Viva the revolution

ON April 6, 2016, Dr Jim Bradley woke up to a new reality. During the night, the Ennis-based business consultant had suffered a stroke and he faced a major challenge. The stroke had affected the functioning of his right side and his arm and leg were not working properly.

Dealing with the situation brought all the skills he had developed as a highly-experienced scientist, educator, facilitator and martial artist into sharp focus.

As part of his healing, Jim has written a book, outlining the steps that he developed and applied to help himelf to a full recovery. RISE UP! Revolution You is a six-step guide to personal change, which launched in the De Valera Library in Ennis this week.

“I have learned that when you are faced with a challenge, or a desire to make a personal change, you need to be realistic. You need to draw on all the resources that you have and focus on what you can do, as opposed to what you cannot do, and then take action. As a business consultant, I was used to going into organisations where I had responsibility for developing, providing training on and implementing solutions to the problems they were encountering. I began to think of the tools, techniques and thought processes I had implemented in organisations, in terms of how this knowledge could help me. I wrote this book to help myself and to help others facing challenges in their lives,” Jim explained.

RISE-UP! Revolution You details tools, techniques and insights drawn from the fields of science, business and martial arts. The result is this six-step guide that can help people see opportunities for change, make the right choices and take action to overcome personal challenges and everyday struggles.

Jim’s approach is straight-forward. “Each step is simple and direct and can be applied immediately to help people forward on their change journey. All that’s needed is a pen and notebook, some time and, most importantly, a desire to face the issue and make the change. They can be applied across all areas of your life, where change is needed – your health and wealth, relationships and mental and spiritual wellbeing.”

Jim’s early schooling was at Waterside Boys’ School and then St Columb’s College, before going on to university at Maynooth, where he obtained a PhD in science. He also holds an MBA from the Ulster Business School.

Prior to launching Catalysis Consulting in 1998, Jim’s early career was in the medical diagnostics and pharmaceutical sector, where he gained practical managerial experience in roles with AccuScience, Norbrook Laboratories and Olympus Diagnostica. Since 2011, he has worked with University of Limerick, as both a module leader and course director on honours degree programmes.

In his spare time, he holds a fourth dan black belt in Shotokan karate and is the senior instructor (Sensei) at the WSKF Shotokan Karate Club in Ennis. He is also a member of the Ennis-based chamber choir Cantare, in which he sings as a bass.