & burnout🟧 Testing that tells the truth: bloods, microbiome & biological age🟧 Building a business that puts family first, on your termsWhether you’re on the corporate ladder or plotting your exit, this one’s a compass for choosing fulfilment over optics.Follow Aoife:https://www.instagram.com/juvelolife/https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoife-reilly-juvelo/Check out Juvelo:https://www.juvelolife.com/Follow Caolan:https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/

👉 Follow the show + leave a 5-star rating to help more people become shameless dreamers and turn vision into reality.⁩What happens when your entire world collapses overnight?Danielle Serpico spent 16 years running restaurants, until the Celtic Tiger crash wiped everything out.At 36, she lost her businesses and nearly her life… then realised she’d never built self-worth.Hitting rock bottom forced her to change - and led her to NLP, where she discovered how to rewire the subconscious mind and rebuild from within.In this episode, we dive into:🟧 The collapse that brought her to her lowest point🟧 How NLP “saved her life” by changing her inner dialogue🟧 The difference between confidence vs. self-worth🟧 Why most people stay stuck in the “fur-lined mousetrap” of comfort🟧 Her mission to build emotional intelligence and make the world kinder🟧 The Black Belt mindset: why resilience is built by never giving upWhether you’re facing failure, battling self-doubt, or looking for a new way forward, Danielle’s story is proof that rock bottom can become the turning point.Follow Danielle:https://www.facebook.com/danielle.serpicohttps://www.instagram.com/danielleserpico/Check out the Black Belt Mastermind:https://theblackbeltmastermind.com/Follow Caolan:https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/

👉 Follow the show + leave a 5-star rating to help more shameless dreamers turn vision into reality. What happens when you burn the script everyone else tells you to follow? Finbar Horgan was on track for the “safe life” - law degree, 9-to-5 job, permanent pensionable security. But a chance gig in Gran Canaria flipped everything. In this episode, we dive into: - The moment he ditched the law degree and never looked back - Family pressure + “Catholic guilt in sales” - Why leaving your hometown changes everything - How he grew his YouTube channel from 0 → 27K in half a year (now 30K)- The mindset shift: “Comfort zone = where dreams go to die” Whether you’re stuck in a job you hate or dreaming of building something of your own, Finbar’s story proves it’s possible to break free, and thrive. Follow Finbar: https://www.instagram.com/finbarhorganmusic/ https://www.youtube.com/@FinbarHorganMusic 🎶 Check out Pro Gig Academy: https://www.skool.com/pro-gig-academy/about Follow Caolan: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_caolan/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/caolankelly55/