the me.vibes podcast

What happens when you know something needs to change, but you’re frightened of who you’ll be without it? In this episode of me.vibes, I sit down with my friend Juana Vincent for an honest, emotional and often very funny conversation about self-worth, sobriety, and learning to feel at home in yourself. Juana shares how drinking became woven into her everyday life and identity, and the moment she fo...

“If I tell people I have bipolar, will they still want to work with me?” Seven weeks after my diagnosis, this was one of the questions I brought to my conversation with Katie Rickson, writer, speaker and the person behind Business in the Bath . Katie was diagnosed ten years ago, and her pocket book, 30 Things I’d Like You to Know About Bipolar , has helped me put words to experiences I’ve struggle...

I’m usually the one asking the questions. This time, it’s just me, sharing a little more of what’s been happening behind the scenes. After opening up about my bipolar diagnosis in my conversation with Rach Matters, I felt there was more I wanted to say. In this solo episode, I talk about the relief of beginning to understand myself, the parts of struggling that other people don’t always see, and h...

Ever been told you’re “too generalist”? That your experience is too broad, your interests too varied, or your career needs to make a little more sense on paper? This conversation might feel like a very welcome exhale. Today I’m joined by Rachel, a chief of staff whose career spans executive assistant roles, project management and business operations, including her time at Linktree. The breadth of...

“I was really scared, but I did it anyway.” Seven-year-old Maddie says this about singing alongside children older than her, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. In this episode of me.vibes, my best friend’s daughter joins me to talk about moving from Wellington to Sydney: saying goodbye to friends, starting a new school, and bringing her precious toy, Cuddly, along for the adventure. We grown...

We’re getting very good at asking AI questions. But how often do we question what we’re giving it? In this episode of me.vibes, I sit down with Amber Taylor , founder of Native Sentient, whose work brings together Indigenous systems thinking, AI governance and the experience of building digital infrastructure. We talk about what happens behind the screen: who controls our data, whose perspectives...

Atawhai Tipene became a mum at 14. Today, she’s raising three children, running businesses, mentoring other entrepreneurs and creating tools that work with the way her brain works. We talk about her experience of ADHD, the ideas and hyperfocus that fuel her work, and the systems she’s built to make room for both business and family. We also get into being misunderstood at school, the stereotypes s...

What happens when the life behind the LinkedIn profile is far messier than the job title suggests? In this episode, I sit down with my friend David, whose career has taken him from Auckland to Hong Kong, London and back again—into global leadership roles supporting teams around the world. But this isn’t the polished version of his story. David shares what happened when he moved overseas for a rela...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast, Maria talks with Veronika, a photographer, artist, creative, surfer and mother whose work is grounded in people, movement, colour, energy and connection. Maria and Veronika first met during a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat, although their memories of how their friendship began are not entirely aligned. Apparently, ten days of silence still leaves plen...

Money is awkward. Debt can feel shameful. And being told you’re “too much” or “too weird”? Apparently, that’s a personality review nobody asked for. In this episode of the me.vibes podcast, I sit down with Sasha Lockley, co-founder of Money Sweetspot, for an honest, funny and occasionally sweary conversation about money, the stories we inherit, and building something that actually gives a shit abo...

What does it really take to build a life that feels rich, not just one that looks successful from the outside? In this episode, I sit down with one of my very best friends, Maddie, for a very honest and very funny conversation about money, motherhood, property and creating a life on your own terms. Maddie and her husband, Nick, have built homes, renovated properties, raised three children and made...

What happens when you build the business you dreamed about as a child, and then life forces you to stop? In this episode, I sit down with Gemma Lee, founder and designer of Gemma Lee Wetsuits, a women’s oceanwear brand bringing colour, femininity and joy to a line-up that has looked like a rather dramatic colony of seals for far too long. Gemma shares how she turned her university collection into...

My guest today told me, mid-interview, that he needed to go get his book. Then showed me a Lego hammer. Then revealed he is not actually a kid, he's a dragon kid, and apparently I should have noticed the glowing light when he was born. After my episode with Urzila Carlson, my seven-year-old son Luca informed me that he is also famous (Nature Baby model, age three, thank you very much) and that...

The Square Wheel Problem There's a guy riding a bike with square wheels. Someone offers him round ones. He waves them off, "Too busy, can't stop." That's basically every workplace's relationship with AI right now, and it's the moment that stuck with me most from this conversation. I sat down with Theresa Wells, digital transformation and AI leader at GHD, for a conver...

Earlier this year, I was knitting in the dark. Literally. Chronic migraines meant no screens, no music, no reading, just me, two needles, and trying to finish something small enough to feel like a win. So when Shanti looked me in the eyes at a local event and said, "I see you", I knew I had to have her on. Because she's been in her own version of that darkness, too. Severe anxiety so bad she could...

This is one of the most special conversations I have had on me.vibes, so special, in fact, that I quietly kept it to myself for a little while before sharing it. In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Urzila Carlson for a conversation that is funny, honest, deep, and beautifully human. We talk about comedy, trauma, success, privacy, motherhood, immigration, building a career from the grou...

This episode is a little bit glitchy , and I promise, this time it was not me over-editing it within an inch of its life. Kate from Oria Skin would be proud. I genuinely think it was the tool I used, so please give me grace and pretend we are all just sitting in a slightly chaotic wellness lounge with matcha and good intentions. In this episode of the me.vibes podcast, I chat with the beautiful Re...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast , Maria sits down with her husband, Nigel Abercrombie, surfer, dad, landscaper, broken-ankled legend, and the heart behind Sustainable Scapes . Recorded while Nigel was lying in the office with a pink glitter cast after a surfing injury, this conversation is honest, funny and full of the real stuff that comes with building a business from the ground up. Mari...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast , Maria sits down with Courtney Henderson , founder of Think Folk , a boutique marketing and communications business based in Hawke’s Bay. Courtney shares her journey from working in marketing roles across New Zealand, the UK and Australia, to starting her own business after becoming a mum of three. We talk about ambition, motherhood, identity, marketing, co...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast , Maria sits down with Francesca Alexander for a bold, funny and deeply energising conversation about social media, AI, visibility and what it really means to build a personal brand as a woman in business. Francesca shares her journey from Los Angeles to New Zealand, from corporate skincare and social media strategy to building Social Global Grind, Hustle &a...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast , Maria sits down with Clarke Ching, author, bottleneck thinker, Theory of Constraints expert, and all-round brilliant brain, for a conversation about business, leadership, AI, decision-making, and why being busy is not always the flex we think it is. Maria first came across Clarke’s work through Rolling Rocks Downhill , a book that shaped how she thinks abo...

What happens when you take the brain behind New Zealand’s Naked Bus and point it at AI? In this episode, Hamish Nuttall and I talk about stripping away everything customers don’t need, building systems that actually work, and why an AI “receptionist” might be the most practical tool small businesses can adopt right now. We dive into: How Naked Bus went from 3 riders on day one to 40% market share...

Hey beautiful people, this episode is a little bit different. I’m taking you behind the scenes of something very real: what it’s actually been like to start this podcast. From recording episodes in secret… to feeling completely cringe hitting “publish”… to realising no one is coming to give you permission, you have to give it to yourself. This is an honest, unfiltered chat about: Starting before y...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Kate from Oria Skin, and I loved this conversation so much. We talk about building a product you truly believe in, the reality of rebranding, growing a business while raising kids, and learning to do things in a way that protects your joy. Kate is incredibly grounded, thoughtful, and refreshingly honest about what it takes to build something meaningful without ge...

In this episode of the me.vibes podcast, I’m joined by Justin Flitter - one of New Zealand’s leading voices in AI - for a real, practical conversation about what AI actually means for business right now. We get into the reality behind the hype, where so many businesses are getting stuck, and what it really looks like to use AI in a way that feels useful, human, and grounded. Justin shares why most...