In episode #116, we sit down with Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, a renowned maître d’, author, and restaurateur, to discuss his fascinating journey through New York City’s iconic restaurants and the secrets behind hospitality.

You will hear about:

Michael’s Early Beginnings:

Behind the Scenes of NYC’s Top Restaurants:

The Evolution of Hospitality:

Launching Cecchi’s in the West Village:

Michael’s Philosophy on Hospitality:

Michael's Reflections on Life:

You can read Michael's book here and learn more about his resturant below:

https://www.cecchis.nyc/

In episode #115, I’m speaking with Peter Ritchie, who served as CEO and Chairman of McDonald’s Australia for over three decades. Peter played a pivotal role in the company’s growth across the country and into Asia.

As McDonald’s first employee outside of North America, he established the brand in Australia from the ground up, transforming it into a powerhouse with over 500 stores and 50,000 employees.

His commitment to leadership development, continuous learning, and training made McDonald’s Australia one of the best-performing regions globally. Peter also brings his expertise and passion to a variety of industries and community projects.

In this episode, he shares his journey working alongside McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc for over 14 years and reflects on why McDonald’s succeeded.

Some facts about the McDonald's brand today:

This is episode #115 and Peter Ritchie!

Expresso on Social Media 💡

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In episode #114 I’m speaking to Lisa Thompson; a world-class mountaineer, cancer survivor, and someone who has made a habit of tackling life’s toughest challenges — both on the mountains and off.

She’s summited Everest, K2, and completed the Seven Summits, which means she’s stood on the highest peak of every continent. But what makes Lisa’s story so special isn’t just the mountains she’s climbed—it’s how she’s used those experiences to push through fear, adversity, and self-doubt.

Lisa’s journey into mountaineering started with a bit of defiance, and after battling breast cancer, she didn’t just return to climbing — she came back stronger, eventually becoming the second American woman to summit K2.

Through her company, Alpine Athletics, she now helps others prepare physically and mentally for their own adventures.

Her book, Finding Elevation, has been getting some incredible reviews. Chuck Garcia, CEO of Climb Leadership International, describes it as “beautifully written” and a story anyone facing challenges can relate to. Johanna Garton, author of Edge of the Map, called it “an honest and gripping look at the world of high-altitude mountaineering,” while Garrett Madison, the world’s premier Everest guide, highlights how Lisa’s writing brings readers into the intimate world of fear, self-discovery, and pushing limits.

This is episode #114 and Lisa Thompson!

Med 22 dager igjen til USA får sin neste president, bestemte Fredrik Marø og jeg oss for å spille inn en tredje samtale sammen – en bonusepisode der vi prater om det amerikanske valget og de underliggende kreftene som har formet situasjonen landet befinner seg i.

I denne episoden dykker vi dypere inn i amerikansk politikk og hva som skjer innenfor landegrensene i disse dager. Du vil høre om:

Amerika sklir mot et oppgjør

Større krafter i sving gjør det vanskelig å få til en endring

Problemet er at Amerika er ikke så demokratisk som folk tror

Om vi skal unngå borgerkrig, må store politiske og økonomiske endringer til

Dette er episode #113 og USA Valg-spesial med Fredrik Marø! 

Intro er laget av EXPresso med klipp av Kamela Harris og Donald Trump.

I episode #112 er det to ting på agendaen:

Vi snakker om:

Dette er episode ⁠⁠#112 med André Haug!

Selvbiografier og Memoarer

Psykologiske Thrillere

Sportshistorie

I episode #111 prater jeg med Danny Attias; Chief Digital & Information Officer på London Business School. Danny er en av de beste historiefortellerne jeg vet om, utrolig dyktig i gjøre komplekse ting enkelt å forstå og ikke minst, hvordan man skal få med seg mennesker på reisen. Han har blitt en mange IT ledere ser til når det kommer til å lykkes med endring og i 2020 ble han kåret til Storbritannias topp 1 CIO for hans arbeid hos Anthony Nolan.

Vi snakker om:

Dette er episode ⁠#111 med Danny Attias!

Nikolai Holmøy vender tilbake til podkasten for EXPresso Shot episode 17; vi reflekterer over de siste to årene, det å følge drømmene sine utover landegrensene og følelsene man sitter med - både kontrastene med det positive og det ubehagelige.

Selv om det er riktige valg du tar, betyr det ikke nødvendigvis at det skal være lett, men det er vell verdt det?

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I episode #109 prater jeg med Nima J. Shahinian; Oppfinner, industridesigner, tidligere soldat i Afghanistan og muligens verdens første nordmann på vei ut i verdensrommet.

Etter å ha spilt inn over hundre intervjuer av podkasten, har jeg møtt alle slags type mennesker, med ulike bakgrunner, personligheter og perspektiver. En gang i blant møter man mennesker og historier som man vet man kommer til å huske i lang tid - Nima er en av de. 

Vi prater om:

In episode #106 I’m speaking to Martin Roll - an experienced global business strategist, senior

Martin Roll works closely with global business families and

Martin is also a Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Business School, and in fact, he is the editor and host of the “INSEAD Family Business Podcast”.

He has mentored 650+ Next Generations from global business families in private 101 conversations (1300 sessions), and run a successful INSEAD Next Gen Mentoring program for 100+ participants every year.

Author of two forthcoming books: Family Business Strategy (2024) and Family Office Strategy (2024).

Martin is a mentor to scale-up/unicorn founders and leaders across the world, and active in the venture capital and private equity space.

Over the last few years, he has also built a large following on LinkedIn where he shares key learnings from his career and personal life as well as advice for aspiring leaders and business owners.

We talk about:

Investor, edtech gründer og vandrende leksikon i amerikansk historie Fredrik Marø vender tilbake til podkasten.

Vi begge er over gjennomsnittet interessert i USA og etter over 25 år i landet deler Fredrik sine erfaringer. Vi snakker om:

Dette er episode #108 og Amerikas misforståtte historie med Fredrik Marø!