The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business
Welcome aboard The Viking Chats—the podcast where property, tech, and business collide in candid, no-fluff conversations. Hosted by Kristjan Byfield—lettings veteran, proptech pioneer, and co-founder of Base Property Specialists and The Depositary—this show dives deep into the real-world challenges and bold innovations shaping the future of the housing sector and beyond.
Each episode, Kristjan drops anchor with industry leaders, disruptors, and entrepreneurs to unpack the messy, inspiring, and often chaotic reality of running a modern business in a rapidly evolving landscape. Expect sharp insights, honest stories, and the occasional Viking metaphor—all served with Kristjan’s trademark wit and big-hearted honesty.
Whether you’re in lettings, launching a startup, or just love a good story about navigating change—this podcast is your compass in the storm.
Episodes
37 episodes
Mintz Condition: Property, Podcasts & Saying What Needs to Be Said
This week’s Viking Chat is full of big energy, blunt truths, and a big dose of Northern charm - because joining Kristjan is none other than David Mintz.If you’re in agency and haven’t come across David yet, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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1:20:32
Not Just a PropTech: Why Street Group Thinks Like a Tech Giant – with Stella Nicol
What happens when a psychology student-turned-estate agent walks into the fast-evolving world of proptech? You get Stella Nicol- former Reeds Rains branch manager, Barrett New Homes sales manager, Spectre pioneer, and now one of the longest-sta...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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1:07:28
From Silicon Valley to Street Smarts: Neal Bawa on Data, Development & Doing It Differently
🎙 The Viking Chats – From Silicon Valley to Street Smarts: Neal Bawa on Data, Development & Doing It DifferentlyThis week on The Viking Chats, we go global - quite literally - as Neal Bawa, one of America’s mos...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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32:40
Inside Lettings: From Rightmove to Goodlord with Costas Frangeskou
In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Costas Frangeskou, Director of Growth at Goodlord, to explore a career that’s taken him from one of the UK’s most recognisable portals to the heart of l...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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1:20:58
Annalese Walmsley: Killing the Frankenstein Stack, One Workflow at a Time
In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Annalese Walmsley, Sales Director at Kotini, to explore one of the most overlooked parts of the property journey: onboarding.While much of t...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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43:31
From Deliveroo to PropTech: Graham Paterson’s Journey to Reinvent the Property Portal
In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan sits down with Graham Paterson, co-founder of the AI-powered portal Jitty, to explore how one of the property industry’s most fundamental tools - the search portal - is being ...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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1:07:21
Scaling with Soul: Rethinking Success in Estate Agency with Matt Giggs
In this inspiring and refreshingly candid episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Matt Giggs - founder of The Giggs Group, industry coach, and one of the UK property sector’s most passionate advocates for...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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1:19:27
From Agency Leader to Industry Voice: Angi Cooney Unfiltered
In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the bold, brilliant and unmistakably real Angi Cooney - property industry veteran, cultural architect, former MD of C Residential, and a woman unafraid to...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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1:01:44
Beyond Compliance: Nicola Thivessen on Championing Standards and Sanity in Lettings
In this vital and wide-ranging episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan sits down with Nicola Thivessen, Chairperson on the Zoopla Lettings Advisory Board and one of the UK’s most respected voices on lettings regulation, compliance...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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1:16:41
Rebecca Nixon on Real Marketing: Why Data, Story & Empathy Drive Agency Growth
In this game-changing episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Rebecca Nixon - PropTech growth specialist, strategic marketer, and host of The PropTech Growth Podcast - for a refreshingly h...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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56:30
Rules, Risks & Respect: Carrie Alliston on the Evolution of Agency
In this powerful episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Carrie Alliston, Head of Partnerships at HomeLet and one of the UK property industry’s most respected voices on compliance, leadership and transformati...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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1:11:01
Simon Gates Unfiltered: Property, Podcasts & Playing the Long Game
In this powerhouse episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with one of the UK property sector’s most authentic and disruptive voices - Simon Gates, co-founder of Opening The Gates and a man who has mad...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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59:47
The Maths of Home: Elaine Penhaul’s Formula for Property Success
In this compelling episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Elaine Penhaul, founder of Lemon & Lime Interiors and author of Sell High, Sell Fast, for a conversation that bridges the gap between da...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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1:00:50
Ellie Rees: Disrupting Estate Agency with Feminism, Ethics & Fire
In this incendiary episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the remarkable Ellie Rees - co-founder of Brickworks, creator of the viral #DearSirs campaign, and one of the most fearless voice...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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1:08:07
1.7 Billion Reasons to Rethink Rent Arrears: Futureproofing Lettings with Julie Ford
In this compelling episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield welcomes industry powerhouse Julie Ford of Lettings Advice Service for a conversation that might just change the way you view rent arrears, evictions, and the entir...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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1:16:10
Currency Secrets Agents Should Know: A Game-Changing Chat with Steve Eakins
In this eye-opening episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Steve Eakins from Lumon, one of the property industry's best-kept secrets. Whether you're in lettings, sales, property management, or Build to Rent,...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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44:30
Beyond the Deal: Mental Health, Masculinity & Making Peace with Chris Webb
🎧 Episode: “Beyond the Deal: Mental Health, Masculinity & Making Peace”What happens when the outward trappings of success start to smother the person behind the title?In one of the most raw, powerful and deeply human ep...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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53:04
Brand, Balls & Breaking the Mould: Property as It Should Be with Dan Marsden
🎧 Episode: “Brand, Balls & Breaking the Mould: Property as It Should Be”If you’re tired of property podcasts that play it safe, this one’s for you.In this energetic and unfiltered episode of The Viking Chats, K...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:22:33
Don’t Just Sell It- Tell It: Chris England on Storytelling in Property Marketing
In this fast-paced, laugh-out-loud, and insight-packed episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Chris England, co-founder and creative director of PVS Media—the content agency helping estate and letting ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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1:29:41
Women in Agency, Pride in Property & the Power of People
🎙️ Women in Agency, Pride in Property & the Power of PeopleIn this unfiltered, hilarious, and genuinely moving episode of The Viking Chats, I sit down with the inimitable Amy Shields—a ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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1:21:36
From Lettings to Legacy: Ben Moser on Social Impact & Leadership
🎙 Episode Title: Legacy, Leadership & Lettings: Ben Moser on Culture, Confidence & Social ChangeIn this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Ben Moser—Director of Operations at Peter...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:13:52
Breaking the Mould: Women, Work & Walking Your Own Path in Property with Wendy Peterman
In this deeply personal and brilliantly insightful episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Wendy Peterman—Managing Director of Petermans estate agents—for a conversation that reaches far beyond floorplans, fee stru...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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1:11:31
Adapt or Disappear: Agency, AI & the Real Digital Threat with Russell Quirk
In this candid and explosive episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with the ever-outspoken Russell Quirk, property PR maverick, founder of eMoov, and one of the most polarising voices in the UK residential prop...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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42:10
The Ball, The Buzz & The Business: What We Really Get from Industry Events
In this special episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield sits down with fellow Base Property Specialists & The Depositary co-founder and industry icon An Deckers (aka Big Red) for a reflective and revealing look at what actual...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:17:12
Dr. Rock & The Rise of Agentic AI: Neil Cobbold Unplugged
In this electric episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by none other than Neil Cobbold—industry heavyweight, tech evangelist, landlord, Drum & Bass DJ, and true rock superfan—to unpack what’s really going on behin...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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1:00:36