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

By Matthew ThompsonSociety & Culture Places & Travel

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52 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

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

April 08, 2024Marty Neill on Tiny Rooms, Video Games & “Figuring It Out”
Marty Neill is the founder of AirPOS. He’s also an ex-music journalist and avid retro gamer.
In this episode, we talk about:
Leaving school illegally at 15-years-old

Building and selling video games as a kid on his Spectrum + 2

How all the best things in his life have come from “tiny rooms”

Why you should never fall in love with your business

Ideas being the “real currency”

How COVID both destroyed and transformed his business

Why your business will never love you back

The huge opportunities that exist in Belfast

And the new Retro Arcade opening in Belfast later this year
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/marty-neill-airpos
52 min
April 01, 2024Máirtín Ó Muilleoir on Blackbirds, Boyhood & The Future of Media
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir is the publisher of the Andersonstown News in Belfast and the Irish Echo in New York.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why he has a blackbird on his business card

How he was able to buy a business with no money

The future of the newspaper industry

Growing up in Andytown during the sixties

Challenges facing the media sector

The symbiotic relationship between Ireland/America

Life lessons from a Buddhist Chaplain

And dealing with the chaos of modern life
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/mairtin-o-muilleoir-andersonstown-news
47 min
March 25, 2024Patrick Treacy on Pioneering Aesthetic Medicine, Treating Michael Jackson & Witnessing History
Patrick Treacy is a pioneer in Aesthetic Medicine. Throughout his incredible career, he’s won countless awards, trained thousands of doctors and trail-blazed new protocols used around the world today.
In this episode, we talk about:
Smuggling cars across the German border to pay for med school

Being arrested in Iraq under suspected espionage

How being from Ireland quite literally saved his life

His phone call with Nelson Mandela

Treating Michael Jackson and the subsequent friendship that ensued

How he wants to spend the next few decades

And advice he’d give to his 18-year-old self
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/patrick-treacy-aesthetic-medicine
49 min
March 18, 2024Meat Merchant Peter Hannan on Quality, Attention To Detail & “Chance Encounters”
Peter Hannan is a Meat Merchant who supplies 400+ restaurants throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe, including some of the biggest names in the industry.
In this episode, we talk about:
How he started out in the meat business

(Aka, butchering lambs for his mum's mate's freezer as a boy)

Moving to America at 19-years-old to learn from the masters of his industry

Becoming the highest-paid executive in Ireland by the age of 22

Setting up his own business

The decision to focus on quality rather than quantity

Why attention to detail is the most crucial thing in business

Buying 5 tonnes of salt from Pakistan

How one smoke break changed his business forever

And advice he'd give to his 18-year-old self
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/peter-hannan-meat-merchant
Hannan Meats: https://www.hannanmeats.com/
49 min
March 11, 2024Iain Percy on Olympic Success, Electric Ferries & Maritime Decarbonisation
Iain Percy is the founder of Artemis Technologies and a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist.
In this episode, we talk about:
How he fell in love with the water

His work with professional sailing teams around the world

Building the world's first electric workboat and electric passenger ferry

The pros/cons of bringing an Olympic mindset to business

Limiting time vs limiting the scope of projects

Why he decided to base the business in Belfast

The necessity for green technology to make sense financially

His vision for maritime decarbonisation

And his dream of opening up a commuter ferry service to Belfast
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/iain-percy-artemis-technologies
27 min
March 04, 2024Unlocking Toyota's Winning Formula | Alan Weir | Belfast Roots to Global Success
Alan Weir is a top leader at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK.
In today's episode, we talk about:
His first job in Belfast Zoo Amusement park as a kid

Working in a seatbelt factory

Leaving home

Managing a team of 40 English men in his early-twenties

(And the leadership lessons he learned as a result)

The powerful culture Toyota have created

Experiencing Japan for the first time

How a car comes of the line every 86 seconds at his factory

(And the business principles that make that possible!)

Ways he switches off from work

And advice he'd give to an 18-year-old version of himself.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/alan-weir-toyota-uk
48 min
February 26, 2024Ross Lazaroo-Hood on Taking Risks, Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs & Living Forever
Ross Lazaroo-Hood is the CEO of Clearer Water: “a social-impact company” based in Larne.
He's also the founder of Landmark Insurance Group and cofounder of the RUSA Foundation Charity.
In today's episode, we talk about:
Where his name comes from

Growing up in an estate in Larne

Getting the freedom of the city award in London

How his start-up didn't make any money for 18 months

Merging his business and personal identities together

Why entrepreneurship is an amazing tool for improving society

Dealing with haters/trolls

Falling back in love with Northern Ireland

And advice he'd give to a younger version of himself.
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/ross-lazaroo-hood-clearer-water
58 min
February 19, 2024Snow Leopards, Snakes & Community Farms | Wildlife Conservationist Jonny Hanson
Jonny Hanson is a conservationist, agriculturalist, and entrepreneur.
In this episode, we discuss:
Spending his summer holidays working with wild animals.

Pursuing a PhD in Snow Leopard Conservation.

The shift in the conservation industry from a "Western" to a "local" approach.

Living in both Malawi and Monaghan during his childhood.

The impact this had on his personal identity.

Establishing Northern Ireland's first community-owned farm.

His forthcoming book and documentary.

What he would ask St. Patrick over a pint.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/jonny-hanson-conservationist
Links for Jonny:
TEDxTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FCUumWaTBo&pp=ygURdGVkeCBqb25ueSBoYW5zb24=

NI Science Festival Event with Teaser Premiere: https://nisciencefestival.com/events/snow-leopard-trail-taster-tape-premier
33 min
February 12, 2024Beyond the Love Story with Relationship Coach Lisa McFarland
Lisa McFarland is Northern Ireland’s leading relationship coach.
In today’s episode, we talk about:
Why there’s a taboo about getting help with your relationship

(Versus hiring a PT, mechanic etc)

The importance of talking to your male partner shoulder-to-shoulder

Why 96% of her followers on Instagram are women

A simple framework for checking in with your partner each week

How our childhoods impact the way we give and receive love

Co-dependency: what it is and how to break free from it

Rapid fire issues such as: dealing with a sexless relationship, preparing for the arrival of a new baby and moving out of the friend-zone.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/lisa-mcfarland
Links:
Lisa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relationship.coaching.ni/?hl=en

Take Lisa’s Online Course: https://relationshipcoachni.com/revive-online-course

Book some time with Lisa: https://relationshipcoachni.com/coaching-sessions
1 hr 2 min
February 05, 2024Education Reimagined: Behind-The-Scenes At Holywood Steiner Private School | Peter Chambers
Peter Chambers is the Headteacher at Holywood Steiner School, an alternative to mainstream education that’s making a powerful impact on the lives of pupils and teachers alike.
In today's episode, we talk about:
How the school has doubled in budget, size and staff since 2020

Why most people aren't aware of alternative education in Northern Ireland

The power of delaying "sitting at a desk” until 6-years-old

Teaching kids how to cook three-course meals, woodworking and a second language

Why having smaller class sizes makes a big difference

Creating an environment where teachers can actually teach instead of constantly managing poor behaviour

Why his pupils call teachers by their first names and don't wear a school uniform

His countercultural policies on screens in the classroom

And the importance of creating an environment that encourages (and celebrates) failure.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/peter-chambers
Website: https://www.holywood-steiner.co.uk/contact
45 min