Hunger & Heart with Kaila Colbin

Tori Moorby has been dominating the javelin throw in New Zealand since March of 2014 when she first broke the New Zealand record. She was just 19 years old. Since then, she's broken her own record over and over again, currently sitting at an astonishing 63.26 meters.  In this episode, Tori talks about: Her insatiable ambition. Why she doesn't like team sports. The first person she calls after...

Sam Whitelock was the fastest player ever to reach 100 international appearances, the youngest New Zealander to reach 100 tests and one of just 44 men in the world to win a Rugby World Cup more than once. In this episode, Sam talks about: How his father deliberately cultivated Sam's rugby intellect The real reason he's obsessed with body language The trick he would use to get the most out of Israe...

Pulling key moments from the original conversations, Kaila shares the most powerful insights and themes that have emerged from the first three months of the podcast. She covers: The role of obsession in high performance The essential ingredient that allows a coach to get more from their athletes (and a leader to get more from their team) What we’re looking for when we strive for big things Hunger...

Christie Jenkins was number one in Australia and top 10 in the world in not one, not two, but THREE sports: trampolining, CrossFit and beach volleyball.  She is currently the Managing Director of Techstars Sydney, investing in 12 super early-stage startups every year.  In this episode, Christie talks about: Her obsession with feedback How we set leaders up to fail in the workplace, and&n...

Mea Motu is a professional boxer, nicknamed “The NightMea”. She's a five-time national champion across four weight classes — the most titles held by any female Kiwi boxer. In 2023, she captured the IBO World Super Bantamweight crown, defending it twice. This past January, she challenged Unified Champion Ellie Scotney in the UK in an historic bout for four major belts. She recorded her first profes...

Adam Nicholls is a professor at the University of Hull. He researches the factors that predict doping among adolescent athletes, as well as how athletes cope and manage their emotions. His research has been funded by organisations including the International Olympic Committee and The World Anti-Doping Agency. He also won the silver medal in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the 2021 British Open.. In this ep...

Norm Maxwell, Crusader #21, is not your ordinary rugby player. At 1.98m tall but weighing just 90kg, the lock quickly gained a reputation for being an extremely physical player. Having struggled physically and mentally with the demands of early professional rugby, Norm now works to add wellbeing back into performance. Norm is a former All Black and was the fourth ever inductee to the Crusaders Hal...

Sir Graham “Ted” Henry led the All Blacks to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup and was named IRB Coach of the Year a record five times . He was also responsible for New Zealand’s worst ever performance at a Rugby World Cup. In this episode, Ted talks about: The coaching loss that is etched in his brain The relationship between invincibility and disaster How to build a culture of being the best in the w...

Shea McAleese is a 4x Olympic hockey player, has won silver and bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, and is the third most capped player in New Zealand history. In this episode, Shea talks about: The difference between forward-facing culture and intrinsic culture. What it looks like to put everything on the line for your team. How to train for pressure. Subscribe now to get notified as soon as...

This week, we talk to Julia George. Julia works in one of the most competitive environments in the world. She is the Director of Partnerships at Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology, where she leads a team of over 30 people who manage one of F1’s biggest partnership portfolios. In this episode, Julia talks about: Why she doesn’t describe herself as compassionate. How to thrive in an environment...

This week, we talk to Joe Kennedy, the Director of Athletics and Sports Leadership at the Obama Presidential Center. Joe is a lifelong basketball player, coach, and civics leader. He coached in the NBA. He worked directly with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on initiatives like the Let's Move Campaign. He launched All Vote No Play — a movement focused on increasing student-athlete vo...

This week, we talk to Katie Sadleir, an absolute titan in global sport. Katie is a former Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete, was General Manager of Women's Rugby for World Rugby, and is currently Chief Executive of Commonwealth Sport. In this episode, Katie talks about: What the most successful coaches have in common How she took World Rugby’s council from 0% to 40% women in a year The bombsh...

This week, we talk to Sir Wayne Smith, a true legend in the world of rugby. Smithy won three Rugby World Cups and, along with Todd Blackadder and Justin Marshall, was one of the first three inductees to the Crusaders Hall of Fame.  In this episode, Smithy talks about: What he learned from spit. Why training is better with chaos. Why Sir Graham Henry refused to ride on the Black Ferns team bus...

This week, we talk to Chelsea Lane, a game-changer in high-performance sport. Chelsea was Vice President of Player Performance and Sports Medicine at the Atlanta Hawks and Executive Director for Performance and Sports Medicine at the Golden State Warriors. In this episode, Chelsea talks about: Why she thinks her job is to "manipulate people for a living." How she gets people to do things that are...

This week, we talk to Sarah Robb O'Hagan, renowned business leader and CEO, known for transforming iconic brands like Gatorade and Equinox while inspiring peak performance through her platform, ExtremeYOU. After experiencing burnout for herself and seeing it in others in her team, Sarah drew inspiration from elite athletes to pioneer a new approach in workplace wellness. In this episode, Sarah tal...

Our guest today is Rebecca “Bex” Smith. Bex is a former World Cup and Olympic footballer. She managed the women's competition at FIFA and was global executive director of the Women's game for COPA 90. She currently runs her own consultancy on the women's game and female athletes called Crux Sports.  In this episode, we talk about the differences in the women's game and the men's game, what it...

Our guest today is Sir John James Patrick Kirwan, aka JK. He is renowned as a mental health advocate, former rugby union and rugby league player, and former rugby union coach. JK was part of the New Zealand All Blacks team that won the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. He's also written two books, "All Blacks Don't Cry" and "Stand by Me".  We talk about the myth of balance. You'll find out why h...

It’s official: Season one of Hunger & Heart launches Wednesday 2 April. The podcast features raw, powerful conversations between Boma CEO Kaila Colbin and extraordinary leaders who have pushed boundaries in often uncomfortable ways: Sir John Kirwan – Mental health champion and All Blacks legend Rebecca "Bex" Smith – Former Olympic and World Cup footballer Sarah Robb O’Hagan – Former Global Pre...

Introducing Hunger & Heart, a podcast about the intersection of wild ambition and fierce compassion, hosted by entrepreneur Kaila Colbin. Kaila tackles the myth that you can either empathise or get the job done, but not both. She talks to people who have managed to perform at the absolute highest level while still holding tightly to their values — specifically, sportspeople — revealing insight...