Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Heads podcast network mine.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Never seeing it and this is my dadmin.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Hi, and when I grow up, I want to be
a TikTok start right, or a sports player.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Okay, hang on, yeah, even a fashion designer.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Actually maybe in all the players.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
Okay, okay, slow down. Maybe we should talk to some
amazing females who inspire you and who you want.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
To be like, yeah, and we can find out what
they did to get where they are.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Yes, and let's do it as a TV show.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
No, Dad, only old people watch TV.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let's do it as a podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That works, snoop, This is when I grow up.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Today's gist is radio and TV host and social media
superstar Bree Thomas l.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
You probably know Bree as the hilarious host of zendium
afternoon radio show and making your favorite celebrities push themselves
to the limits on Celebrity Treasure Island.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
How come you've never done Celebrity Treasure Island? Dad? Oh sorry,
you're not a celebrity.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Oh wow, No, you're probably right. Bring is someone like
you and loves to embarrassed appearent on podcast or social media.
But her videos telling rude jokes, making rude, bodily functions
with her Mamma Die. They're hilarious and making us.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Say, oh, Briana.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
But now Brie is an author.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And has just released a book called Unapologytic Clean Me.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Bree someone we've both got to know really well over
the past year away from work. She's actually one of
my favorite people in the whole world and someone as
a fraid.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Am I not your favorite woll she's one.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Of you are in there as well. And I'm really
really proud of Brie and this book. I know, deciding
to do this book and sharing her story wouldn't it
been easy?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
But it all helped so many people, with Brie sharing
her life and her story around sexuality and finding the
confidence to be who you really are, plus dealing with
anxiety ADHD and a really traumatic childhood incident.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, we think this podcast Yeat is a really important
one and hopefully it will help many kids and their parents.
So thank you Bree for coming on and talking to
us so openly, and we can't wait to hear her
story enjoy.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Hey dad, When I grew up, I want to be
a broadcaster and social media style like Bree Thomas.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Oh well, it's nice. Nice to say that. Nice. We
have bree with us a right now. Thanks for doing this, Brey, thanks.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
For having me.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Guys.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
I know you were hoping for reader Aura, but I
am the number one impersonator in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
And I was waiting read Aura. I got to read it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Or it's so nice tap you on our podcasts.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Crazy, so good to be here. Oh, I love my husband, Tyger.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I don't know if that's yeah great, I think people will.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Buy that exactly. We finally got read it on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Now. I love to put on the spot and to
ask why she wants to be like the person we have.
It's the ultimate single swim moment but normally now so,
I don't know why we do it, but anyway, what
do you want to be like?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Bre Well, Breeze not just a talented radio and TV
show host. She's TV show wait did the show? TV
show host? Yea social media.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Star and now an author on a new book out and.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
I get the plug in for the book out now
wherever you get good books and probably terrible books as well.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
To you.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Absolutely, yeah, my name is a terrible book. Just so
we go.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
That's not the cast.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
We'll see how it goes thanks to doing my work
for me, guys, that's all right, No, it's great.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
But is also someone who is totally herself and I
admire that so much. She is someone who's openly gay.
She is that she has anxiety and ADHD and also
likes to make fart.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Jokes and she makes she.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Makes fun of her parents on social media, which I
like to do too.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Yeah, I feel like there's some similarities between you and
I see and know.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
I like that it's back and forth. Though.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, you need to get Mama die your mum, which
we'll get too late to talk about it, but you
need to get her a social media account. Should come
back on you, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I feel like that's dangerous, you know.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I feel like she does get on Instagram and Facebook though,
and she like keeps up to date on things. Oh really,
I don't know how she does it. I think she's
got a burner account. Yeah, but we'll see maybe one day.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
No, it's awesome to have you here. You are you
really are really inspiring the books awesome. I know you
feel must feel a little nervous about being out in
the world, but I think it will help so many people,
you know, kids, young people and parents as well. So
well done. I'm doing it.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Oh, thank you, guys.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
A little nervous as an understatement, I think it's it's
a very weird thing being absolutely yourself and being very
vulnerable about it. And obviously we work in media and
TV and radio and that, and you share quite a
lot of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But I feel like this.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Is all my dirty laundry in black and white in
a book, So it's it's very nerve wracking, to say
the least.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
It's awesome.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Well, the only bad thing I think about, brief it's
that game that you made us get on PlayStation and.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Here are We and you were so good at it, and.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
I hated that slash if you want to get it
on PlayStation right now.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
And you also made us play timber Bowling and you
really got a temper bowling. But a part of that,
we love you.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
They're my only skills. I swear, there's no more hidden skills.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
That's it for your.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Book, unapologetically me your tales from your perfectly and perfect
life dead. And I presume that you put this book
out for us so you can have your life story
and research for.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
This podcast, and it's the only reason I did say time.
You've absolutely nailed it now.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
I think because I've been asked a few times, why
did you write a book? And to be honest, I've
asked myself that quite a few times. And my beautiful
publisher who chased me for a long time to write
a book, and I kind of said to her, Michelle,
I was like, I don't have a story to tell.
And I think when it came down to it, I
(05:25):
kept thinking about it, mulling it over, and I finally came.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
To the conclusion.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Sorry, that my story might help some people, and hopefully
even if it helps one person, then I've done my job,
hopefully more because it took a lot longer than.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I've got an easy process to write a book.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Oh my god, it's been so hard.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
Like someone with ADHD who I can concentrate for about
five minutes at a time, it's been a really challenging process.
Like I knew that I wasn't going to be graded
at the start, but like I go into most things
knowing that I'm going to have to work hard, and
I feel like that's been me.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
My entire life.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
I might not have the natural talent with everything, But damn,
I've got the work ethic, and I think that's a
really good life lesson that I've learned over time is
that if you're willing to put in the work and
work really hard.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
You can achieve anything.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
And in the end, I'm really proud of it, but
it also terrifies me as well.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yeah, well, we're really glad it's going to help so
many people.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So let's start at the start. You grew up and
the small town and the country Queensland count of Australia.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I'm sorry I'm telling a story.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
You lived on an apple farm and you love getting
stuck into the outdoors, catching eels and playing in the mud.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
Yeah, that's correct, Sienna. I didn't wear shoes till I
was six. Really, I cannot remember wearing shoes until I
was six years old, Like, and I went to school
and my parents are like, I think you're gonna have
to wear a pair of shoes, And I ended up
going with a strappy sandalf, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Like typical.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
And I'm trying to paint the picture of how country
I grew up. Like my primary school had twenty two kids.
What in my grade there was three of us really
three or four, No, there was four. There was me
and three others, and the other three were all boys,
which suited me really well because I was a tomboy
at heart. So yeah, I grew up super super rural
(07:23):
and was the best.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
What's the best apple? I'm on, app.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Don't get me started with apples.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
What's your favorite? What's your favorite?
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Well, the thing that people don't realize is there's hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Of varieties of apples. God, this there's going to be
boring if we.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
Get But my favorite is at the moment, it's probably
the jazz, which is because it stays crispy for a
long time. There's no such thing as a bad apple.
You guys know that a if you get it's got
like worms in it. Well, if you get a flowery
you know, and that's the most disappointing thing. Yeah, you
know why it's flowering. It's because it's probably twelve months old. Really, yeah,
(08:07):
so they keep them in big cold rooms and because
obviously people want apples all year round, but it's just
you know that they're old.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
That's why interesting stuff about apples now weren't on that later.
We don't want to tell all the stories from your
book because we obviously want people to buy your book.
But there was a really traumatic moment you had as
a young kid, Yeah, in Nana's house, which involved which
you explained a lot more in the book for people
coming in a robbery, knives and stuff, and that really
changed you as a kid after that.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Yeah, I think growing up in a country town, I
was very isolated and kind of naive to the world,
and it was the best childhood ever. You know, I
was nine years old, didn't think a bad thing could
happen and going through something like that, And even in
the process of writing this book, I've kind of reflected
(08:57):
a lot on how much that has stayed with me
throughout my life. It's a traumatic thing that I've now like,
as I've gotten older, I'm like, this is something that
I'm going to live with for the rest of my life.
And it's obviously what I believe the root of all
my anxiety, but it doesn't define me, and I felt
like it was.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Super important to put it in the book.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
You know, it's something that definitely changed me as a
nine year old.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Well, for young kids listening right now, hopefully they haven't
had something as traumatic as what happened to you, But
there are still plenty of things that give people panic
attacks and reasons to be scared.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
So what helped you get through that?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (09:35):
I feel like Siana, it's a process, a learning process,
and I think the biggest thing that I've learned on
my mental health journey is it's you don't ever get
over it.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
It's not something you fix. It's something you learn to manage.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
And the more you learn about yourself and how your
brain works, the better I think you can treat it,
and the more tools you can learn to help it.
And I feel like it's such a hard thing because
it's so different for everyone, Like mental health anxiety looks
different for everyone, and the things that help one person
(10:11):
might not help another person. But I think that's the
biggest thing that I usually say to people is try
and learn what works for you and then prioritize it,
because if you don't, you can fall into a dark place,
which I have in my life a couple of times,
and I definitely don't want to go back there. So
learning those tools and learning about yourself to you know,
(10:34):
best manage it as the best way forward.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Now.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Teenage years are awkward for I think every teenager you
said it ups and down.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I'm still going through it.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I think I talked about this on another podcast with
you know how I wore a douvet a Looney Tunes
douveot made into a pants, a waistcoat and a bandanna
to the school board. Now I look back up, like
what was I doing?
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You know it was funny here.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Please do not turn up.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Not planning on it.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
No one wants to wear teenage boys dovey to a ball,
but I did anyway. So that's that's awkward. That's you know,
sharing some awkwardness for me.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Right, I'm so pitching Like you're still a big you
wear a lot of cartoons and you're into that. How
did you produce such well rounded, un awkward children question?
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Yeah, I think Amanda, my wife, has a lot to
do with that. To be honest, I.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Think you might be right. Okay, thanks dad.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But your teenagers were a struggle for you, as you
say in your book. You're a bit of a tomboy,
as you're saying before, who didn't want to wear dresses,
and you were socially awkward, really struggling to know and
be who you really were.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
Yeah, I feel like, as you said, Ben, like we
all go through awkward stages, especially you know, through our
teenage years. Apart from c obviously, who is just killing
that you make me feel bad.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
About your stuff that everyone looks back at cringes. But
at the time, Sweet, it's natural, that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
Yeah, I think it's It's one of those things where
I just felt really strange in my own skin, Like
I never really could put my finger on why. I'd
look around and everyone was so like cool and just
natural and not worried about a lot of the things
that I was worried about.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
And as I've.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Gotten older, I feel like, as I've learned about myself,
I've realized that there was quite a few factors coming
to play.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
But I, as.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
Most females do, I got really good at masking. So
I feel like it was me that felt like I
was really awkward and out of place, but on the outside,
no one else was thinking.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Interesting what you say, because I've been luck enough to
work with you, you know, in the same building for many years,
and we've become friends a lot more over the last
year and stuff, and I always looked at you even
before and I'm like, you've got your stuff together. You're
so cool. You see yourself, you know, mind everything about
you and how you were, and to read these things,
things that are going on internally, it's like it doesn't
what people project on the outside. Is it always happening
(13:04):
on the inside.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
No, not at all. And it's so funny.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
And I feel like you and I connect on a
deeper level where we feel a lot of the same thing.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
So I feel that's why we've connected so much.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
And as I've gotten older, I'm like, I feel like
you connect with people who are similar to you. In
the last like ten years, I always when I meet people,
I'm always like, oh, they're nice people, but they're not my.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
People, you know.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Or I meet people and I'll be like, oh, they're
my people. And I think it's those things that connect
us as humans. And I love, throughout my careers sharing
more of those kind of inner parts myself because I
feel like it helps me connect with people and it
makes other people feel less weird and less alone.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
And I feel like that's such a cool part of
my job.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
This is when I grow up.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
For kids are teenagers listening now, we maybe feel the same.
Where can they find your place, and how can they
find who they are?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I think, just don't stress about it. Don't stress so much.
If you don't feel like you fit in. You will
figure it out eventually. But just give yourself time, Like
be kind to yourself, as hard as that is, you know, Like,
and to be honest, Like the weird and different parts
about me are now my favorite parts, you know, Whereas
I think when I was younger, I was always like
(14:23):
I just want to be like everyone else, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I don't want to be different.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
I don't want to stand out, Whereas like these days,
I'm like, I love those parts about me and they're
like my superpowers.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
So true.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
I feel like, just give yourself time and just try
not to worry too much. Like being your kid is
the best part of your life.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
You don't have responsibility, You're right, and it's you do.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
You get older, you do embrace those things, those weird works,
and you're like, well, that's what makes me different from anyone.
But for a while you look at the cool kids
and stuff like that them. Yeah, and that's really interesting
to look back at what that you know, Yeah, what
you are now to what you were in Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And that's something I love about you, Cianna.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
I feel like you really kind of know what you
like or what you want to do, which is you know,
super special and super rare.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I feel like at your age.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
And it's something that's so cool that you just lean
into it and you're doing this podcast and you're you know,
doing all the things that you really love.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
So that's you're really lucky.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I feel very lucky.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Well.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Growing up, you had a secret, not like the secret
I borrowed five dollars from dad's while at the other day, No,
definitely didn't go to the still.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Fifty in there.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I also borrowed fifty three.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
You went into boys, you liked girls, So for so
many years you had this fear about what your family
and friends and work would think.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
Yeah, I feel like it never felt weird to me,
Like it's never something It never was this internal like,
oh this is weird and this is not right. It
was all coming from you know, society and everything else
that I would kind of learn or listen to other people.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
So when it came to dating.
Speaker 5 (16:02):
Or you know, when as I was getting older and
doing those kind of things, it never was this internal
struggle with myself. It was always this hyper awareness that
people might judge me or treat me differently. So I
kept it a secret from certain people, and I kept
it a massive secret from my dad for a long
(16:23):
long time in my twenties. And it's the biggest regret
I have in my life, to be honest, because that's
the secret that bred.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Shame, you know, for many, many years.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
And I just wish I could go back and tell
my younger self, you know, try and just take it
on head on and deal with it at the time,
because this is going to be worse in the long run.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
But you know, hindsight's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Well, even when you would tell, you say in the book,
you tell your boss, and then that's how maybe don't
talk about it on air when you told your mum,
and then you should sort of keep it secret from
your dad, you know. But there's a beautiful moment again
in your book where your dad finally comes to you
and sees how part he is of you and all that.
You know, that's awesome to you know, and I.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Just wish I had had that ten years.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
Yeah, you're probably thirty or something when ye right, Yeah,
I was.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
About thirty, and obviously my Dad's a very intelligent man.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Like it was, It's not like he just didn't know.
Speaker 5 (17:18):
It was such a well kept secret whether you have
religious background and then a small town and for some reason,
small town mentality.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
And I hope that's changed a lot now, but back
then it was kind of it was wrong, but people
would talk about these sort of things in a different way.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
Absolutely, you're so spot on, Ben, and I still think
there's a lot of work to do. But I am
so glad and I'm so lucky that I am one
of those people that eventually got there and the outcome
was great. But yeah, this this book is all about,
I think, showing people that you can, no matter how
(17:53):
long it takes, you can get there in the end.
And I think that moment in the book with my
dad it's probably one of my favorites.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, well, now you're someone who lives as yourself, but
it took a while to have that courage and be free.
Do you think it's easier now for kids to be themselves?
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, definitely in some ways.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
It definitely is, especially for queer kids and queer people.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
But I still feel like there's a lot of work.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
To do in that area and I mean, if you
look at the trans community, I feel like they are
where the queer community in the gay community was thirty
forty years ago, and that absolutely breaks my heart because
I mean I have felt, you know, discrimination many times
in my life, and I look at these people who
(18:44):
it's not just words, like they're facing violence for being
who they are, and I can't even imagine how hard
it would be for someone still to this day, Like
especially like in your age group, Ciena, who are going
through through, you know, these internal battles with themselves where
they're kind of like do I want to be safe
(19:05):
or do I want to be me? So yeah, I
think definitely, But there's so much more work to do
when there will continued to be work to do. But
it's pretty exciting to see, especially like in mainstream media,
like I was just talking about the other day, we
had Spanky Jackson, who was a gay drag queen on
Celebrity Treasure Island dressed in drag.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
For the first episode. You know, that wouldn't have happened
ten years ago.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
And to see that diversity, and that was my sixth
season I've done on the show, and to see how
far I think we've come eat even in six years.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
I'm like, that's pretty pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Getting into your love of radio. Was boarding school? Was
that right when you used to listen to the radio
so kipt a company, as well as doing some great
pranks which I enjoyed reading about the book where one
of the fire hose was one of my favorites. But
it was that when you sort of discovered the love
for radio and thought, well, maybe this could be something
I could do.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah, there was something.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
There was always something about radio even when I was
a kid, even when I was I mean I would
have been your age, Ciena when I was at boarding school,
and there was just something I loved about it, like
the immediacy and being like, oh, these people are literally
in this room right now and I'm listening into their conversation.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah. I feel like even as a kid, i'd ring
into radio stations.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
One of those things.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
Yeah, Like I was just a big radio nerd from
when I was really little, and I feel like i'd
voice that I loved radio and maybe I'd want to
get into radio one day. But I mean, you always
get the same the same comments from people.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Oh that's not a real job, and you know that,
you know, are it is to get into radio.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
So I never really thought of it as a career
until much later in my life.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
But yeah, what about you, Sienna, Are you thinking about
radio radio?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Yeah? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Maybe robots are going to take over.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
I don't say that I've got nothing else.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You've heard my other.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Skills, ten pin bowling.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Who could be working art others, Like, I wouldn't hate it.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
That's a fun place to work.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Well, when you started working in radio, you were just
helping out pretty much unpaid and just working and working,
but you loved it.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
So how good is it to find what you just
want to do and you love it.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
I feel like you would know about this seat. I love.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
I love doing this podcast.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
And I can just see, like I can see because
I know you outside of you know, doing this podcast,
and I can just see how excited you are and
how hungry you are. And it makes me excited because
I love seeing other people when they find their passion
and something that they really love and that they enjoy.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
It's the best feeling in the world.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
Like I remember walking into Nova one six point nine,
which is the first radio station that I worked at,
and just being like, this is the coolest place I've
ever been, you know, and I just remember thinking, I'm
never going to leave here, like I never want to
leave this world ever. And I felt really lucky because
(22:00):
so many people don't like what they do and obviously
they work to live. And something my part told me
when I was really young was you should never do that.
You should always find something that you really love. And
not everyone is that lucky or has that luxury. But yeah,
I feel so lucky every day to do the job
(22:20):
that I do.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
And you also committed to I mean, you know, you're
so close to your family and particularly your mum, I'm
die But then to get the call to come to
New Zealand, which you kind of see it no too,
to come across the CDM, you know, moving from Australia
to New Zealand, but making that hugely but I mean,
looking back on now that now must have been one
of the best decisions you made in a lot of ways.
But how scary that would have been.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
It is the best decision I ever made. But that
decision took me.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
I'm quite a risk adverse person, Like I'm not someone
who just throws caution to the wind, you know, probably
because of my anxiety, but it takes me a long time.
I'll think everything through and then I'll think about it again,
just like constantly before I make a decision. And I
told them no so many time because I was just
so terrified at the thought of, you.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Know, it failing.
Speaker 5 (23:04):
And I remember thinking to myself, I was like, what
are you going to regret more? Are you going to
regret taking the risk and it not working or not
taking the risk and you never know what could have been?
And I was like, definitely the second one, you know.
And I feel like, even though I am just a
ball of nerves and an anxious mess most of the time,
(23:28):
when I'm making those big decisions, I feel like, you know,
there's some of my proudest moments because I'm like, damn
not everyone would have.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
The guts to do it, but here we are.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Were you worried about being an Australian and New Zealand
because Dad talks about the text machine on the radio.
She did mention in your book as well.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Yes, yes, brutal sometimes, isn't it? The text machine? Well?
Speaker 5 (23:49):
How often how many other people have like a running
commentary of how you're doing at your job?
Speaker 1 (23:55):
You know, to people in the insurance company like a
text machine where they're like, oh, that was a pretty
crappy Oh you could have done better there, you know.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
So I feel like it is a really difficult thing,
and learning with learning to take criticism and hate comments
and stuff like that in your stride is definitely a
part of this business that I wasn't ready for. But
I feel like I've got pretty good good at it over.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Time, and you just have to. If it's someone you
know and love that's.
Speaker 5 (24:27):
Giving you like harsh feedback, then I would be a
lot more upset because I'm like, oh, they actually know me,
you know, as a person, whereas I'm like, who is
Joe blogs from Timaru? That's like telling me I didn't
do a very good job on that last break. I'm like,
do I really care?
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Not really, So I've.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Got to the stage where so much of it that's happened
over the years and now we're on the hats, which
is actually, to be fair, a wonderfully lovely audience on
the most part. But now I read a lot of
them as sark. They was so good, and I'm like,
you know, because years of years of people telling you opposite.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
So you just automatically think about They're like, no, I
think they actually like.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
What we did. It's a weird feeling.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
It's also really weird, like and I don't see Enna's generation.
Your generation would be way better at this, But I
feel like our generation ben Sometimes in text we take
it a certain way and it could actually be completely different.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Emoji's are great, which.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
They really are. I feel like an emoji really conveys
the mood.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Yeah, can we talk briefly anxiety, because I've seen something
that you know, work your way through a lot of
the time, and myself having to do that as well.
It's kind of like you put it well in your
book about your brain at war with yourself sometimes.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
Yeah, it really I feel like my brain is a
wild animal. Most of the time. I've got it, you know, cage,
and it's well fed and hydrated, and then there's times
where it gets out of the cage and there's just
no controlling it. It's kind of like if you go
to rodeo and you see when the bull gets released
from the shop and it just goes absolutely berserk, and
(26:06):
then afterwards the ball comes down and they put it
back in its pen and all that kind of thing.
But it's such a hard one, you know, because I
feel like so many people experience anxiety these days, and
it can be from anything, and it's a really hard
one to manage, I think because I feel like your
(26:28):
brain changes over time. So I'm constantly trying to manage
my anxiety and use different tools and different ways to
do that. But the best way I can describe anxiety
for people listening who might not have it is an
anxious brain works like say you have a thought, and
(26:50):
we all have thoughts, you know, say it's a situation
at work where you're like, oh, you know what if
they said that because of this? You know, it's not
a real thought. It's just something that your brain has created.
And then for anxiety, the way it looks like for
me is so I'll have that thought. A normal person
or someone that doesn't have anxiety will go, oh, but
(27:11):
that's not real, so I'll put that away, don't need
to think about it. Whereas like me, if I'm anxious
about something, I'll have that thought and then that thought
gets bigger and I'll be like, oh, well, if that's real,
then that could happen. And if that's real, then that
could happen. And it turns into this uncontrollable beast where
(27:33):
it's so hard to bring your brain back down to reality.
But there's different things that I do in my life
to make it easier for me not to even get
those thoughts or have you know that kind of wild
animal relief exercise, you know, eating properly, having time with
my partner and my dogs, and spending time with friends
(27:56):
and doing all those kind of things and speaking to people.
My mum is probably the best person because she knows
me so well. Where if I do have those anxious
thoughts and they get kind of out of control, or
call my mom and she'll be like, Brianna, She goes,
you're just you know, making these things, any of these
things actual real? Is the you know reality in any
(28:17):
of it? And I'm like no, And she knows how
to speak to me. And I think it's great having
those people around you that you know, can talk you
off that anxious ledge that you're on.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
This is when I grow up.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
You get a TV posting role and one of the
biggest reality TV shows in New Zealand Celebrity Choose your Island,
not thinking you'd land the role because of the way
you look and talk, but you smashed it well.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
I think you know.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
I can see you doing it one day. Actually, please
don't take my job, or I might want to give
it to you one day. We'll talk later after this contract.
Growing up, I never saw anyone like me on TV,
and I never thought about doing TV. It wasn't like
on my list of things I wanted to achieve.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
But I remember when I.
Speaker 5 (29:12):
Got the opportunity to go audition, I was like, Oh,
this is great to put myself outside my.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Comfort zone and to do this. And then when they
told me that I'd got the job, there's those.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Anxious thoughts and I was just kind of like, oh,
my god, Like, I'm how am I going to do this?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I've never done TV. Do they know I've never done
TV before? My god, this's going to be bad. It's
going to be a disaster.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
But it's something I'm super proud of because it doesn't
come supernaturally to me. But here we are, six seasons later,
and I'm so proud of every season I've done because
I do have to work so hard.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
And you talk about that in the book again. Yeah,
I'm saying about impostera syndrome, which is something I was
explaining to see any the other day what that means.
You know, when you've you've got you're in a position,
but the doubts in your head, You're like, welly am
I doing this? Does someone else better than me? Do
they all know that someone else? You know? All the
and then that can knock your confidence too, even before
you start.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
Absolutely and on a show like Celebrity Treasure Island, it's
not a bunch of you know, everyday people coming from
you know, different jobs, an accountant job and all this
kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
It's all these people who are in the industry.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
So the first day is always terrifying because I'm like,
all these people are gonna see me, you know, doing
this live and just be like, oh, could do a
bit of job, and they probably.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Can't guess what I've got.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
The job not you.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Yeah, it's quite it is quite new wracking for sure.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Well, with Celebrity tis Your Island, do you ever feel
guilty when you get to go to your hotel, nice
food or the celebrity stay on the beach with the
mosquitoes and be freezing carls.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
There is times where I do feel a little bit guilty.
Something that happens on the show. It always tends to
happen where you're not allowed to eat in front of
the contestants.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
That is like a rule on set.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
The terms like wild animals.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Oh yeah, they're so hungry.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
You're so hungry, So it is a rule you and
not allowed to eat in front of the contestants.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
But it's all It always ends up being like.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
Off Cabra, where the contestants will be like, hey, Brie,
what did you have for dinner last time? We just
want to vicariously leave some of your food, and so
it's always an interesting one. But I think the thing
I don't feel bad about is they kind of just
get to be themselves there, whereas I'm working my butt off,
(31:29):
you know, I'm doing I'm up at five point thirty
in here and makeup, catching a boat, wading through water
to get to set. Then I'm on set for how
many hours, get home at seven o'clock, make some dinner
for myself, and then learn lines for three hours, you know.
And that's just a constant thing for three and a
half weeks. So I feel bad, yes, but then I'm
(31:49):
also working really hard myself, So yeah, I mean it's
one of those things where I'm like, I would love
to be a contestant on that show.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
That's the hardest thing about hosting.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Celebrity Treasure Island, just wanting to be a consistent.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Wanting to compete with the inside like yeah, and you're
you know you're competing.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
You're good at sports, you got Tila.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
If they have Tim Biboli, Equiplash and Treasure Island, I'll
be devastated.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
Now you have recently found out you have ADHD, finding
it hard to focus and offer it as you're saying,
chaos inside your head.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Is it helpful now that you found out you have it?
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (32:27):
I feel like it was quite a hard process to
go through where you know, you think of yourself as
you know, your brain being one thing, and then you
learn this massive thing about yourself when I was thirty something,
and you kind.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Of grieve the old you. So you kind of grieve
who you thought you used to be.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
And it's it's a really weird thing because you kind
of look at your past through a different lens, like
all these different situations where you're kind of like, you know,
so I thought about, you know, how I always struggled
through school or university. Yeah, gotcha, And I'd always leave
things till last minute and then be absolutely hyper focused
(33:11):
and be able to get everything done. But it didn't
come with you know, obviously pressure and everything else on.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Top of it.
Speaker 5 (33:18):
So absolutely, I think it's been one of the best
things for me in the last how many years to
again learn more about how I am as a person,
how my brain functions differently, you know, and what I
need compared to someone else. And I think it's made
me be a lot kinder to myself in certain situations.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
Well, it probably does show you how you need to
learn something or how you need you need to take
you know, there's no shame in taking medication and things
like that, or like that I get to do this
because this is why my brain operates that way.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Yeah, instead of getting super frustrated with yourself, you know,
as as we naturally do as humans, where.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
I'm like, why can't I do this?
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (33:58):
You know, so instead of that, I'll kind of reset
and be like, hold on a second, you just need
to find a different a different way to get to
the destination that'll be easier.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
For your brain, you know. And it's actually helped me
a lot.
Speaker 5 (34:12):
So it's been it's been pretty amazing, awesome, that's very cool.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
We also have so many followers on social media as well.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
We love the videos you do with your mom, Mama die.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
You don't watch all of them.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Every time you embarrass her?
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Do you think I should continue to keep embarrassing my
dad or social media?
Speaker 5 (34:36):
To abs Africa, it's my favorite theme, and I think
you need to get more gritty with it.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Absolutely, I've got a few ideas.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
I love, you know, I love showcasing my mom's and
my relationship, and it's the same with like when I
watch you guys, and it's showcasing you know, a difference
sort of relationship of maybe not what you thought parents
sibling relationship would be, which I think is really cool.
And I always get messages from people where they're like, oh,
(35:11):
this is exactly how my mum and I are, and
you know it's I think it's awesome because as the
world changes and we kind of move forward, I think
there's so many different ways a parent and a child
relationship can look.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
So I think it's really cool to show that.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
All right, before we go, some quick fire questions to
find out about this.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Yes, I've heard about this, this or.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
That dogs or cats.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Dogs.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
I love cats too, but the names.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Yeah, Whitney Houston and Meryl Street radio or TV radio, writing.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
A book for the immediacy for the first love. I mean,
you're obviously so great at both.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
But yeah, yeah, for there's I mean, I love both of.
Speaker 5 (35:57):
Them for different reasons, but I I love that I
feel like I don't have to try and work as
hard in radio.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
It comes a little bit more naturally.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
I think writing a book or making celebrities battle on
Treasure Island o Tosure.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Island because bo writing a book is hard, real hard.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Having your phone always at one percent battery or having
super slow Wi Fi forever?
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Wait, so I have to have one percent battery forever? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Does it?
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Does it just stay flaggy?
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (36:33):
I think I'd have to go the one percent battery
because I love watching movies and TV shows. Yeah, and
I don't want to go back to you know, VHS.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
As fun as that was. H's a videotape.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Queensland win State of Origin or Warriors when the n.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
R st right?
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Now, you know what Queensland? I could I could go
a year for them not winning, to see the Queensland
you know, yeah? What eight years in a row that
they've had that moment. I want to see the warriors
and you know what, I just want to see New
Zealand have that moment as a country as well.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
Get behind the boys are warriors five.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Minutes late or thirty minutes early, thirty minutes early jendles
or thongs, thongs texting.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Or calling texting.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
And also they're just telling you how many unreadable.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
Your book as well your lots? Do you want to know?
Speaker 5 (37:38):
Let's have a look text messages. I've got four hundred
and six unread unread.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
I can't have one if there's like a little bubble,
get away, get away.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
But then he does get out of hands sometimes yeah, yeah,
you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Well she doesn't know d h and emails two and
ninety six.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
Do like a like a Sunday alright to get to
the emails.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
Absolutely my emails just I just delete them all.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
I've got a better things to do.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Telling a rude joke to your mum or passing wind
in front of your mouth, tell you tell your rude joke.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Australia or New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Somewhere in the middle of the Tasman.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Doing a great prank or doing a good radio chat.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
Oh damn, really tough.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
I do.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
I do call myself self proclaimed prank queen.
Speaker 5 (38:36):
Oh god, I love when a good prank comes off,
you know, a great radio prank.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
And only having chan.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
Tatum Channing Tatum follow you on social media or doing
this podcast, doing this podcast.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Come on, he left me on scene.
Speaker 4 (38:55):
You had correspondents, and.
Speaker 5 (38:57):
Then he wrote back to me and then I left
him on. So treat a man keeping free.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
Thank you so much for your time today and sharing
your story here and.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
In your book.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
It will help so many people.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
And finally, what would you tell your thirteen year old
or fourteen year old self?
Speaker 5 (39:12):
What would I tell my thirteen or fourteen year old self?
Just never take anything too seriously because life's already pretty serious,
and just be yourself because when you're completely yourself, everything
else will fall into place.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
That's awesome. Thank you so much for thanking me so much.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
Thank you guys so much. And I just want to
say I'm so proud of you, Sienna, and I love
what you guys are doing and I love you guys
relationship and I just think it's so cool and I
wish you all the best.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Free is so awesome, eh, And we're so so proud
of her for sharing her story in her book.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
You're really brave what she's done. But it will help
so many other people and hopefully they'll have the courage
to live their way they want to love and be free.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
Yeah, and now that you know all this about Brie,
take you for a little bit bad that we gave
her so much grief for signing up for that PlayStation game.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
No, not at all. She made a sign up for
this game and she's really good at the game. That's
the only reason why she signed up made a sign
up for it.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Was again to look at thirty dollar game exactly.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
And then she made Mad timp and Bowling that other time,
which we talked about and she studied it. Me who
studies timp and bowling at school.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
We hope you got a lot out of our chat
with Bree, and if you want to follow, it would
mean the world.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
That's right, We'll be back again with another inspirational woman
next episode, and hopefully seeing it you can work out
who you want to be when you grow up.