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Retirement or “Re-Firement”? From Airline Captain to Consultant - A Journey of Purpose with Barry Eustance
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What happens when a long-haul airline captain steps away from the cockpit and into the boardroom - not to retire, but to “re-fire”?
In this thought-provoking episode, Paddy Nolan speaks with Barry Eustance - a former senior airline captain turned management consultant - about what it means to reinvent yourself at 65.
Far from winding down, Barry launched The Sixsess Consultancy with a mission: to put people back at the centre of leadership, change and organisational performance.
Barry shares the arc of a life devoted to excellence - from childhood dreams of flying, to managing crises at 39,000 feet, to helping global organisations lead through turbulence.
Along the way, he reveals what aviation can teach us about decision-making under pressure, communication that saves lives, and the power of team-based thinking.
You’ll hear real-world insight into why integrity matters more than ever, how leadership is changing in a disrupted world, and why organisations that ignore people do so at their peril.
This episode is essential listening for leaders, change agents and professionals navigating reinvention - whether you're 35 or 65.
What You'll Learn:
- Why preparation and persistence are the unsung heroes of success
- What airline pilots know about high-stakes teamwork
- How to communicate when failure isn't an option
- Why leadership without ethics breaks trust
- The surprising advantage of starting again later in life
- How The Sixsess Consultancy helps organisations put people first
- The Sixsess Consultancy’s PEOPLE framework - and why it's reshaping leadership today
- The future of work: purpose-driven, planet-conscious, and people-led
- Why change management fails without emotional commitment
- The power of continuous learning across a lifetime
Key Quotes:
- “Change isn’t about systems. It’s about people.”
- “Integrity isn’t optional. It’s foundational.”
- “Reinvention is just another form of leadership.”
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome and Introduction
03:12 – From Dream to Cockpit: Barry’s Early Aviation Story
05:34 – Teamwork in High-Stakes Environments
07:46 – When It Gets Real: Crisis and Calm at Altitude
10:11 – Why Communication is a Leadership Skill
12:38 – The Pilot Who Never Stopped Learning
14:51 – Starting Again: The Sixsess Story
17:40 – Change and Human Buy-In
20:52 – Leading with Empathy: The PEOPLE Framework
24:10 – Purpose Isn’t Fluff. It’s Focus.
27:28 – How Organisations Can Future-Proof Themselves
30:25 – People, Planet, Profit – Why It’s Not Just Business
33:32 – Final Reflections: Lead with People in Mind
Useful Links
The Sixsess Consultancy
The Sixsess Consultancy’s PEOPLE Change Management and Leadership Framework:
https://sixsess.org/training/people-change-management-leadership-framework-course/
Paddy Nolan’s Website:
Keywords
aviation, airlines, leadership, teamwork, change management, lifelong learning, purpose-driven, communication, Sixsess Consultancy, PEOPLE framework, personal development, airline captain, pilot, Virgin Atlantic, Royal Air Force, change leadership, Kotter
I hope you really enjoyed our podcast and found it to be inspiring and insightful.
Please remember to LIKE our podcast and please DO SUBSCRIBE !!
I really look forward to reading and replying to your thoughts and comments.
Many thanks
Kindest regards
Barry
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