Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett

This week, Paula is joined by children's entertainment legend, and recent King's Birthday honoree, Suzy Cato. They dig into Suzy's career in front of the camera and what impact that's had on her life, and get her advice for connecting with children. Plus, Suzy discusses how she got through some of the tough times in her life - including being made redundant at the height of her popularity - and in...

This week, Paula's guest is Dr Ivor Popovich, an intensive care doctor in Auckland. He has worked across different hospitals and specialities for the last 10 years and will fully qualify as a specialist in August, but he has had first-hand knowledge of the state of our health system in that time.  He has written a book - A Dim Prognosis: Our Health System in Crisis – and a Doctor&r...

This week, Paula's guest is Silver Fern turned commentator, broadcaster and Breakfast co-host, Jenny-May Clarkson. She discusses her new memoir, Full Circle, and her life story - from her rural upbringing, losing two of her brothers, her time with the Silver Ferns, moving into broadcasting, becoming a mum to twin boys in her 40s, and how she came to claim back her Māori identity.  See omnystu...

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef and businesswoman Nadia Lim. They discuss her successful career as a chef, author, farm owner and founder of My Food Bag, and how Nadia has capitalised on the opportunities in her life to get where she is today - and what she has learnt from the risks she took and the mistakes she made along the way. Easy Weeknight Meals - 10th Anniversary Edition is in b...

This week, Paula's guest is motivational speaker and author Jake Bailey. They discuss his cancer diagnosis nearly 10 years ago and the viral speech that followed it, and how that has shaped his life since - and why he is ready for that part of his story to no longer define him. And Jake offers advice he has learned for overcoming adversity - and how to not only be resilient, but how to thrive duri...

This week, Paula's guest is Matilda Green, who has recently started as the fill-in host on The Hits Drive show. They discuss 10 years since she appeared on The Bachelor and found love with her husband-to-be, Art, and how that experience has changed her life. She shares advice for living your life on social media, and how to get a handle on people's perceptions and misconceptions of you.  See...

This week, Paula's guest is Australian author, Trent Dalton, who returns to Auckland for a special talk about his acclaimed career, including Boy Swallows Universe.  They discuss how his life story influenced his debut novel, what his family thinks about being a part of his fiction, meeting his idol Eddie Veder, and he shares his advice for being optimistic and why he doesn't think it's naive...

This week, Paula's guest is comedian and TV host, Guy Williams. They dig into his ADHD diagnosis, why his family is full of a lot of performers, his time spent on our screens, and his new standup show, If You Mildly Criticise Me I’ll Say It’s Cancel Culture and Turn To The Alt-Right. And Guy digs into his TV show, New Zealand Today, why he likes visiting small towns, and how he approac...

This week, Paula's guest is award-winning actress Rebecca Gibney. They talk about her career in New Zealand and Australia, her favourite roles, receiving Australian TV's highest honour, and her new show on Three, Happiness. And Rebecca shares advice she's learnt from decades in the TV industry, and why at 60 she is not slowing down.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef and TV presenter, Manu Feildel. They discuss his upbringing in France and his early days as a chef and in the hospitality industry, and his breakout role as a judge on My Kitchen Rules - including his best tip for trying to impress the judges. He also shares tips and recommendations he picked up filming his new show, Off the Grid, that saw him and Colin F...

This week, Paula's guest is former broadcaster and author Ali Mau. They discuss her career and her life lived in the public eye, before discussing her new memoir, No Words, and the revelations she made about being sexually abused as a child, and how that has informed her advocacy for survivors and her new charity work. WARNING: This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse. SEXUAL HARM Where to...

WARNING: This episode discusses mental health, depression and suicide. This week, Paula's guest is former police negotiator turned mental health advocate Lance Burdett. They discuss his career in the force, and why he believes his experiences with depression helped him in his role. And they discuss advice for surviving with anxiety in anxious world, an area Lance has focused on in his new book, An...

This week, Paula's guest is comedian and co-host of TVNZ's Endangered Species Aotearoa, Pax Assadi. They discuss his role on the show and how he makes the difficult subject matter funny and engaging - something Assadi has been doing his whole career. He also shares his experience of being raised by his immigrant parents and how things have changed since he was a child.  See omnystudio.com/lis...

This week, Paula's guest is Theophila Pratt. Born Honey Faithful in the Christian community of Gloriavale, Theophila never fit in, changing her name at 16 and eventually leaving at 18. She has shared her story in a new book, Unveiled, in hope it will help the women in Gloriavale and bring those in power to account. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, who last month returned to work after treatment for breast cancer. She discusses the turbulent period for her party and how her diagnosis and treatment clashed with all of this, and she gives insights into how she got through it all - including getting advice from Nikki Kaye.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Paula's back for a new season, and her guest this week is multi-hyphenated entertainer, Hayley Sproull. They discuss Hayley's many gigs - including her upcoming role as host of the NZ International Comedy Festival Gala - and how she handles all these jobs. Plus, Hayley discusses how being honest has become a key part of her brand, the state of the local comedy industry, and if she thinks she could...

This week, for the last episode of the year, Paula is joined by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to discuss his first year in office and what he's learned in the country's top job. He also discusses where his values come from, how he keeps being PM separate from his family life, and how he copes with criticism.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef, Chelsea Winter. They discuss how Masterchef changed her life, life in the public eye, and her move towards plant-based diets and the backlash she got for that. Chelsea shares her advice for having a stress-free Christmas when it comes to those big family meals. Her new cookbook, Tasty, is in stores now.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

This week, Paula's guest is Scott Cam, the host of The Block Australia. They discuss the latest season, airing now on Three, and his thoughts on how contestants have changed over the years, before Scott gives his advice for those planning their own home renovations.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and suicidal thoughts. This week, Paula's guest is boxing champion Mea Motu for an emotional interview as Motu discusses her experiences with domestic violence, why she got out for her children's sake, and why years later she learnt to put their feelings first in order to forgive her ex-husband. FAMILY VIOLENCE How to get help: If you're in danger...

This week, Paula's guest is the CEO of Cassiobury, Rhiannon McKinnon. They discuss her pathway through the business community and moving to New Zealand, including her time as CEO of KiwiWealth, before getting her advice for the next generation of CEOs and business leaders.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula is joined by her longtime friends, adventurers and humanitarians, Sir Graeme Dingle and his wife Jo-anne Wilkinson.  They discuss their many adventures together, Sir Graeme's mountaineering and the important work they are doing through the Graeme Dingle Foundation.  They also share their advice on how to improve the lives of our young people, how we can better support those who ar...

This week, Paula's guest is a familiar name - Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper. He's Ask Me Anything's first returning guest, but Soper has a story to tell after a year of health difficulties. He discusses what he went through after heart surgery last year, and gives his insights and advice on being a parent, his expectations ahead of his seventh child arriving in January, an...

This week, Paula's guest is Antonia Murphy, known for running the ethical brothel 'The Bach' in Whangarei from 2017 to 2019. They discuss how Murphy got into this line of work, and what the whole experience taught her about sex work, consent, and the lives of the women she came across. She also discusses her advice for moving on after losing a child. Madam, Murphy's memoir, is out now.  See omnyst...

This week, Paula's guest is All Black great turned mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan. They discuss his thoughts on the current state of rugby, his views on ambition and a need for society to move away from extremes, and his latest business ventures. He then shares his advice on talking about and addressing your mental health.    Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and...