In Good Company with Cathy Martin

Marc Mckee was once told by his doctor that he wouldn’t see 40. At his heaviest, he was over 23 stone, and was heavily struggling with anxiety, food noise, and physical health issues. Now, after losing 9 stone through GLP-1 jabs, he’s started a skincare business, Elastik, to help others who have had a similar journey. He joined Cathy to talk all things GLP-1, the lessons he’s learnt in his journey, and how he's found running his business alone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alastair Cameron is the founder of TechTides – a growing programme of regional tech conferences across the island of Ireland. His mission is simple – to bring everyone in the tech ecosystem on the island of Ireland together. In 2023, his life was turned upside down, when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which eventually advanced to stage 4 and metastasised to his liver. While recovering, he spent his time contemplating changes in technology – and TechTides was born. He spoke to Cathy about how to master networking, his experience with OCD, using LinkedIn to your advantage, and much more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clare McGee is the co-founder of AwakenHub and Awaken Angels — organisations focused on supporting female founders and helping more women get involved in investing and entrepreneurship. Awaken Angels is the first all female investment syndicate. Only 2% of global investment goes into female-founded startups, and Clare and her team want to close the gap. She joined Cathy to talk about the journey of a female founder, all things investment, and her upcoming Sheventures summit. The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation of any investment product.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Serial entrepreneur Mark Dowds has built million-dollar companies, worked across Belfast, Toronto and Silicon Valley, and backed startups that went on to become global giants. But when he reflects on the moments that have really shaped him, it’s not the successes he points to — it’s the failures and personal challenges, from building a product years before the market was ready, to being diagnosed with cancer in the early years of his current business. Driven by wanting to make a difference in the world, Mark founded Responsible — a company focused on reducing waste in the fashion industry. He joined Cathy to talk about balancing life and business, learning from failure, and what risks are really necessary to grow a business.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan McDowell is the founder and CEO of BPerfect Cosmetics - one of Northern Ireland’s biggest beauty success stories. He started BPerfect in 2012 with just £500 and a small eyebrow stall in the Kennedy Centre in Belfast. In 2017, Brendan turned down a Dragons’ Den investment of €80,000 at the same time he was trying to get his brand in the shops. He joined Cathy to talk about about how he grew his company from a stall to what it is today, his top tips for entrepeneurship and balancing a business with over 400 staff with family.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jordan Graham is a Belfast-based entrepreneur who ‘accidentally’ built one of Ireland’s most recognisable food marketing agencies. He launched Sugar Snap in February 2023 after the startup he was working in collapsed - since then, the agency has attracted clients like Belfast favourites Juice Jar and Orto Pizzabars. Graham suffered from shingles due to extreme burnout as he was working as a full-time marketing manager in one of Northern Ireland's fastest-growing food and beverage brands while studying for his degree.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenny McGreevy is the founder of Refresh Debt, a business to help people at their most financially vulnerable. In 2007, while many were riding the wave of the housing boom, Jenny believed a crash was coming. What followed was the launch of refresh debt in the midst of the recession. Jenny joined Cathy Martin to talk all things debt, including ‘financial infidelity’ and what it means, what debts should be avoided, and the stigma around money in Northern Ireland. You can get in touch with the Refresh Debt team on their website: https://refreshdebt.co.uk/debt-management-ni/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conor Ferguson is an Olympic swimmer who’s faced heartbreak by the narrowest of margins – missing out on the 2016 Rio Olympics by five hundredths of a second, and Tokyo in 2020 by four tenths. Despite setbacks, he qualified for the Olympics 2024 in Paris and competed in the 4x100m Medley Relay. He’s turned what some might perceive as adversity into innovation, now co-founding Athlete Hub – a tech startup using AI to help athletes optimise every part of their performance.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Murphy is the Northern Ireland entrepreneur who turned a lockdown side project into one of the fastest-growing snack brands in the country. Now the founder of Oatco Superfuel, Laura’s oat-based energy balls went from selling out in a small rural shop to landing on shelves in Tesco and Spar stores across Northern Ireland and the UK. Most recently, she stepped into the Den on Dragons’ Den — walking away with not one, but three offers, and securing investment from Steven Bartlett.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Linda Stinson is the co. Tyrone entrepeneur and brain behind Bellamianta Tan and Iconic Bronze. Following a wedding day nightmare with a patchy spray tan, Linda started to look into creating tan products that looked great, but were also kind to sensitive skin. Now, Bellamianta Tan is stocked in over 5,000 outlets across the world, and is now sold in the brand’s first ever bricks and mortar store.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.