When I saw today’s guest cross the finish line a few weekends back at the Tarawera Ultramarathon I knew immediately I wanted to talk to her. Ruth Croft smashed the 102 kilometre race (yes, that says 102 kilometres) - with a course record of 9 hours, 21 minutes and 3 seconds. Ruth's running journey is a fascinating one in which she admits over the course of her career she has fallen in and out of love with it on more than one occasion. It's a fascinating look into what goes into training for such...
Mar 07, 2021•34 min•Ep. 40
Today's guest is beaming in from sunny Nelson. Jessie Cross is someone who has fit quite a lot into her 28 years. She has a background in law and science, working in the legal industry and in social enterprise. But, like many, when Covid hit last year she lost her job. Jessie then set up “The Not so Redundant Club” to support other people who have lost their jobs. She has since completed a yoga teacher training course and started working for the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum - and has just receive...
Feb 28, 2021•32 min•Ep. 39
Today's guest is Brad Smeele - a legendary world champion wakeboarder, and an extremely talented Kiwi who spent the better part of a decade killing it on the world stage. In 2014, Brad won a global award for “Trick of the Year” for nailing a double tantrum to blind (we will find out about what that is but know it's a big trick) - the first person in the world to do so. But, that very trick would a few weeks later change his life - Brad took a heavy crash trying to land it - and broke his neck so...
Feb 21, 2021•57 min•Ep. 38
Today's guest is someone who’s played a very significant part in shaping not only my career, but I dare say thousands of journalists around New Zealand. Jim Tully was a graduate in the inaugural year of Canterbury University’s Journalism programme - a programme he would go on to run for 25 years - teaching bright-eyed, excited students who were ready to take on the world. This year, he was honoured with a New Zealand Order of Merit for services to journalism and education, just over 50 years aft...
Feb 15, 2021•41 min•Ep. 37
Chris Parker is a very charismatic, talented and award-winning comedian and actor, and it would be fair to say he was a shining light for many people during New Zealand’s 2020 lockdown 1.0 and 2.0. When we were all stuck in our homes, Chris took to Instagram and basically could nail every type of lockdown character there was - from iso-baking, to at-home travel blogs, even mastering Dr Ashley Bloomfield. He basically became a public service we were all crying out for. He also learnt the art of f...
Feb 07, 2021•53 min•Ep. 36
Today’s guest is a bright, bubbly 24-year old woman I now have the pleasure to call a friend. Georgie Ferris brings a whole new meaning to “living everyday as if it’s your last”, because she is very realistic about the fact that she won’t get as many days as most of us. Everyday, Georgie's body is failing her. She has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and a number of really awful complications brought on by that. But Georgie's outlook on life is remarkable. There's no doom and gloom and there certainly doe...
Feb 01, 2021•29 min•Ep. 35
Welcome back everyone! I’m so excited to speak to more great New Zealanders this year, and my first guest for 2021 is the wonderful Kristina Cavit, Founder & Director of The Kindness Institute. Kristina is one of those people, who seems to spend most of the hours in her day helping other people. In 2018 she was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth and community, one of a number of awards she’s received. Kristina spends time working with marginalised communit...
Jan 24, 2021•34 min•Ep. 34
Today’s guest is the wonderful Wendy Petrie - who for the past 14 years has greeted us on our television screens bang on 6pm, on New Zealand's biggest news show, One News. This year, Wendy was very publicly made redundant - and dealt with it in the utmost professional and dignified manner. The superstar journalist, presenter, mother, marathon runner, is always so positive and discusses life without the news.
Dec 13, 2020•32 min•Ep. 33
Today’s guest is an athlete I look up to - you know one of those people you watch when they’re racing and you’re just not quite sure how on earth they are moving so ridiculously fast. Hannah Wells is a professional Ironwoman who in 2019 - just her second season as a pro - absolutely annihilated the racing calendar - winning all nine races she started, including the Sunshine Coast, Western Sydney and Taupō Ironman 70.3 events; the national triathlon championships and the Auckland marathon which w...
Dec 06, 2020•44 min•Ep. 32
The other day, I saw Laura Douglas on the legendary Kiwi television show Country Calendar and knew straight away that I needed to yarn to her. Laura is a Southern gal, born and raised on a sheep farm in Mossburn. We discuss how she went from living in Auckland for nearly a decade in the corporate world, to packing up her life to move back to the farm. The road to where Laura is now - with her own business Real Country, and helping young women get involved in farming through the Fairlight Foundat...
Nov 29, 2020•44 min•Ep. 31
Esekia Perelini has been my Personal Trainer for many years and often doubles as my therapist (haha). He takes his job really seriously and has some really interesting thoughts about what it actually means to be healthy. By his own admission it has certainly evolved over the years as things have happened in his own life. A year ago, a fit and healthy Ese suffered a stroke. We talk about how he recovered from that and how it's impacted his life.
Nov 22, 2020•52 min•Ep. 30
This week's guest is a very dear ex-colleague of mine, Jehan Casinader. We first worked together on Seven Sharp seven years ago, and he is one of the most hard-working journalists I know. His drive, passion and energy for the job always impressed me so much, and he’s never been afraid to tell stories - no matter how hard they are to tell. He’s a multiple award winning journalist, but also a kind, helpful and caring person. Jehan has just released a book called "This is Not How it Ends", in which...
Nov 15, 2020•53 min•Ep. 29
This week's guest is a great woman of formidable intelligence and tenacity, who I am very fortunate enough to call my friend and mentor. I remember 7 or 8 years ago when the broadcasting legend that is Ali Mau took the time out of her day to help me learn how to do a piece to camera (when a television reporter speaks directly to the audience through the camera) at TVNZ - a place where Ali worked as a top presenter and journalist for 20 years. Now, Ali is a senior journalist at Stuff, and editor ...
Nov 08, 2020•48 min•Ep. 28
This week's guest is an absolute ray of sunshine - a smart, funny and talented young woman who always seems to have her foot on the accelerator. Laura McGoldrick is a Kiwi broadcaster who lights up the airwaves on The Hits radio station, and shines on the screen when hosting international cricket, awards ceremonies, you name it, she can do it.
Oct 25, 2020•45 min•Ep. 27
In the 90s I pretty much watched Angela Bloomfield play Rachel McKenna every night on Shortland Street - she has been an integral part of the show since 1993 and it was extremely interesting hearing how it all started for her, and Ange also shares some pretty big challenges she faced along the way. She's just embarked on a pretty significant career change, becoming a real estate agent. A truly delightful chat with a great woman.
Oct 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 26
Ben Seymour is a Kiwi entrepreneur based in Sydney who has set up an incredibly successful fitness business. The former professional rugby player spends his time helping others make significant lifestyle changes - making sure people look after their health and wellbeing. Oh yeah - and he does mad crazy long distance things all the time - including the Coast to Coast Longest Day, and the Atacama Crossing, a 250-kilometre running race in the desert in Chile!
Oct 11, 2020•35 min•Ep. 25
This episode is brought to you by Kiwiherb, who make the highest quality natural health products for you and your family in New Zealand. It’s Naturopathic Medicine Week here - so my guest is pharmacist, herbalist and international lecturer Phil Rassmussen. He is the founder of New Zealand based company Kiwiherb, which specialises in 100% natural, premium quality herbal health products. A really interesting chat into how we can incorporate natural products into our everyday lives, in a bid to loo...
Oct 04, 2020•46 min•Ep. 24
Chlöe Swarbrick - the young woman who ran for Mayor of Auckland at age 22, the young woman who at 23, become the youngest MP in New Zealand for over 40 years at the 2017 election. The young woman who is often reminded about how young she is, especially when she’s surrounded by politicians who are well, old (ok ok not all, but heaps are haha). No matter where your vote is going this election, Chlöe is a breath of fresh air in the political world. The energy and drive she throws at the job is pret...
Sep 27, 2020•53 min•Ep. 23
It's Mental Health Awareness Week here in New Zealand so a warning: we will be discussing issues around mental health including suicide. My guest is Bryce Casey - a man who has done a remarkable job in this country at opening up about mental health struggles and by doing so has helped drop the stigma around talking about such a complicated issue. He’s also a very funny, talented broadcaster with a gorgeous family and is armed with some cracking yarns having worked at The Rock radio station for 2...
Sep 20, 2020•54 min•Ep. 22
Raf Manji is a man who throws his heart and soul into the work he does. The former London investment banker and Christchurch City Councillor has spent the past 18 months working in a voluntary capacity directly with the victims and families of the March 15 Terror Attack in Christchurch - in what he describes as his hardest job to date. His next goal is to get fairer financial support for the victims which involves knocking loudly on the Government’s door. Raf is genuinely one of those people the...
Sep 13, 2020•59 min•Ep. 21
What did you to celebrate your 40th birthday? Well Jo Kane (aka my Mum) decided that it would be the year she would swim the Cook Strait. It's an amazing story, considering she first set her sights on the notorious piece of water at age 16. Jo talks about the endurance training and mental toughness she built up over many years, and how she was able to turn around and complete the swim just weeks after a failed attempt. And yes, there's a shark in this story.
Sep 06, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 20
Tanya Carlson has been a dominant fashion designer in New Zealand for over 20 years. One of the main reasons she has been successful for so long is because she's not afraid to move/pivot/change (you catch my drift) her label along with the ever-evolving fashion industry. Tanya remembers wanting to be involved in fashion as a young girl, dressing up to do her after-school chores - so it's no wonder she's one of the country's great fashion gems.
Aug 30, 2020•34 min•Ep. 19
Paula Bennett is literally sitting in the departure lounge waiting to walk out of a hugely successful 15 year career - a delayed election means she's having to hang on in there just a little longer. But she's pumped about her next career move (which she can't quite tell us about yet) and is well and truly done with politics. But we share some great laughs about her time in Parliament and talk about the highs and lows - even the time someone told her her bare legs weren't acceptable! And her pick...
Aug 28, 2020•52 min•Ep. 18
Hamish Pinkham and his Rhythm and Vines team have just announced their line up for the three day festival in Gisborne at New Year's Eve. Here's the thing - 90% of tickets for this year sold out mere weeks after the 2019/20 festival had finished, and all tickets were gone before a single act was released. What's the secret? Well, Hamish talks through the 17 festivals that have got them to where they are today - and why now more than ever people can't get enough of R&V. There's a couple of gre...
Aug 24, 2020•42 min•Ep. 17
Joseph Parker is one of New Zealand's favourite sportspeople and it's not necessarily entirely down to his stellar boxing career. The former WBO Heavyweight Champ's humble and kind nature has been something that has set him apart from his opponents. He doesn't need a flashy entrance to a fight to prove who he is. Joseph also got himself a bit of a name this year for his hugely creative, very funny lockdown videos - and even admits he'd love to dabble in a bit of acting. He talks the challenges o...
Aug 16, 2020•35 min•Ep. 16
I have to admit a major bias towards this guest, because Hilary Barry has been a mentor to me over the years and during our last stint working together on Breakfast she was like my big sister. She's one of the country's most talented and loved broadcasters, through her utmost professionalism while on air, but also because it's so easy to see she cares. She's extremely hard working and passionate about what she does, but taught me a thing or to about leaving work at the door. In her spare time sh...
Aug 10, 2020•49 min•Ep. 15
Rob Nichol is the man behind the rugby players in New Zealand. He was a massive part of successfully bringing women's rugby into line with the men's conditions. But not just rugby, Rob has been an integral part of helping all types of professional sports people know their worth. Add to that, he was once a police officer, is a qualified accountant, and does ridiculously crazy adventure racing - the past two years he's hauled himself across the South Island in the Coast to Coast with a rugby playe...
Aug 02, 2020•56 min•Ep. 14
Mimi Gilmour Buckley has so much passion for the New Zealand Hospitality Industry - the restaurateur and businesswoman literally completes one successful project and is already plotting the next. She co-founded the burger empire that is Burger Burger (if you haven't got your chops around one I suggest you get there immediately) and as if making a large dent in a highly competitive industry wasn't enough - Mimi has her sights set on a skincare business. Oh, and she has two beautiful girls, Olympi...
Jul 26, 2020•37 min•Ep. 13
Tangaroa Walker is a dairy farmer based in Southland. He has amassed a huge social media following thanks to his refreshing, down-to-earth online videos showing what life on the dairy farm is like. But Farm 4 Life isn't just designed to entertain, Tangaroa uses it to educate and inspire young people to get into the industry. His passion for being on the farm is enchanting, and he devotes so much of his time helping others - because that's what makes him happy. It was an absolute joy to record th...
Jul 19, 2020•37 min•Ep. 12
Comedian Tom Sainsbury is the guy that makes you sit on your phone laughing and cackling because his Snapchat characters are that damn good. His impersonations of people - from politicians to everyday New Zealanders - are so spot on that sometimes, they are more accurate than the actual person. Tom is also an incredibly talented actor, writer, producer, director and talks about the joys and challenges of working in the industry here in New Zealand. He's a true delight.
Jul 12, 2020•40 min•Ep. 11
