Between Two Beers Podcast

Paula George – or Georgie as she’s commonly known – has a story that will blow you away.

She has lived the most remarkable life – with the most inspiring mindset – and she’s our favourite type of guest, a humble legend. Georgie is a very private person – and her story, till now, has largely gone untold.

Her life started on the back foot in Wales. Georgie wasn’t just the only person of colour in her village, but also her family. She was abandoned by her mother, forced into foster care and experienced a childhood filled of prejudice and hurt.

But she found safety in sport, where she became a star.

She played netball and rugby for Wales, then switched to England and became the first black captain of the England Red Roses.

She was one of the first professional women’s rugby players and eventually went to six World Cups in two sports.

She then became the digital content creator for the All Blacks, married a Kiwi and became a Kiwi, had twins, and a cancer diagnosis.

Five years ago she was given four to six months, with survival chances at 25% - but Georgie’s still here.

And now, she’s doing incredible work with the Tania Dalton Foundation where she helps Kiwi kids build their own resilience and happiness.

And most recently she’s become a part owner of The Northern Kahu: the first all-women owned franchise in New Zealand.

Georgie doesn’t seek the limelight, she had a taste of fame during her rugby days and hated it. It took a lot for her to share her full story with us and we’re so grateful she did – it’s a story that will help, inspire and entertain.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz.

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve and Seamus discuss all the best feedback from their blockbuster interview with Matthew Ridge, they reveal who the special friends will be at their live gig in Auckland, the best bits from their live Q and A with Emma Twigg and how they reconnected with Zion Armstrong.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As some of you will know – this year we created a second podcast channel called Business in Between.

It’s a channel that documents our journey as business owners – and where we also host long-form interviews with NZ’s most interesting business leaders. And we’re sharing one of our favourite interviews on the Business in Between channel – with you here on Between Two Beers.

It’s the story of how a Kiwi entrepreneur turned an idea for a fitness goal setting app into a global business with customers in over 150 countries and revenue exceeding $80 million a year.

His name is Adam Al-Agez and his app is called The Conqueror.

Adam started his fitness goal setting app in 2012 after 10 years of being an entrepreneur with limited success.

The idea was relatively simple…instead of ‘just’ going for a run, walk, a ride or swim, you’re working towards a virtual fitness goal, immersed in community and with a tangible race medal delivered on completion.

But after six years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, the app was floundering.

All the signs were pointing to giving up all together and he even started getting his CV together and applying for jobs.

Then in a bizarre series of events, in 2019 he ended up hiring a marketing wiz who lived in Romania, to run the digital marketing.

Raul the Romanian immediately started growing sales and from an annual revenue of under $100k they grew to $2m in the first year.

The next year they did $40m and $75m in the following two, having secured licensing agreements with the Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Harry Potter

The business has now expanded globally with around 70 staff in 6 countries with customers in over 150 countries.

Adam’s story – and the growth of his company – is insane and the story will blow your mind - and it’s the first time it’s been told.

Come for the storytelling and stay for Adam’s brilliant business lessons at the end.

This is an ep not to be missed.

If you enjoy this pod – please go and follow and subscribe to our Business in Between channel, where there are plenty more like this.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Ridge is a Kiwi sporting legend.

He was one of NZ’s top rugby union players then made a stunning switch to rugby league as a 21-year-old in 1990. Over the next decade he played 122 times for the Manly Sea Eagles, 25 times for the Kiwis and 37 times for the Warriors before he became a part-owner of the club.

After retiring from league, he became one of New Zealand’s most popular and successful TV stars – before enjoying success in the business world.

In this episode we talk about his bromance with Marc Ellis and how they created TV magic, 90s rugby league, Warriors regrets, the taxi incident which shaped his outlook on life as a teenager, mental resilience, relationship breakdowns and the realities of being NZ’s biggest star for a decade.

Matthew was an open book in this one and we also talked at length about his relationship with drugs – and his reflections on many of the most difficult chapters of his life.

It was a gripping chat, full of incredible insights into one hell of a life.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve and Seamus get excited for their fifth birthday celebration in Auckland, discuss all the best and worst small talk with former guests at the recent Auckland FC game, reflect on recent episodes with Andrew Mehrtens, Cassie Roma and Jackie Van Beek and reveal next week's guest.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jackie van Beek is one of New Zealand’s funniest and most creative minds.

She has written, directed and starred in The Breaker Upperers, Nude Tuesday and The Educators and featured in everything from Funny Girls and What We Do in The Shadows, to Golden Boy – and most recently the Australian re-make of The Office – where she is one of the two creators.

In this episode we talk about growing up with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, how she got engaged to comedian Jesse Griffin after knowing him for a month, how she chose her merkin, the art of improvisation, falling into film making, directing TV, The Office Australia and partying with Leonardo di Caprio.

Jackie is an absolute legend of NZ’s creative space and this was such a fun chat. We loved her company and outlook on life and there were a ton of laughs across this one.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Mehrtens is a legend of NZ Rugby and the second highest All Blacks point scorer of all time.

He’s also widely regarded as one of the most intelligent All Blacks and Sir Wayne Smith described him to us as a ‘genius’ on and off the field, who understood the game better than he did.

Universally known as Mehrts, in this episode we talk about what he’s been doing with his life abroad for the last 20 years, his new-born twins and his fluent French, his best “Suzie” and Jonah Lomu stories from 1995, reflections on the recent loss of his father, the Crusaders and pulling the fingers in South Africa, punditry, family, and all the best yarns in between.

Mehrts is a childhood hero of ours and the perfect guest; this was an epic chat, he’s got the stories, but he’s also got the depth and humour and we had a ton of laughs through this one.

We're also super stoked to have Mehrts on the books of B2B Speakers, so if you like what you hear in this episode, and would love him to share his story at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seamus and Steve take listeners behind the scenes of Bree Tomasel's book launch on K-Road, discuss their upcoming episode with All Blacks joker Andrew Mehrtens, we hear about Steve's four-day bender in Sydney, reflect on Seamus' 30 kg weight loss, and we tease their live event with Jason Gunn coming up in November.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bree Tomasel is one of New Zealand’s most popular and loved broadcasters.

She’s the hilarious, fun-loving co-host of ZM’s Bree and Clint Drive Show, she’s the host of Celebrity Treasure Island on TVNZ, she has 1.5 million followers across her social media channels and in 2022 was named New Zealand TV Personality of the Year.

She’s also just released her book and in it we discover a different side of Bree, she writes about some of the most difficult and challenging chapters of her life, and in this episode she talks about it all publicly for the first time.

Steve messaged Bree halfway through reading her book to say how captivating and powerful it was – and how many people it’s going to help. And I've got no doubt you'll see it too by the end of this one.

We hear about the home invasion at her nan’s place when she was nine, where she thought she was going to die – and how it contributed to anxiety and panic attacks throughout her life, we talk about her challenges revealing her sexuality to her dad – and why she kept it a secret for 10 years, her big life regrets and journey of discovery with ADHD as an adult and where her sense of social justice comes from.

We also talk about how she built her huge following on social media, all the best stories from her relationship with her mum Di, Channing Tatum, radio-wars, and we read through some of Seamus’ DMs he sent Bree seven years ago!

It's a really cool chat, It’s Bree sharing her story, warts and all. I also highly recommend her book Unapologetically Me which is out now.

We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Murray Thom is one of New Zealand’s most successful and creative entrepreneurs.

He’s the man behind some of our most iconic and successful productions, including The Great New Zealand Songbook, The Great New Zealand Cookbook, The Offering, and Piano by Candlelight.

On the international front, two of his productions – Miracle Babies and the Together 10 CD Collection – have both featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In this episode we talk about why he left school at 15 and how he became the Managing Director of CBS Records at 23. How he won a government tender for the Personalised Plates business in 1987, which at its peak had a turnover of $30 million and staff of 60, how he brought together Celine Dion and Anne Geddes, how he manifested becoming a world champion sailor, his best business hacks and all the best stories in between.

Murray’s life was made for a long form podcast and there are so many brilliant nuggets of business and life wisdom in this one, it’s a super entertaining chat.

This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on!

Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube.

We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz and let our guests make your night.

Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.