Twenty years ago, Murray Newlands was a Cambridge-based Solicitor with an interest in technology at what was then the beginning of the dot.com era.

He adjusted his career path and channeled his passion for helping others with IT into a journey that has taken him across the world. Fast forward twenty years and the successful tech entrepreneur is now a coveted motivational speaker, Forbes magazine writer, and has even presented a TV Series for IRISHTV from his home in Silicon Valley. However, up until the Covid19 crisis his career had not involved taking a turn as a stay at home parent.

"We are very lucky I was able to work with her fulltime," says Newlands when smiling about his three-year-old energetic daughter Emma. Newlands explains that the pandemic gave him the chance to spend time with his first child and he has thrown himself into it with that same determination that hundreds of people saw on stage in Dublin at the 2015 Web Summit where he was a keynote speaker. 

"We are climbing trees, cycling, hiking, flying kites." Newlands calmly discusses how despite mentoring and supporting startups and entrepreneurs, these five months have changed his views on parenting and the importance of a different type of guidance, "It's been great fun, learning experience for me."

The World Health Organisation has issued guidance for parents during the crisis many of which Newlands has put into practice, "She has read about a hundred books." With a decade's experience as a motivational speaker, he has had to align his skills for a different audience,

"I'm used to motivating employees and companies, motivating a three-year-old is different."

His top tips for parents include, "Get her to opt-in" and work with kids to let them be active participants during this crisis both in play and education "Help her to learn to read". With his family back in the UK communicating via Skype and Facebook hasn't been a problem for a man with more than 1 million social media followers. He describes how keeping things simple and having a routine helps as a family man and as an entrepreneur and encourages readers to ask themselves,

"How do you go through this in the best way possible?"

As an immigrant, Newlands has his finger on the pulse of US politics and highlights that this close to an election "There is more division" but he has faith that America will come through this pandemic and a brighter future lies ahead.

You can watch the full interview between James Mahon and Murray Newlands here:

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