Podcast
Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast
Hosted by Matthew Thompson · EN
Northern Ireland has a better story to tell — one that goes beyond bombs, bullets and a sunken ship.
You are part of this story.
With 300+ conversations featuring some of the incredible people who call this place home, our weekly show gives you the chance to get away from the clickbait and connect with the amazing things happening in Belfast.
Previous guests include NASA Scientists, Billion-Dollar CEOs, 91-year-old park-runners, Oscar-winning directors, Olympic Gold medalists, Bitcoin Auctioneers, Tim Burton's puppet-maker and a guy who built an aeroplane in his garage.
Well-known voices include Snow Patrol, Foy Vance, Julian Simmons, May McFettridge, Zoe Salmon, Andrew Trimble, The Dead Rabbit, Michael Deane, The Priests, Two Door Cinema Club, Oliver Jeffers, Pete Snodden, Colin Geddis, Mary Peters, Rebecca McKinney and May Blood — the millworker who became a peer in the House Of Lords.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How ‘Rory’s Travel Club’ Got 100k Customers
Aug 18, 202400:49:41Tap to summarizeRory King is the owner of Rory’s Travel Club. In this episode, we talk about: Leaving Northern Ireland to work in Fiji Starting his travel club in an Indian restaurant in Brooklyn Scaling to 100,000 customers Running a business where “everyone wins” And his plan to grow to 1 million customers Check it out. https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/rory-king-rorys-travel-club Join Rory’s Travel Club Here: https://rorystravelclub.com/
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Collecting Adventures with Lucy Briggs
Aug 12, 202400:57:37Tap to summarizeLucy Briggs is a world traveller whose career spans across Government, Academia and Royalty. In this episode, we talk about: Her love of collecting things Where she got her desire to travel from Why Gen-Z's career path will look different than their parents How a StudyUSA experience ended up taking her around the world Landing a job with the Royal Family And advice she'd give to her 18-year-old self. Check it out. https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/lucy-briggs
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This coach helped me stop being a workaholic | Caroline McKenna
Aug 5, 202401:02:53Tap to summarizeCaroline McKenna is an Executive Coach who works with some of the most successful people in Northern Ireland. In this episode, we talk about: Why hard work doesn't always work Working on the business vs in the business Why self-care if one of the highest leverage activities you can engage in How to take time off without thinking about work And a live coaching session with Matt Check it out.https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/caroline-mckenna-coach P.S. Work with Caroline: www.leadself.co.uk
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Ciaran May on the Sins of our Fathers, Suicide & the Path to Resilience
May 27, 202401:03:47Tap to summarizeCiaran May is the founder of Natural Resilience, a lover of nature and a proud father. In this episode, we talk about: The baggage Northern Irish men are unpacking from their dads/grandas Joining the police as a young lad from West Belfast Taking “the armour off” for the first time The rock bottom moment that changed his life forever And breaking limiting beliefs around business/money Check it out. https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/ciaran-may-natural-resilience Ciaran’s Skool: https://www.skool.com/natural-resilience-6996/about
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“Just do” — Tom Griffiths
May 20, 202401:21:27Tap to summarizeTom Griffiths is a Sunday Times Top 100 Entrepreneur & Disruptor who is currently launching a revolution with https://www.nightlenses.com In this episode, we talk about: Getting Richard Branson naked Digitally selling fish in buckets before they come to shore Breaking the “crabs in a barrel” mentality 10-second courage The power of taking action And advice he’d give to an 18-year-old self Check it out! https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/tom-griffiths-night-lenses
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Bethel’s Kitchen’s Willetta Gabriel on Bagels, Pickles & the Future of Dromore
May 13, 202401:01:29Tap to summarizeWilletta Gabriel is the founder of Bethel’s Kitchen: an artisan bagel and pickle business in Dromore, County Down. In this episode, we talk about: Launching an extremely niche product in a rural town Why every single bagel tastes different (Depending on who rolled it) How one social media post saved her whole business And her experience living in Northern Ireland for the last 20+ years. Check it out! https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/willetta-gabriel-bethels-kitchen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethelskitchen?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnmQraZ3Gg9zTFr7
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Mark Marais on Nostalgia, Africa & Building a Business Around Your Passion
May 6, 202401:09:27Tap to summarizeMark Marais is an entrepreneur from Zimbabwe with deep roots in Belfast. He’s the founder of the luxury travel business Africa Golf Safari and co-founder of the Sport Changes Life Foundation. In this episode, we talk about: Growing up on an idyllic African farm during the war How sport helped with racial integration in his school What Donald Draper can teach us about nostalgia The difference between space and place Starting his business even though it didn’t make any sense Combining passion with entrepreneurship His experience in and passion for Northern Ireland And advice he’d give to his 19-year-old self. Check it out! https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/mark-marais-africa-golf-safari P.S. Mad Men nostalgia video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus
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“American Uncle” Tony Novosel on Study USA & the Transformational Power of Travel
Apr 29, 202400:48:48Tap to summarizeTony Novosel MBE is a former motor mechanic, steelworker, and semi-retired academic from Pittsburgh who has dedicated his life to serving Northern Ireland. In this episode, we talk about: How the collapse of the steel industry was the best thing that ever happened to him Why he first decided to visit Northern Ireland 50 years ago (And why he's been 85+ times since!) Acting as "the American uncle” for NI students on the Study USA programme, (which is is managed by British Council Northern Ireland on behalf of the Department for the Economy) The transformation power travel has had on his own life and the lives of his students Why we tend to oversimplify narratives The grassroots movements that led to a hugely successful academic book about NI Being awarded an MBE And advice he'd give to any student interested in studying overseas! Check it out.
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Graham Robinson on Virtual Production & The Future of Storytelling
Apr 22, 202400:52:18Tap to summarizeGraham Robinson is an Artist and Director with over 15 years of experience working with household names like Netflix, Universal Music Group, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Dua Lipa and the BBC. In this episode, we talk about: How the creative journey is made up of incremental steps rather than huge Hollywood moments Discovering his art form at a young age The role of the artist in society Balancing virtual worlds with the "real-world" Being led by intuition/calling rather than logic/reason What he learned from his time working in London and LA How Belfast is positioned to carve its own path in the new era of story-telling Why he thinks the big-budget feature film model is about to be disrupted The deep heritage/history of Northern Ireland as a place of creativity and impact And his vision for the future of the screen industry in NI Check it out. https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/graham-robinson-virtual-artist-and-director
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Changing the world one beer at a time | Alan Mahon, Brewgooder
Apr 15, 202400:58:02Tap to summarizeAlan Mahon is the Belfast-born Founder and CEO of Brewgooder, an impact beer brand, B Corp, and the fastest-growing independent UK beer brand of 2023. In this episode, we talk about: Meeting George Clooney & Leonardo Dicaprio Leaving his "three mums” behind to move to Scotland The tension between doing good and making money How getting a parasite in Nepal led to him starting his business The power of pub culture and its impact on relationships Using business as a vehicle to change the world Not compromising on quality just because you're "doing good” Why he moved back to Northern Ireland after so many years And advice he'd give to an 18-year-old version of himself Check it out! https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/alan-mahon-brewgooder
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