Alex MacPhail Podcast

Franz Smit is a pilot and founder of PilotInsure, a leading loss of licence insurance company based in South Africa. Franz grew up in the small town of Tarkastad, in the Eastern Cape. As a young boy, he regularly watched airliners fly overhead en-route to Johannesburg. This captivated his imagination and drove him to pursue a career in flying.  Along the way Franz became a financial advisor and us...

Andre Viljoen studies Accounting in Johannesburg, but shortly after finishing articles, he headed East to explore life and the world of Finance. After spending many years in emerging markets banking, Andre made his way back to South Africa in Cape Town. He was looking for a new business challenge and that is when he began Woodstock Brewery, amidst the craft beer revolution hitting the Mother City...

Jon is back on the podcast today! As the Dean and Director of Henley Business School, Africa, Jon has been leading the growth and transformation of the institution for over 12 years, with the vision  "To build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa." Jon is also a passionate advocate for ethical and sustainable business practices, as you will hear during the conversation...

Annabel has been flying Since 1999. She earned her Air Force Wings before learning to drive a car. Throughout her career, Annabel has been challenged to jump extra hurdles. President Nelson Mandela, knew not only her name, but also her parents names. Annabel has that effect on people. Her sparkling personality is warm, friendly and inviting, but don’t her charm confuse you. She is diligent hard-wo...

Noah Lieberman was excited by flight from his first experience flying on a DC3 around Mexico as an 8 year old. Affectionately known as the Gooney Bird, the DC3 has found a warm spot in a lot of our hearts. Noah was keen to become an aerospace engineer. He also wanted to learn how to fly.  Shortly after beginning his pilot training as a teenager, he ran out of funds. He later went to university and...

Marc Priestley is the author of The Mechanic, an insider look at life on the formula one circuit. Marc joined the McLaren Formula 1 team in 1999 while Mika Hakkinen was reigning world champion and later defended his title with McLaren, making it a back to back championship. McLaren we’re on the upswing and about to revolutionise the sport for the next several years. Marc later work with big names...

Calvin is the Founder and CEO of Melon Mobile, South Africa’s newest Mobile Network. While the service is recent on the scene, the team have been building the product for the past two years. Calvin has more than two decades experience combining entrepreneurship, internet service provider and providing efficient simple solutions to everyday life. Calvin was born into a family of farmers, originally...

In this episode I talk to Ricky de Agrela, the first man to ever travel to all the continents in the World using only a Microlight. He speaks about the great memories, of the adventure and also the tragedy that struck during his trip, when his close friend Allan, lost his life to the cause. We follow Ricky's story to see where he is now years after his big adventure. Ricky still travels the W...

In this episode I chat with Erika Armstrong. She is currently flying in the Business Aviation sector, and through her influence in the Aviation industry is inspiring and training new recruits. Listen as we talk about the passion needed to be in the Aviation industry and take some tips for yourself. Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners questions? Reach out to me using the details b...

In this episode I chat with Ron Rutland. An average guy who decided to brave the challenge of cycling from Cape To Cairo and his life has never been the same. Rob now officially delivers the Rugby World Cup Game Whistle by hand and gets there on his Bicycle. Listen as Rob inspires us to take a renewed look at life and shares some of his experiences being out on the road. Let me know what you think...

This episode is all about Darren Robertson and his outlook on life after surviving Stage 3 Prostate Cancer. He tells us about his journey through life and shares about his passion for surfing. He now serves as a Financial Advisor to help others make the most of their finances. You can get hold of Darren on email at darren@darrenrobertson.co.za Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners...

This is a conversation with Luke Dillon on Business Coaching. He shares with us his rich life experiences as an entrepreneur and some insights in to the world of Coaching small to large businesses. This episode will educate you on how to reach out to a coach as well as becoming a coach yourself. Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners questions? Reach out to me using the details belo...

This is a conversation with Gidyon Lankers , the 27 year old digital marketing entrepreneur who helped me build and launch this podcast. We explore the world of content; how to create it, how to make it go viral, and how to approach it from a business perspective. This episode will inspire you to reach out to that one person you've been wanting to connect with, as well as to pick up your came...

Something a little different today. One of the listeners from the show reached out with some questions about starting a podcast. I thought the conversation would be interesting to be recorded for others to gain the insights too. Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners questions? Please reach out on any details below. Get in touch with Alex:  alex@alexmacphail.co.za https://twitter.co...

Refilwe Ledwaba is a social entrepreneur, fixed-wing and helicopter pilot and a PhD candidate. She is the first Black woman to become a police helicopter pilot in South Africa. Refilwe founded Girls Fly Programme Africa to support and educate women and youth about STEM subjects and aviation. Get in touch with Alex:  alex@alexmacphail.co.za https://twitter.com/AlexMacPhail1 https://www.linkedin.com...

Karma-Ann Swanepoel was the lead singer of Henry Ate , a South African rock band. She subsequently went solo, releasing her first album Karma in 1998. She shot to fame in the mid-1990s with hit songs such as "Just" and "Henry Ate." Get in touch with Alex:  alex@alexmacphail.co.za https://twitter.com/AlexMacPhail1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/flyingmogul www.alexmacphail.co.za

Alex shares his personal perspective on why we need to cherish the good moments in life. Instead of worrying about the past, or being solely focused on the future, this episode will make you think twice about enjoying the present and truly celebrating the fun moments along your journey. Enjoy! Get in touch with Alex:  alex@alexmacphail.co.za https://twitter.com/AlexMacPhail1 https://www.linkedin.c...

Shaun Tomson is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author, and businessman. He has been listed among the top 10 surfers of the century, and was the 1977 World Surfing Champion. He is the author of the best-selling books “Surfer’s Code” and “ The Code: The Power of “I Will “, and the writer and producer of the award-winning documentary film Busti...

In this short episode, Alex expands on the concept of perseverance and resilience. In episode #74 of the podcast, Alex spoke with Yoshi Muroya, the 2016 Red Bull Air Race World Champion. During that conversation, Yoshi explain how difficult it was to obtain the first sponsorship for and aerobatic aircraft in Japan. The had been no previous reference to airshows and Yoshi was attempting to start th...

Linda Sollars has a fascinating story! She has covered several careers and is currently an airline Captain with JetBlue Airways. During her off time over the past few months, Linda has spend many weeks at Sling Aircraft in Johannesburg, building her own Sling High Wing, with a team support crew from Sling. This High Wing is the first off the production line and she has recently received her Federa...

In this episode Alex sits down with Cape Town-based investor, Adrian Clayton, who shares his incredible journey through life as an entrepreneur, surfer and aviator. This episode is proudly brought to you by Northstar Asset Management , a research led boutique asset manager that provides specialist solutions for discerning investors. Northstar 's investment process is built upon an obsession f...

Do you ever feel like you’re sleepwalking through life with no real idea of what you want? Or Maybe you know exactly what you want, but you have no idea how to get there? That’s where goal setting comes in.  In this episode Alex explores the topic of setting goals, and how they are the first step towards planning for the future. Goals play a fundamental role in the development of skills in various...

Nicole Smith-Ludvik stood on top of the world last year! She was the stuntwoman in the Emirates Air Hostess uniform, standing on top of the Burj Khalifa. At nearly 1 kilometre above the earth, The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. The small square platform is only big enough for one person to stand dead still on the top. Later in 2020, the stunt team got together once more and com...

Paul Harris is a renowned former South African cricket player who came to the limelight as a result of his talent in playing Test cricket as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler for the popular South Africa's national team. This episode is proudly brought to you by Northstar Asset Management , a research led boutique asset manager that provides specialist solutions for discerning investors. Norths...

I'm doing a lot of flying again and recently I thought I would share some thoughts from the air. Today we dive into the topic of overnight success .  It’s easy to want to pursue overnight success. To strike it big. The entrepreneurial personality (especially)  is inclined to go big and risk it all on a blind hand. But the truth is, it takes years to cultivate a valuable idea. Stories of fast...