Wanaka Podcast

This week on the Wanaka Podcast Jess talks with Alice Townsend. Alice is a long-time local business women who owns Alice Hair hairdressing salon and You and I clothing store. She is spirited, ambitious and non-nonsense; she has to be because she has 1 husband, 5 kids and 2 businesses! Alice is entrepreneurial and brave, bold and fun, and she has been since she was 12 years old. She describes herself as supercharged; she is focused on her goals, driven and she gets after it, just like her Dad!  Alice’s passion is clothing design and family, and she has built a life, albeit quite busy, around all of this fun. Alice is small in stature and big in inspiration! Enjoy this story about her life in business. 

Kate runs Fresh Cleaning Wanaka, a cleaning business right here in Wanaka. Kate and her team handle domestic cleaning, builders’ clean-ups, commercial cleaning and everything in between. She has a reputation for being a hard worker, enthusiastic and a very good cleaner! In her other business, Salsa Wanaka, Kate teaches salsa dancing and fills her own cup up. Kate has business in her DNA. She gathered business skills from the beginning via her family’s business. She also did ballroom dancing as a youngster, gained a degree in Economics and French and her early work involved teaching Zumba. Kate is energised, fun and focused on finding satisfaction in her work and making a difference in people’s lives through cleaning. Enjoy this fun and upbeat chat with Jess and Kate.

Jin is the founder of MetaMed Clinic. She is an intuitive therapist with 13 years’ experience as an Osteopath, Herbalist, Western Medical Acupuncturist and Psychosomatic Therapist. Jin’s mission for her clinic is to connect on a deeper level with her clients and teach preventative mindsets, motions and psychosomatics as they relate to health. She has built a business of 12 practitioners and has stepped into a new personal role as a coaching practitioner. She treats ailments and disease states that may be physical manifestations of suppressed emotions, dysfunction or trauma. This business is called The Art of Listening to Your Body. Jin herself has three coaches in her life: a Business Coach, a Life Coach and an online Business Coach. In her own life she stops every 3 months to clean up paperwork, and reassess her goals and trajectory. Her path is both intuitive and deliberate. Jin and Jess explore what this work involves and they chat through some great examples to help us understand the practice. We hope you enjoy this varied and interesting chat.

Jess Eastwood kicks off Season 4 talking to Prairie Pritchett. Prairie runs The Body Garage, a stunning yoga and Pilates studio on Gordon Road, Wanaka. Prairie is a Certified Massage Therapist, Pilates Instructor and 200HR Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher. She teaches movement and bodywork through a yoga and Pilates mash-up. The studio brings together a community, gathering a tribe of teachers and students in a wonderful space. Prairie tells us about growing a business and a baby at the same time. Jess and Prairie talk about the hustle of developing a business and the challenge of balancing leadership, friendship, motherhood and the bottom line. Enjoy this story about Prairie’s life from LA to Central and the adventure of business in Wanaka.

Jo Lynch and Leungo Lippe chat in Episode 6! Leungo is the owner of Lipski and Sons, right here in Wanaka. You may recognise his name from his previous Wanaka food projects BoaBoa and Botswana Butchery. In this episode Leungo talks about his life before Wanaka, from being born in Botswana, to a transient school life, training in Switzerland, and working as a chef in London and New York. This discussion provides a little behind-the-scenes insight into the cut-throat hospitality industry, kitchen dramas and the high-tension game of climbing the restaurant ladder. We hear about how Leungo and his wife ended up in Wanaka, his approach to business, and his new project, Lipski and Sons. You will love listening to Leungo’s story; it’s an inspiration!

This is Jamie Roy! Jamie describes himself as a connector by nature and vocation. He shares with Jo Lynch his journey to find the perfect fit for his skillset and outlook in a professional space. Originally his work was in the online space, working in social media and helping businesses connect and build relationships online when social media were just taking off in NZ. Jamie’s work has evolved as he has evolved, but his coaching work continues to be underpinned by human connection and relationship-building.  This is an honest and revealing chat about searching for your place. Jamie talks about a recent epiphany, a shift in his work, and what that has meant for his own personal development. He says connection is evolving and we have to evolve with it. Enjoy this deep and philosophical chat with Jamie Roy.

Jo Lynch sat down with Don Reid from The Yard - Central, Wanaka. Don tells us about life at The Yard, his approach to leadership, marketing and managing a team of young people. Don’s approach to business is based on logic, fun and being a good bugger. Listen in to hear how you too can master the art of happy staff and the 4-day work week! This roving conversation meanders from his upbringing in Rotorua, to work with the Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC), to ski shops in London and on to life in Wanaka and the West Coast. Don has an affinity with his Rotorua roots, in particular the humour, Maori culture and the boys back home. When he is not at The Yard you’ll find Don sailing on the lake, practising his Te Reo or on an adventure in the hills. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Don Reid.

Jo Lynch sits down with Sam Lee to chat about life as a pro-skier. This smart young man is athletic, creative and ambitious. They discuss his progression from a junior ski racer to a senior on the world stage as a professional freeskier on the Freeride World Tour. Sam talks about how he mastered the business of pro-skiing through sponsorship, ski instruction, ski coaching, trampoline coaching and digging rocks. Sam is a role model for the children that he coaches; he provides an insight into his approach on and off the snow leading New Zealand’s next generation of freeride kids. Sam is a deeper thinker. He has some weird philosophies and pastimes, so tune in to hear more about his music, the Sorcerers Picnic and how to live a life that’s just a little bit different. As you will hear, this was recorded in winter, so wrap up warm and get this into your ears. 

Max is an entrepreneurial, visual artist, who was born and raised in Wanaka. He describes the town as a unique ecosystem; the perfect breeding ground for good ideas, and a place for entrepreneurs to flourish. He talks about how his parents shaped his analytical and creative thinking and what this means for his commercial life as an artist. Max and Jo talk about the mystery of where ideas come from. Max theorises that creativity begets creativity and that ideas need to be captured, then boiled down to their essence. He says, “there is a volatility with ideas... you can't tame creativity” and although he feels the urgency to grab hold, he also has faith that more ideas will come to him.  Hear about Max’s most recent adventures learning about the value of art in New York and tailoring in London. Enjoy this wide-ranging and intriguing discussion with Max de Roy.

Jo Lynch sits down with Dr Deb Inder to talk about her work in family law. Admitted to the Bar in 1998, Deb is a Barrister and Accredited Mediator. She regularly appears in the Family Court as a Court Appointed Lawyer for the Child, and on behalf of private and legal aid clients. Deb fills us in on her PhD in Law, her thesis topic being Children’s Participation Rights within the Context of the New Zealand Family Justice System. She is a passionate advocate for kids in sticky situations and her work is informing policy as well as helping to retrain people who work in this space in NZ. Deb loves the freedom of running her own business here in Wanaka. She is a master of balancing work and fun and time with her family. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Dr Deb.