Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Neville Isdell is the former global CEO and Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company.   Originally born in Downpatrick, Neville has lived and worked in over 11 countries around the world, “taking on jobs nobody else wanted to take” and “cleaning up messes no one else wanted to own.”   He spent his life battling Pepsi, leading through empathy and rising up the company ranks before retiring to Barbados at...

Nick Patterson is a freelance photographer based in Ormeau Baths.   Over the course of his career, he's shot celebrities, worked with some of the biggest businesses on the planet and seen an entire industry transform.   (From developing photos in lightrooms, to handling the first digital camera in Northern Ireland, to taking the world's first 8K portrait time-lapse).   In today's episode we talk a...

Tony McGaharan is a People Development Expert who has experience working with some of the biggest businesses on the planet.    (While also being a fully qualified Coach — both on and off the basketball court).   Last year — at the height of the pandemic — he founded People Playbook, a learning consultancy focused on wellbeing that helps organisations achieve their goals through learning, leadershi...

Napoleon is an independent speciality coffee shop in Ormeau Baths that opened in August 2020 at the height of the pandemic.   Since then it has become a leading cafe in Northern Ireland’s burgeoning speciality scene with their “front-and-centre” approach to coffee attracting a loyal team of regulars from across the nation.    Founded by superstar Barista-Manager extraordinaire Rachel Snowden and D...

Adrian Balfour is the founder of Envorso, a US consulting firm based in Seattle that has worked with the likes of Ford and Microsoft.     He’s also an organic sheep farmer, Angel Investor, co-founder of the Major League Rugby and founder of the Seattle Seawolves , a US rugby team coached by Allen Clarke and Rory Best.     Previously he created Pcubed, a project management consultancy he grew to 10...

Welcome to Sport Inspires, a podcast recorded with the Mary Peters Trust and made possible by the Coca-cola Thank you Fund.    Today’s episode is with legendary two-weight world champion boxer Carl Frampton who’s recently retired from the sport just a few months ago.    Along the way Thomas Kane and Gold Medalist Lady Mary Peters ask Carl about : How retirement has been treating him What he plans...

Nico van der Horst is the founder of Pride & Pinion : Ireland’s only dedicated luxury watch boutique.   Over the last four years, Nico and the team have sourced and sold countless luxury watches for celebrities, collectors, investors and everyday people alike.    During lockdown, he and the team started posting videos under the name Nico Leonard — which in just one year has become the largest watc...

Hiya folks. Got another experimental episode for you today — a new segment called 'Three Beers, Three Books' where we bring back two previous guests to chat about their favourite books while trying out a few local beers.   To get the ball rolling we asked back James Leckey from Leckey Design and Greg Bradley from BLK BOX.    Throw in a few Heaney Craft Beers and the result is a far-reaching conver...

Mícheál O'Rourke is a Psychotherapist from Newry who moved out to Canada with his partner Leah in 2014.   He currently works for the University Health Network in Toronto, serving on the leadership team for their mental health programs. In his free time he’s also heavily involved in the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre.   In today’s episode we cover: What brought Mícheál out to Canada The importan...

Connie Hunter-Jamison is a partner at StudioStereo , a multi-disciplinary design firm based in East Belfast which she co-founded with her late husband Craig in 2008.    Some of her clients include: Madlug Van Morrision Belfast Whiskey Club And many, many more…   From hot chocolate start-ups to multi-million-pound tech companies, Connie’s day-to-day is spent helping people communicate more effectiv...

Welcome to Sport Inspires, a podcast recorded with the Mary Peters Trust and made possible by the Coca-cola Thank you Fund.    Today’s episode is with Irish Hockey Captain Katie Mullan, the Coleraine player leading the team to their first-ever Olympic Games.   Along the way myself and Gold Medalist Lady Mary Peters ask about : The role team spirit has played in their success What it was like to wi...

  Pamela and Richard Lilburn are the owners of Brookvale Farm , a 100-year old family farm that has been taking County Down by storm after they installed a milk vending machine just a few months ago.   It’s where I get my milk, it’s the best milk I’ve ever tasted in Northern Ireland if you like a bit of nostalgia,  it even comes in a reusable glass bottle, which you can come back to the farm and f...

How is Northern Ireland tackling the climate challenge? What are some of the things we can do to help? And why should we even care in the first place?   In today’s episode, we catch up with our panel of experts to discuss the role businesses should play in tackling climate change and how you and I can prepare for the economy of the future.   The voices featured in this discussion include: Belfast...

Christine Boyle is the CEO of Senergy , a Belfast-based business bringing the world’s first nanocomposite solar thermal panels to market later this year.   Not only is their technology is 50% cheaper and 3-4 times more efficient than other solar options, but they’ve also raised £1.7 million of investment while still retaining 96% ownership (!)   In today’s episode we talk about: Christine’s early...

Dr Lucy Tallents is a wildlife conservationist who spent 10 years teaching at Oxford University before launching her environmental e-learning start-up VerdantLearn .   After spending many years in the field herself, Lucy’s next adventure is to empower wildlife conservation professionals around the world through VerdantLearn’s collaborative online learning platform.    In today’s episode we talk ab...

Stephen Dunn describes himself as “just an ordinary guy” — despite cycling the entire length of Ireland, running marathons and becoming the first environmental consultant in Northern Ireland.   After the success of his first business SDS Energy , Stephen and his co-founder Brian have created a new start-up called CarbonFIT : whose sole purpose is to help businesses reduce their Carbon Footprint.  ...

Blayne Shaw is an entrepreneur who worked in his family’s fashion business. Toyah Warnock is a Chemistry PhD who worked in a lab.    Now they’re co-founders of Lane44 : an eco-friendly shaving company who are on a mission to end the 1 billion plastic razors sent to landfill sites each year.   In today’s episode we talk about: How the humble yet might safety razor is better for your skin and planet...

Hey folks. Hope you’re doing well.   Just hopping on to give you a quick heads up about an exciting new mini-series we’re rolling out next week…   ‘Climate Of Change’ is a five-part podcast series presented in partnership with Ulster Bank featuring Northern Irish start-ups who are tackling the climate challenge.    Each episode is an opportunity to discover the incredible individuals on our doorst...

Chris Gunning is the Finance Transformation Service lead at Heineken in Amsterdam where he has been living with his family over the last 20 years.     Starting off back in Belfast with an Accountancy Degree from Queens, he’s since lived and worked all over the world on every continent — except Antarctica — for Global Tech Companies, Automotive businesses and now one of the biggest beer brands in t...

Anna and Carl Isaksson are the founders of Hotbox: Northern Ireland’s first ever beach sauna experience.   The idea is simple yet utterly genius: what if after a cold plunge in the sea you could cosy into a sauna to sweat it out with your nearest and dearest?   In today's episode we talk about: Working for and kissing kings How a gal from NI ended up marrying a Swedish guy Why they set-up a mobile...

Hello and welcome to the Sport Inspires Podcast  — a new series in collaboration with  The Mary Peters Trust  and the  Coca-Cola Thank You Fund .     Each episode will give you the chance to listen in on conversations with Northern Ireland’s incredible sports men and women on the topics of performance, mental health and life after sport.     Our first episode is a double-whammy, featuring a conver...

Ian Browne is an entrepreneur, fellow-Ormeau Baths resident and COO of the Ignite Accelerator Program .   He’s spent time in San Francisco, helped launch hundreds of start-ups and has experience building and selling his own.    In this week’s episode we talk about: Riding a horse across Cuba Quitting a job to start his own business The start-up ecosystem in Northern Ireland And the greatest challe...

Jaz Mooney is a publican from Northern Ireland who built-up an insane portfolio of pubs during the Troubles like The Fly bar, Madison’s Hotel, McHugh’s, The Nothern Whig, Ryan’s Bar and Grill, The Kings Head, The Globe Bar, Apartment Bar, The Rotterdam Bar and of course The Botanic Inn (aka The Bot!)     After being trained at what became the University of Ulster, Jaz went travelling to Australia...

Hello! Today is a bit of an experimental episode where I catch up with Rob Cantle from the Producer's Club to talk through his favourite Best Of Belfast podcast episodes!   The idea is simple: what if every quarter or so, we hop on a pod with a listener to swap notes and stories about some episodes from deep within the archive or the show’s recent past.   In theory, it could be a chance to reflect...

Hey friends — bringing something a little different to you today — a slow-cooked conversation with good friend and fellow creative Simon Worthington .   We cover a lot of random things in this chat from our Queen's Gambit-inspired chess obsession, skateboarding, writing and early mornings, but the real meat and potatoes of the conversation (starting at 21 mins) is about Simon's recent decision to...