September 21, 2024 • 40 mins
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.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, I am Paula Bennett and welcome to my new
Zealand Herald podcast. Asked me anything, The one thing I've
learned in life is it's never too late to learn
something new.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So on this.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Podcast, I talked to people from all walks of life
to hear about how they've got to where they are.
Getzmandvice and guidance on some of life's biggest questions. JJ
feenies radio career started back in nineteen ninety one when
she was just seventeen.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Do the math people who?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
She hosted the night show on Energy if a new
Plymouth Lego. She has gone on to so many roles
we feel like we know who. She's been at so
many stations and has become one of our music broadcasting greats.
But at the beginning of July, JJ signed off her
last radio show or I'm feeling a little.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
After thirty three years.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So she is obviously here to talk to me today
through the decision and I'm dying to find out what
she's up to.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
JJ.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hello, Hi, thanks for having me. It's good to be here. Yeah,
you know, there's not many podcasts I go on. You know,
there's a lot out there, but I'm a big fan
of you. Ah, I love that. It's good to have
you here. You're an inspiring woman yourself at least not going.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
I think we're all about the same, same underneath it
all thought, we'll go the same blodody. Let's talk about that, Okay, Okay,
some quick fire questions. So if you go to the
pub or for a drink with any celebrity, who would
that be?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Oh? God? Probably think she's just been so fun. See
she is inspiring.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, and also I reckon she'd be quite you know,
she'd be a bad influence. So yeah, we get up
to so much mischief it'd be fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, No,
she's one of my goddiesses.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think she's right. Do you have a drink of choice?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I'll probably go if I'm out at the par bog
of vodka limb soide just very boring, unless, like, if
I'm going to mix it up with cocktails, I don't
like to have too many because you know, all the
sugar and all. I'll probably have an espresso martini and
maybe maybe a porn star martini and I know a
couple of cocktails.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
But yeah, vocal, I'm soda, Okay, favorite bar, pub, restaurant
anywhere in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Oh, anywhere in the world. That's tough. You've just been
to Ballet.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, Bali has exceptional food, world class.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
People who haven't been there would not imagine. But it's amazing.
That really is a yea flavor fusion.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I'm not a foodie, but I know good food when
I see it. There's so many amazing restaurants there.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
I don't know. God, that's tough. That's tough. I'd just
like to go where there's a good vibe.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know, when it feels nice, you feel relaxed, and
you think, yeah, this is gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get you.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Okay, we're going to go in depth into your decision
to walk away from radio and the second segment and
get some advice on how to how to have a restart.
I'm going to call it, yeah, you know, restart your life,
and I've been there and done that, and talk a
bit more about about what that sort of feels like
and the decisions that people can make.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
But I mean, how hard was it to do the
last show?
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
By the time I got to the last show, I.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Think it was fine. It was actually hard to make
the decision to leave. So I had had been thinking
about it for a couple of years.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Really, I just felt.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Worn out, tired, stale, and I knew I wasn't putting
the effort in that I should have.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, so that last day, then it's not quite a relief,
but you've made. Getting to the decision is often harder
than the actual doing of it.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Just yeah, yeah, I mean it was quite It was
kind of sad, but it was also happy at the
same time. The last show, Yeah, but yeah, I was
just kind of by that stage, I was just really
looking forward to getting it over.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, how are you now? I mean, you
just had some time in Balley. Yeah, I went to
Bali three weeks, good time. And you got around, didn't you?
You in seminic and you're ubered and yeah all around.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Yeah, yeah, because I've been. I've been twice before in
the last the first of my week was twenty eighteen,
so not not too long ago, and then a year
or so ago. So I wanted to just go some
you know, stay in a little bit of all the
places rather than just him and Yak.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Or just yeah, did you have a favorite? Oh? So hard, I.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Don't know they're all favorites for different reasons because all
the areas of Bali are so different, like they really are.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, Ubert is just so cool, as guessaid, Uberd was
my favorite. Yeah, but I stayed in a treehouse, did you, Yeah,
and there was only ten other couples there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Oh yeah, so it was just quiet.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
And all loganic and yeah, I'm not normally into to
be really honest.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, but when you're on holiday, you need to relax, right.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You obviously went there for a relaxation and what perfect
place to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Then in a treehouse in the middle of the forest.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
So you're an influencer, So do you do you get
so do they shout you and you do?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Noes? No, no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Not a single thing was was free, not a single thing.
I don't go out asking people to give me stuff.
I don't ring ring hotels and go Hi.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I've got one.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Hundred thousand followers on Facebook. Will you let me say that.
I'm not going to do that. That's not me.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And because they're running businesses, he and they must not
every single bloody want to be influencer, ask them. So
I just don't want to be that person at all,
and you know I had the money to go. Yeah,
if someone wants to give me something for free, I'll
happily take it, but I'm not going to.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Ask for it. No, no, No, that's very cool. I
understand completely. Okay, we canna talk about radio bit later,
but I just so you've launched this new business, so
let's talk a bit about that. So what Pod Lab? Yeah,
and so you've been doing up the garage. Whose garage
is it?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
It was actually originally owned by Red Bull. Yeah, it
was their original premises. It's big, ninety square meter garage.
They had a ramp so they drive all their vehicles
and the absolute.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I said, that's bigger than most people's apartments these days. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, it's a big space.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
And then these two well the one studio and in
a big control rooms which we're going to turn into
a second studio.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So it's a because red Bull had built the studio,
but it's not uh, you know, it does need some
extra things.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
It's very it's all very old.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah, and the garage is gross, like it
was disgusting. So we've you know, I had the floors
all sanded and we've got to do painting and redecorating
and blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Okay, so we've better tell everyone who we is. So
it's me and oh myke'es husband bonkers and such a
good way.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah. Yeah, we get on.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
We get on so well, we're a great team. Yeah together.
So he's very very creative. He's got a genius mind
for that. Not very good at admin at all. It's
organizing things, but that's me. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, So he wanted to because he's got his podcast, yeah,
the Dom Harvey podcast, which has been going for about
three years and it hits to really well. He wanted
to get a studio because his in his house. He
wanted to get a studio that he could use elsewhere
and rint out to other podcasters because he's had people
come to harm ask if they can use his space,
people from out of.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Town and things like that.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
So he had said that he wanted to do this
for a while and up until I left. I resigned
from MAREFM, I had no idea that this was going
to happen. One week after I resigned, so a week
before I actually left was when Dom said to me,
I found the space. We've got the space that the
lease is available, we could take it over. And so
(07:38):
I was thinking, I'm going to have three weeks in
Balley and I'm going to come back and be unemployed
for about, you know, two or three months and just
twitter around and do this and that.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
But next minute, I was, oh, boy, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Scraping wolves and yeah, organizing Edmund and yeah, just talking
to boring people like trademark lawyers and stuff like that.
I'm going to tell you off a little bit because
older than news, so I'm allowed to. I was reading
something and you described it as your failed marriage, and
I was just thinking, what you've had is a successful marriage,
and then you've had this successful separation that just not
(08:12):
many people do. Yeah, I know, but you're not allowed
to use that word. Okay, thanks you do. You can't
help but feel like it didn't work. Yeah, but then
it did work. When it did work, yeah, I mean
we are still legally married. So it was our twentieth
anniversary last month.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
You go, you go, no, but you know, yeah, I mean, yeah,
I'm lucky. I'm lucky because we will still be close forever.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, but you know, just the romance is not there, yeah,
and that's right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
So then you make a decision, and I call it
and it's not just about relationships and that sort of thing,
but it's some pavil I also think we've got to
own the life we lead. Yeah, and if it's not working,
and it's not then actually, there's a whole lot of
people out there that don't don't have choices, and these
women like you and me who do have choices, and
so you've got to make them sometimes. Yeah, But also
(09:07):
like you've got to also think you can't think what
everyone else is going to say or say about you,
because we'd never get anything done because there are so
many bloody opinions out there. And I hate it when
someone tries to give me the uneducated opinion about my
life and so you don't know me, and they're so
adamant that they're right.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
I know, and it's just like, shut up, I'm not
judging your life perself out of mind.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I said to someone recently, has it ever occurred to
you that you may not be one hundred percent correct?
And he looked at me shocked, you know, like it's
just not occur to me at all. Of course I'm
a hundred percent correct. You are a great And I
say this is a kindred spirit.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
You are a great oversharer though, Oh I know, I
think that's just the radio person in me, So you know,
it's now ingrained in me as well, Like you know,
you have to overshare and radio in order to get
people to you know, connect with you, and you know,
to get the ratings all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That's that's just what my job has always been. And
but apart from that, I mean, I have always.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Naturally been a bit of an open book, yeah, because
because I don't care too much what people say specifically,
so I'm happy to happy to share and be open
because I have no secrets, like, oh you know, I
have no nothing to hide. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone
has secrets, but yeah, I have nothing to hide genuinely.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So is there outside of the pod leb?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Is there any other plans at the moment or anything
you're thinking of or you know, was this something in
mind when I just want to do this before I die? No?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Nothing.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I had no idea what I wanted to do when
I was terrified about leaving radio because it's all I've known,
and I thought, God, what am I going to do?
I can't imagine doing anything else. I just I'm not
qualified really to do anything else either. So the podlab
thing just has happened, and I'm excited to run with that.
(11:04):
So I don't know what else I would have done.
I mean, my dream would be to just travel all
the time. That's what I love doing. But you know
that costs a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Yeah, and I can't travel.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I can't travel in the cheap seats in the budget hotels.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I gotta stay somewhere nice.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah. Unfortunately, there's some dose reality the here as to
what we'd like to do and what we have to do.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I'm not a cheap date. Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I really want to get into chatting a lot more
about leaving radio, the reasons behind it. You know, you
talk about being tired, and I think you can have
some valuable advice for people. So let's take a quick
air break and come back really shortly. Okay, I am
(11:52):
back with JJ Feenie. It is gutsy to leave a
thirty three year long career, as you kind of indicated it,
It's sort of all you knew, right.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
I thought rocking up with someone that you just enjoy
working with and having fun and laughing for a few hours.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Each day would be the best job in the world.
It is the cast job in the world. That's awesome.
That part's awesome. It's just that's just not the job.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
That's part of the job. That's what everyone sees is
the job. But the job is all the stuff outside
of that. It's all the preparation, coming up with the
ideas being everywhere everyone wants you to be and everyone
wants a piece of you, and you've got to deal
with management and their decisions that you might not agree with,
and the stresses of just working in an environment with
people that you've got to rely on to do things
(12:42):
for you and they're not always thinking that the same
way as you, and or maybe they are, and it's
just like you're doing all this extra work and it's
really exhausting and blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So it's not the radio show.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
The radio radio show is fun, but everything else around
it just exhausted me.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah, and then it hard.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Is it hard to be upbeat and positive and know
that you're in everyone's ears and you're in their cars
and you're in there, you know, and you're having a
bad day and you just feel like crap. You know.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It is that hard. Yeah, that's hard.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
There's been days when I would be and even my
co hosts, you'd be crying because something really horrible is
going on in your personal life. You'd be crying, and
then the song ends and you've got to talk, and
you just like it's more thing with JJ and Flanney
driving your home, you know, like you just you you
have to put it aside, fake it for a couple
(13:38):
of minutes, and then you go back to sitting on
the floor and it crumpled, miss just wishing the day
was over.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
So you do have times like that. Sometimes I'm really
at it. But we all have.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Bad days in our lives, and we've all got jobs
and so sometimes, you know, we all I always I
always used to say to my staff, you know, as
the as the left doors open, I'd go, big girl
pants on.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Now I'm in my jo, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, like with the fight with the husband this morning
that you know, the dog that just died is absolutely traumatic.
But I am big girl pants on. But yours is different,
and that you know, you can kind of close your
office door a little bit more do that, whereas yours
is you are expected to entertain for.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Ours, I know, And that was like one of the
hardest parts of the job as well, So you didn't
get you don't get any flexibility, any sympathy from the
boss or anything, you know, because you've got a job
to do. You've got to be on the air. So
sometimes it was just so draining. You feel so used
and abused. You if you're only if you're going through
(14:40):
a bad time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so it was hard sometimes,
but for the most part, you know, pretty pretty happy
and positive. Those those days don't happen that often, but
mentally exhausting, you've described it, to try and come up
with four hours of content.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, just yeah, just for.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Years, years and years and years, you know, every day,
five days a week, four hours of talking about stuff
and everyone has to agree on it, and you know
it's just there's only you, you and your co host
and the last few years producers have some input, but
generally the producers are just there to assist you.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yeah, you know, get you the guests you want or whatever.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
They don't often have all the ideas, so it is
it is a creative drain.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So you've had a lot of co hosts.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Who's who's been your favorite? If I don't say.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Dom he'll kill me if I don't say Flanny, He'll
kill me.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
When.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
When I worked with Mike, bro and Dom that was
a good time. Yeah, JJ, Mike and Tom on the Edge,
that was a really good time. And working with Flanny
was good as well, because he's so he's he's creative
and hard working and he he's just he's not He
doesn't streets and get an about things.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah, which is good.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, So making the decision to leave, so you just
knew you were tired.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You knew you weren't bouncing and thinking yay, I can't
wait to get to work every day. Nah, And you've
been thinking about it for a couple of years.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, I just felt like I just felt like I
wasn't really being myself.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
And it's not it's.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Not anyone's anyone's fault or anything, but it's just the
way that the media landscape has changed. So back when
I was at the Edge, for example, we were encouraged
to like just push the boundaries, say what we want,
do what we want, just really you know, get people
listening and pulse stance and do whatever was there was
a fun time. So when I went to maur firm.
(16:47):
It was very you know, it's family friendly. You know,
our audience is more conservative. You're not allowed to be
that person you were on the edge. You have to
you know, calm down a little bit and blah blah
all this sort of stuff. And so I understood that,
but I just felt like, I guess because you can't
have an opinion because people complain, and you know, management
(17:07):
don't like complaints, even though I know that complaints are good.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
But you know, so I felt like I meet someone
cares enough to eat. Yeah, called, so I felt.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Like quite restricted, and I thought, oh, I'm just not
doing I just didn't feel challenged enough, I think. So
it's not it's not like anyone is to blame for that.
It's just the way the kind of station I was
on and the time of life, you know, the way
that things are in the media right now.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
I just feel like I just felt a bit like,
not lazy.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Just just boring, boring and stale.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
So that's interesting what you're saying about the age. So
I mean, God, you must have hit some outrageous moment.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, some of the things we did and we got
away with What did you do?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
This was just there's things you would not get away
with now we'd be canceled so badly.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I'm almost scared to remind.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
People what we do because you know how people drag
up old jokes comedians told twenty years ago and then
cancel them now on oh like the.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Fake phone call things and imitating people and like we've
seen quite recently someone do that and mind you what's
over the top.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
But yeah, so as it changed, do you think it has?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
You've definitely noticed that change of what's acceptable and what's not.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Oh for sure. Social media has done that.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
So because everyone has a platform now and generally they
like it's more wingy than anything else. You don't go
online and say, you know, nice things. People generally go
there if they want to be heard and complain about something.
So it's definitely changed the landscape. But we used to
do things like well, first of all, we did a
lot of nudity and stuff like that stupidly, but it
(18:46):
always it always we'd say, tits get hits because people
loved it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Like you could you could people.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Some people would complain, not too many actually, but if
you're nerude, you always pulled a crowd.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Always.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
We used to do outrageous things like we'd have these
singled out parties at pubs all around New Zealand, and
you know, our listeners would just fall over themselves to
try and get the free tickets to go. This is
very limited in numbers, and we'd go on these parties
every single time. We do all these outrageous bar games
and stuff. Every single time. We would get a handful
(19:22):
of people up on stage completely naked to win a
free T shirt and we do the like one guy
one time we got we did this thing called this
was not my idea the dance. Oh, I don't even
know if I could say this, okay, the Dance of
the Flaming Pubes and you'd like light someone's pebs on.
(19:42):
One time we were in Palmerston, North, I think it
was the Grumpy Mole and this guy did the Dance
of the Flaming Pubes and the smell was so.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Bad that everyone evacuate.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
It was just like we just did stupid stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And then we had a competition called Fat Bastard where
we had we broadcast from a shop with Noel Wellington.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I can't remember the shop now.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I think it was a bedding shop or something like that,
and we got all these people in there and we
weighed them and they would win five thousand dollars the
person who put on.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
The most weight. Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
And we would punish people by making them go on
the treadmill and not feeding them, you know, and then
to reward people.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That get pies and doughnuts and all this. And it's
just like you could not do that now. But at
the time it was supposedly hilarious. I'm finding it quite funny. Well,
I mean because if you ever got to see a
humor it's funny.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
But if you were offended by person, you'll be like, oh,
you can't talk about weight and yeah, be encouraging people
to lose weight to put on my But I mean
it just was what it was.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It was just entertainment.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah, and it is a bit of their If you're offended,
don't listen, That's what I'm thinking.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Just you can turn it off. It's free as well,
you don't. Yeah, we're not making you listen to.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
That's the one thing I don't get about people who
complain about a service they're getting for free that they
don't have to have. Like, sure, if you go to
a restaurant and there's a here in your dinner you're
paying for that you shouldn't have to pay. But if
you're listening to the radio or watching TV and it's free,
what just change the channel if you're if you're mad,
why don't come complaining to me?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, no, I hear you, and I agree completely. I
agree completely. So do you think that music radio will survive?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Oh that's tough. I mean nothing has killed radio since
radio began. Like every time a new technologies come out,
people have said, oh, CDs, that's gonna kill radio. You know,
all music TV that's gonna kill radio. Spotify that's gonna
kill radio. Nothing will kill radio. Radio is still like
(21:54):
number one most listen to audio medium in the world,
but it is slowly declining. And in my opinion, it's
because for commercial radio, because we've lost that ability to
be ourselves and connect with an audience like we used to.
Like now it's all very cookie cutter. You know, you
(22:17):
have to do things this way, and you have to
do a wacky phone topic and get people to call in,
and it's all cool and stuff and you have your
relatable stories.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But I just feel like.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
That podcasting is going to be where people go to
get a connection more.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
The radio is easy.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
You can turn it on and it's just there and
the music plays and the people talk, and that's fine,
and I don't think it's going to die anytime soon,
but I do think that radio programmers have got to
watch out for how the connections happen.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
With podcasters now.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Because you're going to choose a podcast to listen to
because you like the host, you like the person on it,
or you love the subject or whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
It's very intimate.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You've got your earphones in and you might be running,
walking the dog, you might be doing the housework, you're
in the car, you do it by yourself, you're alone.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
So you're going to find this super connection with a podcaster.
And it's sort of a bit. It used to be
that in radio, but I think it's getting less and
less with music radio.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Is it the audience that demands it or is it
the advertisers. All the advertisers a necessary for the station
to you know, exist, But it's the audience that demands
it because they're going to prove, they're going to show
you that they don't want what you're giving them by
turning off.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, the ratings are so key, So you can see
there's a slight slight to decline. But mainly actually it
is with the younger generation too, because they didn't grow
up with a radio in their house. They didn't grow
up like we did. So the older generation, I'm going
to say maybe thirty plus or thirty five plus, not
saying that anyone who's thirty years old, but you know,
(23:55):
we grew up with radios in our house, so we like,
we get in the car, we turn on the radio.
So that's all fine, but eventually we're all gonna, you know, die,
and the young people coming in, who's going to have
a radio in their house? So I'm just not sure
long long term radio is going to have to evolve more.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Thank you're right.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
I'm thinking about my twenty three year old Yeah, and stepdaughter,
and she just wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, I don't think she listens.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
To the radio.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, I'm hearing more and more now people say I
listened to a podcast in my car, and that's where
the radio listening needs to happen. That's where we rely
on listeners people in cars. So it's quite a scary.
It's kind of scary it's not going to happen. Quickly
or anything. But just radio just has to They're doing
well with having the apps and things that you can
connect to your phone, but it definitely has to be
(24:41):
as little if it is possible for people totally. Yeah,
it's a big move to leave without having something else
to go to.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Yeah, I mean I did it.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
You know, I did it in politics and I'd know
him for a couple of years. You know. I sort
of tell the story of, you know, being with Bill
English and he said, I'm going to let you know
that next few days you're going to announce that I'm
retiring from you know, and a tear sort of ran
down my face and he goes, oh god, I didn't
think you'd care that, you know, you'd be that emotion.
I mean, I'm just jealous.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
I've had that from lots of my workmates too.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Oh I'm so jealous that you can do that, or
that you've got the guts to do it, the guts
to do it as soon as guts.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, I do know that.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So what advice would you give to people that PEPs
are in jobs where they just are feeling booned out,
a feeling tired and not enjoying it as much what
advice would you give them As far as that process
to go through to make a decision whether it's stay
or go like it.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
You do have to come to a you know, you
do have to work it over in your head for
a little bit. It's not going to be an instant decision.
But I just say, just try and get to get
to the decision as quick as possible, and just just
grab grab life by the bulls and do it, because
what is the worst that's going to happen?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
And if you think about everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Who's been in a situation where they've lost their job
or a partner, or their house or whatever anything like that,
it is terrible. At the time, it's like, oh my god,
how can I move on from this? But then not
long after that, you find a way, you pick yourself up,
you move forward, and most of those people will say
that was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I hear that so often and see that so often
(26:14):
that I thought, I'm just going to do it because
I need to, because I'm so unhappy. I'm so tired
and stressed out. You know, I don't want to feel
like this anymore. So I just think if you're in
a bad situation where you're not enjoying it. Whether it
be a relationship or a workplace or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Just just do it. Take the leap, Take the leap,
things will come. And yeah, as you get a bit
older as well, I've learned that, you know, you go
through ups and downs and that's a part of life.
And so sometimes when I'm struggling a bit, and whether
it's you know, and I just I also know though
now to take a breath, that this might be a
moment and it might pass, so, you know, and then
(26:55):
when it's like okay, it's you know, it's weak sex,
you know, like this, it's not just a moment.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
This is ongoing.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
So I need to change something, you know, And I
do have the power to do that.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
So yeah, yeah, I'm not saying be spontaneous at all. No,
Like I said, you and I both know took a
couple of years, and it does because you have to
be really ready and sure. And and I didn't hate it, no,
you know what I mean, if you hated something, you'd
be easier, right, And I didn't hate it either, but
I just couldn't deal with the mental exhaustion every day. Yeah, yeah,
(27:27):
and I just thought, maybe it's because I'm older. Now,
you know, i'm middle aged, So maybe I just because
I don't have the energy I used to have. Yeah,
but I'm still having to output the same same energy.
So I knew that it was just I'm tired, so
maybe I need to slow down as well.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
So did you need a plan in place to do it? Well,
the only thing because I did.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
I honestly had no idea what I was going to do,
and I just thought, oh my god, I don't know.
I'll do some m seeing, I'll do, you know, I'll
pick up jobs here and there. But I thought I
figured out, okay, I need to like get enough money
together that I can live for three four months without
without pay, just so that I know I'm not going
(28:06):
to be panicked.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
So yeah, I just sort of saved up a bit
and then I felt ready to do it. Yeah yeah, yeah,
just like having that because you don't want to be
stressed and have no money to not pay your rent
and all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
No, just get the support or just get prepared. I think, yeah, yeah,
that's what I do. And I think being for me
as well. There, well, I didn't know what I was
going to do, and I've been doing a lot of
different things and being open to opportunities. Yeah, so that's fun.
But equally not to be so proud that I didn't
take a job. Yeah, because some people get a bit
full of themselves. I'm talking about ex politicians mainly. Yeah. Yeah,
(28:44):
you know, well if you're like you have more fun.
I think if you leave yourself open to do different things.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
And also you'd know this too when you were free
of something. Opportunities just come to you because people know
you're available or whatever, and they go, oh, I don't know,
I'll get oh I asked Paul, or if she wants
to do this, or yeah, that's straight to do that.
And so actually I've had lots of opportunities and office
of little side hustles and stuff to do and all that.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
So that's that's cool. Yeah, that's very cool.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Aim. So do you call it a kind of a
reset of life? I mean, what's yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I think so, because I really thought call it a
midlife crisis.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
But you know, I turned fifty in March.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
And I sort of thought, Okay, this has been the
first half of my life. Well, you know, I'm not
going to live to one hundred, but maybe it will.
This is, you know, the first half of my life,
and I've really done everything I thought I could. I
just honestly didn't think there's anything more I could do
in radio. I don't think, especially not music radio. So
I thought, I need I want. What's my the second
half of my life going to look?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Like?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Can I do this again for another thirty years? I
don't think so so.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And I'm sorry, but there as a woman age thing
and it as well if you want to reinvent And
I was trying to explain this to a room full
of men the other day and because they were like.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
What del you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Well, because I knew I was going to leave anywhere,
and there is this window of opportunity for a woman
over fifty. I could reinvent myself at fifty fifty two,
couldn't reinvent myself at sixty? You all wouldn't let me, Yeah,
And they went, actually, that's true. I just it is, well,
there's something there is, yeah, but a complete change of
career or you know what I mean? Like it is
(30:19):
there is I think there is a window for women
in particular as well. And I'm sure a whole lot
of men would actually feel that too. I mean, it's
terrifying to do something new after you've just done the
one thing. Yeah, and particularly when you've been good at it,
and so people still do that. I mean, obviously you're
so recognizable. So do people talk about it when you
(30:39):
you know, like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
Yeah, Strangers who see me out they'll tell me I'm
miss hearing you on the radio in the afternoons, or
or they will say, oh, how's retirement going, you know.
But I do get quite a few messages of people
saying they really miss me. But I think it's because
radio is a habit as well, and so you're used
to hearing. No one likes change, so when there's a
(31:01):
different voice on the radio, you know, it takes a
little while to warm up to the new voice.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So what's the key to surviving the spotlight? Oh God,
you've to have a thick skin radio people, politicians can't.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
You just can't.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You just have to have a six skin and just
don't let other people's opinions get to you. Really, only
the opinions of the people that matter, like you know,
you're the people you work with and your family and
friends and things like that.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I don't know. I always try to try.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
And keep it positive and the spotlight, you know, I'm
always I love it when people come up to me
and talk to me and ask for photos and stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I'll never turn anyone down.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I'll always be friendly and helpful to them because people
will talk about you. They'll tell you how their friends
they met you and what they thought of you. And
so I'll always try and be you know, positive and
happy because.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I generally are here and most people are lovely, right.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Yeah, And I just don't take myself too seriously, like
I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I'm not a wanker.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
I know where I came from, and I don't think
I'm better than anyone else.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
And I've been.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Lucky to have such a good life. But I don't
and I'm gonna I've been in a good position, but
I don't. I don't, you know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
I don't. I don't have a big ego about it. Yeah, yeah, well,
I reckon.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
There's some really good advice in there that you know,
if you're not happy and it's not kind of working
for you, take some time, work through a process. But
as you say, make a decision, because actually making it
as the hardest. But yeah, yeah, definitely is. Yeah, so
might we see back in radio one day?
Speaker 3 (32:38):
If you see me back in radio, it's probably because
my business didn't work.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Out and i'd need to earn some regular money.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
No, I don't know. I was like I was, I
don't know. At the moment, I'll say no. But even
though I'd love to do talk back at some point,
but I have no experience in it, so whether or
not i'd even get that option unity, but.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Never say never. Yeah, but just it's so soon right now.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
I only left a couple of months ago, and I
really am so busy setting up, you know, the pod
lab business.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Just to be really clear to anyone that's listening, I
would never go back to politics. Okay, it's my most
asked question, or do you go back? And I'm just like,
are you kidding me? I don't even know why you
did it, though, I mean, it's amazing that you did.
It got on you, But who would want to be
a politician? You get the most criticism. People are so
(33:34):
nasty to politicians.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Yeah, and you know they really they really make things
personal and it's just really unfair and uncool.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Weird day, but like younger than I am actually open handle.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, you just got to ignore it. You know, everyone's
got an opinion.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Everyone knows exactly what should be happening in the country,
but they don't want to stand up and do it themselves.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Anyway, that was meet being a bit mony.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, to end our advice segment, I would love to
know the best advice you were ever given and who
was it given by.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Oh that is tough, because oh god, I'm not. I'm not,
I'm not. I don't have a great memory for specific
things like that.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
I'm just always like I'm inspired by the advice of
like just keeping your eye on the prize.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
You know, what are you here for and what is
the end goal? And just don't give up because there's
going to be people trying to cut you down, try
to tell you you're not good enough, trying to tell
you you can't do it. But ignore them because they
just they just just distractions.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Just keep your eye on the prize and go for it.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Just keep trying. Okay, JJ, how did you know it's
just your name?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
JJ?
Speaker 3 (34:50):
I was born Jaqueline Joanne Ah infinated because my mum
wanted to call me JJ, after some character on TV
in the seventies, and my dad said, oh, you can't
call you JJ has to stand for something. So mum
named me after her mum watch Jacqueline and her mum's
friend Joanne, who had passed away from cancer.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
So that was my name. But next day you got JJ.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
Yeah, but I've never been called Jacqueline Joanne or I
was called Jackie at school for.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
A little bit. Yeah, but I changed my name by.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Deed Pole a few years ago because it's just confusing
having two names. Yeah, okay, JJ.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
The podcast is called Ask Me Anything, and so far
I've done only asking, So this is your opportunity to
ask me something if you'd like to.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Well, I've just always wanted to know, like, because politics
are so you know, it's such a hard, horrible, horrible
thing from the outside looking in. But must have been
some good perks. So three perks being the deputy Prime minister.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Maybe. Yeah. By the way, there's not.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
All the superannuation perks that everyone thinks there are when
you leave. There's not the travel perks that everyone thinks
you get when you leave. So that's that left and
nineteen ninety six So when I'm listening to talk back
and I hear people.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Going, oh, there stayed nine years so they could get
all the perks, I literally shout at the radio, well
say that, say that.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Now, tell me what's true, what's.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Not about the perse Yeah, so there's none of those perks.
You are well paid, there's no ways about it.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
When you're in the job, people, particularly when you're a minister,
people would think that getting the Crown car and a driver.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Was a perk.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I actually would that would be one that I would
argue that is not a perk really, because it's very
much just for your job. And the reason would be
I would go and visit a woman's refuge. I would
sit with a woman who has been through, you know,
some of the most traumatic, horrific stuff I've ever heard of.
And you know, to the point where you know, a
(36:47):
little known to the public is that you know, we
actually do into country swaps. In some cases a woman
that can't even you know, can't even stay in the
same country.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Because it's that bad.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
Right. Yeah, So You're sitting there one on one, listening
to the you know, most and then I get in
that car and ten minutes later, I'm expected to entertain
a room of one hundred and fifty people.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, okay, so a.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Driver driving me and me not having to think about
where I park, and me being able to read my
papers and hop in the car and have a wee
cry and then go big girl, pencil, you know, get up,
get up off the floor and talk into the microphone
that you had to So that's why, like, and you're
always late. And I was actually thinking the other day,
(37:30):
I don't miss it by it was always a perk
that came with the job. Yep, So it wasn't ever real,
but I was I must have when I was driving
the other day and I just thought, God, I would
have so much more time if someone drive, you know,
I was hurt of uber. I would get so much
more done, you know, like that hour in the morning
(37:50):
sitting in traffic I imagine getting I would get an
hour's work done. It was the only way I could
keep And my husband even now, he goes, I just
don't know how you read as much as you do
in a moving car, And I said, because of my job,
I just had to. Yeah, you know, I didn't have
the luxury of sitting there and watching the world.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Goes go By.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I know there's a lot of things to read when
you're a politician, a lot, and you're expected to be
out with that, right, which is fair enough because obviously
I know Stephen Joyce.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, because he started he gave me my first job
and raising. Yeah he would have and you Blimmer. He
refers to me as his uncle and I'm his niece.
But yeah, so he hired me from high school. Wow.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
So I've seen I've even seen his diary when he
was a minister and how oh he ticket is and
all the paperwork. Hes he wasn't even the prime minister.
So I'm like, what the hell does the prime minister
have to read every night? And we in the sleep? Yeah,
I sympathize.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yeah, So I'm sure people think the car is a perk,
but I just think it's absolutely necessary for you to
do your job and you're having very consci very confidential
conversations and so I completely respect and trusted the drivers
and you couldn't do that.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Yeah, that's true because how often did you get.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
A text your and uber and they recognize you and
then they tell you something about someone? Ow I once
had a labor and they did it, and I just
think well, if you're willing to say that about them,
you're going to say something about me. Yeah, so I
just don't talk to them. Then I think, well, no,
they're going to say that she was a road bitch.
And I'm like, I'm okay with that. Oh well, I mean,
if you're a politician, you're allowed to have that reputation
(39:25):
a little bit, Stewdie, Yeah you can, Okay.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
I don't think that wouldn't work with me. That wouldn't
if I had the reputation of being a road bitch.
That wouldn't help my ratings at all.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Now that I'm not on.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
The radio, maybe you can try and dig into that
in a soul Okay, Jja.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
I have loved having you here today. Thanks so much
for coming in.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
All the best for what's coming up, but the plans
that you've already got, but equally for the opportunities that
I just know are going to come your way.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Oh gosh, it's exciting. That's overwhelming.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
And that except for another episode of Asking Me Anything.
If you've enjoyed this episode, please follow Ask Me Anything
on my Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.
Make sure you check out some of our past fabulous
guests because we are in season six now, and I'll
be back next Sunday with someone else who's fabulous.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I'm probably been asking me anything. Goodbye,
Hello, I am Paula Bennett and welcome to my new
Zealand Herald podcast. Asked me anything, The one thing I've
learned in life is it's never too late to learn
something new.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So on this.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Podcast, I talked to people from all walks of life
to hear about how they've got to where they are.
Getzmandvice and guidance on some of life's biggest questions. JJ
feenies radio career started back in nineteen ninety one when
she was just seventeen.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Do the math people who?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
She hosted the night show on Energy if a new
Plymouth Lego. She has gone on to so many roles
we feel like we know who. She's been at so
many stations and has become one of our music broadcasting greats.
But at the beginning of July, JJ signed off her
last radio show or I'm feeling a little.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
After thirty three years.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
So she is obviously here to talk to me today
through the decision and I'm dying to find out what
she's up to.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
JJ.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hello, Hi, thanks for having me. It's good to be here. Yeah,
you know, there's not many podcasts I go on. You know,
there's a lot out there, but I'm a big fan
of you. Ah, I love that. It's good to have
you here. You're an inspiring woman yourself at least not going.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
I think we're all about the same, same underneath it
all thought, we'll go the same blodody. Let's talk about that, Okay, Okay,
some quick fire questions. So if you go to the
pub or for a drink with any celebrity, who would
that be?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Oh? God? Probably think she's just been so fun. See
she is inspiring.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, and also I reckon she'd be quite you know,
she'd be a bad influence. So yeah, we get up
to so much mischief it'd be fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, No,
she's one of my goddiesses.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think she's right. Do you have a drink of choice?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I'll probably go if I'm out at the par bog
of vodka limb soide just very boring, unless, like, if
I'm going to mix it up with cocktails, I don't
like to have too many because you know, all the
sugar and all. I'll probably have an espresso martini and
maybe maybe a porn star martini and I know a
couple of cocktails.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
But yeah, vocal, I'm soda, Okay, favorite bar, pub, restaurant
anywhere in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Oh, anywhere in the world. That's tough. You've just been
to Ballet.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, Bali has exceptional food, world class.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
People who haven't been there would not imagine. But it's amazing.
That really is a yea flavor fusion.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I'm not a foodie, but I know good food when
I see it. There's so many amazing restaurants there.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
I don't know. God, that's tough. That's tough. I'd just
like to go where there's a good vibe.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know, when it feels nice, you feel relaxed, and
you think, yeah, this is gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get you.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Okay, we're going to go in depth into your decision
to walk away from radio and the second segment and
get some advice on how to how to have a restart.
I'm going to call it, yeah, you know, restart your life,
and I've been there and done that, and talk a
bit more about about what that sort of feels like
and the decisions that people can make.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
But I mean, how hard was it to do the
last show?
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
By the time I got to the last show, I.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Think it was fine. It was actually hard to make
the decision to leave. So I had had been thinking
about it for a couple of years.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Really, I just felt.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Worn out, tired, stale, and I knew I wasn't putting
the effort in that I should have.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, so that last day, then it's not quite a relief,
but you've made. Getting to the decision is often harder
than the actual doing of it.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Just yeah, yeah, I mean it was quite It was
kind of sad, but it was also happy at the
same time. The last show, Yeah, but yeah, I was
just kind of by that stage, I was just really
looking forward to getting it over.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, how are you now? I mean, you
just had some time in Balley. Yeah, I went to
Bali three weeks, good time. And you got around, didn't you?
You in seminic and you're ubered and yeah all around.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Yeah, yeah, because I've been. I've been twice before in
the last the first of my week was twenty eighteen,
so not not too long ago, and then a year
or so ago. So I wanted to just go some
you know, stay in a little bit of all the
places rather than just him and Yak.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Or just yeah, did you have a favorite? Oh? So hard, I.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Don't know they're all favorites for different reasons because all
the areas of Bali are so different, like they really are.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, Ubert is just so cool, as guessaid, Uberd was
my favorite. Yeah, but I stayed in a treehouse, did you, Yeah,
and there was only ten other couples there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Oh yeah, so it was just quiet.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
And all loganic and yeah, I'm not normally into to
be really honest.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, but when you're on holiday, you need to relax, right.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You obviously went there for a relaxation and what perfect
place to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Then in a treehouse in the middle of the forest.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
So you're an influencer, So do you do you get
so do they shout you and you do?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Noes? No, no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Not a single thing was was free, not a single thing.
I don't go out asking people to give me stuff.
I don't ring ring hotels and go Hi.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I've got one.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Hundred thousand followers on Facebook. Will you let me say that.
I'm not going to do that. That's not me.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And because they're running businesses, he and they must not
every single bloody want to be influencer, ask them. So
I just don't want to be that person at all,
and you know I had the money to go. Yeah,
if someone wants to give me something for free, I'll
happily take it, but I'm not going to.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Ask for it. No, no, No, that's very cool. I
understand completely. Okay, we canna talk about radio bit later,
but I just so you've launched this new business, so
let's talk a bit about that. So what Pod Lab? Yeah,
and so you've been doing up the garage. Whose garage
is it?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
It was actually originally owned by Red Bull. Yeah, it
was their original premises. It's big, ninety square meter garage.
They had a ramp so they drive all their vehicles
and the absolute.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I said, that's bigger than most people's apartments these days. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, it's a big space.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
And then these two well the one studio and in
a big control rooms which we're going to turn into
a second studio.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So it's a because red Bull had built the studio,
but it's not uh, you know, it does need some
extra things.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
It's very it's all very old.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah, and the garage is gross, like it
was disgusting. So we've you know, I had the floors
all sanded and we've got to do painting and redecorating
and blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Okay, so we've better tell everyone who we is. So
it's me and oh myke'es husband bonkers and such a
good way.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah. Yeah, we get on.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
We get on so well, we're a great team. Yeah together.
So he's very very creative. He's got a genius mind
for that. Not very good at admin at all. It's
organizing things, but that's me. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, So he wanted to because he's got his podcast, yeah,
the Dom Harvey podcast, which has been going for about
three years and it hits to really well. He wanted
to get a studio because his in his house. He
wanted to get a studio that he could use elsewhere
and rint out to other podcasters because he's had people
come to harm ask if they can use his space,
people from out of.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Town and things like that.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
So he had said that he wanted to do this
for a while and up until I left. I resigned
from MAREFM, I had no idea that this was going
to happen. One week after I resigned, so a week
before I actually left was when Dom said to me,
I found the space. We've got the space that the
lease is available, we could take it over. And so
(07:38):
I was thinking, I'm going to have three weeks in
Balley and I'm going to come back and be unemployed
for about, you know, two or three months and just
twitter around and do this and that.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
But next minute, I was, oh, boy, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Scraping wolves and yeah, organizing Edmund and yeah, just talking
to boring people like trademark lawyers and stuff like that.
I'm going to tell you off a little bit because
older than news, so I'm allowed to. I was reading
something and you described it as your failed marriage, and
I was just thinking, what you've had is a successful marriage,
and then you've had this successful separation that just not
(08:12):
many people do. Yeah, I know, but you're not allowed
to use that word. Okay, thanks you do. You can't
help but feel like it didn't work. Yeah, but then
it did work. When it did work, yeah, I mean
we are still legally married. So it was our twentieth
anniversary last month.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
You go, you go, no, but you know, yeah, I mean, yeah,
I'm lucky. I'm lucky because we will still be close forever.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, but you know, just the romance is not there, yeah,
and that's right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
So then you make a decision, and I call it
and it's not just about relationships and that sort of thing,
but it's some pavil I also think we've got to
own the life we lead. Yeah, and if it's not working,
and it's not then actually, there's a whole lot of
people out there that don't don't have choices, and these
women like you and me who do have choices, and
so you've got to make them sometimes. Yeah, But also
(09:07):
like you've got to also think you can't think what
everyone else is going to say or say about you,
because we'd never get anything done because there are so
many bloody opinions out there. And I hate it when
someone tries to give me the uneducated opinion about my
life and so you don't know me, and they're so
adamant that they're right.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
I know, and it's just like, shut up, I'm not
judging your life perself out of mind.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I said to someone recently, has it ever occurred to
you that you may not be one hundred percent correct?
And he looked at me shocked, you know, like it's
just not occur to me at all. Of course I'm
a hundred percent correct. You are a great And I
say this is a kindred spirit.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
You are a great oversharer though, Oh I know, I
think that's just the radio person in me, So you know,
it's now ingrained in me as well, Like you know,
you have to overshare and radio in order to get
people to you know, connect with you, and you know,
to get the ratings all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That's that's just what my job has always been. And
but apart from that, I mean, I have always.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Naturally been a bit of an open book, yeah, because
because I don't care too much what people say specifically,
so I'm happy to happy to share and be open
because I have no secrets, like, oh you know, I
have no nothing to hide. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone
has secrets, but yeah, I have nothing to hide genuinely.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So is there outside of the pod leb?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Is there any other plans at the moment or anything
you're thinking of or you know, was this something in
mind when I just want to do this before I die? No?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Nothing.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I had no idea what I wanted to do when
I was terrified about leaving radio because it's all I've known,
and I thought, God, what am I going to do?
I can't imagine doing anything else. I just I'm not
qualified really to do anything else either. So the podlab
thing just has happened, and I'm excited to run with that.
(11:04):
So I don't know what else I would have done.
I mean, my dream would be to just travel all
the time. That's what I love doing. But you know
that costs a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Yeah, and I can't travel.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I can't travel in the cheap seats in the budget hotels.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I gotta stay somewhere nice.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah. Unfortunately, there's some dose reality the here as to
what we'd like to do and what we have to do.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I'm not a cheap date. Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I really want to get into chatting a lot more
about leaving radio, the reasons behind it. You know, you
talk about being tired, and I think you can have
some valuable advice for people. So let's take a quick
air break and come back really shortly. Okay, I am
(11:52):
back with JJ Feenie. It is gutsy to leave a
thirty three year long career, as you kind of indicated it,
It's sort of all you knew, right.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
I thought rocking up with someone that you just enjoy
working with and having fun and laughing for a few hours.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Each day would be the best job in the world.
It is the cast job in the world. That's awesome.
That part's awesome. It's just that's just not the job.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
That's part of the job. That's what everyone sees is
the job. But the job is all the stuff outside
of that. It's all the preparation, coming up with the
ideas being everywhere everyone wants you to be and everyone
wants a piece of you, and you've got to deal
with management and their decisions that you might not agree with,
and the stresses of just working in an environment with
people that you've got to rely on to do things
(12:42):
for you and they're not always thinking that the same
way as you, and or maybe they are, and it's
just like you're doing all this extra work and it's
really exhausting and blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
So it's not the radio show.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
The radio radio show is fun, but everything else around
it just exhausted me.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah, and then it hard.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Is it hard to be upbeat and positive and know
that you're in everyone's ears and you're in their cars
and you're in there, you know, and you're having a
bad day and you just feel like crap. You know.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It is that hard. Yeah, that's hard.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
There's been days when I would be and even my
co hosts, you'd be crying because something really horrible is
going on in your personal life. You'd be crying, and
then the song ends and you've got to talk, and
you just like it's more thing with JJ and Flanney
driving your home, you know, like you just you you
have to put it aside, fake it for a couple
(13:38):
of minutes, and then you go back to sitting on
the floor and it crumpled, miss just wishing the day
was over.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
So you do have times like that. Sometimes I'm really
at it. But we all have.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Bad days in our lives, and we've all got jobs
and so sometimes, you know, we all I always I
always used to say to my staff, you know, as
the as the left doors open, I'd go, big girl
pants on.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Now I'm in my jo, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, like with the fight with the husband this morning
that you know, the dog that just died is absolutely traumatic.
But I am big girl pants on. But yours is different,
and that you know, you can kind of close your
office door a little bit more do that, whereas yours
is you are expected to entertain for.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Ours, I know, And that was like one of the
hardest parts of the job as well, So you didn't
get you don't get any flexibility, any sympathy from the
boss or anything, you know, because you've got a job
to do. You've got to be on the air. So
sometimes it was just so draining. You feel so used
and abused. You if you're only if you're going through
(14:40):
a bad time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so it was hard sometimes,
but for the most part, you know, pretty pretty happy
and positive. Those those days don't happen that often, but
mentally exhausting, you've described it, to try and come up
with four hours of content.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, just yeah, just for.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Years, years and years and years, you know, every day,
five days a week, four hours of talking about stuff
and everyone has to agree on it, and you know
it's just there's only you, you and your co host
and the last few years producers have some input, but
generally the producers are just there to assist you.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yeah, you know, get you the guests you want or whatever.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
They don't often have all the ideas, so it is
it is a creative drain.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So you've had a lot of co hosts.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Who's who's been your favorite? If I don't say.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Dom he'll kill me if I don't say Flanny, He'll
kill me.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
When.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
When I worked with Mike, bro and Dom that was
a good time. Yeah, JJ, Mike and Tom on the Edge,
that was a really good time. And working with Flanny
was good as well, because he's so he's he's creative
and hard working and he he's just he's not He
doesn't streets and get an about things.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah, which is good.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, So making the decision to leave, so you just
knew you were tired.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You knew you weren't bouncing and thinking yay, I can't
wait to get to work every day. Nah, And you've
been thinking about it for a couple of years.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, I just felt like I just felt like I
wasn't really being myself.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
And it's not it's.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Not anyone's anyone's fault or anything, but it's just the
way that the media landscape has changed. So back when
I was at the Edge, for example, we were encouraged
to like just push the boundaries, say what we want,
do what we want, just really you know, get people
listening and pulse stance and do whatever was there was
a fun time. So when I went to maur firm.
(16:47):
It was very you know, it's family friendly. You know,
our audience is more conservative. You're not allowed to be
that person you were on the edge. You have to
you know, calm down a little bit and blah blah
all this sort of stuff. And so I understood that,
but I just felt like, I guess because you can't
have an opinion because people complain, and you know, management
(17:07):
don't like complaints, even though I know that complaints are good.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
But you know, so I felt like I meet someone
cares enough to eat. Yeah, called, so I felt.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Like quite restricted, and I thought, oh, I'm just not
doing I just didn't feel challenged enough, I think. So
it's not it's not like anyone is to blame for that.
It's just the way the kind of station I was
on and the time of life, you know, the way
that things are in the media right now.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
I just feel like I just felt a bit like,
not lazy.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Just just boring, boring and stale.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
So that's interesting what you're saying about the age. So
I mean, God, you must have hit some outrageous moment.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, some of the things we did and we got
away with What did you do?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
This was just there's things you would not get away
with now we'd be canceled so badly.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I'm almost scared to remind.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
People what we do because you know how people drag
up old jokes comedians told twenty years ago and then
cancel them now on oh like the.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Fake phone call things and imitating people and like we've
seen quite recently someone do that and mind you what's
over the top.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
But yeah, so as it changed, do you think it has?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
You've definitely noticed that change of what's acceptable and what's not.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Oh for sure. Social media has done that.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
So because everyone has a platform now and generally they
like it's more wingy than anything else. You don't go
online and say, you know, nice things. People generally go
there if they want to be heard and complain about something.
So it's definitely changed the landscape. But we used to
do things like well, first of all, we did a
lot of nudity and stuff like that stupidly, but it
(18:46):
always it always we'd say, tits get hits because people
loved it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Like you could you could people.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Some people would complain, not too many actually, but if
you're nerude, you always pulled a crowd.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Always.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
We used to do outrageous things like we'd have these
singled out parties at pubs all around New Zealand, and
you know, our listeners would just fall over themselves to
try and get the free tickets to go. This is
very limited in numbers, and we'd go on these parties
every single time. We do all these outrageous bar games
and stuff. Every single time. We would get a handful
(19:22):
of people up on stage completely naked to win a
free T shirt and we do the like one guy
one time we got we did this thing called this
was not my idea the dance. Oh, I don't even
know if I could say this, okay, the Dance of
the Flaming Pubes and you'd like light someone's pebs on.
(19:42):
One time we were in Palmerston, North, I think it
was the Grumpy Mole and this guy did the Dance
of the Flaming Pubes and the smell was so.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Bad that everyone evacuate.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
It was just like we just did stupid stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
And then we had a competition called Fat Bastard where
we had we broadcast from a shop with Noel Wellington.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I can't remember the shop now.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I think it was a bedding shop or something like that,
and we got all these people in there and we
weighed them and they would win five thousand dollars the
person who put on.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
The most weight. Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
And we would punish people by making them go on
the treadmill and not feeding them, you know, and then
to reward people.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That get pies and doughnuts and all this. And it's
just like you could not do that now. But at
the time it was supposedly hilarious. I'm finding it quite funny. Well,
I mean because if you ever got to see a
humor it's funny.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
But if you were offended by person, you'll be like, oh,
you can't talk about weight and yeah, be encouraging people
to lose weight to put on my But I mean
it just was what it was.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It was just entertainment.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah, and it is a bit of their If you're offended,
don't listen, That's what I'm thinking.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Just you can turn it off. It's free as well,
you don't. Yeah, we're not making you listen to.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
That's the one thing I don't get about people who
complain about a service they're getting for free that they
don't have to have. Like, sure, if you go to
a restaurant and there's a here in your dinner you're
paying for that you shouldn't have to pay. But if
you're listening to the radio or watching TV and it's free,
what just change the channel if you're if you're mad,
why don't come complaining to me?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, no, I hear you, and I agree completely. I
agree completely. So do you think that music radio will survive?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Oh that's tough. I mean nothing has killed radio since
radio began. Like every time a new technologies come out,
people have said, oh, CDs, that's gonna kill radio. You know,
all music TV that's gonna kill radio. Spotify that's gonna
kill radio. Nothing will kill radio. Radio is still like
(21:54):
number one most listen to audio medium in the world,
but it is slowly declining. And in my opinion, it's
because for commercial radio, because we've lost that ability to
be ourselves and connect with an audience like we used to.
Like now it's all very cookie cutter. You know, you
(22:17):
have to do things this way, and you have to
do a wacky phone topic and get people to call in,
and it's all cool and stuff and you have your
relatable stories.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
But I just feel like.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
That podcasting is going to be where people go to
get a connection more.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
The radio is easy.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
You can turn it on and it's just there and
the music plays and the people talk, and that's fine,
and I don't think it's going to die anytime soon,
but I do think that radio programmers have got to
watch out for how the connections happen.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
With podcasters now.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Because you're going to choose a podcast to listen to
because you like the host, you like the person on it,
or you love the subject or whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
It's very intimate.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You've got your earphones in and you might be running,
walking the dog, you might be doing the housework, you're
in the car, you do it by yourself, you're alone.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
So you're going to find this super connection with a podcaster.
And it's sort of a bit. It used to be
that in radio, but I think it's getting less and
less with music radio.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Is it the audience that demands it or is it
the advertisers. All the advertisers a necessary for the station
to you know, exist, But it's the audience that demands
it because they're going to prove, they're going to show
you that they don't want what you're giving them by
turning off.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, the ratings are so key, So you can see
there's a slight slight to decline. But mainly actually it
is with the younger generation too, because they didn't grow
up with a radio in their house. They didn't grow
up like we did. So the older generation, I'm going
to say maybe thirty plus or thirty five plus, not
saying that anyone who's thirty years old, but you know,
(23:55):
we grew up with radios in our house, so we like,
we get in the car, we turn on the radio.
So that's all fine, but eventually we're all gonna, you know, die,
and the young people coming in, who's going to have
a radio in their house? So I'm just not sure
long long term radio is going to have to evolve more.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Thank you're right.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
I'm thinking about my twenty three year old Yeah, and stepdaughter,
and she just wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, I don't think she listens.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
To the radio.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, I'm hearing more and more now people say I
listened to a podcast in my car, and that's where
the radio listening needs to happen. That's where we rely
on listeners people in cars. So it's quite a scary.
It's kind of scary it's not going to happen. Quickly
or anything. But just radio just has to They're doing
well with having the apps and things that you can
connect to your phone, but it definitely has to be
(24:41):
as little if it is possible for people totally. Yeah,
it's a big move to leave without having something else
to go to.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Yeah, I mean I did it.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
You know, I did it in politics and I'd know
him for a couple of years. You know. I sort
of tell the story of, you know, being with Bill
English and he said, I'm going to let you know
that next few days you're going to announce that I'm
retiring from you know, and a tear sort of ran
down my face and he goes, oh god, I didn't
think you'd care that, you know, you'd be that emotion.
I mean, I'm just jealous.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
I've had that from lots of my workmates too.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Oh I'm so jealous that you can do that, or
that you've got the guts to do it, the guts
to do it as soon as guts.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, I do know that.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
So what advice would you give to people that PEPs
are in jobs where they just are feeling booned out,
a feeling tired and not enjoying it as much what
advice would you give them As far as that process
to go through to make a decision whether it's stay
or go like it.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
You do have to come to a you know, you
do have to work it over in your head for
a little bit. It's not going to be an instant decision.
But I just say, just try and get to get
to the decision as quick as possible, and just just
grab grab life by the bulls and do it, because
what is the worst that's going to happen?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
And if you think about everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Who's been in a situation where they've lost their job
or a partner, or their house or whatever anything like that,
it is terrible. At the time, it's like, oh my god,
how can I move on from this? But then not
long after that, you find a way, you pick yourself up,
you move forward, and most of those people will say
that was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I hear that so often and see that so often
(26:14):
that I thought, I'm just going to do it because
I need to, because I'm so unhappy. I'm so tired
and stressed out. You know, I don't want to feel
like this anymore. So I just think if you're in
a bad situation where you're not enjoying it. Whether it
be a relationship or a workplace or whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Just just do it. Take the leap, Take the leap,
things will come. And yeah, as you get a bit
older as well, I've learned that, you know, you go
through ups and downs and that's a part of life.
And so sometimes when I'm struggling a bit, and whether
it's you know, and I just I also know though
now to take a breath, that this might be a
moment and it might pass, so, you know, and then
(26:55):
when it's like okay, it's you know, it's weak sex,
you know, like this, it's not just a moment.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
This is ongoing.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
So I need to change something, you know, And I
do have the power to do that.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
So yeah, yeah, I'm not saying be spontaneous at all. No,
Like I said, you and I both know took a
couple of years, and it does because you have to
be really ready and sure. And and I didn't hate it, no,
you know what I mean, if you hated something, you'd
be easier, right, And I didn't hate it either, but
I just couldn't deal with the mental exhaustion every day. Yeah, yeah,
(27:27):
and I just thought, maybe it's because I'm older. Now,
you know, i'm middle aged, So maybe I just because
I don't have the energy I used to have. Yeah,
but I'm still having to output the same same energy.
So I knew that it was just I'm tired, so
maybe I need to slow down as well.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
So did you need a plan in place to do it? Well,
the only thing because I did.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
I honestly had no idea what I was going to do,
and I just thought, oh my god, I don't know.
I'll do some m seeing, I'll do, you know, I'll
pick up jobs here and there. But I thought I
figured out, okay, I need to like get enough money
together that I can live for three four months without
without pay, just so that I know I'm not going
(28:06):
to be panicked.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
So yeah, I just sort of saved up a bit
and then I felt ready to do it. Yeah yeah, yeah,
just like having that because you don't want to be
stressed and have no money to not pay your rent
and all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
No, just get the support or just get prepared. I think, yeah, yeah,
that's what I do. And I think being for me
as well. There, well, I didn't know what I was
going to do, and I've been doing a lot of
different things and being open to opportunities. Yeah, so that's fun.
But equally not to be so proud that I didn't
take a job. Yeah, because some people get a bit
full of themselves. I'm talking about ex politicians mainly. Yeah. Yeah,
(28:44):
you know, well if you're like you have more fun.
I think if you leave yourself open to do different things.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
And also you'd know this too when you were free
of something. Opportunities just come to you because people know
you're available or whatever, and they go, oh, I don't know,
I'll get oh I asked Paul, or if she wants
to do this, or yeah, that's straight to do that.
And so actually I've had lots of opportunities and office
of little side hustles and stuff to do and all that.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
So that's that's cool. Yeah, that's very cool.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Aim. So do you call it a kind of a
reset of life? I mean, what's yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I think so, because I really thought call it a
midlife crisis.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
But you know, I turned fifty in March.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
And I sort of thought, Okay, this has been the
first half of my life. Well, you know, I'm not
going to live to one hundred, but maybe it will.
This is, you know, the first half of my life,
and I've really done everything I thought I could. I
just honestly didn't think there's anything more I could do
in radio. I don't think, especially not music radio. So
I thought, I need I want. What's my the second
half of my life going to look?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Like?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
Can I do this again for another thirty years? I
don't think so so.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And I'm sorry, but there as a woman age thing
and it as well if you want to reinvent And
I was trying to explain this to a room full
of men the other day and because they were like.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
What del you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Well, because I knew I was going to leave anywhere,
and there is this window of opportunity for a woman
over fifty. I could reinvent myself at fifty fifty two,
couldn't reinvent myself at sixty? You all wouldn't let me, Yeah,
And they went, actually, that's true. I just it is, well,
there's something there is, yeah, but a complete change of
career or you know what I mean? Like it is
(30:19):
there is I think there is a window for women
in particular as well. And I'm sure a whole lot
of men would actually feel that too. I mean, it's
terrifying to do something new after you've just done the
one thing. Yeah, and particularly when you've been good at it,
and so people still do that. I mean, obviously you're
so recognizable. So do people talk about it when you
(30:39):
you know, like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
Yeah, Strangers who see me out they'll tell me I'm
miss hearing you on the radio in the afternoons, or
or they will say, oh, how's retirement going, you know.
But I do get quite a few messages of people
saying they really miss me. But I think it's because
radio is a habit as well, and so you're used
to hearing. No one likes change, so when there's a
(31:01):
different voice on the radio, you know, it takes a
little while to warm up to the new voice.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So what's the key to surviving the spotlight? Oh God,
you've to have a thick skin radio people, politicians can't.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
You just can't.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
You just have to have a six skin and just
don't let other people's opinions get to you. Really, only
the opinions of the people that matter, like you know,
you're the people you work with and your family and
friends and things like that.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I don't know. I always try to try.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
And keep it positive and the spotlight, you know, I'm
always I love it when people come up to me
and talk to me and ask for photos and stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I'll never turn anyone down.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I'll always be friendly and helpful to them because people
will talk about you. They'll tell you how their friends
they met you and what they thought of you. And
so I'll always try and be you know, positive and
happy because.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I generally are here and most people are lovely, right.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Yeah, And I just don't take myself too seriously, like
I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
I'm not a wanker.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
I know where I came from, and I don't think
I'm better than anyone else.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
And I've been.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Lucky to have such a good life. But I don't
and I'm gonna I've been in a good position, but
I don't. I don't, you know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
I don't. I don't have a big ego about it. Yeah, yeah, well,
I reckon.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
There's some really good advice in there that you know,
if you're not happy and it's not kind of working
for you, take some time, work through a process. But
as you say, make a decision, because actually making it
as the hardest. But yeah, yeah, definitely is. Yeah, so
might we see back in radio one day?
Speaker 3 (32:38):
If you see me back in radio, it's probably because
my business didn't work.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Out and i'd need to earn some regular money.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
No, I don't know. I was like I was, I
don't know. At the moment, I'll say no. But even
though I'd love to do talk back at some point,
but I have no experience in it, so whether or
not i'd even get that option unity, but.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Never say never. Yeah, but just it's so soon right now.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
I only left a couple of months ago, and I
really am so busy setting up, you know, the pod
lab business.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Just to be really clear to anyone that's listening, I
would never go back to politics. Okay, it's my most
asked question, or do you go back? And I'm just like,
are you kidding me? I don't even know why you
did it, though, I mean, it's amazing that you did.
It got on you, But who would want to be
a politician? You get the most criticism. People are so
(33:34):
nasty to politicians.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
Yeah, and you know they really they really make things
personal and it's just really unfair and uncool.
Speaker 2 (33:42):
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Weird day, but like younger than I am actually open handle.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, you just got to ignore it. You know, everyone's
got an opinion.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Everyone knows exactly what should be happening in the country,
but they don't want to stand up and do it themselves.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Anyway, that was meet being a bit mony.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, to end our advice segment, I would love to
know the best advice you were ever given and who
was it given by.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Oh that is tough, because oh god, I'm not. I'm not,
I'm not. I don't have a great memory for specific
things like that.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
I'm just always like I'm inspired by the advice of
like just keeping your eye on the prize.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
You know, what are you here for and what is
the end goal? And just don't give up because there's
going to be people trying to cut you down, try
to tell you you're not good enough, trying to tell
you you can't do it. But ignore them because they
just they just just distractions.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Just keep your eye on the prize and go for it.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Just keep trying. Okay, JJ, how did you know it's
just your name?
Speaker 1 (34:50):
JJ?
Speaker 3 (34:50):
I was born Jaqueline Joanne Ah infinated because my mum
wanted to call me JJ, after some character on TV
in the seventies, and my dad said, oh, you can't
call you JJ has to stand for something. So mum
named me after her mum watch Jacqueline and her mum's
friend Joanne, who had passed away from cancer.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
So that was my name. But next day you got JJ.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
Yeah, but I've never been called Jacqueline Joanne or I
was called Jackie at school for.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
A little bit. Yeah, but I changed my name by.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Deed Pole a few years ago because it's just confusing
having two names. Yeah, okay, JJ.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
The podcast is called Ask Me Anything, and so far
I've done only asking, So this is your opportunity to
ask me something if you'd like to.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Well, I've just always wanted to know, like, because politics
are so you know, it's such a hard, horrible, horrible
thing from the outside looking in. But must have been
some good perks. So three perks being the deputy Prime minister.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Maybe. Yeah. By the way, there's not.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
All the superannuation perks that everyone thinks there are when
you leave. There's not the travel perks that everyone thinks
you get when you leave. So that's that left and
nineteen ninety six So when I'm listening to talk back
and I hear people.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Going, oh, there stayed nine years so they could get
all the perks, I literally shout at the radio, well
say that, say that.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Now, tell me what's true, what's.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Not about the perse Yeah, so there's none of those perks.
You are well paid, there's no ways about it.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
When you're in the job, people, particularly when you're a minister,
people would think that getting the Crown car and a driver.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Was a perk.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I actually would that would be one that I would
argue that is not a perk really, because it's very
much just for your job. And the reason would be
I would go and visit a woman's refuge. I would
sit with a woman who has been through, you know,
some of the most traumatic, horrific stuff I've ever heard of.
And you know, to the point where you know, a
(36:47):
little known to the public is that you know, we
actually do into country swaps. In some cases a woman
that can't even you know, can't even stay in the
same country.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Because it's that bad.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
Right. Yeah, So You're sitting there one on one, listening
to the you know, most and then I get in
that car and ten minutes later, I'm expected to entertain
a room of one hundred and fifty people.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, okay, so a.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Driver driving me and me not having to think about
where I park, and me being able to read my
papers and hop in the car and have a wee
cry and then go big girl, pencil, you know, get up,
get up off the floor and talk into the microphone
that you had to So that's why, like, and you're
always late. And I was actually thinking the other day,
(37:30):
I don't miss it by it was always a perk
that came with the job. Yep, So it wasn't ever real,
but I was I must have when I was driving
the other day and I just thought, God, I would
have so much more time if someone drive, you know,
I was hurt of uber. I would get so much
more done, you know, like that hour in the morning
(37:50):
sitting in traffic I imagine getting I would get an
hour's work done. It was the only way I could
keep And my husband even now, he goes, I just
don't know how you read as much as you do
in a moving car, And I said, because of my job,
I just had to. Yeah, you know, I didn't have
the luxury of sitting there and watching the world.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Goes go By.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I know there's a lot of things to read when
you're a politician, a lot, and you're expected to be
out with that, right, which is fair enough because obviously
I know Stephen Joyce.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, because he started he gave me my first job
and raising. Yeah he would have and you Blimmer. He
refers to me as his uncle and I'm his niece.
But yeah, so he hired me from high school. Wow.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
So I've seen I've even seen his diary when he
was a minister and how oh he ticket is and
all the paperwork. Hes he wasn't even the prime minister.
So I'm like, what the hell does the prime minister
have to read every night? And we in the sleep? Yeah,
I sympathize.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yeah, So I'm sure people think the car is a perk,
but I just think it's absolutely necessary for you to
do your job and you're having very consci very confidential
conversations and so I completely respect and trusted the drivers
and you couldn't do that.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Yeah, that's true because how often did you get.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
A text your and uber and they recognize you and
then they tell you something about someone? Ow I once
had a labor and they did it, and I just
think well, if you're willing to say that about them,
you're going to say something about me. Yeah, so I
just don't talk to them. Then I think, well, no,
they're going to say that she was a road bitch.
And I'm like, I'm okay with that. Oh well, I mean,
if you're a politician, you're allowed to have that reputation
(39:25):
a little bit, Stewdie, Yeah you can, Okay.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
I don't think that wouldn't work with me. That wouldn't
if I had the reputation of being a road bitch.
That wouldn't help my ratings at all.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Now that I'm not on.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
The radio, maybe you can try and dig into that
in a soul Okay, Jja.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
I have loved having you here today. Thanks so much
for coming in.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
All the best for what's coming up, but the plans
that you've already got, but equally for the opportunities that
I just know are going to come your way.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Oh gosh, it's exciting. That's overwhelming.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
And that except for another episode of Asking Me Anything.
If you've enjoyed this episode, please follow Ask Me Anything
on my Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.
Make sure you check out some of our past fabulous
guests because we are in season six now, and I'll
be back next Sunday with someone else who's fabulous.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I'm probably been asking me anything. Goodbye,
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