Afleveringen
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We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming several current and former politicians to the Life’s Work studio this year, all with their own fascinating stories to tell, from how they got into politics, to their aspirations, achievements, downsides, and even the odd comment about friends and opposition faced over the years. We’ve pulled together some of our favourite moments from conversations with Todd Muller, Angie Warren-Clark, Anne Tolley, and Bob Clarkson. These aren’t political interviews, we’re not putting anyone on the spot and trying to catch people out. What we wanted to achieve was to get to know the people who put themselves forward as public servants, whatever side of the political divide they fall. Like them or not, agree with them or not, we think they’ve all lived a life that’s a story worth retelling, and we hope you enjoy these highlights and check out the full episodes, available wherever you listen to your podcasts, and on our channel here:
Todd Muller – https://youtu.be/md549ylPqrQ
Anglie Warren-Clark – https://youtu.be/Ldl9tPttQlg
Anne Tolley – https://youtu.be/fbJK4KrmxIw
Bob Clarkson – https://youtu.be/ZBHlpMYQEFc
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Eve Kelly is a talented performer hailing from Whakatāne, New Zealand. Her passion for singing and performing began early on, as she immersed herself in Musical Theatre, participating in nationwide singing competitions, and amazing audiences with her vocal talents at weddings, fundraisers, and celebrations.
Following school, Eve embarked on a journey of exploration, travelling both within New Zealand and internationally to further her career. Her journey took an exciting turn when she secured a coveted position as a production vocalist with Princess Cruise Lines. This opportunity allowed her to combine her love for travel with her passion for performing, all whilst getting paid for doing what she loved.
However, fate had other plans, as Covid-19 eventually forced her to return to her hometown. Undeterred, Eve's love for performing continued to fuel her ambitions, and she found herself fortunate enough to join the nationwide ABBA Tribute tour.
Ever-evolving as an artist, Eve has recently delved into the world of songwriting, exploring new avenues for creative expression. Her 2022 debut release, “Gotta Let Go”, has been followed by two further singles, “Dance With Me” and “Mr Big Shot”, and has opened up a future of endless possibilities as a singer songwriter.
The title of this episode is a quote from Eve herself. Whilst Eve has always had great musical talent and goals, the path she has taken so far has been very much about taking opportunities that present themselves, without having each step to her goals mapped out in detail. This has helped Eve to overcome setbacks and not get too thrown when challenges happen, but rather regroup and take advantage of the next opportunity to come along.
Eve was an energetic delight to speak to, and will undoubtedly go far.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Harry Oram is a multi-talented individual, with a burgeoning career as an actor, writer, and director. A 5th generation New Zealander, born in Hong Kong with a Filipina mother, Harry has a unique perspective on storytelling and the power of multicultural narratives.
Harry's journey in the arts began at an early age, starting as a ballet dancer before finding his voice as a choral scholar. His passion for acting and performance led him to pursue a degree in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. While there, he secured his first professional acting gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, marking the beginning of a successful career.
To further hone his craft, Harry ventured to the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York, where he immersed himself in acting and also explored his interest in filmmaking. Eventually, he settled in Los Angeles, building connections and studying screenwriting under the guidance of John Truby.
Harry made his way back to his family in Asia, where he became part of a vibrant independent film scene. Inspired to support and celebrate multicultural stories, he founded Third Culture magazine, Third Culture Theatricals, and the Third Culture Film Festival. The term "Third Culture" holds great significance for Harry, representing individuals who grow up in cultures different from their parents' and experience a rich tapestry of influences.
Now residing in Tauranga, New Zealand, Harry has dedicated himself to sharing his knowledge and contributing to the local community. He founded the Apex Academy of Performing Arts, fostering creativity and talent among students. Additionally, he established MHO Endeavours, a boutique talent management company representing select clients.
In this episode, we had a candid conversation with Harry about the challenges faced by actors like himself who don't fit neatly into predefined racial categories. We explored the issue of diversity and representation in the entertainment industry, highlighting the perceived double standards that exist. Harry emphasised the importance of connecting on a deeper level beyond surface appearances, urging society to move away from rigid criteria and embrace the true essence of art.
We also touched on the topic of freedom of speech, delving into the complexities of navigating politically correct environments while still encouraging open dialogue and the exchange of diverse opinions. Harry's insights shed light on the need for balance in this ever-evolving landscape.
Throughout our discussion, Harry's passion and energy shone through, reminding us of the youthful enthusiasm and untapped potential within the younger generation. We explored the role of older generations in nurturing and supporting the aspirations of the youth, rather than dismissing their ideas as naive. Harry's story serves as a reminder to embrace creativity, remain engaged in the community, and foster an environment where everyone's voice is heard.
Harry’s creative background, combined with his entrepreneurial mindset, and passion for making a difference, ensures there’s something for everyone in this podcast episode.
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In this episode Steve talks with rising star, actor Connor, who has already had significant successes in his career working with the likes of Lucy Lawless and starring in the feature film ‘Punch’ with BAFTA winning and Golden Globe and Academy nominated actor and producer, Tim Roth.
Connor was late to acting, relatively speaking, as he was on track for a career in finance, or as a professional basketball player! He only found acting while at University when he auditioned for a role in a short movie created by fellow Uni students. Having made good friends with the team behind the camera, they all ended up moving in together as flat mates, which created the opportunity for Connor to appear more movies. This gave him great insight into the movie making industry and what it would be like to live life as an actor. He finished his degree, but then jumped with both feet into acting and isn’t looking back, already having obtained roles in many short movies, commercials, a number of web series, several TV series and a feature film. Connor provides some insight as to how to get into acting and the level of commitment needed to make it in an extremely competitive industry.
Connor could be forgiven if his continuing success had gone to his head, but in this conversation, we see that this young man not only has a mature head on his shoulders, he is humble and gracious, caring and kind. He is naturally empathetic, learning from his experiences earlier in life when he was bullied, about how people can make each other feel, and he’s used that, along with his learning from acting, to ensure that he has a positive impact on those he comes into contact with. He also shares with us some of his challenges, including learning to control his obsessive-compulsive disorder, an area of his life he hasn’t spoken about outside of his family.
This is a fascinating story, and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.
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In this episode I talk with Chloe Wright, Co-Founder and unremunerated CEO of the Wright Family Foundation. The Foundation provides funds and assistance to improve the educational, emotional, and psychological wellbeing of New Zealanders and supports more than 25 projects and organisations across the country enabling people to reach their full potential.
Chloe received the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021 for services to philanthropy, education, and health. Although Chloe doesn’t need to work, she chooses to do so, because she has a passion for making a difference, and that she is clearly doing.
In addition to leading the Foundation, Chloe is Founder and Director of Birthing Centre, which offers extensive postnatal support in several locations across the country. She co-founded BestStart Educare, New Zealand’s largest early learning education organisation, with 300 centres looking after over 20,000 children. Chloe is the Patron of SuperGrans Aotearoa and WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, Kids’ Lit Quiz, and the New Zealand Spelling Bee. She is also the Founder and Architect of Mothers Matter, which seeks to achieve for women what is rightfully theirs, excellent perinatal and postnatal care, and the ongoing support they need to thrive after giving birth.
In this episode, Chloe talks candidly about how we should be investing more into support for mums and their newborn children, as “the first 1000 days are the most important”. She believes that whatever start a child has shapes their future as well as that of our society, so we need them to have what they need to thrive. Chloe’s own experiences of childhood, being the youngest of nine children, and having five of her own children, gave her what she feels was the best start in life, and she wants to see that for every child. When Chloe and her husband returned to New Zealand, after doing extremely well overseas, they wanted to use what resources they had to make a difference. Chloe had a dream of doing so in Africa but, once back in New Zealand, she realised that there was much work to be done here. Chloe has worked hard to understand the problem and has seen some of the terrible situations children are being brought up in, and wants to help change that through positive engagement and education.
Almost all of what Chloe is involved in centres around the start of life, from advocating for improved maternity care through her birthing centres and Mothers Matter forum, to early childhood education through BestStart, and then supporting the wider family as Patron of SuperGrans.
In this interview Chloe demonstrates the attributes of a great leader, someone who can and does make things happen. Chloe cares and, because she cares, she takes time to become aware of what’s needed and where.
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International singer, songwriter, and recording artist, Georgia Lines, is the latest guest to appear on our Life’s Work podcast. Born and raised in Tauranga, New Zealand, Georgia has been carving a place for herself in the music scene for ten years, regularly selling out shows and captivating audiences with her powerful, soulful, warm voice. Georgia’s releases have garnered over three million Spotify streams, and she has regularly featured in the Official NZ Chart, reaching number one on the Album and Airplay Charts. Georgia’s music videos have been played on MTV AU/NZ, and she has been a featured artist on radio and in magazines. Georgia won Breakthrough Artist at the 2022 New Zealand Music Awards, was nominated for Best Pop Artist alongside Lorde and Benee, and has performed in front of 50,000 people at Eden Park.
Georgia’s burgeoning success has not gone to her head, and a decade in the music business has not dampened her enthusiasm and spirit. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Georgia is the type of person who goes out of her way to notice the details and remember names and faces, which is no small feat in any line of work, especially one where new people come and go on a daily basis and no two days are the same. Georgia still fondly remembers her childhood t-shirt selling business, and this “customer service” mindset clearly helps her to be the generous, kind person she is today.
Having recently signed with Coldplay’s US agent, there’s no telling how far Georgia’s career will take her. Yet even with such an exciting development, Georgia remains grounded and determined, with a “how can I?” attitude, not content with sitting back and waiting for things to happen, she keeps working away at her craft, realising that her success will come down to the work she puts in. She also knows how important it is to be bolstered by the small, close team of people she has around her, and she has carefully chosen those who will lift her up but also challenge her to reach the heights she wants to.
With the release of new music, creative visuals, and a line-up of stand-out shows, Georgia Lines is a shining Aotearoa talent who is continually making an impact. She is also an absolute joy to talk to, with much wisdom to share that’s relevant no matter your workplace or personal situation. We hope you find this episode as rewarding as we did.
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According to the World Health Organisation, mental health conditions are increasing worldwide. There was a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the decade to 2017. Mental health conditions now cause 1 in 5 years lived with disability, depression being one of the leading causes. Around 20% of children and adolescents have a mental health condition, with suicide the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. Mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely – as much as two decades early – due to preventable physical conditions.
For this reason, it’s important to raise awareness of these matters, to promote conversations and help instigate interventions that can help.
Almost everybody at some point in their life will experience some kind of impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Whether that’s through personal trauma, the loss of a loved one, work related stress, illness, or in so many other ways. Although this is often temporary for many, there can be ongoing issues such as the fear of such episodes coming back under similar circumstances.
In this episode, we provide a compilation of clips from some of our interviews with guests who have shared with us their experiences with mental health and wellbeing issues. From working to live a full, adventurous life of achievement having been a double amputee since the age of nine, like Tony Christiansen, or having a very public ‘meltdown’ as MP Todd Muller described it when he took on the job of ‘Leader of the Opposition’ in the New Zealand Parliament, through to dealing with depression and anxiety as award winning author Lee Murray has, or being diagnosed with multiple disorders on the Autism Spectrum, like up and coming star, singer and song writer Sophie Maude.
We hope that these clips provide some insight as to the impact these matters have had on the lives of some of our guests, who have managed to work through or embrace their challenges to continue living positive and successful lives.
For more information from each guest, view their whole episodes on our channel.
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In this interview Steve talks with Dr. Stacy Sims, a forward-thinking, innovative international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who is revolutionising exercise nutrition and performance for women.
Stacy has directed research programmes at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance.
During her tenure at Stanford, she had the opportunity to translate earlier research into consumer products and a science-based layperson's book (“ROAR”) written to explain sex differences in training and nutrition. Both the consumer products and the book challenged the existing dogma for women in exercise, nutrition, and health, and “ROAR” was ground-breaking in approaching the topics through a female lens, rather than the traditional male perspective. This paradigm shift is the focus of her famous and well-received "Women Are Not Small Men” TEDx talk.
Her contributions to the international research environment and the sports nutrition industry have established a new niche in sports nutrition and established her reputation as the expert in sex differences in training, nutrition, and health. Stacy has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, several books, and is a regularly featured speaker at professional and academic conferences, including those by the USA Olympic Committee and USA Cycling.
In this interview, Stacy shares her Life’s Work story with us, which includes how she grew up feeling like an outsider, moving from place to place due to her father’s career in the armed forces. Instead of this negatively impacting her development, Stacy took the opportunity to learn and understand different cultures, seeing the world from different perspectives. It was this ability, and willingness, that led to her becoming a researcher in a field she now dominates as a world leading expert.
As a person who never seems to slow down, and at a time when Stacy was balancing lecturing, being an athlete herself, and working with athletes, opportunities kept on coming that she readily accepted because, in her words, “it’s all about trying to help people get better at what they’re doing.”
Part of the help that Stacy is providing today, as she talks about, is trying to drive the discussion of traditionally taboo subjects such as the menstrual cycle and menopause, how significant the impact can be on a woman’s career and relationships, and how important it is to normalise the attitudes towards them in society.
Stacy also shares some of the experiences she had along the way which not only demonstrated her resilience, but also the need for her to speak up and fight for what she believes in, with an attitude that ‘the idea of the outcome can supersede the fear’.
Stacy also has her own business (www.drstacysims.com) where she creates and delivers online learning material focused on women training with their physiology across the lifespan.
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Nic Gill (Gilly) is a professional performance coach and consultant with huge expertise in sporting performance and health. He is best known for his work in rugby with 23 years working in the sport and, for the last 16 years, Gilly has been the strength and conditioning coach for the New Zealand All Blacks. This has been a period of unprecedented success for the All Blacks, which has included more than 170 rugby test wins and the World Cup title in 2011 and 2015. Gilly has been integral in these achievements, as one of only a few constants in the All Blacks over that time.
In this candid interview, Gilly provides us with some fantastic insights into how the All Blacks work as an organisation. He discusses culture, work ethic, attitude, and how important it is to have a leadership approach of ‘high challenge and high support’ when it comes to helping people perform at their best.
As an Associate Professor in Human Performance at the University of Waikato, Gilly is always refining and evolving his philosophy for being fit and healthy and having the 'winning edge' in life and in competition. This demonstrates how, as a leader, he is constantly learning and growing, in order to grow more leaders.
In our discussion, Gilly shares with us his journey from growing up wanting to be a police officer and being convinced otherwise by a career advisor at school, through to how his attitude, work ethic, and sheer hard work provided him with the opportunity of a lifetime, working for the All Blacks. He also shares how he gave up that job, despite everybody advising against it. At that time the culture of the All Blacks didn’t sit well with him and he wanted to do the best thing for his family. Putting family first was clearly the right thing for Gilly, and just a few years later, when the time was right, he returned to the All Blacks and embarked upon a long and illustrious career with them.
For anyone interested in health, fitness, high performance sport, leadership, work and organisational culture, or just wanting to understand why the All Blacks are so good, this is a must see interview.
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Mira Corbova is an artist first and foremost, as well as being an art gallery owner working with many artists. Mira grew up in Slovakia (then part of a Communist Czechoslovakia) with many restrictions and in a strict household with little room for self-expression. As a very young child, with a physically and emotionally abusive father, she found solace in art and nature, a place to escape. At the age of eleven, her teacher, who obviously saw her potential as an artist, put her work into an international competition, and she won. Her passion for creativity, combined with the knowledge that she had some talent, led to a lifelong passion for Mira.
After moving to England to study and start afresh, she met her partner and moved back to his homeland, New Zealand, where Mira found the inspiration to live her dream and open her own art gallery.
In this episode, Mira talks about her childhood and the life that shaped who she has become, as well as her passion, art. She feels that creating art is an expressive means to channel energy with positive emotions that reflect a higher vision within. She believes in the healing power of art, so much so, she delivers art therapy workshops. Mira describes her art as an emotional conversation through colour and shape, a tangible expression of her soul. Her aim as an artist and art dealer is to inspire, encourage, and connect everyone through creativity, and to help people to realise the immense value and importance of art.
In this open and heartfelt episode, we hear the story of a little girl, who missed out on on a typical childhood, growing up in a strict environment and having to look after her family, but found an escape in the colourful world of art.
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At school, Sophie-Maude Turner used to hide in the bathroom from bullies who made her life hell, mocking her for being different. As a young girl, suffering with multiple disorders on the autistic spectrum, including ASD, OCD, Tourette’s, Anxiety, and ADHD, Sophie found school unbearable. Other kids would trigger her tics with key words they knew set her off, which increased her anxiety and exacerbated her obsessive compulsive disorder. Most days would end with her returning home in tears.
The lack of understanding and empathy from children, as well as teachers, resulted in Sophie’s parents choosing to home-school her from the age of 10. Instead of this limiting her social skills and confidence in any way, the right environment, along with the understanding and support she needed, enabled Sophie to grow into a confident, intelligent, and articulate young person who, at 19, is now an immensely talented singer, songwriter, and performer.
Sophie calls herself quirky and is proud to say she lives life on the Autistic Spectrum. It makes her who she is creatively. Singing from an early age, it was performing in musical theatre that made her realise that bringing joy to others was what she loved. Sophie released her first single on Spotify in 2020 and now has a number of songs including two that she has featured for, ‘Diamonds’ for Deadbeat, and ‘A Perfect Storm’ for Blindspott. In June 2022, her song ‘Take Me Away’ reached No.1 in the NZ Hot 40 Singles Charts.
In an interview that is both moving and funny, Sophie openly shares her story, from providing insight into the disorders she’s been diagnosed with, how they manifest and how she is now able to gain some control over them, through to her approach to creative song writing and performing on stage in front of thousands of people. Sophie even tries to teach Steve song writing and sets him a challenge to write his own!
This episode has a powerful story with lessons about love, forgiveness, understanding, and how, with the right support and attitude, you can turn your ‘quirkiness’ into a superpower!
Sophie is most certainly living a life that’s a story worth re-telling, and one suspects that there will be so many more exciting chapters to come.
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As a young boy, Todd Muller dreamed of one day becoming the President of the United States of America. He even wrote a story about it, which he still has, imagining that at the age of 19 he left New Zealand to travel to America, entered politics, and become Vice President by the age of 28. Sadly, but good news for VP Muller, something terrible happened to the Commander-in-Chief, and Todd became President himself, amazingly for 13 terms! This constitutionally impossible fantasy put Todd on a journey towards a political career here in New Zealand. In this Life’s Work podcast interview, Todd shares with us what his journey looked like, the highs and lows of his career, and so much more in between.
Todd became involved in the National Party as a teenager and quickly gained the attention of some of the most influential people in the party, finding himself in a role in the executive office of the then Prime Minister, Jim Bolger. After a few years witnessing at close quarters what it was like to lead a country, Todd realised that he would better serve the constituents of the region he grew up in by having life experience before entering Parliament, and he left working in the political arena. However, he remained a busy volunteer for fifteen years, whilst having a successful career in the private sector, holding numerous senior leadership roles, including for two of New Zealand’s largest companies, Fonterra and Zespri.
Taking the decision to formally return to politics, Todd was successful in his 2014 general election campaign, becoming the Member of Parliament for the Bay of Plenty region, which has been his role for the last nine years. However, Todd will stand down at the election later this year.
In this open and candid interview, Todd discusses his reasons for stepping down, which include his deeper understanding of his own mental capacity for being in the role, after he had a very public breakdown in 2020, just 53 days after successfully challenging for the role of leader of the opposition within the National Party.
Todd also divulges his thoughts on leadership as well as his concerns about where he feels politics is heading in New Zealand. This is a story of a leader. Someone who demonstrated leadership by standing up for his beliefs and his party when he felt there was a need, and also showing leadership by being prepared to step down when the personal toll became too much. In doing so, Todd is now one of several prominent New Zealanders who is willing to speak freely about his mental health and wellbeing journey in order to provide insight that might help others.
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Bob Clarkson is a well-known name in the City of Tauranga, New Zealand. He is affectionately known as ‘Bob the Builder’ after building so many commercial buildings over the years, he’s lost count of them.
Born in Gisborne, Bob grew up on his family’s dairy farm and, after leaving school at 15 without any qualifications, he became a qualified fitter and turner. As a young man he then moved to Matamata in the Waikato where, amongst other things, he enjoyed importing V8 motors from the USA, and made a sufficient amount of money to enable him to start developing commercial buildings. This became Bob’s passion and a lifelong vocation. He’s still building them now, at 84 years of age.
Bob was a member of the New Zealand Stock Car Racing team from 1968 – 1971 and won seven titles in dragster racing between 1972 and 1975. He was also selected as a standby goalkeeper for the New Zealand hockey team at the 1976 Olympics.
In 2005, Bob ran as a candidate for the National Party in the general election and won, beating long-standing MP Winston Peters. Bob’s mission and reason for entering parliament was to bring about change in respect of affordable housing in New Zealand. A project that still eludes him to this day but one that he has not yet completely given up on.
One of the projects he is best known for is building Bay Park Stadium in Tauranga, with his own money, for stock car racing and football. Bob was later convinced to sell the stadium to the Council, but only charged them half of the $24m he had invested in it.
Bob was awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy in the 2003 New Years Honours.
His catch phrase is ‘Keep Smiling’ and in this candid and forthright interview, Bob discusses his Life’s Work with the same level of humour he’s applied throughout his life.
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Lee Murray is a multi-award-winning author / editor, essayist, screenwriter, and poet from New Zealand. A USA Today bestselling author, four-time Bram Stoker Award winner, with four Australian Shadows, 12 Sir Julius Vogel Awards, as well as a Shirley Jackson award, Lee is also an NZSA Honorary Literary Fellow and Grimshaw Sargeson Fellow.
In this high energy conversation, Lee gives great insight into what being a writer is like, from working collaboratively in writing communities, working for below minimum wage, and feeling like an imposter even after 15 successful novels and multiple international awards, all the while maintaining ‘this is the best job in the world!’
Committing fully to writing later in life and finding out at fifty years of age that for most of her life she had unknowingly suffered from anxiety and depression, Lee describes how all of her life experiences, including working as a scientist representing New Zealand at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, have proudly contributed to her success as a ‘female Asian horror writer’.
Whether or not you have any desire to become a writer, or even if you’re like Lee’s husband and don’t often read fiction, this interview is compulsive viewing/listening because the energy, enthusiasm, and passion from Lee is infectious, and her wisdom definitely worth sharing. She clearly demonstrates that she has found, and is living in her element, every day.
We invite guests who are living a life that is a story worth retelling. Lee believes everything is a story and hers is motivational. Lee is someone who knew she wanted to write as a child but was happy that she took her parents advice and went and got a ‘real job’ first. By doing so, when the time was right, she could apply her knowledge and wisdom to her research for the amazing stories she has crafted that are an inspiration to so many people across the world.
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Anne Tolley is a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing the National Party for almost twenty years. Anne was New Zealand's first female Minister of Education, and the first Minister for Children. She was also Minister of Social Development, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Police, and Minister of Local Government and also served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Anne is currently the Chair of the Commission overseeing Tauranga City Council.
In this full and frank interview, Anne discusses her childhood and the positive but strict influence of her parents, both teachers, who wouldn’t settle for anything but first place! By questioning how she came second, they were giving Anne valuable lessons in life, and throughout her career she continued to be open to learning. The eldest of four children, she was the only one of the siblings who didn’t stay in the family business of teaching, but instead became, amongst other things, the Minister for Education.
Anne also talks about how she and her husband were property developers and would always be ‘bumping heads’ with Council planning departments. This was what started her political career, becoming Deputy Mayor of Napier City Council and an elected Councillor in the Hawkes Bay Regional Council at the same time. Her passion for change drove her to Wellington, literally, and into national politics. Interestingly, she is now back in local government as Commissioner.
Many people have preconceived ideas about politicians regardless of where on the political spectrum they lie. I hope this episode provides a greater understanding of the person behind the politics.
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Kevin Biggar was a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group when he decided he needed to take control of his life and so he made some life changing decisions. He left his job, sold his house, split from his girlfriend, and went back home to live with his mum! He travelled for a while but then ended up back at his mum's house, on the sofa watching TV and eating fast food, putting on weight. It was while he was watching television that he became inspired by a story about a woman who had completed the Trans-Atlantic rowing race solo, after her husband had been forced to leave the boat.
Two years later Kevin, and his rowing partner Jamie Fitzgerald, became winners of the Trans-Atlantic rowing race and the holders of two world records after completing the 5000km challenge in just 40 days and 5 hours. Just three years after that, Kevin and Jamie took on an even greater challenge when they became the first New Zealanders to trek unsupported to the South Pole. Fewer than 50 people had ever trekked the 1200km from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole.
One of his proudest achievements though was overcoming his own personal challenge. Having had a stutter since he was a child, he has now been a professional speaker for over 20 years. He is also the author of three books, including the award winning ‘Oarsome Adventures of a Fat Boy Rower’ and has been a presenter on the TVNZ documentary series ‘First Crossings’.
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Angie Warren-Clark has been a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party since 2017.
Angie experienced family violence as a child and, since the age of seven, has been fixed in her mindset to stand up against violence in the home. As a result, her studies at University were geared towards positioning herself to be able to make a difference with a focus on women’s studies and law. As a teenager, she was actively involved in bringing about change to legislation and went on to work in several roles, many in government organisations, and all of which had a focus on the reduction of family violence. Angie’s last role before heading into politics was managing the Women’s Refuge in Tauranga. The situations she was exposed to gave her the valuable insight needed to be more effective in her personal mission, by having a different perspective to someone who hadn’t worked on the ‘front line’. Combining this with her own personal story, Angie gained the experience and tools she needed, as well as having a natural empathy, to continue making a significant difference. Circumstances such as those which saw her having to remove a family and place them into a homeless situation just so they would be eligible for support was what drove Angie to step up and put herself forward to become a politician.
Angie calls herself a feminist and political activist and, in this open and honest account of her Life’s Work story, she demonstrates how determined she is to make a real difference, whilst at the same time showing us that you can achieve great things while being a genuinely nice person, with a great sense of humour and a big heart.
I’m particularly proud of this interview with Angie, not only because it was a wonderful and free-flowing conversation with fascinating insights, but also because, despite never having met her before, it felt like we’d known each other for years and it was like reconnecting with an old friend. I felt a natural connection, and I hope you do too.
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The title is a quote from Tony who, without question, has created a life full of hard work, adventure, achievement, and fulfilment.
Tony Christiansen is known to many people across the world because he has been on the celebrity speaking circuit for over twenty years. He lost his legs in a terrible railway accident at the age of nine. Medical professionals told his mum that he wouldn’t live beyond twenty. He didn’t just live beyond twenty, he’s sixty four now, but he has lived a life that many of us would be envious of. He admits his own website, tonychristiansen.com, is a little out of date…he cant keep up with his own achievements, but what it does describe is a man who is a motivational speaker, a successful businessman, a motor racing champion, a world class athlete, a qualified pilot, a bestselling author, a martial artist, a scuba diver, a surf life saver, a conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s fastest amputee, a snow skier, a City Councillor, and he’s working on a few other projects, including bobsledding!
Tony sees all challenges as fun opportunities to learn. His attitude towards life is like no other person I’ve met before; he is truly inspiring. This is an episode not to be missed.
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In this episode I talk with Emeritus Professor David McKie. As a previous student of David’s, I affectionately called him an ‘old Scottish f*cker’ in a poem I wrote for one of his class assignments. Thankfully he loved it and referred to it in the interview.
A Scot by birth, an Australian by naturalisation, a resident of New Zealand by choice, and a citizen of the world by inclination, he enjoys balancing a sense of justice with a great sense of humour. He describes his life as a crazy path, and he’s still on it, not knowing what will come next, and that’s what was magical about this interview. At times we had no clue where we were going, but David managed to ensure it was still full of insight and his many gems of wisdom.
An author of five books, David has delivered over a hundred international conference papers and is the CEO of RAM Consulting International, where he works as a change, leadership, and strategic communication consultant. He’s delivered workshops for individuals and organisations in private and public sectors in Europe, China, Korea, India, the Middle East, and the US. He has acted as a consultant and delivered courses for organisations such as Carter Holt Harvey, Fonterra, Intervet, Mauri Ora, New Zealand Police, NZL, OPUS, Sri Lanka Insurance, Te Puni Kokiri, Waikato Health, Telecom, Zespri, and many more.
In this podcast, David shares his Life’s Work with us and discusses the poor state of leadership across the globe, as well as providing his approach and philosophy on what’s needed to make a difference, not just for us right now, but also for his grandchildren’s generation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode I talk with Sarah Devereaux, who became the youngest in the world to hold the Master Certified Coach credential through the International Coaching Federation, and is still only one of three to hold that credential in New Zealand.
Sarah talks about becoming a teenage mum and, after working in a bank for a year, she decided that she didn’t ever want to work for anyone else again! Sarah believed the only way she could be the best mum she could be, and not be capped in her ability to earn, was to start her own business and create the flexibility and opportunity she needed. Several successful business ventures later, and with a growing and supportive family, Sarah has stepped away from a coaching business she built from the ground up and has now created ‘Pause Retreats’, weekend events and coaching programmes for women to ‘reignite their zest for life, gain connection and life re-alignment’.
Interestingly, Sarah started this venture after taking a pause herself, while on a family road trip for six months. Having found herself feeling trapped by the success of her coaching business, Sarah shares with us how she managed to work through the feelings associated with letting go of something that she had created and was still doing well, to find her ‘true essential self’.
In this insightful episode, we can understand and learn from the emotional intelligence, focus, tenacity and the entrepreneurial spirit of Sarah, as she describes her journey, which is definitely a Life’s Work story worth retelling.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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