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E178 | Sione Faumuina

Sione Faumuina played 132 NRL matches for the Warriors, the North Queensland Cowboys and Canberra Raiders. He also had two stints in the UK Super League and played twice for the Kiwis.

But Sione’s league story was a troubled one.

He had the potential to be one of the greatest sporting talents this country has produced but was instead consumed by alcohol and erratic behaviour.

Sione’s story is gripping, and we go into detail about some really difficult times in his life and career and his drive in sharing is to help others learn from his mistakes.

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E177 | Rachel Hunter

Rachel Hunter is the girl from Glenfield who made the big time.

She was a teen who left school, became a supermodel, married Rod Stewart and became an international celebrity who will be forever etched into the collective consciousness of Kiwis having been part of our lives since the early 1990s.

‘Our Rachel’ has since delved into the realms of wellness, longevity, and the essence of beauty, and these days she travels the world as a spiritual teacher and has immersed herself fully into the ancient practices of yoga.

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E176 | Simon Porter

Simon Porter is the CEO of Halo Sport - our biggest sporting agency, and his insights into sport in NZ and sponsorship contracts is unrivalled.

In this episode we go behind the scenes of NZ sport like never before.

We discuss the reality of being a top sporting agent, representing both Scott Robertson and Ian Foster during the All Blacks coaching saga, his role in connecting NZ Rugby with Japan, and the state of sports in New Zealand.

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E175 | Brooke Howard-Smith

Brooke Howard-Smith’s life story needs a long-form podcast to do it justice.

He was an X Games medalist, who at 19 co-created a multimillion dollar inline skating company while touring with Tony Hawk and Matt Hoffman.

He lost all of his money and moved back to NZ, opened Pony nightclub in Auckland, hosted TV3’s Target and has organised many of our largest national televised fundraisers – collectively raising over $10 million in the last decade.

And that’s just scratching the surface…

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E174 | Di Foster

Di Foster is one of our low-key legends, who works as a business coach, mind shifter and speaker.

We connected with Di late last year as we were transitioning from employees to accidental business owners – and were looking for a wise head to help guide us through some pretty unknown waters.

Di also has an incredible cancer story. 14 years ago she was diagnosed with terminal, secondary, breast cancer. She was given a 0% chance of surviving 12 months. She turned her back on traditional treatment and healed herself. She experienced a radical remission.

Her cancer journey doesn’t define her, but it certainly guides her work.

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E173 | Steve Tew

Steve Tew is a director with High Performance Sport New Zealand, but he’s best known for being the CEO of New Zealand Rugby from 2008 to 2019.

He was the boss when New Zealand held all four Rugby World Cups (men's, women's and both sevens), he guided the code through the Respect and Responsibility Review, inked critical sponsorship deals with adidas and AIG, as well as a 5-year broadcast deal. In short, his administrative legacy in rugby in NZ may be unmatched.

Steve is ultra-Kiwi, authentic, whip-smart and as comfortable in the All Blacks dressing room as he was in World Rugby’s board don’t miss this exclusive insight into the makings of one of NZ sports best leaders.

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E172 | Shane Bradley

Shane Bradley is one of New Zealand’s most successful business owners.

In fact, the full number of businesses he’s started and sold are too long to list, but his journey to the top has been one hell of a ride.

He’s currently the brains behind Pet Direct, but his startups include Finda, Sella, Grab One, Neighbourly, Pet.co.nz, and many more.

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E171 | Matt Heath

Matt Heath was one of the first ‘big names’ that gave us his time when started the Between Two Beers Podcast.

He is an actor, producer, sports commentator, columnist, musician and radio host and now author of a new book ‘A Life Less Punishing’.

He can be heard hosting the Radio Hauraki breakfast radio show alongside Jeremy Wells, as well as commentating on the Alternative Commentary Collective.

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E170 | Ali Williams

Ali Williams is a former All Black who was a professional rugby player for 16 years, played 77 times for New Zealand and won the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

A popular figure within the All Blacks environment, over the course of his career he polarised opinion with his unique style and approach to the media creating a public perception, but is that reality?

Ali is comfortable being the life of the party – but also operates with real depth in his thinking.

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E169 | William Pike

William Pike is one of our low-key legends who is a world-class story teller, with an exceptional story to tell.

In 2007 he was guiding a friend to the summit of Ruapehu when the mountain erupted. As a layer of rocks, water and mud rained down on his Dome shelter, he was crushed and critically injured.

When he next woke up in hospital, his leg was gone. Doctors called William’s survival a miracle, but his crushed right leg had to be amputated below the knee.

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E168 | Dave Wood

A fan favourite from 2023, Dave Wood makes his return to the podcast to discuss his two-day Calm Under Pressure workshop in Piha - and we dive deep into some of the health-related issues we’re facing in NZ.

We also talk about the incredible growth and success of his business, the key to finding balance in a busy life, the importance of being selfish – and prioritizing yourself, how he helped the world’s best squash player, training the Warriors and why understanding the impact of your thinking, emotions and actions is pivotal to achieving personal growth.

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E167 | Karen O’Leary

Karen O’Leary is an ‘accidental actor’ with one of the best career arcs in NZ media.

An early childhood educator for 20+ years, Karen was tricked by a friend to audition to be a police officer on ‘What We Do In The Shadows’.

Her brief appearance in the film as ‘Officer O’Leary’ led to her own spin-off show and hit series ‘Wellington Paranormal’.

Last year, she won the coveted Best Presenter of Entertainment award for her work on Paddy Gower has Issues on Newshub - months before it was announced the show would not be returning.

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E166 | Jehan Casinader

Jehan Casinader is an award-winning New Zealand journalist, has made a significant mark in the field of storytelling and media.

He has shared his personal battle with depression, detailed in his book, "This Is Not How It Ends: How rewriting your story can save your life", highlighting his dedication to mental health advocacy.

His journey underscores a deep commitment to empowering others through storytelling, establishing him as a prominent voice in New Zealand’s media and public speaking sectors.

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E165 | Sir Ian Taylor

Sir Ian Taylor has lived one hell of a life.

He was the lead singer of a rock band, he served in the army, worked at a brewery, studied law, became a kids TV presenter, then a TV star, before setting up his own production company.

Today, he’s one of New Zealand’s top business leaders.

His team at Animation Research Ltd have revolutionized how we watch sport, he’s earned a knighthood for his services to broadcasting and business and he’s become an outspoken columnist.

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E164 | Mark Stafford

Mark Stafford is a radio host, who is best known as the former face of the TAB, where he spent two decades as a bookmaker and broadcaster.

But what's not so well-known is his roller-coaster ride through life with all its twists and turns.

From a car accident as a teenager, Multiple Sclerosis, testicular cancer, all the way to the heights of his time at the TAB as NZ's premier oddsmaker.

We also talk about the devastating year of 2020, where he lost his job, his sister and his best friend in a short period of time, and how he built himself back up from the depths of despair.

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E163 | Lauren Rae

Lauren Rae is a low key legend, who's currently in the fight of her life.

In 2022 the Commonwealth Games weightlifter and former surf-lifesaving professional was given a terminal cancer diagnoses for a rare non-sun related melanoma.

Staring mortality in the face, Rae questioned her diagnosis. She chose to fight, seeking second and third opinions that eventually opened the door to hope and led her family moving to Australia.

The powerful part is what happened next, Lauren's outlook and approach to life, the wisdom she's accrued and the spirit she's bringing to this fight.

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E162 | Megan Compain

Megan Compain is the newly appointed All Blacks commercial manager, whose back story is as impressive as her new role.

She’s the first Kiwi to play professional basketball in the USA, and the only New Zealand woman to have played in the WNBA.

She is a Basketball NZ hall of famer, representing the Tall Ferns for 10 years including two Olympic Games.

She then transitioned from sport to the corporate world and boasts a 20-year career in the sports industry with AND1, adidas, New Zealand Rugby, and has added sports governance to her experiences with FIBA and Basketball New Zealand.

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E161 | Jesse Mulligan

Jesse Mulligan is one of New Zealand’s best, and highest profile broadcasters – and someone that can do it all.

He’s been a standup comedian, radio host, PR practitioner, writer, food reviewer, TV presenter, and he’s even a qualified lawyer.

But he’s best known for reaching huge audiences both on his afternoon show at Radio NZ, and his stints at Seven Sharp and The Project, where he fronted the show for seven years before it shut down in 2023.

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E160 | Zion Armstrong

Zion Armstrong’s story starts in West Auckland and involves running away from the police so fast that he started an athletics career that took him to the Commonwealth Games.

At the same time, he was selling sport shoes at adidas NZ. From that toehold he climbed the corporate ladder before becoming president for adidas North America.

And then finally, in 2022, Zion walked away from this rock-and-roll lifestyle and returned to New Zealand in pursuit of being a better dad.

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E159 | Morgan Penn & Hayley Sproull

Morgan Penn and Hayley Sproull are making conversations about sex mainstream.

They're also our first ever repeat guests! The foursome you never knew you needed!

We talk all about the success of their hit podcast Sex.Life, home play, what their DMs look like. They answer all of our listener questions about sex and life, and we take a glimpse at Season 2.

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