The Icehouse Podcast

By The IcehouseBusiness

The Icehouse Podcast episodes

October 26, 2022Sarah McGuinness, Founder and CEO of Revolutionaries of Wellbeing
Episode 108 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart, is with Sarah McGuinness, Founder and CEO of Revolutionaries of Wellbeing (ROW). ROW is on a mission to unleash human potential. They create wellbeing-centred workplaces that put people first and unlock performance.
The down-to-earth and vulnerable conversation with Sarah provides a deep dive into sometimes overlooked topics such as burn out, workplace wellbeing, lived experience, leadership and developing a strong work culture.
This podcast unpacks;
Sarah’s career journey and own experience with finding her purpose, workplace wellness and burnout

The Revolutionaries of Wellbeing (ROW) method and wellness solutions they offer

What community looks like at ROW

Practical tips for business owners wanting to improve their workplace culture but not sure where to start

Putting language and knowledge around burn out, red flags and ways out

What wellness means to Sarah

The regional move from Gisborne to Queenstown and how she finds doing business regionally

Her key takeaways through The Icehouse Coaching with Kevin D'Ambros-Smith and Richard Poole, and how they supported business growth

How leaders cast a long shadow when it comes to mental health

What listeners can to do play their part in the wellbeing conversation
And lots more!
“People support what they help create. Take your people on the journey” - Sarah McGuinness
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
57 min
October 19, 2022Jessica Chan and Sama Bartley from Frank Accounting
Episode 107 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Priya Dahya, Junior Marketing Specialist at The Icehouse, is with Jessica Chan, Job Manager and Sama Bartley, Client Experience Manager, at Frank – who are based in The Icehouse Coworking Space. Frank are commercially-focussed and personable accountants, supporting business owners to achieve their financial goals. They support business owners on their journey, empowering them to articulate and achieve their goals, positively impacting their lives, their teams, their customers, and the wider community.
The conversation covers;
An introduction to Jessica and Sama, as well as their roles at Frank

How Frank benefits from being based in The Icehouse Coworking Space

Their individual thoughts on coworking spaces in general

What they love most about The Icehouse’s Coworking Space

Interesting people they have met while working from the office

A dive into how Frank has embraced the 4-day work week and how it all came to be

What excites them about the future of Frank
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
25 min
October 12, 2022Bex Tacon, Founder and Owner of Planit Events and Planit Staff
Episode 106 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart is with Bex Tacon, Owner Operator Programme 2021 Alumni, Founder and Owner of Planit Events and Planit Staff. They are an innovative Hawke’s Bay owned and operated event management company, also now operating in Gisborne. They offer event planning and management services for events of all sizes and styles – business, corporate, conferences, weddings, parties and more.
Bex was a breath of fresh air – a talented and onto it business owner with a passion for excellent events and marking those special moments.
The conversation covers;
Her strong desire to be in business to leave a positive mark on the world

How the last two years have impacted her event business and how she adjusted to keep her business afloat

Advice for those wanting to put on great events that run smoothly

Misconceptions about the event industry and how it’s not as glamorous as people think

Why it took her years to take the leap into the Owner Operator Programme

What Bex has implemented from the programme and why she wishes she did it sooner

The importance of the community of business owners going through similar things

Advice to female owner operators, leaning into the community

Advice for her younger self – giving things a go and not being afraid to fail

Championing local business and supporting our communities
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Podcast Series - https://info.theicehouse.co.nz/podcast
44 min
October 05, 2022 Michael McLachlan, Marketing Manager at The Icehouse
Episode 105 of The Icehouse podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart, is with Michael McLachlan. Michael is the Marketing Manager at The Icehouse. He has been at The Icehouse for three years after a career in film and TV, owning and operating multiple businesses, working in a tech company, travelling and owning his own gym. His passion for creative and analytical thinking, storytelling and self-development makes for an interesting conversation diving deeper into his Marketing mindset.
Michael unpacks the formative decisions he made which led him to his role, misconceptions of Marketing, what SME Marketing Managers can do to set their strategy up for a win, what excites him about the future of The Icehouse, and much more.
Michael has also been on The Icehouse’s Leadership Development Programme which helped him discover his work purpose and what makes him tick.
Have a listen to part one of this two part conversation and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
47 min
September 28, 2022Kurt Sandtmann, Managing Director of TRACTA
Episode 104 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart is with Kurt Sandtmann, Owner Manager Programme 42 and Owner Manager Exchange Alumni. Kurt is the Managing Director of TRACTA, a communications agency that lives and breathes agribusiness. Based in Hawke’s Bay, their depth of understanding in the sector, and their ability to engage with customers is proven and unmatched.
The conversation with Kurt unpacks;
His journey of business ownership, starting young

The highs, lows and challenges of becoming an owner as an employee

Misconceptions about the marketing industry

His passion for Hawke’s Bay and surrounding regions and being a global company within a region

Advice for his younger self and budding business owners

What Kurt has implemented from the Owner Mangaer Programme, his connection with his cohort and what on-going community looks like for him

The power of the Owner Manager Exchange and the realisation that all business owners have similar challenges to overcome

The bright future of TRACTA
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Podcast Series - https://info.theicehouse.co.nz/podcast
We are also on Spotify, listen here - https://open.spotify.com/show/1aZIsMpzEAAJ06IIiotDLh
31 min
September 21, 2022Hamish White, Owner of NOW New Zealand
Episode 103 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart is with Hamish White, Owner Manager Programme 29 Alumni and Owner of NOW New Zealand, Broadband with a helping hand. NOW is a proud challenger in the telco industry on a mission to bring the possibilities of their customers digital worlds to life. They believe in pushing boundaries because every customer deserves more.
Hamish has a passion for business, supporting the local Hawke’s Bay and national community, seeing his team empowered and growing a healthy business with a strong culture.
The conversation with Hamish unpacks:
His journey into business ownership at 40

The highs, lows and overcoming challenges

The passion for customer service and NOW’s true people centric focus

Hamish’s experience on The Icehouse Owner Manager Programme, key takeaways personally and within the business

His experience with Imposter Syndrome and trusting his gut

A deep dive into what culture and flexible working looks like for NOW and the journey they are on to empower their team

The future of NOW and much more!
We also had a laugh and chat about NOW’s recent feel good TV advert which captures their purpose and culture well. You can watch it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVxr9c860Is
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
42 min
September 14, 2022Aaron Hume-Merry, Operations Manager at Urban Solutions
Episode 102 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Priya Dahya, is with Aaron Hume-Merry, Operations Manager at Urban Solutions. Urban Solutions is an Auckland based engineering project management consultancy, which offers a refreshing, responsive and compelling approach by assembling complete project teams to investigate, design, consult, consent and manage the construction of transformative infrastructure projects. They are also a resident in The Icehouse’s coworking space in Auckland’s Parnell office.
This conversation unpacks;
An introduction to Aaron, his role at Urban Solution and what life at work looks like for him

The biggest win from his career journey thus far and what his goals are looking ahead

How he started working in The Icehouse coworking space

His favourite elements about the space

What ‘community’ within the coworking space looks like

How the Urban Solutions team enjoy using the space

Aaron’s thoughts on coworking and the future of work

The inspiration he draws from The Icehouse coworking community and its residents

What excites him about the future of Urban Solutions
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at
[email protected]
Podcast Series - https://info.theicehouse.co.nz/podcast
We are also on Spotify, listen here - https://open.spotify.com/show/1aZIsMpzEAAJ06IIiotDLh
19 min
September 07, 2022Diane Stanbra, Founder of Rescued
Episode 101 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart, is with Diane Stanbra, Business Owner of Picnic Box and now Rescued. Rescued is on a mission to lead New Zealand to a zero-food-waste-to-landfill-future. They partner with growers, manufacturers, retailers and charitable food redistributors to help solve their surplus food challenges.
This conversation unpacks;
Diane’s purpose to help solve the surplus food challenges

Her passion for the food industry and how her previous business led to Rescued

The challenges and wins of the last two years, moving back to New Zealand and finding her new mission

Her experience at The Icehouse with coaches, Carollyn Chaplin and Ken Lemming, and her key takeaways that she still refers to today, 10 years later

How The Icehouse community has supported her along the way and the importance of investing into networking and people

Her curiosity around the circular economy

How we can support by purchasing Rescued products from Countdown supermarkets soon and online.
And lots more!
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
34 min
August 31, 2022Celebrating 100 episodes with Liz Wotherspoon and Bryar Stewart
Welcome to Episode 100 of The Icehouse podcast!
In May 2020, we set out to release a podcast episode a week, sharing the stories of The Icehouse alumni, business owners and leaders of SMEs in New Zealand, their challenges, wins, learnings and highlighting the grit and resilience of our community – to inspire others and showcase The Icehouse alumni businesses.
Two years on, we have released 100 episodes - 100 stories from our community! As well as 100 episodes, The Icehouse celebrated their 21st birthday in August, 21 years of championing owners and leaders in New Zealand.
To mark the two milestones, Liz Wotherspoon and Bryar Stewart sit down for a conversation and unpack;
The impact The Icehouse has had over the last 21 years

Bryar’s learnings and insight from 100 episodes with The Icehouse community; from most common advice, key takeaways, misconceptions and learnings from hosting a podcast

Liz highlights the recent SME survey results, the current state of play for SMEs, concerns, requests and mindset going into the next 12 months
Sharing our communities' stories is an important way to champion our owners and leaders, highlight untold wins, challenges, misconceptions, break barriers and stereotypes, communicate the good work they do in their communities and for the New Zealand economy.
It’s been an effective way to engage our community and help them engage theirs. If you are an Icehouse Alumni and want to share your story, get in touch with the team! We are looking forward to continuing sharing podcast episodes with our community each week.
Contact us at [email protected]
Podcast Series - https://info.theicehouse.co.nz/podcast
We are also on Spotify, listen here - https://open.spotify.com/show/1aZIsMpzEAAJ06IIiotDLh
57 min
August 24, 2022Ed Wilson, Sawmill Manager at Northpine
Episode 99 of The Icehouse Podcast, hosted by Bryar Stewart is with Ed Wilson, Leadership Development Programme 47 alumni and Sawmill Manager at Northpine. Northpine supplies high quality structural pine timber to the public nationwide. Based in Waipu, Northland, they are a significant employer in a tight knit community.
The conversation with Ed unpacks:
Ed’s commitment to the timber industry, his role and team

The generational and innovation challenges and opportunities in the timber industry

How the people, loving what he does, and the on-going learning keeps him excited about work

How he balances his day - family, community and mahi commitments

How the Te Puni Kōkiri’s scholarship gave Ed the opportunity to advance his leadership skill

How the Leadership Development Programme helped Ed achieve his goals and pitch new ideas that will enhance the business

How Ed has connected with those in his cohort and realised all leaders have common goals

The confidence his Icehouse Coach, David Fleming, has given him

What excites him about the future of the industry
Have a listen and let us know what you think! Any questions? Contact us at [email protected]
32 min