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 fortnightly on Sundays.
Episodes
John Aiken is used to giving advice on Married at First Sight. But when he needed help with his own parenting, he turned to Nigel Latta.
Returning to Ask Me Anything, John joins Paula Bennett to discuss bringing Nigel’s work to the screen in Lessons on Living, coping with grief and the three principles at the heart of the series. They also explore MAFS bad behaviour, modern dating and Paula’s unusually named inner criti...
What makes Chris Hipkins tick away from the political spotlight?
In the first of two conversations with the major party leaders, Paula Bennett asks Hipkins about his Lower Hutt childhood, his student protest days and the unexpected conversation that put him on the path to becoming prime minister.
He also opens up about fatherhood, protecting his children’s privacy, his unplanned election-night relati...
Brooke van Velden is preparing to leave Parliament after six years as an MP and three as a Cabinet minister.
At just 33, she could have had decades of political life ahead of her. Instead, van Velden says she wants to find out what else is out there — as she also prepares for another major change, becoming a mother.
She joins Paula Bennett for a candid conversation about growing up shy, finding her way into ACT almost by acci...
Former NZSAS soldier Mark Law has lived the kind of life that barely sounds real. He completed SAS selection at just 18, survived a terrifying parachuting accident, worked armed security around diamond operations in Angola, hunted deer from helicopters and nearly died from a flesh-eating disease.
But he is best known for what happened on December 9, 2019. After Whakaari White Island erupted, Mark and his colleagues flew to the isla...
Award-winning journalist Charlotte Glennie joins Paula Bennett to reflect on a remarkable career that took her across Asia and into some of the world’s biggest stories.
She opens up about the eight-metre fall in Croatia that nearly killed her, the long recovery that followed, reporting on the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami, and why those experience...
At 18, Paul Wood was convicted of murder and sent to prison. Eleven years later, he left with undergraduate and master’s degrees, before going on to earn a doctorate in psychology.
Dr Wood joins Paula Bennett to discuss the environment that shaped his early life, the reality of maximum-security prison and why education became his path out. He also shares what psychology tells us about changing habits, escaping a victim mindse...
Dame Sophie Pascoe joins Paula Bennett to discuss life beyond elite swimming, the challenges of motherhood with a disability, and the severe depression she experienced after the Tokyo Paralympics were postponed.
She reflects on the teammates who recognised she was struggling, the simple question that helped save her life, and why her son ultimately became more important than another gold medal.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...
After building and selling EnableMe, Hannah McQueen is tackling another challenge through Age Brightly. She joins Paula Bennett to talk about wealth, purpose, business and why New Zealand needs to rethink ageing.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We've been told success means standing on our own two feet, but Petra Bagust isn't so sure.
The broadcaster and Grey Areas podcast host talks about her late ADHD diagnosis, why she's embracing aging, what caring for her parents has taught her about community, and why "nobody is truly independent"
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Colin Fassnidge reckons New Zealand pies are better than Australia's and he's not afraid to say it. The My Kitchen Rules judge and star of Off the Grid joins Paula Bennett to explain why food became his passport to the world and reveal the experience that eventually sent him to therapy. Now he wants more men to reach out for support.
Off the Grid returns to TVNZ 1 for a news season on Sunday June 7.
See omnystudio.com/listener...
Veteran political journalist Barry Soper reflects on nearly five decades in the parliamentary press gallery and his time observing 12 New Zealand prime ministers up close, discussing with Paula Bennett the often overlooked loneliness of political leadership and life inside the Beehive.
He recalls a very different parliamentary era of all-night sittings, and a rougher political culture, alongside candid reflections on figures like R...
Veteran comedian Paul Ego joins Paula Bennett for a candid chat about life on stage, instinct, and why the first joke is usually the best one.
After three decades in the game, Ego reflects on finding his audience, the freedom of live performance, and the fine line between pushing boundaries and losing the room. He also shares the story behind his stage name and wh...
Laura McGoldrick has built her career in high-pressure, high-visibility environments, saying yes to opportunities and figuring things out as she goes.
Talking to Paula she reflects on the path that got her there, from breaking into sports broadcasting to navigating the unpredictability of live TV and the pressure that comes with it.
Read more
For Kelsey Waghorn, the Whakaari White Island eruption in December 2019 was only the start of a journey of compounding trauma. The explosion killed 22 people and injured a further 25, Kelsey was lucky to make it out alive.
She joins Paula Bennett to talk about the day of the eruption, her extensive hospital recovery, and the trauma that hit out of the blue.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour sits down with Paula Bennett for a wide-ranging conversation that goes well beyond politics.
They talk about growing up, losing his mum young, volunteering, identity, privacy, Dancing With the Stars, being “quirky” in public life, and why trying to be someone else is a waste of time. There’s also talk of leade...
Paula Bennett sits down with the one and only Tom Sainsbury — comedian, writer, actor, director, and the man who once made a career out of taking the mickey out of her.
They talk voiceover work, brand ambassadorships, introvert life, and the unexpected success of Tom’s hit true-crime parody Small Town Scandal, now back with Season 3.
Tom explains how he builds dozens of characters, why Formica tables are comedy go...
This episode of Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett features entrepreneur and philanthropist Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of the 4 Day Week Global movement. Charlotte opens up about her life, her years living in the Middle East, and the ideas that helped spark a worldwide rethink of productivity and work. She also speaks candidly about receiving an incurable stage-four breast cancer diagnosis aft...
Melodie Robinson is a force to be reckoned with. The former Black Fern, World Rugby exec and commentator joins Paula to talk ambition, identity and surviving in tough environments. Mel talks about growing up in a complicated household, fighting for basic resources in women’s rugby, breaking barriers at Sky Sport and building a career in male-dominated spaces. She shares her advice on bounce back routines, support networks, le...
Suzanne Paul is something of a national treasure. The pocket rocket first burst onto our screens in the 90s, promoting Natural Glow and its "thousands of luminous spheres." In the years since she's become a fixture on our screens and in magazines with a string of successes and a sprinkling of failures along the way.
At nearly 70 she's launched a new podcast 'Fork's Sake' and is showing no sign of stopping. The infomercial que...
Former All Black Ali Williams sits down with Paula for a surprisingly candid chat about life after rugby, raising a blended family of five and why he thinks Auckland is “the best city in the world” yet held back by stagnant decision making. He shares how a shower conversation sparked Auckland FC, why the club recruits on character as much as talent and how he and Anna Mowbray keep their kids grounded.
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.