What happens when you release your first album in eight years, open a sandwich shop, move back to New Zealand, and navigate a separation all at once?

This week on Kiwi Yarns, we sit down with Gin Wigmore for one of the most honest conversations we've ever had. Gin opens up about heartbreak, rebuilding after divorce, raising two boys, and why she throws herself headfirst into everything she does.

From her whirlwind love story that took her from New Zealand to Los Angeles, to buying and transforming a rundown motel in Palm Springs, her life has never followed a conventional script.

We also dive into her new album Beautiful Mess, her incredible new Kingsland deli, and the simplistic beauty of the tramp stamp.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our beloved actress, Sara Wiseman has spent three decades gracing our screens - from stunt work during the Xena: Warrior Princess era to starring in A Place To Call Home and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

You better believe we'll find out what it takes to become an ape at "ape camp".

Sara also discusses the moments that nearly made her quit acting and why she finds taking acting classes just as important now as ever.

And my word, does Sara love adventures! From trekking the Camino de Santiago, hiking Yosemite and a fascinating story about the "Vine of the Dead" - the a powerful psychoactive Amazonian tea Ayahuasca.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when one of the most respected coaches in world MMA starts using his platform to tackle violence outside the cage?

This week on Kiwi Yarns, we sit down with City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman.

From coaching UFC stars like Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, to launching the Walk Without Fear Trust after the tragic loss of friend and fighter Fau Vake, Eugene opens up about purpose, leadership and the responsibility that comes with influence.

We talk about the rise of MMA in Aotearoa, the reality behind UFC culture, why martial arts can transform lives, and the lessons Eugene wants young people to hear before it’s too late.

There’s also plenty on family, discipline, adversity and what keeps him grounded through the chaos of life at the top of the sport.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We see our country's Armed Offenders Squad in the most serious of circumstances - but who are the people behind the helmets and balaclavas?

This week I met the amazing Sergeant Eseta Autagavaia, who, alongside being one of the few women in New Zealand Police's AOS, also plays netball at a professional level.

She talks about how physically and mentally challenging getting into the AOS was, and how that experience and being on the netball court complement each other.

From pre-planned jobs to unpredictable moments demanding calm under pressure, she shares how her mindset is her biggest weapon.

A fascinating look at the life of a pretty inspiring young woman.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning comedian Pax Assadi is having a massive month as his new book, Mortified, hits the shelves. The book contains the most embarrassing things that have happened in his life, including a legendary mishap in a Pakistani mosque. Pax wants us all to lean into our cringe, and why he’s over the curated perfection we see on social media. We talk about his family’s escape from Iran, and his Baha'i faith, the concept of progressive revelation, and how his spiritual beliefs shape his view of a fractured world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura McGoldrick is everywhere. And that’s an understatement. The Sky Sport Presenter is in the bach this week for a really solid heart-to-heart. From our accidental wedding in Vegas, to the raw reality of motherhood and navigating devastating miscarriages.

Laura is hands down one of the most talented broadcasters on our screens, and it’s through hard work, hard slogs and dogged determination. She deserves the flowers every day of the week.

How she shuts out the noise of being in the public eye, how she does it all and still has time for more - and, is Ashwagandha the key to her success (spoiler: we don’t think so).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is an incredibly special episode with Jono Ridler - the open water, ultra marathon swimmer who, on Saturday 4 April, 2026, completed a 1367 kilometer swim - the length of the North Island.

Jono didn’t do this swim for accolades or records, he did this swim because of his love for the ocean, and to raise awareness that we aren’t doing enough to protect it.

Jono’s Swim4TheOcean campaign is a call to end bottom trawling - because we are the last country still doing it in the south Pacific High seas.

Hear how he got through the hard days, the jellyfish stings, the shark sightings, the vomiting, the cold water, the rough seas.

This is a remarkable story, and in my opinion, will go down as one of the greatest endurance feats ever by a New Zealander.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week meet the fabulously hilarious comedian, Courtney Dawson.

We discuss her experience as a young mum, her Te Reo Māori journey and the highs and lows of performing stand-up comedy. When her jokes bomb, she leans into it!

Courtney talks Celebrity Treasure Island, I test out her work as an Agony Aunt, and how to make the most of a trip to Australia for a court hearing (hint: it involves Dreamworld).

Courtney Dawson will perform at the NZ International Comedy Festival from May 1st to 24th.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the super talented Alex Tarrant - star of NCIS Hawaii - reflects on the often windy and bumpy road that has led him to where he is today.

It wasn't until a significant life event that he realised acting and the industry surrounding it were his "people". And, on the podcast, we learn for the first time about this significant life event that occurred when he was at high school.

Alex is based in Hawaii and has landed brilliantly big roles both locally and abroad as his star continues to shine. The latest role, one of the most challenging for him thus far, is playing 28th Māori Battalion hero Haane Manahi in Sgt Haane.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of miscarriage. If you need support, please find more information at https://wheturangitia.services.govt.nz/miscarriage/support-resources

Meet the beautifully talented writer, actor, playwright, and novelist, Elisabeth Easther. You'll surely remember her as "Evil Nurse Carla" on our beloved Shortland Street back in the 90s.

Now, a best-selling author with Seed, she shares how and why the novel was more than a decade in the making. And, while it's fiction, it is based on real-life experiences, personal loss, and the messy, complicated reality of fertility struggles. Elisabeth shares her stories of miscarriages, resilience, and how she turned pain into something meaningful through storytelling.

Also hear some cracking yarns about her fantastic parents, why she'd win the Olympics if reading books was a sport and discover her pretty solid knowledge of birds.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices