Yarns for the Soul

Send a text On this mini episode I share how Winter in New Zealand has been impacting the way I show up across all areas of life, and how I've given myself permission to reflect on what is currently serving me. I also yarn about the importance of listening to our bodies as seasons change, and to check in with ourselves to see what we really need. I have chosen to take a break for Winter and p...

Send a text On this episode I am joined by Kim Davis, an avid crafter and true crime enthusiast, mother, and co-host of the Slaycation podcast. Our yarn begins with the healing power of crafts- how sitting and knitting or stitching can be meditative, as well as how it can be used to disconnect from unwanted social conversations! We talk about how crafting can give you moments to yourself, and the...

Send a text On this mini-yarn I share some of my recent experiences and learnings from working through stuff with coach Di Foster and EMDR therapy with a local psychologist. I yarn about feeling more future-focused in my current phase of life, and why that feels like such a novelty to me. I reflect on how some of my lived experiences left me stuck in survival mode, and how that can make you forget...

Send a text On this episode I am joined by the magical Maren Swenson, an intuitive stylist, fashion coach, podcast creator and mother.  After leaving a high demand religion, Maren embarked on deep inner work to explore how she wanted to show up and be seen in the world. A key part of this was rediscovering and owning her femininity, which inspired her to create a space for other women to do the sa...

Send a text Welcome to episode 50!! I am celebrating this milestone episode with a special mini-yarn all about the origins of the word "yarn".  Most people outside of New Zealand will only associate yarn with wool, and I have to tell people my podcast is sadly not about knitting! So here's an episode to explain what the word yarning means to me, as well as exploring the historical o...

Send a text Why is connection with nature just as important as connection with others? And how can we incorporate Mātaraunga Māori and the leadership of wāhine Māori in healing the world around us? On this episode I am joined by the powerhouse bestie duo that is Cassie Roma and Mandy Kupenga to yarn about their project, "Heal the Hauraki". They share the origin story behind their friends...

Send a text What is the current model of leadership in businesses and organisations today? Is everyone represented in this model, and who does it serve? On this episode I had the pleasure of yarning with Ros Cardinal, an executive coach and facilitator, author, and speaker based in Tasmania, Australia. In 2012 she founded her own business, Shaping Change, to help overcome workplace challenges and...

Send a text What is trauma, and why is it important on a collective level that we examine what's going on for us as individuals? On this episode I yarn with the incredible Amanda Hanna, director and creator of SomaPsych which offers trauma-informed trainings across New Zealand. She also teaches yin yoga, somatic dance, mindfulness and meditation, and is currently studying towards a Masters in...

Send a text What if the best way to lead wasn’t about having the right answers—but asking the right questions? In this episode, I yarned with the ever-curious Paul McGregor, a leadership coach, author and MC based in Nelson, New Zealand. With a background in law, collaboration and engagement, Paul has carved out an unconventional path - one that wasn’t planned but was led by instinct, curiosity an...

Send a text Welcome to my first episode of 2025! I'm diving straight into the deep end with this one and yarning about some of the reasons why I have been in perpetual angry feminism mode recently. I discuss the French Mazan rape case, the incredible strength of victim Gisèle Pelicot, and how this case demonstrated a 'spectrum of culpability' behind violence towards women. I draw a...

Send a text On this episode I am so grateful to be joined again by the incredible Sarah Salter-Kelly. She first joined me in Episode 38, so go back and check out that episode if you'd like to know more about Sarah's story and some context to this second yarn. Sarah shares her journey towards forgiving her mother's murderer, and what she uncovered about colonial trauma in the crimina...

Send a text On this episode I yarn with the creator and host of 'Our Dead Dads' podcast Nick Gaylord. After the death of Nick's father (and a healthy dose of therapy to help move through the grief, anger and all of the feels), Nick realised we weren't having enough conversations about grief and healing. So he decided to start his own podcast and have yarns about grief and loss...

Send a text On this episode I am joined by the incredible Allison Mahoney, a social justice, victim rights and civil rights litigator in America. In 2022, Allison started her own firm ALM Law, which specialises in representing children harmed in the child welfare system, survivors of domestic violence, and survivors of sexual assault and image-based sexual abuse at both state and federal levels. A...

Send a text On this mini-yarn I share with you part of my creative podcasting process around guest episodes, and explain that I only share with the world whatever my guests are comfortable with. I have some epic guest episodes coming up, and I also plan to get back into more mini-yarns in the new year so watch out! I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that the world feels a bit dark right...

Send a text On this episode I am joined by the amazing Vanessa Karel, two-time business founder, entrepreneur and creative producer. Vanessa created the platform Greether , aimed at making travel more accessible, sustainable, and safer for female travellers.  Greether started when Vanessa found herself in Morocco at the start of the 2020 pandemic feeling isolated and wanting to connect with locals...

Send a text BONUS MINI-YARN On this cheeky bonus episode I yarn about what femininity means to me, and the journey I have taken to feeling confident in my own version of being feminine. I talk about my experiences growing up in a rural part of New Zealand, and the transition from a small primary school to intermediate in 'town' where I was first introduced to what I thought being feminin...

Send a text On this episode I yarn with the incredible healer, author and speaker Sarah Salter-Kelly. Sarah has been sharing her wisdom for over 16 years through her private healing practice and presenting at conferences and events, as well as facilitating retreats in Canada and Peru, and teaching trauma-focused and shamanic healing workshops. Sarah speaks about how she was drawn to work with moth...

Send a text On this episode I was joined by the awesome duo that is Shelby and Scott, creators and hosts of the Balls Deep podcast. Our yarns go all the way from the origins of their romance to the "why" behind creating their podcast, and many things in between! Shelby and Scott are both avid travellers, and they share how they approach international adventures while both working full ti...

Send a text On this episode I yarn with Polina, a medical intuitive holistic wellness coach. She shares how she went from a PhD in Consumer Behaviour in Russia, to a wellness coach based in Colorado, USA. Polina explains how she uses a range of modalities to assist her clients, and how she has learnt to let each body speak to her and guide her towards what needs to be healed. We chat in more depth...

Send a text On this episode I yarn with Rosie, a business and mindset coach who supports solo entrepreneurs to grow businesses they love. We dive into how Rosie got to where she is today, including stints in the world of corporate marketing as well as running her own floristry business for a number of years.  Rosie shares how her approach to life and business has often been one of 'life'...

Send a text On this guest episode I had the pleasure of yarning with Sarah, burnout recovery coach and recurring guest host of "Fried. the Burnout Podcast" with Cait Donovan. We dive into Sarah's backstory working with acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Thai massage and what led her to burnout, as well as how she chose to heal and move forwards. We both identify as introverts, highl...

Send a text On this episode I yarn with Judi about being childless not by choice. We dive into who this definition applies to, what it means, and how it can look in people's lives. Judi is an insurance expert turned grief coach currently based in New Zealand, and she shares parts of her own story and why she is part of the CNBC community. We talk about the differences between people who are c...

Send a text On this mini-yarn I delve into the idea of "justice sensivity"- this is a term that I discovered recently, and quickly realised how much it resonated with me and my experiences. On the episode I discuss how as an employee I have had stronger reactions to feeling of injustice compared to my colleagues, despite working as a lawyer in advocacy roles. I was surprised at the time...

Send a text On this episode I am joined for the first time by two special guests! Inspired by a French TV show, Chloé and Youna travelled around the UK and Europe for over a year surviving on just €1 per day. During our yarns they share the details about how they met, their 'why' for the project, and what they learnt along the way. Both Youna and Chloé share on how overwhelmingly positiv...

Send a text On this episode I welcome back the amazing Théa to get into some yarns on solo travelling while managing chronic health conditions. We are both lovers of travel and value getting to explore new places, but have  similar challenges in managing our invisible conditions. Théa shares how her version of travel has changed following a number of head injuries and a back injury, and the shift...