Send us a text Simply a classic episode of sofa stories if I may say so, classic NB and Choc variety and randomness which I think the title suggests! No spoilers here, I think those that listen regularly and know us well will appreciate this one. Let us know how this one goes down in your ears and what you enjoyed the most. Thank you always, NB and…

Send us a text An eclectic mix as usual for a Choc and NB debrief, aka the “5K” catch up episode. Including an amuse-bouche intro to NB’s trip to the Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic “El Clasico”, Oli’s school reunion and a discussion about politics both side of the pond, Starmer, Trump and a surreal conversation about P-Diddy and the artist formerly k…

Send us a text Join NB and Choc for a vibey catch up, never a dull moment. Anticipation builds for NB as he prepares to head to the Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic and Oli prepares for a big Chocolate Party at Gino D’Acampo restaurant for INNSiDE by Melia Manchester’s 10th birthday. Enjoy the pod, and don’t forget - FOLLOW THE SUN! ☀️ Follow @the_sofa…

Send us a text It’s time for a Padel debrief. We are sharing the first episode of The Padel Stories Podcast with you to give you a taste. If you’re into your Padel like NB and JD hopefully you’ll keep an eye/ ear out for upcoming episodes. 👇🏼 Welcome to The Padel Stories with Nick Bianchi and Jen Dooley , a new exciting weekly podcast (part of the …

Send us a text Let’s get to know “Choc” a bit better, with a little help from broadcaster extraordinaire Paul Taylor from Strawberry Radio in Stockport. Follow @the_sofastories_podcast on Instagram. Send us a voice note with any questions and/ or thought provoking and inspiring statements which we can engage with on the show. We encourage our liste…

Send us a text Come with us on some UK staycation adventures Including a Safari in the Midlands, Glampio Bedo in Anglesey and a beautiful game of Crown Green Bowls at the Union Club Alderley Edge. Check out Glampio Bedo North Wales for relaxing stays and sauna - https://www.instagram.com/glampio_bedo_sawna?igsh=MWlxbzdrYWxkYnVicw== Stay Close… NB a…

Send us a text Tony Michaelides. Piccadilly Radio / Key 103’s legendary broadcaster. Plugger of the music industry’s most prolific and influential artists. Tony Michaelides aka Tony The Greek shares his story and insight into his journey, the industry and his unique perspective and experience. He’s a Starman! Thank you for being part of the Sofa St…

Send us a text Happy Easter from NB and Choc! 🐣 We hope you enjoyed the last edition featuring Harrison Bianchi and the previous episode with Paul Cheetham, it was a great listen, I had my pen and paper out for that one!Let me know your takeaways from that episode. I did an interview on the 18th April with Dan Westwood from Gorgeous radio and I pla…

Send us a text NB and Choc Sync up following Oli’s debut on ITV’s This Morning and Nick’s announcement regarding Premium Padel brand Hirostar. With a very special featuring - Harrison Bianchi. This is how we do. Let’s get into it… Follow @the_sofastories_podcast on Instagram. Send us a voice note with any questions and/ or thought provoking and ins…

Send us a text This week, we were delighted to welcome business leader, entrepreneur and charity founder Paul Cheetham onto our podcast for our leading interview. Paul is the true essence of an entrepreneur, starting his business advisory firm Sedulo 16 years ago from scratch. Today Sedulo boasts offices in Manchester, London, Liverpool and Birming…

Send us a text It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Professor Simon Hayward onto our Sofa Stories podcast a as part of our leading interview series. Simon is very much a doyen in Leadership. In his career, he has built and sold two award-winning international consulting firms (Academy & Cirrus) , both focused on leadership, and has had two best s…

Send us a text Sofa Stories. Choc Stories. Van Stories. Padel Stories. We are ALL about those stories this week !! As always! Including; NB Family Business Conference In London with Arighi Bianchi. Oli’s new Chocmobile and ambitious plans. Dubai Chocolate. Hype worthy? Padel News, all things Trafford Park and Rick Piper’s Chiquita. IYKYK. Macclesfi…

Send us a text Join NB, Choc and our very Special guest this week - Jennifer Dooley. There’s a very good reason why Jen is on the sofa with us and it coincides with an exclusive announcement this week. No spoilers here. This episode is filled with a variety of topics including - a recent corporate padel tournament, the importance of stretching, cof…

Send us a text Come with NB and Choc on a journey from Choc Towers to the Oval Office (figuratively) to the pubs of The Wirral and back. No strong opinions or bias here (except for the beers) we are just curious and chatting things through. But as always we’d love to hear your thoughts. DM us on IG either just for a direct chat or share or to featu…

Send us a text NB & Choc take a little look behind the scenes at Oli’s Chocolate Smash Cake for Gary Neville’s 50th amongst many other stories this week local and global including, leadership, confidence, Trump, Young Voices, MC Grammar, The Pollen Club Manchester, Snore-proof beds, Mr Chows Parkgate and believe it or not MORE. So rather predictabl…

Send us a text Casual 5K… Including Bakery Rave rumours - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAbhuWAAuh6/?igsh=MWJqNjk1d3M0dDY2bA== manifesting themselves within the sofa stories multiverse, nudge, hint Jon Wilkin (Half Dozen Other). OLI’S order for Gary Neville. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGaRuH8sTkm/?igsh=MW9rM3YxdnRjZW9jaw== Padel Tripper - http…

Send us a text High energy catch up with NB and Choc. Including; A nostalgic and impromptu rendition of “Come On You Reds” reminiscent of The Class Of 1994 at Man United. The origins of art forms Hip-Hop and Podcasting you didn’t know you needed. Chitter chatter about MC Grammar, Young Voices and yet even more of an ECLECTIC mix of convo to run/ wa…

Send us a text We are absolutely thrilled to interview Carol Shanahan OBE, welcoming her to The Sofa Stories Family. EFL Football club owner, entrepreneur, disruptor and a passionate builder of communities. From her upbringing in Lincolnshire and West Bromwich (the latter where she discovered her love of football), to going straight from school int…

Send us a text Film maker, YouTube sensation, content rebel, travel inspirer, Floyd Mayweather fight sneaker-in’er 🥊, zero dollar traveller (think NY to LA), does Simon Wilson need an introduction? Surely not! But he does deserve a good old fashioned “BIG-UP”! 🙌🏻🤩 Don’t take our word for it, listen for yourself. If the way Simon speaks about travel…

Send us a text There’s been a LOT going on with NB and Choc (SHOCK) lately. While NB has been on a Padel trip to Alicante for 30 or so hours, Oli has been joining the travels vicariously. In this Episode NB interviews Ian Ryder of Padel Tripper, live-style in Alicante along with more behind the scenes look at what’s going on in Cheshire, Manchester…

Send us a text PADEL - what’s all the fuss about? If you’re not playing Padel yet, chances are you know someone who is. In this episode of Sofa Stories, NB and Choc speak with Kris Ball - CEO of The Padel Club. We delve into why Padel is the fastest growing sport in the UK and learn about origins of The Padel Club and how Kris Ball turned a vision …

Send us a text In our first bonus episode, NB has a quick impromptu chat with XMP Richard Graham about politics, padel and podcasts. It is all going down at The Padel Club Gloucester Quays.Since 2012 Richard has served Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak since November 2012 as their Trade Envoy: first to Indone…

Send us a text As we (NB and Choc) build towards our interview with The Padel Club CEO Kris Ball, we pour out our excitement by way of a 5K Debrief. We just can’t help it. We cover a lot here so it’s not available for synopsis, you just have to listen to find out what’s inside (unapologetic plea) we hope your curiosity gets the better of you and we…

Send us a text THE RIPPLE EFFECT… No this isn’t Oli talking chocolate bars (this time), we are referring to the knock on effect of The Sofa Stories Podcast. Amongst other hot topics in this weeks 5K NB and Choc fantasise what the ripple effect could look like in the future, for us and for our awesome listeners (you) too. There are bound to be some …

Send us a text We kick 2025 off with not only the best intentions but with knowledge and biology hacks from medical expert Dr Sam, we talk about the reality that exists in alcohol free and unlocking the best version of YOU. Along with longevity and how Oxford Natural Clinic are using cutting edge A technology, tests and treatments for their clients…

Send us a text Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect. 2024, what a year it has been. Thank YOU for being here and for listening to The Sofa Stories Podcast , it truly means the world. Let us know your highlights and takeaways so far via Instagram @the._sofastories_podcast Follow @the_sofastories_podcast on Instagram. Send us a voice note with an…

Send us a text We love a 5K debrief, (albeit this is more like an 8k or a 5K walk ;). Lapland advertures for NB and a British Airways Corporate event for Choc. Romy’s first nativity for Daddy Choc, NB’s visit from 40 Beijing business students at Arighi Bianchi. We love a good tangent on this show and in this episode we made the ultimate pivot/ segu…

Send us a text It's a pleasure to welcome on to the sofa a great friend of NB and OD - Charlie Womersley aka; Charlie The Wine. 🍷 Charlie specialises in wine tastings and consultancy, with 45 years in his field, his passion is infectious as is his charisma. What makes a good wine? What should we look for? What should we avoid? What is best with Ita…

Send us a text Stop what you’re doing and listen, it’s a wholesome 5K episode not to be missed. We’ve covered some tracks here from the Cheshire Business Awards to the Manchester Art Fair and everything inbetween, including notes to one’s future self and boozing clever?! Stay Classy. Ps as mentioned in the Pod. Good Luck to Wilmslow Youth and Becki…

Send us a text The 90’s was a turbulent time and in 1992 our late Queen was remembered for using the famous Latin phrase - Annus Horriblis. For a year involving. A serious fire at Windsor Castle The divorce of the Princess Royal The separation of the Duke of York from his wife Marriage problems for the Prince of Wales Former butler to the late Quee…

Send us a text NB and Choc with a cheeky 5K debrief. Let us know your thoughts and takeaways on Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/the_sofastories_podcast?igsh=MTQ3cGJxNXJlaTJ2Zw== or text us via Spotify. Don’t think, DO! think, do! As promised here’s the newsroom clip 🇺🇸 as mentioned by NB/ from Ed Rowlinson in the last part of this episode. htt…

Send us a text It’s episode 26 of SS and we are delighted to welcome our friend George Blackshaw onto the Ruxley Sofa at Arighi Bianchi. George is a real life example of how to “flip it”, we can’t always control what happens to us in life but we can control how we react to it. George had an accident at 2 years old which led to him being “disabled” …

Send us a text Such a privilege to have, legend, comedian, actor, singer, padel tennis ambassador, all round Entertainer, man of wisdom and a true gentleman - Jason Manford on the sofa with us. Give this episode a listen, you won’t regret it. Let’s get into it. Follow @the_sofastories_podcast on Instagram. Send us a voice note with any questions an…

Send us a text In this episode, we delved into some uncharted Territories thanks for some fantastic questions from our listeners. we were equally surprised by our answers as we were by the questions and some cases. We had a fun time. I hope you will join us. If anyone has any other questions, we will do part two. Happy Halloween! 👻 Follow @the_sofa…

Send us a text This episode of The Sofa Stories Podcast is nicknamed “The Michael Jordan”, not because we speak about the Chicago Bulls or the NBA, but because of its number. We’re not talking about Oli’s only fans account as the the title may suggest. This week’s topic is “Negativity on social media”.. Along with much more lyrical waxing, includin…

Send us a text The University Academy founded by The Class Of 92 under world class football manager Sir Alex Ferguson. UA92 is an absolute credit to its founders - Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. It was a total privilege to host a live Podcast at University Academy 92 (UA92) as part of their wellbeing festival t…

Send us a text A fantastic privilege for us to sit down with Andy Reid MBE for Episode 21 of our Sofa Stories Podcast.🎙️ Army veteran, survivor, fundraiser, author and celebrity motivational speaker. Andy’s story is so inspiring and moving. While serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan with The Royal Yorkshire Regiment Andy’s life changed forever …

Send us a text A cheeky 5K debrief with NB and CHOC. 🎙️ Follow @the_sofastories_podcast on Instagram. Send us a voice note with any questions and/ or thought provoking and inspiring statements which we can engage with on the show. We encourage our listeners to join the conversation. 🙏🏻By Oli Dunn and Nick Bianchi

Send us a text An absolute privilege to sit down with Derek Lilley for this weeks Sofa Stories episode. Derek and Edwina Lilley were regarded as visionaries in the hospitality industry after founding, operating and selling Est Est Est, Piccolino and the Bar & Grill’s. Prior to the serious world of hospitality, Derek has enjoyed one the most colourf…

Send us a text A very cheeky debrief, slow 5K run or a 10k if you’re fast! 💨 In this episode NB and Oli catch up and share some stories inspired by Nicks latest TV appearances 😜, a Padel trip to Portugal for Vaughany’s 50th, Oli’s take aways from El Burrito Monster in the last episode and a nice precursor to the next episode featuring Derek Lilley.…

Send us a text If this episode was a burrito 🌯 it would be delicious, juicy, and cram packed with tasty bites. Oli aka “El Burrito Monster” entered unknown waters during lockdown and almost by accident stumbled upon something which would change the director of his life forever. Oli shares his story of how content creation and his world of social me…

Send us a text An absolute privilege to interview Sandy Lindsay MBE in our forthcoming episode on Sofa Stories Podcast 🎙️🛋️ . Sandy has had a remarkable journey from growing up in one of the toughest council estates in the UK to becoming one of the most successful businesswomen in the communications and digital marketing arena. Hear how she started…

Send us a text Episode 15. A cheeky 5K debrief. What have you been up to? People may ask. Where do you begin? “Not much” , “everything” “Do you really want to know?”… Well in case you did ask, wonder, or were slightly curious, in this episode you’ll get the full “download” of what NB and Choc have been upto, from Padel (obvs) , ice baths and a trip…

Send us a text Episode 14 of Sofa Stories Podcast. Oli and I were privileged to be joined on this episode by Clearwater Corporate Finance Head of Impact, Jo Daley , who shines a light on the importance of creating a ESG (Economic, Social and Governance) policy within businesses. As the CEO Mark Taylor says, it is much more than planting trees!! Cle…

Send us a text OD and NB, LIVE from Choc Towers… a cheeky 5K debrief with a few surprises.. Including a mini interview with a special guest linked to Cricket and Dancing On Ice, any guesses? A wiki leak of an upcoming guest whose creativity with food grabs the attention of the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. Nicks story of a Mallorca reuni…

Send us a text The radio used to play in the background, while the TV was the main focus of attention. Now, whether we like to admit it or not, the TV plays in the background and the phone/ mini computer we have glued to our hand is where the attention is, in my opinion anyway. (Oli). We are privileged to be joined by Social Media Stars Alannah and…

Send us a text Join Nick and Oli for a “full debrief” of recent goings on. If you’re running your 5K to this you might want to take it nice and slow 😉 We’re talking; Nicks Ibiza Trip Oli’s 40th Storm Dana Episode 10 - Bill Roache debrief TikTok Sinking boat conspiracy theories And lots more… If you enjoy the show please do subscribe/ like/ follow a…

Send us a text An interview with William Roach OBE a.k.a. my mate Bill. You can expect to hear some of the following and more … His journey to becoming Ken Barlow. Our shared passion for Finding childlike enthusiasm. The importance of the little things in life. The role of “play” and being a big kid. Sky diving at 90 years old. Follow @the_sofastor…

Send us a text It was a real privilege and incredibly thought provoking to have Oli Webb on the sofa. Learning all about what it’s like being a professional racing driver and what really goes on behind the scenes, from a business sense and from a mental perspective. No surface level chats here, we take a real behind the scenes look into Oli’s inter…

Send us a text A cheeky catch up, mid-week debrief, perfect with your 5K run or dog walk… Oli and Nick talk about Nick’s passion for Padel merch, Oli’s love for ALL the merch and his childhood nickname “Mr Merchandise” (by his Dad - Papa Choc), Oli and Kim’s trip to Perth Scotland, that emerald green Little Lies dress worn by Taylor Swift (you didn…