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“Make progress every day…even one small win can be enough.”
Today Sid and I interview Oisin Hughes, Head of Global Data Center Portfolio Management here in AWS Infrastructure.
Oisin has a really unique history. Long story short he once traveled around the world…on his motorcycle. That was his 2nd major overland trip on a bike, the first being the entire length of the Pan American highway. He is the author of 2 books documenting each adventure and made a documentary on Youtube about the last.
This was a ton of fun and we know you’ll enjoy! Here are the links to all of Oisin’s adventures:
Book 1: ‘That I May Die Roaming’ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0991489411/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Book2: ‘Not Dead Yet’ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/099148942X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLW2IWJq4FES_no7MmpkjA
Episode Timestamps:
1:05 | Studying electronics ‘to get a few quid into me pocket’
1:56 | 15 years at Intel and then…the inspiration for a motorcycle journey around the world
3:00 | 2 adventures, in summary
6:00 | Writing book 1 in Columbia while on trip 2
7:55 | How did that 1st trip change you? …. Getting used to being on your own
9:40 | Why did you go on the 1st trip?
11:00 | The peaks and valleys of solo travel
13:04 | The difference between being alone vs. being lonely
17:15 | The adventure in uncertainty
19:25 | A moment when you felt like you would die?
23:30 | Turning off your phone…because no one was checking in
25:10 | Attempting the documentary on the 2nd trip…and the partnership breaks up during the trip
27:30 | Some characters you meet on the road
31:35 | Amazon origin story
35:00 | On the return to the work force - ready to build something big
36:28 | What makes someone successful at Amazon: starting fast, tolerance for ambiguity, self-starter
37:40 | Oisin’s leadership philosophy: honesty (with compassion)…and good hiring!
40:30 | Advice to your younger self: be an expert, get on with people, get results
42:30 | Life philosophy from the road? “Make progress everyday.”
46:45 | Should everybody go on a trip?
47:40 | You don’t have to make a perfect decision…take a baby bite
49:50 | Parting words - on karma
Oisin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oisin-hughes-0971a4198/
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Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskunken
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Theme music by Good Baby. ‘Rose Colored’ (instrumental version). You can peep the full music video here: https://www.goodbaby.band/musicvideos
FULL VIDEO:
The music video to the theme music for the show: ‘Rose Colored’ by Good Baby
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