Smile And Pod

On this week's episode we chat to Andrew McKerrow of the Salvation Army.

Andrew is well known and respected in the racing industry, supporting industry members through a number of events and situations. 

He is always a smiling face and a comfort to those who are needing direction and guidance, but as we find out today he has not had the smoothest of journeys in his own life. 

Andrew kindly opened up and honestly talked about his struggle with addiction and loss, and also how his faith and perseverance has seen him reach a positive point in his life where he can be a signpost for others to get help. 

A lovely human, with an incredibly powerful story to share.

This week's guest is Rebecca Parnham of Krama and Co.

Rebecca is based in Canterbury and is a qualified social worker, who whilst on holiday in Cambodia with her husband was confronted with the disturbing reality of poverty and violence in the country. 

Not one to sit back and turn a blind eye, Rebecca formed Krama and Co which helps women of the remote villages in Cambodia to sell their products in New Zealand, with the profits returning back to the women in the village. 

Rebecca has also been involved with the group Uniting Canterbury Women, and Seeds of Love, which saw her utilising the cards and letters from the memorials of the Christchurch Mosque attacks to recycle them for use as paper seed planters for wildflowers - symbolising diversity in the community. 

Enjoy Rebecca's story, which is one of determination to make a difference, and a passion for compassion.

On this episode we have the pleasure of sitting down with New Zealand and World Shot Put Champion, Tom Walsh.

A builder by trade from humble beginnings in Timaru, Tom found a passion for sports early on in life. But initially shot put wasn't even on his radar. 

After discovering he had dyslexia Tom turned his learning approach around at school and is now inspiring New Zealand children to do the same with his work talking in schools. 

We find out what makes him tick mentally, how he's coping leading up to this year's Olympics in Tokyo, and how he has incorporated mindfulness into his daily life and training regime. 

A truly inspiring and entertaining chat with one of our greatest sportsmen!

This week's episode features Verna McFelin MNZM, founder and CEO of Pillars NZ.

Pillars is an organisation that supports children with parents in prison, supporting them through the challenges that arise as a consequence and pairing children with mentors to guide and inspire them. 

Unfortunately Verna has first hand experience of what that is like, as her husband was arrested and sent to prison in 1983 when she had four young children. 

He was arrested at home in front of the family and the years that would follow would see Verna face some of the hardest challenges of her life. 

She speaks of her faith and relationship with God, and how her determination to help others has seen a silver lining shine in the face of dark times.

On this week's episode we chat to former head of the Ministry of Social Development, Christine Rankin.

Christine became one of the most polarizing figures in politics during her career, and faced some of the biggest media attention seen in New Zealand over a period of two years. 

She was spat on, abused and had bullets sent to her in the mail, She endured being at the front of the media for an intense amount of time.

We chat to Christine about her experiences during that time, and how her legs and earrings became more famous than her career.

He was part of one of the most powerful All Black teams in modern time, and All Black number 915, Frank Bunce, has become an icon in New Zealand Rugby. 

Growing up in Mangere, it was a fluke that he even got into rugby, as he will explain. And in this episode Frank also speaks fondly about his time in the black jersey, but also talks about some of the hard task masters and memories he has of the challenges during his 55 international matches. 

Frank also talks us through how his All Black career ended, and the path that led him on to fill a void he didn't even know existed until further on in life. 

Frank is charismatic and full of great yarns, but he also has strong advice for those looking to find their place in the world and discovering themselves.

This episode features Mind, Body and Success Coach, Clare Williamson.

Clare is taking her extremely traumatising life lessons and her own journey, and turning it into an empowering tool for others to find their truth in life.

For years she hid from reality, and it impacted her in ways she could never imagine. Now she has faced her past, and wants to help others find their own soul goal via her business, CWFullCircle. 

We can all learn something from the amazingly brave and tenacious, Clare Williamson.

Grant Pritchard's official role with Spark NZ may be that of a lawyer, but it's his amazing work in the mental health field as an advocate that has seen him make a huge impact.

Following the death of his close friend and colleague in Australia, Grant vowed to never work anywhere that didn't face and acknowledge the importance of mental health awareness in the workplace. 

Grant and Spark NZ now have a community of over 600 employees utilising the mental health toolboxes available to them to weather the storm of life and the challenges that come their way. 

He's a shining example of how one small step and change of thinking can lead to a whole new journey, not only for yourself, but for your whole workplace, family and community.

In this week's episode we feature Mental Health advocate and entrepreneur, Gareth Edwards.

Gareth hit headlines last year when he flipped a 93kg tyre for 24 hours with his friend Tom for mental health awareness, and this year he's decided to make an even bigger point.

Giving A Flip is a campaign that will see him take on the tyre again, this time on his own for 60 hours in support of I Am Hope. 

Born in the UK, Gareth moved to New Zealand at age 15 and soon found that the key to fitting in was through the unifying language of sport.

A passion for sport then led to a career as a personal trainer. Then as fate would have it, a boutique skincare range featuring local meaningful ingredients with the help of his friends.

This week on Smile and Pod we meet Ryan Cooper and Alex Leighton of Mukpuddy Animation.

When three like minded spirits met in animation school it would be the beginning of an almost 20 year journey to today, where they now employ over 50 people in their groundbreaking animation team.

From humble beginnings in their parent's basement, to pitches in front of animation legends Disney and Pixar, Mukpuddy's journey is one of determination, friendship and passion.