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029: Sandy Tang - Love Sum

Sandy Tang is a chef and entrepreneur whosejourney has been anything but a straight line. Born and raised in Macau, she moved to the UK as a teenager and began cooking at fifteen to recreate the flavours of her childhood. She studied electronic engineering at the University of Warwick before, at just 24, signing up for MasterChef 2020 — cooking her wayto the final and finishing as runner-up in one of the show's most memorable series. Rather than the restaurant route, Sandy chosethe supermarket shelf. With co-founder David Solomon she launched Love Sum, a brand of fresh, chilled, ready-to-cook "world dumplings" — from Chinese classics to Korean BBQ beef mandu — on a mission to make dumplings asubiquitous in British fridges as filled pasta. Produced sustainably in the UK, Love Sum is now stocked in Sainsbury's, Ocado, Selfridges, Booths and GoPuff. In early 2025 she pitched on Dragons' Den, winning an investment offer from Peter Jones, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list the same year. For Sandy, dumplings are about more than food: they represent family, celebration and connection. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

028: Ken Caillat - Making Rumours

Very few people can say they were in the room when a masterpiece was made. Ken Caillat was behind the desk for all of it. He's best known for producing and engineering the Fleetwood Mac albums Rumours, Tusk, Mirage and Live, capturing Dreams, Go Your Own Way and The Chain while the band's relationships fell apart around him. That work brought an Album of the Year Grammy, and his recordings have sold over 50 million copies. Now his book Making Rumours, out in the UK since 10 September, lifts the lid on the hedonism and excess of those sessions. In this episode he shares some of those stories with us... I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter. Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

027: Georgie Bell - Shaking Hands, Pouring Drams

Georgie Bell is co-founder and CEO of The Heart Cut, the award-winning independent whisky bottler she launched in 2023 with her husband, Fabrizio Leoni. Focused on single casks from small, innovative producers around the world alongside renowned names, The Heart Cut was named Independent Bottler of the Year at the Global Icons of Whisky Awards in both 2024 and 2025, and Producer of the Year at The Whisky Exchange Awards 2026. Georgie's whisky career began behind the bar at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society while studying geography at the University of Edinburgh, where she wrote her dissertation on whisky and regional identity. She went on to become luxury malts ambassador for Diageo's Mortlach, then joined Bacardi in 2016 as global malts ambassador, later serving as head of advocacy for its incubation brands. She is a Keeper of the Quaich, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers, and holds a distillation qualification. She also serves as a trustee of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

026: Steve Oliver - The Devil is in the Details

Steve Oliver is the Founder and CEO of musicMagpie, one of the great Northern entrepreneurial success stories. After the collapse of Music Zone, the retailer he was managing director of, a failure that cost him half the value of his family home. Steve invested the other half into a new venture, by starting trading people’s old CDs and DVDs initially from his garage in Stockport in 2007. What began as a "lazy man's eBay" for trading in CDs, DVDs and games pivoted towards phones and consumer tech, growing today into the number one buyer and seller of refurbished phones in the UK and, remarkably, the biggest seller in the history of both eBay and Amazon globally. musicMagpie floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 at a value of £208 million, and was subsequently acquired by AO in late 2024. Across its history the business has generated a cumulative £2 billion of gross income. A pioneer of the circular economy and champion of sustainability, Steve also chairs the Stockport Economic Alliance, and announced in July that he'll step down at the end of September in his words, "to chase more thrills." I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

025: Claudia Cardinali - Become a Brand

Claudia Cardinali is a social media strategist andpersonal-branding specialist, and one of the sharpest voices in the fast-growing business of building people into influential brands. Now working independently and building her own thing, she brings a rare depth of experience to the question every founder, expert and executive is now asking: how do Iactually cut through online? She previously worked as a senior strategist at GreatInfluence, the agency dedicated to building high-profile personal brands, where she helped shape the online presence of some genuinely big names with the agency's roster spanning the likes of Gary Neville, Grenade founder Alan Barratt,author and Times columnist Matthew Syed, and MyProtein founder Oliver Cookson. Her specialism is the craft of personal branding: understanding what makes someone worth following and translating their expertise and personality into content that lands. Claudia is also a sought-after speaker and educator, teaching at General Assembly and appearing regularly on marketing and career podcasts, where she unpacks everything from authenticity to navigating the "quarter-life crisis."With a large, engaged LinkedIn following of her own, she practises exactly what she preaches. I hope you enjoy it... You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

024: Clint Boon - Follow Your Soul, Not Your Wallet

Clint Boon is a Manchester institution. Bornin Oldham, he rose to fame as the keyboard player of Inspiral Carpets, the band responsible for that defining organ sound and a stack of acclaimed, chart-topping singles and albums at the heart of Madchester. After the band split in 1995 he formed The Clint Boon Experience, before two decades as a fixture of the airwaves on XFM, BBC Radio Manchester, Radio X and XS Manchesteralongside a parallel life as one of the country's most in-demand club DJs. The Inspirals reformed in 2023 to sold-out tours, with a sixth studio album, Burn Like the Sun, due in January 2027. His first book, TheManchester Chronicles: True Tales of Music, Madness and Mayhem 1976–2006, is published by Monoray on 3rd September with a foreword by Shaun Ryder. A personal folk-telling of the city's musical coming of age, from punk through Madchester, rave and beyond. Guy Garvey has called it "the greatest rock and roll book ever written." I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

023: Tim Bradbury - The Adventures of Tiny Tim

The man behind the voice of Tiny Tim, Tim Bradbury joins Sam to discuss his career to date including his start in comedy, where the voice came from, life and tour and what the future holds. There’s also some beatboxing, a rant about a lightbulb and what it’s like to be punched by Eddie Hall… I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

022: Sam Grainger - Making Someone's Dinner

Sam Grainger is the co-founder and chef behind some of the North West’s best loved restaurants including Liverpool’s Belzan, the growing Madre brand and Winsome. We talk about how he fell in love with cooking, a move to Australia which launched his career and how to grow a brand. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

021: Simon Keegan - Be An Insider

Hello and welcome back. This week we’re joined by Simon Keegan, the editor of Insider North-West. We talk through his three careers as a journalist, a best-selling author and a martial artist. Along the way we offend some gangsters in Salford, find the origins of King Arthur and his life in karate… I hope you enjoy it. You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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020: Mehdi Kordi - Six Olympic Gold Medals

Today's guest has six Olympic gold medals and is one of the most successful coaches in world cycling. He also never rides a bike himself and doesn't want to hear your fitness questions... The legend that is Mehdi Kordi joins us to talk through his career from choosing a university in the strangest possible way, to his life as an academic to his incredibly successful career as a coach. This is a belter of an episode, and I hope you enjoy it... You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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019: Nathan Sudders - Stay On The Road

Nathan Sudders joins the pod to discuss a life in music, starting with playing in the pubs and working men’s clubs of Burnley before signing to Alan McGee’s Creation Records at 19. We also talk through The Whip days, touring the world and how he has become one of the most in-demand session musicians in the UK playing with the likes of Miles Kane, Doves, and Elbow. You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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018: Naomi Timperley - The Most Influential Woman in UK Tech

Having recently been named Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK Tech, Naomi Timperley joins the pod to talk through her career including raving toddlers, an appearance on Dragon’s Den, making the jump into tech and advocating for others. We also talk about the stalking case which has affected her last few years and what the future holds. Enjoy… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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017: Michael Howard - Hardworking, Educated, Mouthpiece.

Today’s episode is a masterclass in taking the leap. We’re joined by Michael Howard who talks about leaving the golden handcuffs of a highflying corporate career to do his own thing. Some really good insights on growing a business, and in many ways an industry, what it takes to get something off the ground and all the usual jokes and nonsense. Hope you enjoy it…. You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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016: Hattie Pearson - The News in Senegal

Radio Presenter. Athlete. The Provider of our fact of the week… Hattie Pearson is here. From the weirdest entry point into a career in radio imaginable to her current role at Kisstory we track her career including accidentally becoming a sponsored athlete, having more hobbies than any other human being alive and THAT viral radio competition. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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015: Emma Billington - The UK's First Kennel Free Dog Rescue

Emma Billington is the founder of Dogs4Rescue, the UK’s first kennel free dog rescue. A lot of people say they would like to run an animal sanctuary when they retire, well Emma didn’t wait for retirement… In this episode we discuss how a chance meeting with a dog changed her life, the steps taken to open the rescue and how you can help. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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014: Tom Cheesewright - The Low Budget Tony Stark

The world's first applied futurist, 'the low-budget Tony Stark', and all-round good-guy, Tom Cheesewright, arrives on the pod to talk us through his career, including the book that set him on his career path, spending lockdown building cars with his daughters, and working for NASA. Sam also has to eat his words about this not being a real job. We hope you enjoy it.... You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/⁠ Dogs4Rescue: ⁠https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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013: David Nolan - I Swear I Was There

I met David Nolan when he was my University Lecturer. If I questioned something he was saying, he would ask me how many Royal Television Awards I have (it's 0) and then tell me how many he has (it's 5)... Since then, he's had a huge influence over my career. He's a multi-award author, journalist, filmmaker and radio producer and loves an all-you-can-eat buffet. In this episode, we discuss how luck has been on his side throughout the different sections of his career and there's some belting stories about being a young reporter in dangerous and exciting times, annoying Morrissey, and trusting your gut. David is in the process of launching Cult Manchester and you should check it out: https://www.instagram.com/cult_manchester/ You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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012: Thom Hetherington - The Real Life Ferris Bueller

Thom Hetherington is a leading voice in the UK food and drink and arts and culture industries. In this episode, we talk about his varied career from starting out as a marine biologist, launching Restaurant Magazine and the 50 Best Restaurants in the World, to struggling through a financial crisis and eventually exiting his business. He also mentions his hometown of Glossop unprompted 782 times... Listen wherever you find your podcasts. You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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011: Dawn Goddard - How to Manage a Crisis

Dawn Goddard is the CEO and Founder of Deus Management. An experienced and in-demand publicist, representing Alisha Lehmann, Danny Simpson and ‘Tiny’ Tim Bradbury amongst others. In this episode, we talk about her unconventional entry into the industry, what a good publicist does and how businesses and individuals should handle a crisis. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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010: Paul Cheetham-Karcz - Do The Right Thing

Paul Cheetham-Karcz is the founder of Sedulo. In this episode, we discuss Sedulo's growth from an accountancy practice into the behemoth they are today. Also included is a look at Paul's humble beginnings, 'the best work experience ever', and an in-depth look at how the company has grown. We also discuss the incredible work that Paul and the Sedulo team do with the Sedulo Foundation. I hope you enjoy it… You can find Sam on socials at @SamJonesMCR Produced by Sally Rutter — Adverts Chatting with Cherubs: https://www.instagram.com/chattingwithcherubs/ Dogs4Rescue: https://dogs4rescue.co.uk/

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