the me.vibes podcast

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...

Feeling busy but not actually moving forward in your business? In this episode, I dive into one of the most common challenges I see across small businesses, that frustrating feeling of being stuck. Not failing… not doing badly… but constantly busy, overwhelmed, and not seeing the growth you expected. Drawing from my experience working with businesses across New Zealand, I break down why this happe...

In this episode of The ME Vibes Podcast , I’m sharing a very personal story. At 25, I felt completely stuck. I had moved from Brazil to New Zealand. I couldn’t fully express myself in English. I felt underestimated, misunderstood, and professionally behind. I knew I was intelligent. I knew I was capable. But I felt invisible. This episode is about the moment I decided to stop playing small. It’s a...

This is my first episode, and I’m nervous. If you want to feel deeply unsuccessful in under five minutes, go on LinkedIn and start scrolling. In this episode, I talk honestly about comparison, burnout, and the quiet life achievements that don’t show up online. The years spent raising kids, getting sick, changing careers, building a business, choosing people over posts, and then wondering why you f...