Struggling at School to Running His Own Consultancy: Paul Nicholas’ Career Story | Episode 57

Paul Nicholas didn’t follow a straight path into his career; he figured it out along the way. From struggling at school and finding himself stacking shelves in his early twenties, Paul shares how he moved into health and safety, built a 20+ year career in the industry, and eventually launched his own consultancy working with large organisations. In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Paul Nicholas to explore career pivots, mindset and fulfilment. Paul talks about the role mentorship played in shaping his journey, his experience working in the Middle East, and why chasing money and titles didn’t bring the fulfilment he expected. Paul also shares how boredom and curiosity led him into acting, from amateur theatre to landing a role in a Netflix film, and why having something outside of business is important. The conversation dives into mindset, self-reflection and the impact of thought patterns on success, as well as the importance of learning from mistakes. James brings his own perspective into the discussion, sharing insights on mindset, subconscious thinking and why changing the internal narrative is key to changing results. Key moments include: ✔️ Struggling at school and early career uncertainty ✔️ Moving into health and safety and building a long-term career ✔️ The impact of mentorship and learning from others ✔️ Working in the Middle East and chasing money and titles ✔️ Starting a consultancy business ✔️ Getting into acting and landing a Netflix role ✔️ The importance of having interests outside of work ✔️ Mindset, self-reflection and learning from mistakes ✔️ Subconscious thinking and how it shapes outcomes ✔️ Paul’s three pieces of advice: spirituality, choosing the right partner, and building a strong network Follow James Fleming LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/   Follow Paul Nicholas LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-nicholas-ba-msc-59248825/       Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Paul Nicholas [00:01:10] Early life, school struggles and first jobs [00:03:30] Getting into health and safety [00:06:00] Building a long-term career in the industry [00:09:20] The impact of mentorship and learning from others [00:13:40] Working in the Middle East and chasing money [00:18:10] Realising money and titles didn’t bring fulfilment [00:22:30] Starting his own consultancy [00:27:00] Boredom, curiosity and getting into acting [00:31:20] Landing a role in a Netflix film [00:35:10] Having something outside of business [00:38:40] Mindset, self-reflection and learning from mistakes [00:44:00] Subconscious thinking and behaviour patterns [00:50:10] Three pieces of advice for life and business [00:55:00] Closing thoughts and reflections