Ivan Yates: The Game of Life – Success, Failure & Reinvention | The Most Important Thing

In this special episode of The Most Important Thing, the roles are reversed as Alan O’Sullivan sits down with Ivan Yates following the release of his new book, The Game of Life: And How to Win It.

Drawing on 50 years of experience across politics, business and broadcasting, Ivan reflects on the lessons that shaped his life – from leaving school early and becoming Ireland’s youngest TD at the time, to building a business, facing bankruptcy, reinventing himself in broadcasting and continuing to take on new challenges.

Alan and Ivan discuss success, failure and self-responsibility; the importance of people skills and relationships; leadership and resilience; recovering from major setbacks; knowing when to reinvent yourself; and how ambition changes as you move through life.

They also look at what the rise of AI means for the next generation – and why Ivan believes that in a world where information is increasingly accessible, relationships, communication and the ability to connect with people matter more than ever.

The Game of Life brings together Ivan’s own hard-earned lessons with insights gathered from around 200 people whose advice and experiences feature in the book across business, politics, sport, public service and media.

 Buy Ivan Yates’ new book, The Game of Life: And How to Win It, using the links below.

Book Links

The Game of Life: And How to Win It by Ivan Yates is published by Gill Books. ISBN: 9781804583456.

• Eason – Hardback

• Books.ie – Hardback

• Kennys Bookshop – Hardback