The Resident Podcast

In this episode, our sixth, Natasha discusses her three news picks of the week including people dying waiting for ambulances, the Portuguese response to Trump's action on Venezuela, and unexpected, positive changes at Lisbon airport.

Natasha and Carl welcome your views each week too, and suggestions of topics and tangents that they might explore behind and beyond the headlines.

Published Fridays 3pm

Contact Natasha – natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
Contact Carl – carl@carlmunson.com

More at www.portugalresident.com

www.portugalresident.com

Our guest today is Erik de Vlieger, who tells the story of the Portuguese notary he fell in love with at first sight (and had to marry), and shares his unique approach to life in Portugal as a businessman and "very happy" resident.

Erik is an experienced Dutch businessman, investor, and founder of Carvoeiro Branco, one of the leading real estate developers in the Algarve. He also co-owns Palm Properties Portugal and started to buy real estate in Portugal as early as 1996, after moving to the Algarve in 2006.

He aspires to make a meaningful contribution to...

In this episode, our fifth, Natasha attempts three news picks of the year here as we countdown to Christmas, with some inevitable digression given the year it's been, including disasters, incompetence and suspicious circumstances, as we go into 2026.

Stay close to home is Natasha's serving suggestion for the year ahead, where it seems the pace of progress and change will not be letting up.

Natasha and Carl welcome your views each week too, and suggestions of topics and tangents that they might explore behind and beyond the headlines.

Published Fridays 3pm

Contact...

Our guest today is Paul Rees, who as well as being a Resident columnist, heads Rural Properties in Central Portugal, after many years visiting, living and working in the Algarve.

As "an innovative investment business operating in Portugal's rural property market, we buy, renovate and sell properties in some of Central Portugal's most beautiful towns, village and countryside areas," says Paul who moved from the UK to southern Portugal in 2002.

He relocated to the rural central region in 2019 where Rural Properties was established. 

Paul created the Local Heroes property advice service for Pure Portugal...

In this episode, our fourth, Natasha discusses her three news picks of the week including her considered response to Portugal's very recent 'top economy' award, praise for the nation's PJ police who have 'dismantled' a major Chinese money laundering operation, and her surprise at American citizenship concerns.

Natasha and Carl welcome your views each week too, and suggestions of topics and tangents that they might explore behind and beyond the headlines.

Published Fridays 3pm

Contact Natasha – natasha.donn@portugalresident.com

Contact Carl – carl@carlmunson.com

More at www.portugalresident.com Duration: 00:29:42

Our guest today is Fred Phillips, who came to pre-Revolution Portugal in the 1970s as a holiday-maker, and ultimately stayed to become a husband, father and founder of a notable company in the Algarve.

Creator of the phrase - 'The Golden Triangle' - Fred's story as a new arrival in, and lover of Portuguese culture, is remarkable, heart-warming and highly impressive.

It's a far cry from, but seminally connected to his early UK days, when as a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes 'poster boy', he had his first taste of the power of advertising and visual design.  Duration: 00:37:30

In this episode, our third, Natasha discusses her three news picks of the week including a heartfelt tribute to the outgoing President, acknowledging the good he has brought to his two-term tenure that might be easily overlooked in the political heat of the present day.

The conversation turns also to next week's general strike, assessing its likely impact and outcome, concluding with some analysis of Portugal's persistent and inexcusable standing levels of poverty despite perpetual political promises and not inconsiderable EU funding.

Natasha and Carl welcome your views each week too, and suggestions of topics and tan...

Our guest today is Resident Columnist Alastair Leithead who describes himself as a "Portugal trainee, freelance journalist & co-luxe entrepreneur".

After many years as a BBC foreign correspondent, Alastair Leithead is now permanently based in Portugal where he and his wife Ana have built an off-grid tourism lodge called Vale das Estrelas.

They hold events, host retreats and run a small boutique hotel in Odemira based around wine tourism alongside a wine/travelogue podcast they produce on the Alentejo region. Alastair writes blogs both on the challenges of his is new off-grid life in the countryside and...

Published Fridays 3pm

Contact Natasha - natasha.donn@portugalresident.com

Contact Carl - carl@carlmunson.com

More at - www.portugalresident.com

www.portugalresident.com

The guest today for our inaugural interview is Bruce Hawker, founder and CEO of Open Media, the company that publishes The Resident alongside Essential Algarve magazine, Portuguese language online news source Barlavento, and other niche media projects. 

Bruce talks about his early life in Portugal, his impressive adventure in international publishing emanting from Portugal, and how he and the team have weathered numerous circumstantial storms along the way.

Our conversation concludes with his plans for the future of the business in print, digital media and events as well as his hopes and vision for Portugal in t...

Published Fridays 6pm

Contact Natasha - natasha.donn@portugalresident.com 

Contact Carl - carl@carlmunson.com

More at - www.portugalresident.com

www.portugalresident.com