Cool Beans Pod

🎙️  João Portas  is the co-founder of  SirTile® , a Portuguese sock brand inspired by the timeless beauty of Portugal's iconic ceramic tiles. 🇵🇹 🧦 With a deep passion for socks as more than just an everyday essential, João believes they are a subtle yet powerful way to express personality, creativity, and individuality. This vision became the foundation for SirTile®. ❤️ Together with his wife...

🎙️ This week on the podcast, we're joined by Sharon Jemima Crew — a fine art–trained artist who has called Porto home for more than a decade. 🇵🇹🎨 Sharon creates beautifully hand-illustrated maps, walking guides, and art prints that reveal the Porto most visitors never discover. From hidden cemeteries 🪦 and forgotten alleyways to quirky junk shops 🏺 that don't even appear on Google Maps,...

🎙️  Podcast Episode: Nuno André Oliveira Marques dos Santos & the Nelo Story  🚣‍♂️🏅 In this episode, we sit down with  Nuno André Oliveira Marques dos Santos , General Director of Nelo MAR Kayaks , one of the most influential companies in global paddlesports. Born in Porto on December 17, 1976, Nuno holds a degree in Economics from the University of Porto School of Economics and Management....

🎙️👻  Stories of the Ghost – Porto Walking Tours | Dark Side of Portugal A new voice joins the shadows... In this episode, we're delighted to welcome  Rosaria Ribeiro  as our new  co-host , helping guide us through the mysteries, legends, and darker corners of Portugal's past. 🕯️🇵🇹 And this episode comes with an unexpected twist... 👀 The Ghost itself sent us answers to some of our questio...

☕🎙️  This week on the Cool Beans Pod: Ana Carina Soares By day, Ana is a dedicated 👩‍⚕️ nurse. In October 2025, alongside her husband, she opened  Magnolia Coffee Leça  in 📍Leça da Palmeira, Porto — a welcoming café serving 🍽️ daily meals, 🍰 homemade cakes, and 🇵🇹 Portuguese treats with a modern continental twist. Running a thriving coffee shop while working full-time in healthcare is no small...

🎙️  Podcast Episode Spotlight: What happens when a South African takes the grit, warmth, and straight-talking honesty we're known for and uses it to help leaders around the world find their voice? 🌍 Join us for an inspiring conversation with  Mark de Stadler , a proud Saffa making an impact on the global stage. Now living in  Porto, Portugal with his wife and business partner, Sandy ❤️. Mark...

🎙️☕  Cool Beans Pod – Lysa Fedtke 🇩🇪🔥 In this episode of  Cool Beans Pod , we sit down with Lysa Fedtke — German trainer, translator, and proofreader — to unpack the  real  reason so many people struggle to speak German confidently in everyday life. After years of teaching students from around the world, Lysa noticed the same pattern over and over again: people understand the language, know the...

🎙️ On this episode of the Cool Beans Pod, we sat down with Marta Pinto — founder of AI Goes to School, educator, researcher, and at heart, an art teacher exploring the human side of technology 🎨🤖 With a PhD in Multimedia in Education and more than 20 years working across learning, technology, and teacher development, Marta shared thoughtful insights on how schools can approach AI with curiosity,...

🔬➡️🤖➡️📈 From science labs to boardroom strategy — meet Filipe. After a decade in London working across biology and robotics, Filipe pivoted into the world of strategy and consulting, where he now operates at the cutting edge of business and technology. Over the last 10 years, he’s helped organisations navigate growth, transformation, and the ever-evolving impact of AI — not just on processes, b...

From Porto to Europe — building a sneaker brand with purpose 👟🇵🇹 On this episode, we sit down with  Pedro Maçana , co-founder of Wayz (alongside Daniel Gonçalves), the Portuguese sneaker brand born in 2019 with a bold mission:  100% designed and crafted in Portugal . What started as a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo quickly turned into a movement — with their first pairs shipped by the end of...

🎙️ Cool Beans Pod — Episode Spotlight Professor Alexandre Quintanilha In this episode of  Cool Beans , Gary chats with  Professor Alexandre Quintanilha  — one of Portugal’s most respected scientists and thinkers — about  curiosity, education, risk, and how ideas travel from classrooms into real life . Alexandre began his academic journey studying  Theoretical Physics at the University of the Witwa...

🎙️ Designing a New Life: From LA to Porto with Kevin E. Young Kevin E. Young is an American interior designer who now calls Bomfim, Porto home 🇵🇹. In this episode, we chat about housing in Portugal, what it’s really like to move abroad, and why he left Los Angeles to challenge himself in a more frugal, creative environment ✈️🏡. Kevin dives into the practical side of home design, sharing insights...

🎙️  Podcast Spotlight: Carla Hooley In this episode, Carla Hooley joins us to unpack the real-world challenges and exciting opportunities of online teaching 🌍💻. From navigating ever-evolving tech to prioritising mental health and resilience, she shares what it truly takes to thrive in a digital learning space. Carla also reflects on working across diverse cultures and organisations, and how step...

🎙️  Podcast Episode: Richard Zimler in Porto 📚 In this episode, we chat with acclaimed novelist Richard Zimler, an American-born author now living in the beautiful city of Porto, Portugal. ✨ We explore some of his best-known books, including: The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon The Warsaw Anagrams The Gospel According to Lazarus 💬 Our conversation dives into: Feminism and the strong, complex voices in...

🎙️ Podcast Episode: Driving the Green Transition with Bernardo Pinho do Aguiar In this episode, we’re joined by Bernardo Aguiar, Senior Asset Manager at EDP Renewables, who brings over two decades of experience in the energy sector. Drawing on his background in electrotechnical engineering and an MBA in management, Bernardo offers a thoughtful perspective on the evolution of clean energy and the p...

On this episode of The Cool Beans Pod 🎙️☕, we head to the Matosinhos beach front to sit down with Pedro Teixeira , co-founder of Moka Coffee, a standout spot redefining the local coffee scene alongside his wife, Angela Silva. We dive deep into all things coffee ☕🔥 — from the best ways to prepare the perfect cup to exploring different beans and what makes each one unique. Pedro shares his passio...

🎙️ Podcast Guest: Ricardo Nascimento In this episode we sit down with Ricardo, Sales Director at Devoteam, where he works with organisations across Europe on data, cloud, and emerging technology solutions. With a background spanning computer science, project management, and enterprise management, Ricardo studied at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics & Management,...

🎙️ Podcast Guest: Mark Hooley Mark Hooley is an international educator, education leader, and Founder of GOER - Global Online Education Regulator, a global initiative dedicated to raising standards, trust, and accountability in online learning. 🌍 In this episode, Mark explores what it means to be a true teacher — someone who leads with empathy, curiosity, and a genuine passion for students. Drawi...

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight: Gaspar Ferreira Gaspar Ferreira is a psychologist working at the intersection of leadership, performance, education and cultural integration in Portugal. 🔗 Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gasparferreira22/ 🧠 About Gaspar Gaspar is a Portuguese psychologist focused on performance psychology, leadership development and mental health. He is actively i...

🎧 Episode Spotlight: The Return of Josué Ferreira — Deep Dive into the Book of Enoch & the Wicked Bible! ✝️📖 He’s back! We’re joined once again by the ever-inspiring Josué Ferreira — preacher, gifted musician 🎶, teacher of the Word, and a powerful voice in Christian thought. This week Josué unpacks two fascinating topics: the ancient Book of Enoch 👼✨ and the notorious Wicked Bible 🕯️📜 —...

🎙️ Podcast Guest Spotlight: Cindy Shapiro 🎼 Composer • ✍️ Librettist • 💻 Technologist • 🎭 Artist-in-Residence Meet Cindy Shapiro—a multi-faceted artist originally from the US, now creating and performing 🌍 globally and based in 🇵🇹 Porto, Portugal. She bridges 🎭 immersive theatre, 🎶 opera, 🎮 interactive media, and 🕹️ video games with her bold, genre-defying music—blending storytelling, techn...

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight: David Moreira In this episode, we speak with David Moreira — DJ, author and educator — about history, colonisation and contested memory. Born in Porto in 1993, David holds a Master’s in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a degree from Università Bocconi in International Economics, Management and Finance. He has taught Economics in Port...

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight: Catarina Parada ✨🦷 Meet Dr. Catarina Parada, a dentist based in Matosinhos, Portugal 🇵🇹, specialising in aesthetic dentistry and helping patients feel confident through beautiful, natural-looking smiles. Catarina works at Avenida Dental Clinic – Matosinhos, where she focuses on personalised, modern treatments designed to enhance both oral health and smile aesthetics. 🌟 🔗...

🎙️ Cool Beans Pod | Dr. Elena Molinos 🩺 In this episode of the Cool Beans Pod , we sit down with Dr. Elena Molinos, an intensive care physician at Hospital Pedro Hispano in Porto, Portugal. 🇵🇹 Originally from Spain 🇪🇸 and living in Portugal for over 20 years, Dr. Molinos is a true public healthcare provider with a deep passion for patient care. 💬 She speaks openly and candidly about the challeng...

Cool Beans Pod: Tim Vieira – the serial entrepreneur who built empires from Angola to Portugal, now leading the revolution in education as Founder & CEO of Brave Generation Academy! 🇿🇦➡️🇵🇹 South African-born, Portuguese-rooted powerhouse, epic car & arcade collector at Tim's Garage 🎮🚗, Christian optimist, and fierce believer in slashing bureaucracy, sparking innovation, and giving back t...