“You Don’t Look Like a Healthcare Founder” – How One Insult in an Irish Bar Changed My Mindset
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 27
- 5 min read
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.
If you’ve ever been to a big global healthcare conference, you’ll know the last night usually ends the same way: handshakes become hugs, LinkedIn requests fly, and somebody always suggests “just one pint” that turns into ten.
HLTH Europe in Amsterdam was no different. On the final evening, I found myself in an Irish bar, because of course, the Irish will always find an Irish bar, surrounded by a mix of founders, investors, and professionals, all winding down after days of selling and pitches.
That’s when it happened.
Between the sound of The Western Fusiliers (an excellent band from Ireland) and the clink of pint glasses, someone turned to me and said the line I’ll never forget:
“You? You don’t look like a guy who owns a healthcare company… You look a bit fat.” I wouldn’t mind, but he looked like Freddie Mercury dressed as Charlie Chaplin.
I wish I could say I misheard them. I didn’t.
The pint-sized insult
Now, there are things you expect to hear in an Irish bar abroad: “Do you know my cousin in Galway?”, “Another Guinness?”, or “Is this real Irish music or Dutch lads with Spotify?”
But not, “You look like you belong at the chipper, not at the helm of a healthtech company.”
I laughed it off. What else can you do? But as the night wore on, the line stuck. It wasn’t the alcohol, it was the sting.
Because here’s the truth: I was carrying extra weight. Running a company takes its toll—long nights, stress, travel, and bad airport food. I’d prioritised the business over myself, and it showed. And in that one careless comment, a stranger had held up a mirror.
The turning point
The next morning, a little bleary-eyed but sober enough to reflect, I realised I had two choices. I could:
Be offended, stew on it, and complain about how rude people can be.
Take it as the most unconventional, backhanded piece of feedback I’d ever received and use it as fuel.
I chose the second.
That comment from the Irish bar became my new training partner. Every time I stepped into the gym, every time I thought about skipping, I heard those words. Not as an insult anymore, but as motivation.
From “fat founder” to “fit founder”
Months later, the difference wasn’t just in the mirror. Sure, I’d lost weight, built muscle, and found myself actually enjoying the gym. But the real change was in my head.
Because insults, when you strip them down, are powerful. They can wound, yes, but they can also ignite. That one sentence in Amsterdam flipped a switch in me that endless polite compliments never could.
It reframed my identity. Instead of seeing myself as someone “too busy” to prioritise health, I became someone who had to. Not just for me, but for my team, my company, and the patients we serve.
Why insults stick
Let’s be honest, nobody likes being insulted. But here’s why they work, if you let them:
They bypass your ego. Flattery strokes you. Insults poke you where it hurts.
They make you decide. Do you accept it as truth, or do you rewrite the script?
They linger. You’ll forget ten compliments, but you’ll remember one insult for a decade.
The trick isn’t avoiding insults, it’s choosing what you do with them. Do they crush you, or do they carve you into something new?
Lessons between pints and plates
It’s funny, really. My whole company exists to help patients stick to their healthcare journeys. Our AI receptionist, Asa, makes it easier for people to show up for appointments, to reschedule, to actually take the small but critical steps that add up to better outcomes.
And there I was, founder of a healthcare company, needing a pint-fuelled insult to kickstart my own health journey.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. But maybe that’s exactly why it worked. Healthcare isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. It’s about owning your flaws, then choosing to do something about them.
What the gym taught me about business
Since then, the gym has become a second boardroom. And honestly, it teaches better lessons than most MBA programmes:
Progressive overload works. You don’t lift the heaviest weight on day one. Business is the same, small, consistent growth compounds.
Form beats ego. In lifting and in leadership, cutting corners gets you hurt.
Rest matters. Muscles and founders both burn out without it.
And perhaps the biggest one: results don’t lie. You can talk all day about intentions, but only action reshapes reality, whether that’s your body, your company, or your future.
Reframing the insult
Today, when I look back on that Irish bar in Amsterdam, I don’t feel offended. I feel grateful. That stranger probably doesn’t even remember what they said. But for me, it was a line in the sand.
Because sometimes, the most valuable feedback doesn’t come in boardrooms or investor meetings. It comes in pints and poorly timed honesty.
So, to the man who told me I didn’t look like a healthcare founder: thank you. You were right, in a way. I didn’t. But now? I look, feel, and act more like one than ever. And I’ll keep lifting, running, and building, not to prove you wrong, but to keep proving myself right.
Final cheers
If you’ve ever been underestimated, mocked, or told you didn’t look the part, raise a glass. Because hidden in that sting is fuel. Let it light a fire. Let it move you forward.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about looking like the role. It’s about living it.
And sometimes, it just takes one offhand insult in an Irish bar to remind you exactly who you’re meant to 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.
