My Weekend: Friday night is always a night of relaxation and family time

Barbara Nugent is managing director of Transilient Coaching and vice president of Network Ireland Cork, a not-for-profit organisation for women in business, professions and the arts. It is the largest branch in the country
I qualified as an accountant after school and worked in small practice, Irish manufacturing, start-ups and then in Brussels for the European Commission. Upon returning to Ireland, and to Clonakilty, I worked in multinationals — pharmaceutical, medical devices and telecommunications companies — at a senior leadership level.
I went back into education to obtain a post-graduate diploma in Executive Coaching and another one in Leadership before completing an MSc in Business Practice. Then five years ago, I left corporate life to set up my own business, mentoring and coaching leaders on leading with impact, improving their skills and managing their teams better.
Having that experience myself, both good and bad, I have a real passion for the soft skills required more and more by leaders, and I work with leaders and teams here in Cork and in Dublin to improve their emotional intelligence capabilities.
I am married to John for 20 years, and have a son Sam, aged 19, and Lorna, aged 15, and we live in Clonakilty, which is John’s home place. When we came back from Brussels we didn’t want to go back to city life, and so we have the privilege of living in a lovely environment while still in striking distance of Cork city. Sam just headed off to the UK to university this year where he studies Sports Science and trains for high performance rowing. It is a real change to our home and life and we’ve all been adapting to this new phase.

An Súgán in Clonakilty is cosy and always lovely, and the Celtic Ross is a favourite when we are on our way back from rowing training. Kalbos Cafe in Skibbereen has gorgeous food, while the Fig & Olive in Clonakilty never disappoints for lunch.

The guest speaker of Network Ireland Cork’s February event will be the founder of a renowned initiative aimed at boosting leadership values nationally, Joanne Hession of LIFT (Leading Ireland’s Future Together).
The event takes place at the Clayton Hotel Cork City on Wednesday, February 5, at 6pm, where the focus will be on leadership skills; the key barriers to better leadership; and how to build leadership muscle in business and society.
Tickets for the event, which are free for Network Ireland Cork members and €25 for non-members, are available at https://network corkjoannehession.eventbrite.ie.