Video & Podcasts
Success Interviews
Ep.70 – Bank Shot
At just 32, Tom Abercrombie is like a seasoned veteran of the world of basketball. After his success at Westlake Boys High School saw him selected as the NZ Academy of Sport High Performance Player two years running, he moved to the USA to Washington State University in 2006. Tom then moved back to New […]
Ep.43 – Adventuring Into Greatness
Cory Richards is one of the world’s most recognised adventure and mountaineering photographers, and the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012. His mission: to capture not only the soul of adventure and exploration, but also the beauty inherent in our modern society. His photography has taken him across the world – from the […]
Ep.94 – What It Is Like To Open A Luxury Boutique Hotel In 2020
When talking about the opening of a new luxury boutique hotel in 2020, it is hard not to start off with what has now become the cliché of talking about the context of an unprecedented year. While there are of course challenges that come from the state of the international tourist market, there are also […]
Technology Interviews
Ep.120 – Mark Rocket – Taking New Zealand Stratospheric
We have a space industry now worth a couple of billion dollars, but going back a few years, no one would have thought it. Except for Mark Rocket, that is. Not only was he the first New Zealander to book a ticket with Virgin Galactic, but he was the seed investor and co-director of Rocket […]
Ep.119 – The Code for Success
Back in 1993, Peter Vile and Mitchell Pham founded software development service provider, Augen Software Group, which was built on the basis of connecting the best in local expertise with offshore development scale via their ‘one team in two markets’ run across New Zealand and Vietnam. Over that time, Augen has worked with many New […]
Ep.44 – Re-imagining Our Digital Future
Many discoveries about ourselves, our economy and the way we work have come out of our Covid-19 experience. Some good and bad, but maybe one of the most important for our future was how many of us in business still have a long way to go in terms of our digital resiliency. This is obviously […]
Entrepreneur Interviews
Ep.45 – The Power of Purpose
Catherine van der Meulen was born and raised in Sydney until recently, moving to rural New Zealand with her children to embark on a greener, more purpose-led lifestyle, after being disenfranchised by the pace that living a life wearing multiple hats required. Last year, Catherine launched Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose – a community designed to […]
Ep.34 – It’s Not Just Tech Innovation, It’s Business Innovation That We Need
From emergency operations control for the New Zealand Police to building several businesses, Ash has a passion for innovation and helping people achieve their dreams and success. An engineer by profession, Ash built up one of the country’s most respected cloud service’s agency before realising a long-standing dream of building a modern, stylish entertainment and […]
Ep.120 – Mark Rocket – Taking New Zealand Stratospheric
We have a space industry now worth a couple of billion dollars, but going back a few years, no one would have thought it. Except for Mark Rocket, that is. Not only was he the first New Zealander to book a ticket with Virgin Galactic, but he was the seed investor and co-director of Rocket […]
Leadership Interviews
Ep.96 – The New Zealand Company Taking On Amazon
Even before the future accelerating period of 2020, retail had been going through a period of evolution. While many will still vouch for a place for bricks and mortar experiences, the fact is that ecommerce is still the future and that future has been quickly embraced by the Alibaba’s and the Amazon’s of the world. […]
Ep.73 – The Future Of Property Prices And Leadership
Real estate might well be up there with politics and religion when it comes to divisive dinner party conversations, but of course it’s something most of us have a relationship with, whether you be a tenant, landlord or homeowner or all of the above. Few people have had as much experience in the industry as […]
Ep.94 – What It Is Like To Open A Luxury Boutique Hotel In 2020
When talking about the opening of a new luxury boutique hotel in 2020, it is hard not to start off with what has now become the cliché of talking about the context of an unprecedented year. While there are of course challenges that come from the state of the international tourist market, there are also […]
Wellness Interviews
Ep.115 – Brook Macdonald – Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
A little over a year ago, champion New Zealand downhill mountain biker, Brook MacDonald lay in agony, semi-paralysed and unable to feel his legs on a Quebec mountain for five hours, waiting for a helicopter to arrive. Brook had sustained a serious spinal injury when he crashed during his first practice run at the World […]
Ep. 80 – How To Beat Burnout And Create Optimum Human Function
This year we’ve all become aware of rising anxiety and stress in ourselves and those around us. And while a global pandemic and economic recession are pretty good excuses for this, Lifestyle and Breath Expert, Sarah Laurie points out that we have been dealing with rising anxiety and stress levels for a long time. And […]
Ep.59 – How To Shape The Life You Want, Not Have It Shape You
It’s hard to imagine it now but one of New Zealand’s most respected health and wellness experts, Rachel Grunwell, was an unhealthy and stressed out investigative journalist, covering crime and politics. It was when the opportunity came up to write about wellness/health and fitness that Rachel threw her journalistic curiosity into interviewing some of the […]
Women in Leadership Interviews
Ep.77 – Designing A Sustainable Future
As the daughter of one of New Zealand’s leading environmentalists and businessmen, the late Sir Rob Fenwick, Isabel Fenwick has been immersed in the work of organisations shifting to greener, more sustainable ways of working. Isabel carries on her family legacy with her skills in human-centred design and design thinking methodologies to translate complex problems […]
Ep.3 – Advice For Times Of Uncertainty And Future Opportunities
Theresa Gattung needs no introduction, but for the sake of consistency we will mention a few of her many achievements. Theresa first hit the public spotlight in a big way when she became CEO of Telecom in 1999, making her the first female CEO of a large public company in New Zealand. Since then she […]
Ep.37 – How To Create Valuable Products Here
Chloe and Florence are sisters who craft health beverages in their hometown of Nelson, New Zealand. Surrounded by mountains, lakes, and at the edge of the Pacific Ocean; the outdoors is their playground. Chloe is a neuroscientist and holds a diploma in herbal medicine. With this background and a passion for nutrition, Chloe set out […]
Sports Interviews
Ep.100 – 120 Skydives in One Day
Skydiving record breaker Steve Gregor is quick to point out that he is not an adrenaline junky, but trusts in the systems, the gear and the process around the sport that he had dedicated a big part of his life to. Every one of these systems was tested to the limit when he and Brent […]
Ep.62 – Fighting for Peace
The head trainer of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu studio called the Combat Room might not seem like the sort of person to talk to peace, enlightenment, mindfulness and mediation with, but as well as being a black belt in BJJ, Pires Vanderson has lived with monks and has dedicated his life to not only bringing […]
Ep.17 – How To Concentrate On Our Mental And Physical Wellbeing In Times Like These
Dave Letele (AKA, Brown Buttabean) is a walking, talking powerhouse of motivation and inspiration. Having himself lost over 100kg through good nutrition and exercise, he dedicates his time to helping others do the same by teaching them how to live the BBM lifestyle – Brain, Body, Movement. Since 2014, The BBM Program has been focused […]
M2 Summit Podcast
Ep.112 – How To Build & Sell A $500M Company. And What Do You Do Next?
[podcastfooter] What exactly does one do after they sell their business for $500m? Vaughan Fergusson, founder of Vend, dropped in for a fireside chat with editor Andre Rowell at the M2 Summit to give us the insight and impart with some wisdom on just how he grew his business to that astonishing value. Fergusson […]
Ep.110 – How Humans And Robots Can Work Together In The Future
[podcastfooter] As AI development advances further year by year, the question of what separates us from our creations becomes more pressing. Talking the M2 Summit audience on Thursday 20 May through this fascinating, complicated and a little bit scary territory was behavioral scientist Dr. Sydney Savion. Sitting down with our editor, Andre Rowell, the […]
Ep.108 – How to Build A Powerful Community of Thousands
[podcastfooter] For so many of us, the first COVID lockdown was a real stifler of our productivity and motivation, and a really scary time for small business owners who faced the threat of losing their livelihoods. However, some of us were able to find ways to create, innovate and make a big difference in helping […]
Sustainability Interviews
Ep.77 – Designing A Sustainable Future
As the daughter of one of New Zealand’s leading environmentalists and businessmen, the late Sir Rob Fenwick, Isabel Fenwick has been immersed in the work of organisations shifting to greener, more sustainable ways of working. Isabel carries on her family legacy with her skills in human-centred design and design thinking methodologies to translate complex problems […]
Ep.76 – Are We Really Tidy Kiwis?
Depending on your age, the catch cries “Be a Tidy Kiwi” and “Do the Right Thing” will bring back some 90s nostalgia. But as well as being a bit of feel good Kiwiana, they are part of a body of work from Keep New Zealand Beautiful, an organisation that has been working for half a […]
Ep.30 – Finding New Business Opportunities In Solving Environmental Problems
While there has been a big jump into eCommerce for many brands lately, there is also a less progressive danger with environmental impact. And after working with couriers and eCommerce for years, Kate Bezar and Rebecca Percasky became horrified at the amount of plastic waste the industry was generating and so set out to do […]