Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do
Discover Your Talent
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Episode breakdown
Barbara is an investor, entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub – a business she started by accident that exploded in the space of 12 months to become one of the leading companies that recruits, trains and manages support assistants in the digital marketing and social media space for businesses who need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level. Barbara is also Mum to her gorgeous daughter Ruby, wife to her best friend Eti and an adventure lover with a passion for horses, skiing, tennis and time out in nature.
- Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do.
- Always remember that you can be anything you want to be in life, but you have to figure that out on your own.
- Nobody knows you like you.
- It’s not always easy, but dig deep to find the strength and courage to follow your intuition.
- Just because you have a talent for something doesn’t mean you need to do it.
- Your life and career path is never linear. Don’t expect it to be.
- Stay open to the ideas and input from the people around you.
Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do—you’re sitting on the fence of life and you’re not playing the game.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction to the Show and Guest
Don Hutcherson introduces the Discover Your Talent podcast and its format of interviewing guests about discovering and using their talents. He welcomes Barbara Turley, an entrepreneur and founder of The Virtual Hub.
00:39 - The Importance of Decision-Making
Barbara Turley shares her core belief that indecision is worse than making a wrong decision. She explains how action leads to momentum, self-awareness, and necessary course corrections, while staying inactive keeps people stuck on the sidelines of life.
01:34 - Current Work and Mission with The Virtual Hub
Barbara discusses founding The Virtual Hub accidentally, growing it into a 100-person operation in the Philippines, and the dual impact it has on both small business owners and Filipino families. She highlights the personal satisfaction she gets from improving employees’ lives through stable careers, health benefits, and economic empowerment.
04:45 - Early Life and Family Background
Barbara shares her upbringing in a small Irish town with a loving, supportive family. She talks about her father’s business, her stay-at-home mother, and how the close-knit, nurturing environment shaped her values and future aspirations.
08:17 - Academic Interests and School Experience
Barbara describes herself as an academic, excelling in school and loving to learn. She was particularly drawn to science subjects and dreamed of becoming a doctor, though narrowly missed the academic requirements for medical school.
10:22 - Discovering a Passion for Economics
After pivoting from her medical aspirations, Barbara enrolled at University College Dublin, choosing economics and English. She unexpectedly fell in love with macroeconomics, captivated by its scientific analysis of financial systems and world economies.
13:20 - University Challenges and Personal Growth
Barbara recounts hitting a personal crisis during her third year of university, opting to take a break in Greece before returning to finish her studies. The experience gave her much-needed maturity and led to a top performance in her final year.
14:35 - Entering the Workforce and Early Career Moves
Barbara shares how she declined a master’s program to pursue work, securing jobs in financial services and eventually discovering a passion for currency trading. Despite early setbacks and discouragement, including being told women rarely become traders, she remained determined to reach her goal through resilience, networking, and seizing unexpected opportunities.
19:32 - Life on the Trading Floor
Barbara describes the intensity and chaos of working on a trading floor, where decisions worth millions must be made instantly. Early on, she felt terrified and lost, but learned that indecision was the worst choice. Progress comes through continuous decision-making, adjusting as you go.
21:35 - Experiencing Workplace Bullying and Its Impact
Barbara opens up about being bullied during her trading career, largely by a colleague threatened by her educational background and ambition. This experience deeply affected her mental health, leading to depression and ultimately motivating her decision to leave.
22:30 - The Move to Australia
Barbara recounts her early connection to Australia, falling in love with Sydney’s harbors and lifestyle. Despite warnings from her boss, she left her career behind and moved to Australia without a job, contacts, or visa, trusting in her resilience and determination.
23:58 - Career Progression in Australia
Upon arriving in Sydney, Barbara quickly found opportunities through networking, eventually securing roles at prestigious firms like UBS Warburg, ABN AMRO, and Merrill Lynch, building a decade-long successful trading career.
26:05 - Discovering True Career Preferences
Barbara discusses how, despite being skilled in client-facing roles, she realized they depleted her energy. Over time, she accepted her introverted tendencies and pivoted toward roles that aligned with her analytical strengths and preference for solo work.
27:25 - Understanding Personal Energy and Social Dynamics
Both Barbara and Don reflect on being perceived as extroverts while actually leaning introverted. They talk about the importance of protecting personal energy and the challenges of managing social expectations versus personal comfort.
28:43 - The Challenge of Finding Meaningful Work
They discuss why so many struggle to find fulfilling work. Barbara credits her upbringing, especially her mother’s encouragement, for her confidence. She critiques societal norms and educational systems for conditioning people into safe, conventional paths.
31:00 - Reforming Workplace Culture and Fostering Leadership
Barbara emphasizes the need for workplaces to nurture entrepreneurial mindsets within their structures. She shares how her leadership team evolved from support assistants to company directors, empowered by a culture that encouraged voice, mistakes, and growth.
34:01 - The Importance of Employee-Centric Culture
They agree on the necessity for organizations to prioritize employee engagement and development. Barbara highlights how focusing on her team’s well-being and culture dramatically improved business performance, validating that employee satisfaction drives client satisfaction.
35:24 - Personal Vision and Shifting Priorities
Barbara shares how motherhood transformed her ambitions. Once driven by external recognition, she now values quality time with family and a balanced life. She’s content impacting her immediate circles and company rather than chasing widespread public influence.
37:11 - The Power of Self-Awareness and Defying Conformity
They conclude by discussing the courage it takes to follow personal intuition against societal expectations. Referencing Don’s book The Lemming Conspiracy, they reflect on how systems resist change and why individuals must consciously chart their own paths.
