Meet two of my awesome mates, Pietra Brettkelly and Sandy Burgham, who are two fabulous wāhine living life to the beat of their own drums, and saying No to the script society says women need to follow. So I thought it'd be bloody good fun to sit down and swap stories, and find out what makes their brave risk-taking brains tick.
Pietra is a documentary film-maker whose body of work includes Yellow is Forbidden and The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (yes, she was at this year's Oscars!), and was recently named an Arts Laureate of New Zealand. She also cycled for almost two hours to get to our interview!
At the age of 50, Sandy quit her high-powered corporate job and decided to go back to uni, design an app, write a blog and so much more. In 2016, founded Play CoLab - a collaborative practice deeply invested in innovative approaches to systemic, organisational and personal transformation. 
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living off script | Pietra Brettkelly + Sandy Burgham

Kia ora and nau mai haere mai to Grey Areas with me, Petra Bagust. This is about growing up and going grey, in Aotearoa New Zealand because I&rsquo;m getting older. And so are you. So how do we do it well?
I reckon we can do it with a bit of gorgeousness and gusto and break that &lsquo;getting old&rsquo; mould just a little. Or maybe more than a little.
So join me as we climb into some of those topics that just aren't so clear-cut, maybe are a little chewy, a little crunchy&hellip; and let&rsquo;s journey our way through them.
I've got a group of wonderful wāhine, and the odd beaut bloke, to chat with, and we're going to share some wisdom that we've discovered along the way. And I&rsquo;d love for you to share your wisdom with me too, because everybody has something to offer.

Health & Fitness

Getting up at stupid-o’clock every weekday morning to perform in front of the nation requires a certain type of strength and stamina. Add perimenopause to the pressure cooker of live television and you’ve got yourself a potent cocktail of challenges.
Part of Jenny-May Clarkson’s secret is the dynamic partnership she’s forged with her husband Dean. In this episode they share the story of their second-chance-at-love romance, and how their differences complement each other in raising twins, working hard, and navigating major life transitions.
Jenny-May also shares about receiving her moko kauae (traditional Māori tattoo), and how understanding and embracing her heritage has invited her inner critic to take a back seat.
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The marks that make us | Jenny-May Clarkson + Dean Clarkson

Having children and becoming a mother is a huge part of our collective cultural script. When you’re single, the question is ‘when are you going to find someone?’ When you find someone, the question becomes ‘when are you having children?’
So what about the many women who don’t have children, either by choice, circumstance or because they’re unable to?
Otherhood is a newly published book of essays on being childless, childfree and child-adjacent.
Lil O’Brien and Kathryn van Beek are two of the editors of this anthology, which charts the challenges, joys and griefs that being without children brings, and has also inadvertently created space and a lovely community for people who aren’t mothers. Ka pai!
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Otherhood: Life outside of motherhood | Kathryn van Beek & Lil O’Brien

In a culture of unhealthy comparison and burdensome perfectionism, how do we cultivate an openness to getting it wrong? … Like, really get down and dirty with failure and understand how necessary it is for growth and basically learning anything at all.
Dr Jin Russell’s intimidating bio reads like the ultimate perfectionist’s achievement list. She’s a Consultant Developmental Paediatrician at Starship Children’s Health and a researcher in public health, investigating the impact of poverty on children. She’s won clinical awards, competitive research grants, has multiple degrees including a PhD, and sits on several boards. She’s spoken publicly on behalf of vulnerable children. Oh, and she’s a mum – no biggie.
Yet in spite of her achievements and accolades, she’s keenly interested in what failure can produce in us, and how to pursue excellence without being weighed down by the impossible pursuit of perfection.
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ducking perfectionism and the upside of failure | Dr Jin Russell

The world of investing has long been dominated by men, but did you know that the women who do invest typically do better than their male counterparts?
Honestly, it’s never been easier with the technology now available to us, so let’s figure out what positive action we can take because the good news is it’s never too late to get amongst it.
Victoria Harris is passionate about women taking control of their financial futures. Along with her podcast co-host, Sophie Hallwright, she founded Raising The Curve to help wāhine do just that.
Later in the episode Kirstien Taylor from Generate Kiwisaver talks about the simple things that we can do now to better prepare ourselves for retirement.
Check out Victoria and Sophie's podcast The Curve.
Disclaimer: No part of this podcast is intended as financial advice; it is intended as general information only. For more information about the Generate KiwiSaver Scheme see their Product Disclosure Statement at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/pds. The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How women are catching the investing bug | Victoria Harris + Kirstien Taylor

There are moments in time where issues that have lurked in the shadows reach a tipping point and break into the public consciousness. Now is such a time for neurodiversity and ADHD. We are ready for healthier, more embracing conversations about how different brains work.
TV presenter and actor Sonia Gray is on a quest to make life better for neurodiverse children and their families since her own tempestuous journey with daughter Inez. Her experiences and research has also led to discovering some of the mysteries of her own brain and how she’s uniquely wired! This is personal.
Sonia opens a window into the difficulty of raising neurodiverse children in a world that often doesn’t value difference, and explores the pain of being misunderstood. Sonia shares her public journey as an advocate, as well as her private journey towards loving self-acceptance.
For more podcasts on the topic check out Sonia's own podcast series No Such Thing As Normal, as well as the ADHD episode of Are You Mental? by Mick Andrews.
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living off script | Pietra Brettkelly + Sandy Burgham

Download our free app to listen on your phone