I'm Pat McCarthy.

I own and run three retail businesses in Ireland.

I'm completing a doctorate in performance psychology at the University of Limerick, researching the mental skills that drive business performance, and working towards accreditation as a sport psychologist. For the past six years I've taught mental skills and resilience to staff at companies such as KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, and EY.

Before that, I qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG, worked in FinTech micro lending in the Philippines, and built two start-ups in corporate training and fitness. Neither survived.

Running the businesses means making hundreds of operational, financial, and strategic decisions a year, testing the same skills I research. I write about that intersection. It will live here soon.