Retirement or “Re-Firement”? From Airline Captain to Consultant - A Journey of Purpose with Barry Eustance

What happens when a long-haul airline captain steps away from the cockpit and into the boardroom - not to retire, but to “re-fire”?

In this thought-provoking episode, Paddy Nolan speaks with Barry Eustance - a former senior airline captain turned management consultant - about what it means to reinvent yourself at 65. 

Far from winding down, Barry launched The Sixsess Consultancy with a mission: to put people back at the centre of leadership, change and organisational performance.

Barry shares the arc of a life devoted to excellence - from childhood dreams of flying, to managing crises at 39,000 feet, to helping global organisations lead through turbulence. 

Along the way, he reveals what aviation can teach us about decision-making under pressure, communication that saves lives, and the power of team-based thinking.

You’ll hear real-world insight into why integrity matters more than ever, how leadership is changing in a disrupted world, and why organisations that ignore people do so at their peril.

This episode is essential listening for leaders, change agents and professionals navigating reinvention - whether you're 35 or 65.

What You'll Learn:

• Why preparation and persistence are the unsung heroes of success
• What airline pilots know about high-stakes teamwork
• How to communicate when failure isn't an option
• Why leadership without ethics breaks trust
• The surprising advantage of starting again later in life
• How The Sixsess Consultancy helps organisations put people first
• The Sixsess Consultancy’s PEOPLE framework - and why it's reshaping leadership today
• The future of work: purpose-driven, planet-conscious, and people-led
• Why change management fails without emotional commitment
• The power of continuous learning across a lifetime

Key Quotes:

• “Change isn’t about systems. It’s about people.”
• “Integrity isn’t optional. It’s foundational.”
• “Reinvention is just another form of leadership.”

Chapters:

 00:00 – Welcome and Introduction
 03:12 – From Dream to Cockpit: Barry’s Early Aviation Story
 05:34 – Teamwork in High-Stakes Environments
 07:46 – When It Gets Real: Crisis and Calm at Altitude
 10:11 – Why Communication is a Leadership Skill
 12:38 – The Pilot Who Never Stopped Learning
 14:51 – Starting Again: The Sixsess Story
 17:40 – Change and Human Buy-In
 20:52 – Leading with Empathy: The PEOPLE Framework
 24:10 – Purpose Isn’t Fluff. It’s Focus.
 27:28 – How Organisations Can Future-Proof Themselves
 30:25 – People, Planet, Profit – Why It’s Not Just Business
 33:32 – Final Reflections: Lead with People in Mind

Useful Links

The Sixsess Consultancy 

The Sixsess Consultancy’s PEOPLE Change Management and Leadership Framework:

https://sixsess.org/training/people-change-management-leadership-framework-course/

Paddy Nolan’s Website:

https://www.paddynolan.eu/

Keywords

aviation, airlines, leadership, teamwork, change management, lifelong learning, purpose-driven, communication, Sixsess Consultancy, PEOPLE framework, personal development, airline captain, pilot, Virgin Atlantic, Royal Air Force, change leadership, Kotter

I hope you really enjoyed our podcast and found it to be inspiring and insightful.

Please remember to LIKE our podcast and please DO SUBSCRIBE !!

I really look forward to reading and replying to your thoughts and comments.

Many thanks

Kindest regards

Barry