Growing Kiwis with Claire Williamson

In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, we sit down with Tina Heffer, owner of The Birdcage in Te Awamutu, to chat about the realities of building a business, backing yourself and finding your feet through the ups and downs of business ownership. Now in her 13th year running The Birdcage, Tina shares the lessons she’s learnt along the way from the early challenges of cash flow and figuring t...

What does it really take to back yourself, build a business from scratch, and keep going when things don’t go to plan? In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, Claire sits down with Jean Krielen, founder of SignLogic, to chat about her journey from working in the signage industry to building her own business from a mate’s garage into an established team of five — recently recognised with a Wa...

Louise Gibson is a self described side quest queen, and once you hear her story you understand why. She runs a consultancy, a co working space, an Airbnb and a 110 hectare dairy farm, all while raising two boys with her husband Keith. In this yarn she is refreshingly no bullshit about the things that shaped her, losing both her parents young, building toward farm ownership with no family handout,...

Brigitta Warren is the founder of Recruit Net, a Hamilton-based recruitment agency built on long-term relationships, trust, and deep industry knowledge. Moving to New Zealand from South Africa at 18, Brigitta studied science before taking an unexpected turn into recruitment while working in a London research lab. After spending 13.5 years helping scale a major firm and managing their Waikato branc...

Episode summary Grant Johnson is the co founder and CEO of Rocketspark, the website platform built in Cambridge that now powers thousands of businesses in New Zealand and around the world. In this yarn Claire and Grant trace the whole journey, from packing shoes at Reebok and ski bumming in Canada to starting a software company from a spare room in Spain with $5,000 from each of four founders. The...

Episode Overview In this episode, we sit down with Isabelle "Izzy" Zitzelberger, the driving force behind Wild Chix —a New Zealand business empowering women to build confidence and independence in hunting, fishing, boating, and diving. Izzy shares her journey from moving to NZ from Germany to overcoming breast cancer, taking the leap out of a secure corporate role in the marine industry, and foste...

What happens when you stop worrying about having the perfect plan and simply stay curious? In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, Claire sits down with Carrie Andrews — farmer, business owner, creative, mum and the woman behind Wholly Cow, for a conversation about building a life and business around curiosity, community and simply giving things a good crack. Carrie and her husband Tom start...

Episode summary Tayler Paterson is the co-owner of Homebrew Coffee, a Waikato coffee business that has grown from a $204 first day in Cambridge into six locations and a team of 25. Tayler and her husband Blair set out to build something they genuinely loved, with a big goal of five locations in five years — and plenty of lessons learned along the way. In this episode, Tayler opens up about what it...

Episode summary Nate Alley is the owner of Sentinel Homes Waikato, Business & Leadership Coach at Roar Coaching, and a dad to two young girls, Hayden and Carter. From a childhood spent figuring things out without a father figure to building a successful construction business and bringing long-term team members into equity ownership, Nate’s path has been fueled by drive, grit, and a constant pu...

Abbey Boobyer is the founder of Prosper Business, a Cambridge-based accounting practice built around small business owners who want more than tax returns. Before Prosper, Abbey and her husband Rich spent seven years building Love Club Hire, a furniture and marquee hire business they started on their wedding day and sold when the season was right. Recorded with Abbey's newborn daughter Billy making...

Sam Douglas is a director of Foley Douglas, a Hamilton law firm he co-founded with Aasha Foley in 2017, before rebranding in 2025. Sam is a property law specialist accredited by the New Zealand Law Society and a general practitioner who describes himself as the family GP of the legal world, dealing with what most people actually need and sending them to a specialist when they do not. With a team o...

Cherie Osbaldiston is the founder of Pulse Property Management, a boutique property management agency covering Matamata, South Waikato, Te Aroha and the surrounding provincial areas. After 15 years working her way from receptionist to general manager at a Hamilton firm, Cherie left to start her own business in a town where nobody knew her, with nothing but 17 years of experience and an absolute re...

Episode summary Jonathan Brown, known as JB, co-founded BCD Group, a planning and engineering consultancy that grew to 125 staff and five offices across New Zealand before he exited in his late 30s. After a series of profound personal losses, Jonathan retrained as a qualified counsellor and life coach, and now runs Big Picture Coaching and Counselling, working with everyone from kids navigating sc...

Brit Stembridge is the founder of Tomtit Farm, a certified organic market garden and flower farm in Matangi, Waikato. After years in academic research, Brit walked away from a PhD path to start growing food on a flat paddock, building Tomtit Farm into a thriving community supported agriculture business through nothing but seeds, soil and showing up. This episode covers the courage to swap a safe a...

Annmarie Hughes is an equine dentist and the founder of Aspin and Co, a New Zealand owned luxury equestrian apparel brand she launched while on maternity leave. Originally from North Wales, Annmarie built a career in equine dentistry in the Waikato before spotting a gap in the market between cheap throwaway riding gear and expensive European imports. This episode covers the courage to launch a bus...

In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, we sit down with Rose Kennedy, founder of Rose's Dining Table, to talk about creativity, authenticity, motherhood, and building a business that reflects your values. Rose shares the journey behind creating a brand that has become known for bringing people together around the table, creating meaningful experiences, and celebrating genuine connection. We...

Content Warning: In this episode, Abby shares a deeply personal experience involving her fathers suicide and loss. The conversation is approached with sensitivity and compassion, but we wanted to make listeners aware in case this topic feels difficult or triggering. EPISODE SUMMARY Abby Van Schreven spent 14 years building the fashion label Maaike before closing it and starting again, this time he...

Episode summary Duncan Leask is one of those people who just got stuck in and built something brilliant. In a little over five years he has grown Optiplumb into one of the Waikato's standout trades businesses, and in this episode he shares exactly how, and why none of it means much without the life around it. We talk about the obsession with numbers that underpins everything he does, the grit that...

In this episode of Growing Kiwis, we sit down with Angela March, founder of Brainchild, an award-winning PR and reputation agency helping businesses across New Zealand build trust, tell meaningful stories, and connect with the audiences that matter most. Angela shares her journey from a gap year in the UK to building a successful business in the Waikato, while balancing motherhood, leadership, and...

In this episode of the Growing Kiwis , Claire chats with Ben Woodgates, communications professional, community builder, and founder of Hello Hamilton. Ben shares his journey from growing up in Northland to building one of Hamilton’s most positive local communities, along with the experiences that shaped his passion for communication, connection and creating impact. Together, they explore community...

There's something really special about rural New Zealand. The people, the land, the way communities show up for each other. In this episode, we sit down with Fran Bailey for one of those conversations that just leaves you feeling good. We talk about what makes rural communities so unique - the table, the food, the belonging, and the kind of resilience you only really find in farming life. Fran gre...

In this episode of Growing Kiwis, we sit down with David Remmerswaal, digital marketer, founder of Dimple Digital, and one of Cambridge’s most community-driven business owners for a raw and energising conversation about what it really looks like to build a business and a life on your own terms. David shares his journey from growing up in Rotorua through his parents’ business going into liquidation...

In this episode of The Growing Kiwis , we sit down with Andrew Miller, a leadership coach, dad of four, and all-round good human for an honest and insightful conversation about life, leadership, and showing up as yourself. Andrew shares his journey growing up as the youngest of five and how those early experiences shaped the way he connects with people today. We dive into what real leadership look...

In this episode of Growing Kiwis, Claire sits down with Jason Tiller for a raw, honest, and energising conversation about what it really takes to grow through change. From hospitality kitchens and rural sales calls to building his own consultancy and co-founding a global wellness platform, Jason’s journey is anything but linear. They unpack the power of relationships in business, the reality behin...

In this episode of Growing Kiwis, we sit down with Gemma Slack for a grounded and honest conversation about burnout, identity shifts, and coming back to yourself. Gemma is a breathwork facilitator, leadership coach, and mum, and she shares her journey from high-performance startup life into a more embodied, intentional way of living. Shaped by motherhood, nervous system awareness, and deep persona...