Paula Thomas, Professional Podcaster, Let's Talk Loyalty
With over twenty-five years of blue-chip marketing experience, Paula is now an award-winning podcaster. She hosts interviews and articles for her show "Let's Talk Loyalty", the world's first podcast for loyalty marketing professionals.
As an expert loyalty practitioner, her clients have included Telefonica O2 Priority, Electric Ireland and Allied Irish Bank, as well as Avios – the global points currency for some of the world's top airlines.
She is a former judge for the "Loyalty Magazine Awards", a founding member of the Customer Strategy Network of loyalty practitioners, and she is the author of the book "Driving Loyalty in Convenience Retail". She holds an MBA from Ireland's top University and is a "Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional".
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn is my favourite as the content and community are relevant, interesting and relatively accessible.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
Having worked in various marketing roles, I ended up specialising in consulting on loyalty programmes for the last ten years. As a result, I noticed a market gap in the industry podcast, and now that's my business - podcasting professionally!
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
It's still quite new to be able to make a living as a podcaster. So, I enjoy that sense of doing something somewhat innovative, plus I can connect with extraordinary people in my industry and create content that the industry loves!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
A great friend shared this quote with me before I launched my podcast "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late." quote by Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn. It gave me confidence that imperfection was acceptable and, in fact, inevitable. Also, great advice from my father many years ago, who told me once you're fully booked for your services, make sure you increase your pricing.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I attend a lot of personal development conferences to feed on the energy of powerful public speakers.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Turning adversity into opportunity, launching my podcast despite my initial terror, living my life on my terms, able to afford some of the nicer things in life doing work I enjoy!
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
In-person at great events.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
A sense of positivity and possibility.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
If you consistently work to be excellent, you're already more qualified than most. The rest will take care of itself.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Vishen Lakhiani, creator of Mindvalley - a business originally set up to teach meditation, that's now turning over in excess of $100 million helping people to become their best selves.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Personal development, Latin dance, learning French, plus planning my post-Covid wedding!
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Actually, our industry is extremely busy, plus podcasting has found plenty of new listeners, so great for me - I'm just feeling blessed to be healthy with plenty of great work to be done.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Show up with your best self every day.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Lack of self-belief.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frighten us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
The "Discovery" Group of Companies in South Africa. The Government of Dubai!
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success if living life on your own terms. For me, I choose to live in Dubai, not Dublin and have made plenty of career choices that wouldn't make sense for anyone else. However, it's important to notice when you experience joy - both personally and professionally and build your life with as much of those experiences as possible.