I have been inspired to work and do by all those around me. My family have given me inner strength and continued hope, even though I live away from ‘home’ as so many of us do.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
I grew up in the countryside of Ireland until the age of 10 and then moved to London with my family. Due to the sheer hard work of my parents, they encouraged us all to develop our talents and skills and gave us opportunities they never had themselves.
I went to Cambridge University to study Natural Sciences, specialising in chemistry and achieved a double first. My sister, Toni, became a doctor and now practices aesthetic medicine in London. And my brother Carl is a leading Director of Photography / cameraman working all around the world.
It is due to the incredible work of both of our parents that we achieved what we did educationally. They gave us a secure base from which to flourish.
2. When did you decide you wanted to be an author?
Being a writer is just a tiny part of my career. Most of my career has been spent as a TV presenter and broadcaster.
After Cambridge, I had multiple opportunities to do a PhD but at the same time I got the chance to work at Sky News in London. So I started there, thinking that I would return to do my PhD at Cambridge, but in the end I stayed at Sky News for a decade as a news presenter.
During this time I also worked on documentaries for various channels and appeared on many other shows for Ireland (RTE) and the UK (BBC, Channel 4, Sky, etc).
After that ten years my then husband got transferred to Abu Dhabi so we moved there for two years. During that time, whilst raising my two young daughters in a new environment, I spent a lot of time singing and playing piano. I also wrote for The National newspaper’s weekend magazine there.
My writing of children’s science books started in 2005 when I met with some people from The Royal Society in London and the publishing house Dorling Kindersley - Penguin - Random House.
At the time my daughters were very young and I could see that there were no science books dedicated to that age group. I saw that young children are the first experimenters - they experiment and try things out before they can talk even. So, I wrote a series of books called Mini Scientists.
And since 2005 I have written and consulted on many science books for the same publishing house. I feel very fortunate to have continued this working relationship with them for all this time.
3. Is it a financially stable career?
I believe everyone needs to be flexible these days in choosing careers, particularly women who go on to have children and juggle work and spending as much time as they can with their growing families.
For me, I like to remain independent / freelance as it gives me control over my time. I also enjoy doing a variety of projects.
However, for money, I am also involved in my parents business which they built - managing property in London, and I have started to become an investor too.
4. What tips will you provide for hosting any event?
Preparation! Get to know the subject and the team before the event. Talk to every single interviewee in advance.
On the day keep calm and know that it’s not about you at all. You are merely the vehicle for the information and it’s your role to portray an air of calm and genuine interest in all that is being said. If things go wrong - links go down - people make an error etc, you must be the glue to carry the show through in a dignified and happy manner.
Your role is to put the audience at ease so that they can soak up the meaning of all that is being discussed.
5. Where does your inspiration lie?
I am genuinely interested in learning and people. I want to learn as much as I can in this life and give as much back to others as I can.
I have been inspired to work and do by all those around me. My family have given me inner strength and continued hope, even though I live away from ‘home’ as so many of us do.
I will always deeply cherish the hard work of my parents so that we can have the life we do today.
6. What does your typical day look like?
They are all so varied! I normally work from home but each day is different. At the moment my focus for this year is trying to produce a music album of Irish music (songs) in honour of my dear father who died in December. He was a talented bagpipe player, alongside a multitude of other skills.
Each day I spend time walking my Weimaraner Cara in the nearby forests of Luxembourg, clean the house, make food for my daughters. And interspersed with this I attend to the usual mail, work to be done for the property I manage in London, finances and investments, reading of material, thinking time for projects, developing projects on the go, and singing practice.
Every day is a full day!
7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring writers?
Writing, in my life, has been an adjunct to the other parts of my life and my advice is to keep a few options open at once. At times one becomes the main one and then they circle.
8. Which is your favourite book and why?
I don’t have a favourite book. By my bedside I normally have a variety of books from fiction to fact to self-help to French books (to hopefully improve my French). The main thing is to read and garner inspiration from every ray that hits you.
- Instagram: Lisa Burke
- Linkedin:Lisa Burke
- YouTube Channel: Lisa Burke
- Interviewed By Kusum Jha
1 Comments
If you are the sister of jamie ann burke, let her know that i would like to say hi, after 40 years
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