On Deck with Throp

In this episode, I spoke with Kiona Yarbrough, an occupational therapist for seniors and the founder of Akua Yard, to learn more about the Jamaican Sea Moss, its health benefits, any precautions to take, and why it has recently become the most sought-after superfood. My conversation with Kiona also included a brief history of sea moss and why we began eating it in Jamaica, and her production proce...

In this episode, I spoke with Mr Daniel Grizzle. He is the owner and operator of Charela Inn, as well as an entrepreneur, mentor, farmer, and environmentalist. It was a pleasure to speak with him because he is a good friend of my family and one of the patriarchs of the development of modern-day Negril. We discussed a variety of topics, such as how he acquired Le Mirage Resort and Charela Inn, his...

In this episode, I spoke with Lucinda Kay, a good friend of mine. She is the communications director for Great Shape Inc, an American non-profit organization that oversees some of the world's largest international humanitarian projects. We've worked together on numerous philanthropic projects over the years, and it was an honour to have her on the show. Our conversation covered several top...

Today's episode is part two of a two-part conversation with Ayanna who is a friend of my family and the daughter of the late Mr Dick Gregory, a great African-American freedom fighter and civil rights leader. Ayanna is also a civil rights activist, songwriter, singer, performer, educator, and motivational speaker. We talked about a variety of topics in this section of our conversation, includin...

This episode is part one of a two-part conversation with Ayanna Gregory, who is a friend of my family and the daughter of the late Mr Dick Gregory, a great African-American freedom fighter and civil rights leader. Ayanna is also a civil rights activist, songwriter, singer, performer, educator, and motivational speaker. In this episode, she talked about growing up in the 1980s with her father, how...

In this episode, I spoke with Jackie Lewis on location at her spa Jackie's on the Reef, located in the deep west of West End, Negril. Jackie moved to Jamaica in 1987 to build a place where she and others could decompress, heal and recover from the stresses of life. Her spa has since become one of my favourite places to visit in Negril and where I go relax, recuperate, and rejuvenate myself. Du...

In this episode, I sat down with Margit Eder, who emigrated from Germany and has been a realtor with Valerie Levy and Associates for 11 years, specializing in Westmoreland, particularly Negril. She also has been my real estate agent in Jamaica since I moved here. Our discussion covered many key aspects of the purchasing process, such as when a lawyer is required, what is covered by the 10% deposit...

My conversation with Yolanda covered several topics, such as my bumpy assimilation to the Jamaican way of life, experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) during the early stage of living here and the Negril ex-pat community. We also spoke about how living in Jamaica makes me more appreciative, as well as what it is that’s keeping me here in Negril, Jamaica. We spoke about many things, and I hope thi...

I had the opportunity to speak with Yolanda DuCille Murphy in this episode. She is a Jamaican American who moved to Jamaica after leaving her corporate American job as a Communication Executive. Yolanda, who is still in the early stages of her relocation here, told us what made her decide to stop everything, leave her job of 17 years, and relocate. We also got to know Yolanda a little better; she...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs Elaine Bradley, a retired nurse from England. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including why she returned to Jamaica to retire with her late husband, Michael Bradley, healthcare in Jamaica, her community service work, and her involvement in the Negril Paediatric Orthotic Clinic.  We also talked about what she misses most about...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kory South, a good friend who is like family to me. He runs Sunset Resort, my home away from home in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth. We talked about his transition from the United States to Jamaica, raising children in Jamaica, running a hotel during the pandemic, developing and maintaining hobbies, and the improvements in and around Treasure...

In this episode, I interviewed a fellow New Yorker, Kenya Wagstaff. She previously lived and worked in Jamaica but now divides her time between New York and Jamaica. We talked about a lot of things, such as why she chose to live in Jamaica, the many differences between living in Westmoreland and living in New York, how she managed to live in two places, dating, and her advice on what to consider b...

In this episode, I spoke with Emma Watson. She's a friend of mine and a fellow Jamaican entrepreneur who moved back to the island with her twin toddlers and later founded South Coast Villas, which is a luxury villa rental company based in White House, Jamaica. Our discussion covered why she decided to return to JA, what inspired her to start a business, her experience as a young entrepreneur a...

In this episode, I sat down with Andrew Kang, a personal friend from college and my younger brother's roommate at university. We talked about a number of topics, such as why he decided to work away from his home in the US to travel with his wife and two young children, why he chose Jamaica, his experience working remotely here, and maintaining a routine, as well as some of the challenges he fa...

In today's episode, I sat down with Jessica Davidson, a good friend and secondary school teacher here in Westmoreland. We had an intriguing conversation about the Jamaican teachers' transition from traditional face-to-face teaching to online teaching, as well as some of the challenges they faced, such as having to use WhatsApp as a teaching platform. We also discussed Jessica's backgro...

In this episode, I spoke with Misti Memphis, a retired American teacher and guidance counsellor who runs two Facebook groups aimed at building and uplifting the Negril community. Our conversation spanned a variety of topics, including her civil rights activism in Memphis, how the movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back piqued her interest in visiting Jamaica, the active life of a retiree in Negril an...

This episode features a Throp-X 2022 panel discussion with Matthew Wallace and Emma Watson, two young Jamaican entrepreneurs who discuss their entrepreneurial journeys in Jamaica. Matthew is a restaurateur and co-founder of Scotch Boys, a hot sauce company, while Emma is the owner of South Coast Villas, a villa rental company on Jamaica's south coast. They also discuss some of the challenges...

In this episode, real estate attorney Ms Dawn Gray discusses the importance of working with an attorney when purchasing a home. She explains how a lawyer can help you save time and make the process easier, especially if you live abroad. Ms Gray goes through the process step by step and shares best practices for buying real estate, with a focus on non-Jamaican buyers or those living abroad. Listene...

In this episode, Martin Zsifkovics of AustroJam Farm shares his experiences and insights on starting a farming business with the attendees at Throp-X Investment Conference. Martin, a naturalized Jamaican from Austria, discusses what it takes to run a farming business in Jamaica, the challenges of running a farming business, what you should think about before starting, and what made AustroJam Farm...

In this episode, Noel Phillips of Valerie Levy and Associates discusses why investing in real estate is a good idea, particularly in Jamaica. Unlike volatile investment options such as cryptocurrencies, Forex, and stocks, real estate provides stable returns and potential appreciation that continues to rise with no foreseeable decline. Noel's engaging presentation covers a wide range of topics, fro...

I interviewed my Missy Soprano otherwise known as Marcy Ruggerio. She is a very good friend of mine and my family. Missy has been coming to Jamaica for a very long time and has stayed with us at Travellers for almost as long. We had a wide ranging conversation that ranged from her days as the manager of the former Queen of the Dancehall, Lady Saw. All the way to traveling to Jamaica and enjoying N...

In this first episode of my podcast I had the opportunity to interview my friend Rahel. We spoke about her decision to move to Jamaica during the pandemic, why she did it, how it's going and how you might be able to do so as well.