I Was Never Gonna Be Yoda
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 3
Neill Dunwoody is a passionate professional who thrives on innovation and collaboration. He is the founder of Spryt, Chief Talent Strategist, and Head of Ireland with Tribes.
For a long time, I thought the only way to be great was to be someone else. Like, not literally. Obviously, I wasn’t trying to rob anyone’s passport or anything like that, but I did spend years trying to be the next Rovhan Branson. The mindset was simple: find someone successful, copy everything they do, and wait for greatness to land on your doorstep like a missed Amazon parcel.
I watched all the motivational stuff. YouTube was flooded with it. These lads getting up at 4:30 a.m., running a marathon before breakfast, meditating in freezing lakes, journaling like their pen had the secrets of the universe in it. I tried all of it. Cold water dips in the sea and lakes. Honestly, it felt like I was being punished for something I didn’t do. The water here is built different. That’s not self-discipline. That’s trauma.
I tried journaling too. Got about four lines in before I went, “Why am I writing to a notebook like it’s going to reply?” I even bought fancy ones, leather bound and smelling like sophistication, and still ended up doodling lightsabers and writing “I am one with the Force” in the margins.
Because here’s the other thing. I’m mad about Star Wars.
And I don’t mean in a casual, “Yeah, it’s grand” sort of way. I mean obsessed. I’ve rewatched the films more times than I can count. I used to think I could be a Jedi, you know? Calm, wise, mysterious. Just stroll around being deep and unbothered. But if I’m being real, I’m not Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m not even Anakin. I’m like the lad in the background of a cantina scene, dropping his pint and yelling, “Sorry!” to a droid.
But still, I kept trying to copy the greats. I thought if I acted like them, talked like them, worked like them, I’d become them. Instead, I just became tired. And confused. And weirdly obsessed with bullet journaling and protein powder.
Then one day, it hit me. Probably when I was three days into some 30-day challenge I didn’t understand. I wasn’t enjoying any of it. None of it felt like me. I wasn’t thriving. I was pretending. And not even pretending well. If this was a movie, I’d be the understudy who forgot his lines and fell off the stage.
So I stopped.
I stopped trying to be everyone else. I started writing the way I actually think, sarcastic, a bit messy, a bit Star Wars obsessed. I started saying things as they came, even if they weren’t profound or polished. I started showing up as Neill, not Neill doing a bad impression of a TED Talk.
And it was class. Honestly.
People started paying more attention—not because I was saying something groundbreaking, but because I was finally being real. I wasn’t trying to speak like some fella in a podcast. I was speaking like myself. Bit of a mess, bit of a nerd, bit of craic. And it turns out, that’s not a weakness. That’s the whole thing.
Look, I still love my heroes. Still think the Jedi code is pretty sound (except the no attachments thing—relax, lads). I still admire people who’ve done mad stuff with their lives. But I’m done copying.
I’ve no interest in being the next anyone. That job’s taken.
I’m just trying to be the first me. Neill. From Ireland. Bit daft. Loves Star Wars. Can’t do cold lake or sea swims. And that’s more than enough.
In fact, that’s where the magic is.
As a very wise green lad once almost said:
“Be yourself, you must. Or miserable, you’ll be.”
Read more from Neill Dunwoody
Neill Dunwoody, Founder and Talent Strategist
As the co-founder and COO of Spryt and Chief Talent Strategist and Director at Tribes, I lead two disruptive startups transforming healthcare and tech talent and digital transformation. Spryt's AI receptionist, ASA, reduces patient no-shows by offering 24/7 appointment management via messaging platforms like WhatsApp, increasing patient engagement by 160%. Tribes connect businesses with prequalified tech talent and run an award-winning digital studio. I also advise Manna, Prommt, and HR Duo, working on cutting-edge drone delivery, payments, and AI-driven HR solutions. A HIMSS Pitchfest winner, I use my 812k TikTok and 426k Instagram followers to advocate for innovation. My focus remains on building companies that solve real problems.
