Spoke

Introduction to my brand new podcast Spoke. Spoke is all about deep conversations with interesting people about subjects that matter. Each week during season 1 we'll bring you a long-form interview with someone interesting and you can learn a little about what makes them tick. Want to keep up to date with when we launch please subscribe and follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@spokepodcast). On our social channels we'll be posting teasers for our upcoming episodes and guests.

This week on the podcast we sit down with the wonderful Mel Wiggins. Mel is the founder of Assembly a community for creative women in Northern Ireland that holds a series of curated events series of curated events. She’s also the co-founder and project leader for Freedom Acts a charity focussed on working with those caught up in human trafficking. We talk a fair bit about that in this episode. As if that wasn’t enough Mel is also a prolific ethical living advocate and she helps others live more ethically too. She talks about ethical fashion, ethical living and sustainability on her blog and through her free e-course available here. Things that are specifically mentioned in the episode: FREEDOM ACTS MEL WIGGINS WEBSITE MEL WIGGINS TWITTER MEL WIGGINS INSTAGRAM

This week on the show I am joined by Lyra McKee. Lyra is an award winning investigative journalist, an author who is working on two books due to be published in the next two years, a TEDx speaker (watch it here) and a winner of the Forbes 30 under 30 honour. Lyra and I discuss things like what investigative journalism is, some of the pieces she has investigated, her thoughts on the state of journalism and why some cases or issues don't get attention while others do. According to her granny Lyra was destined to be a writer but she didn't have the easiest ride to get there. Lyra struggled with reading and writing growing up and as a result of some inspirational people in her life and a tonne of internal fortitude she broke through and was rewarded with a two-book deal. Join me as I chat with Lyra McKee. In this episode Lyra and I chat about everything from the state of the media to Harry Potter ⚡️. We chat about the rise of #FakeNews and what it really means alongside things like why certain stories get more coverage in the press than others. Links and things mentioned in the episode: Lyra McKee on Twitter Two of Jonny's favourite pieces that Lyra has written: Suicide of the ceasefire babies - in the 16 years after the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland more people took their own lives through suicide than lives that were lost as a result of the conflict. Lyra tries to find out why. The fight of your life - while boxers often know they risk injury when they step into the ring what they might not consider is the long-term effects of brain damage. Lyra speaks with some of the families who have been affected. The piece Lyra would like you to read is her investigation into sexual assault within the PSNI. Available here.

Matthew Thompson is in the hot-seat as our esteemed guest this week. For those of you who are familiar with Matthew you probably know him from Best of Belfast, which started out as an Instagram account dedicated to showing the hidden beauty in everyday Belfast. Since it's beginnings as an Instagram account it's sprouted wings and taken on a new life as a Podcast and a community that hosts regular gatherings, dragging people from the digital into the tangible. This is Matthew's first time being the interviewee and I'm glad he chose to share his experience with the Spoke community. Matthew shares some of the stories involved in starting a community online and what it's like to try and take that community offline. He talks us through how he had 3 simple rules for his life: Not getting married Not going to university Not living in Northern Ireland ...and how he has since reneged on each of these. If you haven't connected with Matthew check him out on Instagram (@BestofBelfast) check out his podcast and website at (www.bestofbelfast.org). The whole premise of Best of Belfast podcast is to showcase and highlight local legends and Matthew does this perfectly. The episode he recommended you check out was his most recent (at time of recording) with Gavan Wall. My personal favourite is the live recorded episode with Dillon Osborne but they're all great! Thanks for taking the time to listen! If you enjoyed the episode it would mean a lot if you could take the time to review the episode and as always you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

This week we're joined by Jess Janz. Jess is a creative currently residing in Toronto, Canada. Alongside being a talented singer/songwriter and poet, a number of months ago Jess along with her cofounder Ryan started a dinner series called Share Plates (@shareplatestoronto on Insta). Share Plates invites strangers to have dinner, drinks and conversations together. What's the catch? You're not allowed to talk about work...that's it! Share Plates invites people to go past the superficial and into the things that actually matter through a series of thought-provoking questions. Jess shares a little about what an evening at a Share Plates dinner is like. If you haven't connected with Jess the best place to do that is on Instagram @jessjanz. You can also follow her poetry account (recommended!) @visitjessjanz. Aside from that Share Plates can be found @shareplatestoronto Thanks for taking the time to listen. If you enjoyed the episode it would mean a lot if you could take the time to review it and leave a rating. As always you can connect with us on Instagram or Twitter @SpokePodcast See you next week!

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Lyra McKee - GoFundMe legacy fundraiser Wow…it’s been a while. I’m finally ready to start launching season 2 episodes and I’m really excited to share them with you. We’ll launch season 2 on 27th June which is exactly one year after our first official episode aired, with Mel Wiggins in the guest seat. And, in fact we’re going to launch with two episodes - double the goodness - the first two episodes feature Sara Tasker who started the incredibly popular instagram account meandorla and the podcast hashtag authentic and Daniel Giacopelli the Editor of Courier Magazine which explores the world of modern business and startups. They’re such great conversations and I can’t wait for you to listen to them. I had originally intended to release season 2 much earlier but life just kind of got in the way. As some of you will know I’ve had some quite big personal news…Cassie, my wife, and I have had our first child and we’re totally in love with her. She’s turned our lives upside down and inside out in the most special way. Alongside that I’ve been balancing work, starting a small property company, study and just life in general and the podcast sort of collected dust. But, no more! It’s time to get these conversations out into the world. Alongside all the goodness of the past year, it would be remiss of me not to reflect on the fact that one of season 1 guests, Lyra McKee, is no longer with us. For those who don’t know Lyra was brutally murdered as she was reporting rioting in Derry. Just 2 days before she was shot I was messaging Lyra and we were reflecting on the all too quick passage of time, something that feels even more poignant now. A fundraising page has been set up on gofundme to contribute towards Lyra’s legacy. I’ve already made a donation and would love it if you could consider contributing anything, even a very small amount, to help ensure that Lyra’s message and hope live on. The link is in the bio but you can also just search for ‘GoFundMe Lyra McKee’ and you’ll find it. Thanks for listening and following along - here’s to season 2.

It's an absolute delight this week to be joined by the one and only, Sara Tasker. You might know her as @meandorla on Instagram or elsewhere. You might also know her as the author of #Authentic the book or the host of the podcast by the same name. Or, maybe as one of the co-hosts of Letter from a Hopeful Creative. Sara is a busy bee online and it's clear she works hard yet it's still surprising to many people that she's managed to build a multiple 6-figure business out of what was once a hobby...posting on Instagram. Since those early days where she started gaining popularity Sara has expanded her empire to writing, podcast, speaking, consulting and coaching others how to do the same. In this conversation Sara shares about her journey to building a business and life she loves. Originally starting her career as a speech therapist Sara is now one of the authoritative voices on influencing online, digital marketing and being how to keep your soul and remain authentic whilst doing it. It was a delight to talk with Sara and I think you'll love this episode. If you do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps spread the word! Hashtag Authentic the book Me & Orla Instagram

In this conversation Daniel Giacopelli, Editor of Courier Magazine shares what goes into making magazines work as a business. He also talks about the state of media today and gives some hints at where Courier might go in the future.

In this episode, I am joined by Krystyn Harrison, CEO of Prosper. Prosper is an app based coaching service helping people navigate their careers. They can provide coaching on things like landing your dream job, scoring a promotion or even just leveling up your leadership ability. Krystyn is a multi-business founder and in this episode, she shares about her journey - the successes, failures, challenges, and victories. It's an honest conversation packed with lots of goodness! Hello Prosper Krystyn Harrison Twitter

This episode is a bit different. For a start, it wasn't necessarily planned! I sat down and recorded a brief conversation with my youngest brother and we chatted through funny nicknames (Stinky Poo McGrick), his thoughts on Brexit and what he believes are some of the 'big issues' in the world today.

Michael Howe, a co-founder of Campus Capital, shares in this episode his journey from being an overstocked teapot salesperson to founding one of the most innovative venture funds around today. Michael along with his co-founder Samantha started a venture fund that operates traditionally in many ways, raising money from institutional and high-net-worth investors, running due diligence and deploying capital into high risk, high reward, high growth, high potential start-ups. One this is different though...their VCs are students.

This week we have Dr Simon Clark on the show. Simon is a Youtuber with a PhD from the University of Exeter. He spends his time on Youtube sharing about science, maths, and helping students get into elite universities like the University of Oxford where he completed his undergraduate and master's degrees. Simon's Youtube channel Simon's Twitter account Simon's Twitch channel

This week on the show I'm joined by Nico van der Horst. Nico started Pride and Pinion - Ireland's only dedicated luxury watch boutique - with modest loan from the bank and a plan to buy and sell watches. Since then he's gone on to open the Vault, Pride and Pinion's first shop inside the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. In our show Nico talks about his views on entrepreneurship, why he loves luxury watches and timekeeping devices in general and his favourite watches. Aside from being able to geek out about watches for a nearly an hour we also chat about Nico's approach to entrepreneurship which stems from his Grandfather, and why he's not just in business for the money. In a way watches rescued Nico from a job that he barely tolerated and a long commute which he hated. He used watches to escape the hum-drum of a predictable life and built the life he wanted. An inspiring story. You can follow along with the Pride and Pinion journey over on their Instagram (@PrideandPinion), and you can check out their website if you want to browse their collection. Even better though, you can call into the Vault in the Merchant Hotel and meet Nico yourself, try on some watches and learn a thing or two about the stories behind them.

This episode was originally released as part of Season 1. Due to some technical issues with our upload this week I thought it would be agood idea to give this "oldie but goodie" some additional love...it's in the name afterall!

In this episode, I'm joined by Kenneth McElroy one of the founders of the Caithness Broch Project. In our discussion, Kenneth explains what a broch is, why they're important, why heritage tourism is important for more remote areas of Scotland and gives his musings on archeology in general. It's a great conversation. If you don't know what a broch is I've included a picture here...but Kenneth goes into some detail during the conversation. The Caithness Broch Project website Caithness Broch Instagram Caithness Broch Facebook

I can't believe it was 10 weeks ago that we started Season 2 and here we are at the final episode! This episode is just me (again!) answering some questions that were submitted via our Instagram. Thank you so much for listening along in Season 2...hope you stick around for when Season 3 launches.