Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett
Paula Bennett's life journey has had plenty of ups and down - going from a teenage solo mum in Taupo all the way to deputy Prime Minister - but it's taught her a lot along the way. One thing she has learned is it’s never too late to learn something new. In Ask Me Anything, Paula will be talking to Kiwis from all walks of life, to learn how they got to where they are, and to share stories, advice and guidance the rest of us can learn from. New episodes out every Sunday.
Episodes
This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef and TV presenter, Manu Feildel. They discuss his upbringing in France and his early days as a chef and in the hospitality industry, and his breakout role as a judge on My Kitchen Rules - including his best tip for trying to impress the judges. He also shares tips and recommendations he picked up filming his new show, Off the Grid, that saw him and Colin Fassnidge travel New Zealand in a ca...
This week, Paula's guest is former broadcaster and author Ali Mau. They discuss her career and her life lived in the public eye, before discussing her new memoir, No Words, and the revelations she made about being sexually abused as a child, and how that has informed her advocacy for survivors and her new charity work.
WARNING: This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse.
SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help:
If it’s an emergen...
WARNING: This episode discusses mental health, depression and suicide.
This week, Paula's guest is former police negotiator turned mental health advocate Lance Burdett. They discuss his career in the force, and why he believes his experiences with depression helped him in his role. And they discuss advice for surviving with anxiety in anxious world, an area Lance has focused on in his new book, Anxiety is a Worry.
Suicide and...
This week, Paula's guest is comedian and co-host of TVNZ's Endangered Species Aotearoa, Pax Assadi. They discuss his role on the show and how he makes the difficult subject matter funny and engaging - something Assadi has been doing his whole career. He also shares his experience of being raised by his immigrant parents and how things have changed since he was a child.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula's guest is Theophila Pratt. Born Honey Faithful in the Christian community of Gloriavale, Theophila never fit in, changing her name at 16 and eventually leaving at 18.
She has shared her story in a new book, Unveiled, in hope it will help the women in Gloriavale and bring those in power to account.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula's guest is Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, who last month returned to work after treatment for breast cancer. She discusses the turbulent period for her party and how her diagnosis and treatment clashed with all of this, and she gives insights into how she got through it all - including getting advice from Nikki Kaye.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Paula's back for a new season, and her guest this week is multi-hyphenated entertainer, Hayley Sproull. They discuss Hayley's many gigs - including her upcoming role as host of the NZ International Comedy Festival Gala - and how she handles all these jobs. Plus, Hayley discusses how being honest has become a key part of her brand, the state of the local comedy industry, and if she thinks she could win Taskmaster again.
See omn...
This week, for the last episode of the year, Paula is joined by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to discuss his first year in office and what he's learned in the country's top job. He also discusses where his values come from, how he keeps being PM separate from his family life, and how he copes with criticism.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef, Chelsea Winter. They discuss how Masterchef changed her life, life in the public eye, and her move towards plant-based diets and the backlash she got for that. Chelsea shares her advice for having a stress-free Christmas when it comes to those big family meals.
Her new cookbook, Tasty, is in stores now.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula's guest is Scott Cam, the host of The Block Australia. They discuss the latest season, airing now on Three, and his thoughts on how contestants have changed over the years, before Scott gives his advice for those planning their own home renovations.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and suicidal thoughts.
This week, Paula's guest is boxing champion Mea Motu for an emotional interview as Motu discusses her experiences with domestic violence, why she got out for her children's sake, and why years later she learnt to put their feelings first in order to forgive her ex-husband.
FAMILY VIOLENCE
How to get help:
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on...
This week, Paula's guest is the CEO of Cassiobury, Rhiannon McKinnon. They discuss her pathway through the business community and moving to New Zealand, including her time as CEO of KiwiWealth, before getting her advice for the next generation of CEOs and business leaders.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula is joined by her longtime friends, adventurers and humanitarians, Sir Graeme Dingle and his wife Jo-anne Wilkinson. They discuss their many adventures together, Sir Graeme's mountaineering and the important work they are doing through the Graeme Dingle Foundation. They also share their advice on how to improve the lives of our young people, how we can better support those who are struggling and why boot camps mig...
This week, Paula's guest is a familiar name - Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper. He's Ask Me Anything's first returning guest, but Soper has a story to tell after a year of health difficulties. He discusses what he went through after heart surgery last year, and gives his insights and advice on being a parent, his expectations ahead of his seventh child arriving in January, and his thoughts on the coalition gov...
This week, Paula's guest is Antonia Murphy, known for running the ethical brothel 'The Bach' in Whangarei from 2017 to 2019. They discuss how Murphy got into this line of work, and what the whole experience taught her about sex work, consent, and the lives of the women she came across. She also discusses her advice for moving on after losing a child.
Madam, Murphy's memoir, is out now.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
This week, Paula's guest is All Black great turned mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan. They discuss his thoughts on the current state of rugby, his views on ambition and a need for society to move away from extremes, and his latest business ventures. He then shares his advice on talking about and addressing your mental health.
Suicide and depression help services:
If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, cal...
This week, Paula's guest is RNZ journalist Susie Ferguson. They discuss her new memoir, Bloody Minded, and get a range of advice from Susie, including from her experiences reporting from war zones, going public with her endometriosis diagnosis and subsequent hysterectomy, and being a woman in a man's world.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Paula's guest is broadcaster and mental health advocate turned farmer, Matt Chisholm. They both discuss their mental health struggles and learning to identify when things are wrong, before Matt shares advice on moving to rural life and what we can learn from farmers.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Warning: This episode contains frequent strong language.
This week, Paula's guest is 'Coffin Confessor' Bill Edgar. They discuss his unique career and what it involves - from airing secrets at funerals, to cleaning out people's homes, to even burying cash. He also shares his advice on dying and what he has learned from his clients over the years.
Edgar's new book, The Afterlife Confessional, is in bookstores now.
See omnystudio.c...
This week, Paula's guest is long-time radio host Jay-Jay Feeney. They discuss her relationship with ex Dom Harvey know they are working together again and being an oversharer, before discussing Feeney's decision to leave radio, what prompted it, how she knew it was time, and reinventing yourself as an older woman.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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