Today’s guest is a brilliantly inspiring man - one guaranteed to always put a smile on your face. Bevan James Eyles is one of the real OG trainers of Les Mills - sharing his passion and taking packed Christchurch classes since 1999. He’s also a pretty outstanding triathlete, Ironman and runner. But he describes his younger self as a "dropkick" and shares a fascinating story of how he changed his life in his early twenties. We talk about Bevan's new book I Will Make You Passionate About Exercise ...
Aug 14, 2022•49 min•Ep. 101
Today’s guest is south Taranaki dairy farmer Kane Brisco. Kane has just released “Tools for the Top Paddock - Lessons from life on the land” - a book which is pretty open and honest about his upbringing, his struggles with depression, and battles on the farm. But also, how he’s turned it all into something pretty remarkable. Including Farm Fit - his fitness bootcamp for the rural community. Kane's learnt some pretty valuable lessons through his struggles, and it's a really bloody insightful chat...
Aug 07, 2022•47 min•Ep. 100
When we talk about the achievements of this person, it’s actually mind-boggling they are 22 - and I don’t say that in a patronising way either. Shaneel Lal’s relentless passion and dogged determination was monumental in conversion therapy being banned in Aotearoa. They have recently been in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for social impact. And Shaneel leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Jul 31, 2022•54 min•Ep. 99
Today’s guest is someone who has had an absolutely incredible career as a broadcaster since the 1980s. And really, there is nothing Kerre Woodham cannot do. She lights up the airwaves whilst navigating talkback callers on Newstalk ZB, she has written best seller books, run marathons and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. More recently, she twinkled-toed beautifully through Dancing with The Stars - she’s also a very dear friend, and has been a mentor to me for a big chunk of my career.
Jul 24, 2022•55 min•Ep. 98
Today’s guest is one of the most ridiculously talented sportswomen in our country and one of the greatest cricketers in the world. Suzie Bates has been playing top level cricket since 2006 and is just about to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games which is super exciting. Not bad for someone who also represented New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics for Basketball. Suzie is a true sportswoman and a wonderful role model and tells a great yarn.
Jul 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 97
Today’s guest is one of the coolest multi-sporters in New Zealand in my humble opinion. Not only because he’s awesome and one of the best in the country, Sam Manson is literally the people’s coach. If I had a dollar for every hour he puts into coaching others, through Top Sport Kayaking, I’d be loaded. I’m always intrigued as to how he fits in all his training for the Coast to Coast, while he’s helping so many others, so let’s find out!
Jul 10, 2022•57 min•Ep. 96
Today’s guest is the hilariously talented broadcaster Bree Tomasel - host of ZM's Drive Show and TVNZ's Celebrity Treasure Island. She came to Aotearoa a few years back and has really made a home for herself and is absolutely a wonderful part of the furniture - we are lucky to have her! This a really awesome, fun, long, wild chat, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Jul 03, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 95
Today’s guest is a delightful soul I had the pleasure of getting to know when I was last living down in Christchurch, New Zealand. Lou Heller is a personal stylist, fashion commentator, writer and buyer. Lou is pretty damn talented at helping people fall back in love with their wardrobes - a job she feels extremely passionate about - I'm sure you'll hear it! Already planning a date for her to come sort my wardrobe out...
Jun 26, 2022•46 min•Ep. 94
It's great to be back! I took a bit of time off this podcast while I was involved in Dancing with the Stars, but I'm stoked to rip into it again. Today’s guest is fellow podcaster, Dom Harvey host of Runners Only! Before that, he hosted The Edge Breakfast show for 20 years, he’s written three best seller books, AND he’s run all 6 of the major marathons - New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, London and Boston. Plenty to chat about with Dom that's for sure!
Jun 19, 2022•55 min•Ep. 93
Bit of a special episode this week given as you listen to it I would’ve embarked on my first weekend of live shows on TV3’s Dancing with the Stars! After weeks of training and trying to learn to dance I thought it would be really cool to get one of legends of the show, Nerida Cortese on to have a chat all things dancing. Nerida has represented Aotearoa on the world stage, and now is the show’s choreographer and dance producer so a good chance to pick her brain as to how it all works...
Apr 24, 2022•33 min•Ep. 92
Today’s guest is a very smart, very funny, very talented young woman. Grace Palmer is an actor, and a writer and quite frankly she's also one of the funniest people on Instagram. She's always an absolute delight to chat to, and hearing about her successes and challenges along the way has been really interesting. A lovely lovely chat!
Apr 10, 2022•39 min•Ep. 91
Today’s guest is Newshub presenter and journalist Oriini Kaipara, of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent. Oriini is an award winning, bilingual journalist and is committed to the revitalisation of Te Reo and Māori customs and values - a passionate wahine toa I’m really honoured to chat to.
Apr 03, 2022•53 min•Ep. 90
Today’s guest is physiotherapist and breath coach Emma Ferris - owner of The Breath Effect. We have a fascinating chat about how important it is to look after our breathing - you can bet your bottom dollar I was focused on it this entire episode! Emma is also a woman you may have heard of for her own podcast, Conning the Con. It tells the story of how she experienced her very own Tinder Swindler. We discuss how conman Andrew Tonks Thomson ripped her off - and the remarkable way she got a good ch...
Mar 27, 2022•51 min•Ep. 89
Today’s guest is a very very dear friend of mine, Casie Bowry. We grew up doing surf life saving together, our Mums grew up doing surf life saving together - we've been friends a very long time. Casie was a top water polo player representing New Zealand for many years, and was fast becoming a very well respected police officer. In 2018, life was ticking along nicely. But in March of that same year Casie fell very ill, and was diagnosed with an extremely rare autoimmune disease, NMNDA Encephaliti...
Mar 20, 2022•42 min•Ep. 88
Today’s guest is exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, author and former triathlete Dr Stacy Sims. Dr Sims is constantly looking to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women. She has directed research programs at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance and pushing the dogma to improve research on all women. She so rightly points out that "Women are not small men. Stop eating and training like one." Incredib...
Mar 13, 2022•37 min•Ep. 87
We’re going to go deep with this week's guest (ok ok bad dad joke) who I’ve always been absolutely fascinated in watching. William Trubridge has been repping Aotearoa as a world champion free diver with a massive 18 freediving world records since 2007. Such a fascinating conversation about how William does what many of us can't quite get our heads around, or breaths for that matter!
Mar 06, 2022•34 min•Ep. 86
Today’s guest is Silver Fern number 149 Sulu Fitzpatrick. Sulu had an absolutely stonking 2021 with the national side and led the Mystics to an historic maiden ANZ Premiership title, AND took out the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award - unreal stuff! Sulu chats with me about how important her family and support network has been over the years, and how sport has helped her be proud of who she is. It hasn't always been easy but we discuss how she's got to a happy place today. A lovely yarn with a beauti...
Feb 27, 2022•36 min•Ep. 85
Today’s guest is an old work colleague of mine...now a father of three, published author, public speaker and of course, Central Otago farmer. Matt Chisholm and I had the pleasure of being TV reporters on the new look “Seven Sharp” back when it started in 2013 and it would be the same year it, and all of those involved copped an absolute flogging…ah the memories! A lot has changed for Matt since then and what’s actually been quite amazing to watch from the sidelines is how openly he has shared hi...
Feb 20, 2022•44 min•Ep. 83
In his own words, Dave Letele's story is "from rags to riches, back to rags, and hopefully back to riches, but riches for me means different things now, it's not just about money." The man who can comfortably sit in a board room, deal with the Government but also go to a gang pad is making massive changes to people's lives through Buttabean Motivation, or BBM. BBM has become a hugely important organisation by helping better the lives of those that society has left behind, to give them a push-sta...
Feb 13, 2022•37 min•Ep. 82
To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the iconic Coast to Coast, it would be rude not to get the man behind it on for a cracking yarn. Robin Judkins set the first 79 athletes away on Kumara Beach back in 1983 and since then there's been over 20-thousand athletes from all over the world scrambling for a spot in the 243km event from the west to the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. He's a legend, his race is a legend and I promise you, even if you have absolutely no intention of doing ...
Feb 06, 2022•42 min•Ep. 84
A wonderful chat this week with a true Far North gem, Lana Searle. Lana has to get up stupidly early every morning to entertain people on the More Fm Breakfast Club. She's a super talented broadcaster and story teller and was a real crowd favourite on last year's Celebrity Treasure Island. We also talk about life as a Stepmum, and how she's overcome some pretty hectic health battles. She's a legend.
Jan 30, 2022•48 min•Ep. 80
Dr Morgan Edwards is not only a Specialist Anesthetist at Waitematā DHB and a women's health advocate, in the early stages of the pandemic she made a decision that she would play a role in helping get the right, accurate and crucial information out there via her Instagram page. In a time where misinformation is extremely dangerous and yet so rife, Morgan's calm and considered approach on social media is so welcome and so refreshing. She’s an extremely valuable member of the team of five million ...
Jan 23, 2022•52 min•Ep. 81
Kia ora and welcome to another year of Kiwi Yarns! I’m so stoked to spend 2022 talking to more wonderful New Zealanders, and the first guest of the year is no exception. Olivia Shivas is the very talented digital producer at Stuff (although she has JUST taken on a new role which we hear all about) - who late last year took out the ACC Supreme Award at the Attitude Awards. This was for her brilliant work reshaping how disability is portrayed in the media. Part of this work includes her outstandin...
Jan 16, 2022•31 min•Ep. 79
Today’s guest is Riley Hemson - a wonderful young businesswoman from Wellington who now lives on the Gold Coast and is carving out a huge career as a clothing designer and model for some of the biggest brands in the world. Riley - or @healthychick101 as she is known to her over 400-thousand followers on Instagram - is someone who has used social media for good. She's playing a such an important role in making sure the fashion and beauty industry is more inclusive of all types of humans, and it's...
Dec 11, 2021•41 min•Ep. 78
From Palmerston North City to New York City... Maia Cotton is only 22-years old but I told her she could easily write a book of all the interesting things that have happened in her life already. Making the move to New York at 18, her modelling career took off and resulted in her walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Maia's super honest about the good and the bad of modelling, and how it has affected her over the years. Plus, Maia talks about having just converted to Judaism because her ...
Dec 05, 2021•30 min•Ep. 77
Emma Twigg personifies a never give up attitude and we all were witness to that when she won Gold at the Tokyo Olympics. I'm pretty sure most of us cried when she crossed the finish line, because we felt the heartbreak she'd had with a fourth in London and another fourth in Rio. And this time, she'd done what she always knew she could do. A champion rower with an amazing story about how it all went right on the day.
Nov 28, 2021•37 min•Ep. 76
We're chatting to filmmaker Ollie Lucks, who has just released his doco/fly-on-the wall film There’s No I in Threesome. Ollie also stars in this as it's a true story about him and his fiancée, and their decision to open up their relationship and share their exploration of polyamory in the build up to their wedding. Polyamory specifically refers to people who have multiple romantic relationships at the same time. And look this is a spoiler without it really being a spoiler - the relationship does...
Nov 21, 2021•37 min•Ep. 75
Tegan Yorwarth is a bright young radio star who is destined for big things. She's one third of the brilliant Mai FM Morning Crew and she’s already a wonderful role model for young women - simply through her relatability, her honesty, her presence, not to mention she’s extremely talented. A lovely chat with a stunning gal!
Nov 14, 2021•38 min•Ep. 73
Today’s guest is a remarkable young man with an incredible story. Abbas Nazari was just seven-years old when he and his family fled the Taliban in Afghanistan - and experienced a journey that would last for months - including being stuck onboard the Tampa. This was the boat that Australia horrifically turned its back on resulting in an international stand off 20 years ago. Abbas and his family were accepted to come to New Zealand to be resettled - and it’s from here this amazing man and his amaz...
Nov 07, 2021•49 min•Ep. 74
We're lucky enough to have "Palmerston North's funny girl" with us today! Enter the hilarious and delightful comedian Laura Daniel - who lights up any screen or stage she graces. We walk about those first few gigs - including getting heckled by her dad. And, a really awesome love story between her and her fiancé AND comedian partner Joseph Moore.
Oct 31, 2021•41 min•Ep. 72
