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

Michael McKillop is a four-time Paralympic Gold-Medalist who currently holds the world record for the 800m and 1500m races.   In today’s episode, Matthew Thompson and Lady Mary Peters talk with Michael about:

• What it was like being coached by his father at a young age
• His current journey to the Tokyo 2020 Games 
• And how he’s dealt with cerebral palsy and mental health challenges along the way.

  Thanks so much for being here and we really hope you enjoy.    //   Webpage: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/michael-mckillop-paralympic-gold-medalist  

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 60, only to receive a phone call a few months later asking him to return to the company as CEO and chair… a challenge that he said yes to.    In today’s conversation we talk about:

• Why his family moved to Africa when he was a boy
• Lessons learned from a lifetime of leadership
• What's he's setting his sight on as 80 approaches
• And how a lad from Northern Ireland ended up in the driver's seat of one of the largest companies on the planet. 

  Check it out.    https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/neville-isdell-coca-cola-ceo-chairman

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 about:

• Skateboarding around Bangor as a teen
• Setting up his own business
• Saving lives through photography
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's faced along the way.

 

Check it out.

 

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Webpage: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/nick-patterson-freelance-photographer

 

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, leadership and team development.

In this episode we talk about:

• Growing up in The Holylands
• Taking a bullet to the leg
• Coaching professional basketball in Sweden
• Working with Google
• Running a virtual pub quiz for 60 weeks straight
• How practice doesn't make perfect
• And why he branched out on his own to start People Playbook at the best/worst time imaginable.

 

Check it out!

 

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Webpage: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/tony-mcgaharan-people-playbook

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 Data Scientist Matthew Mcauley, Napoleon is the realisation of a lifelong dream of owning their own cafe and the result of seven years of scheming, planning and drinking lots of coffee!   In this today’s episode we talk about:

• Matt’s recent realisation about his brain as well as his unexpected PhD in Physics
• What it was like opening a cafe during the height of the pandemic
• How the reality of seeing their dream fulfilled compared to their expectations
• And the greatest highs/lows of their first year of business…

  Check it out!   https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/napoleon-coffee-rachel-snowden-matthew-mcauley

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 1000+ consultants before selling it in 2013.     In today’s show we talk about:  

• Growing up in Fermanagh
• Moving to Detroit to start a business
• Bringing Rugby culture to the states
• And the greatest challenges/successes along the way

    Check it out.     //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/adrian-balfour-seattle-seawolves

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 on doing next
• And some of the lessons he’s learned from the highs and lows of an incredible career

  Thanks so much for being here and we really hope you enjoy.

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 watch social media presence on the planet with 100’s of millions of hits across YouTube, TikTok and BiliBili (China’s YouTube).     In today’s episode we cover:

• Nico’s origin story (moving from the Netherlands to Northern Ireland)
• Why family and legacy matter so much to him
• How failure and dark days have led to his success today
• And the greatest challenges/successes he’s experienced along the way.

  This is a heartfelt conversation with someone I’ve known and admired for a long time and without a doubt one of the best interviews we’ve ever shared.   Throughout all he’s faced, Nico’s determination and passion to give back to Northern Ireland and put Belfast on the map make him one of our unsung heroes and Belfast’s best-kept secret.   Check it out.    https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/pride-and-pinion-nico-leonard-van-der-horst

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 conversation about business, psychology, cooking and cold plunges.

 

Enjoy!

 

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Books featured in this episode:

1. Traction

2. The Drama Triangle

3. Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredients, The Alchemist and The Hard Thing About Hard Things

 

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https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/three-beers-three-books-james-leckey-greg-bradley

 

 

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 importance of “keystone habits” for good mental health
• And the greatest challenges/successes he’s faced along the way

  Check it out  

• https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/micheal-orourke-psychotherapist