Wanaka Podcast

Welcome to the show Doc McLeod! He is a doctor, an Ironman and a local through and through. Andrew is a Director of Wanaka Medical Centre and has worked there since 1985. Early days as a doctor were spent in Breckenridge as a ski doctor, so Wanaka seemed like a good fit. Back in those days the town still had party lines and when people needed a doctor, you could just knock on the door of their house. He became a Distinguished Fellow of The Royal NZ College of GPs and was fundamental in bringing together the Wanaka Lakes Health Centre. Andrew is fascinated by what our bodies are capable of, and he enjoys exploring limits by competing in triathlons and multi-sports events.  He reveals his next project on the show! He is organised, mindful, and a fan of systems and coffee. Andrew’s GP life and approach to business are grounded in good values, a focus on the present moment and a desire to look after his fellow man. He is a good man; enjoy the show.

Dougal sits down with Ginny Rutledge from Wanaka Physiotherapy. A “naughty schoolgirl” (her words, not ours), Gin came from a family of farmers and a medical practitioner. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and trained as a physio. Ginny has run a successful business here in Wanaka for 33 years; she began back in the eighties when this quiet little ski town only required a physio team two mornings per week. Gin was fundamental in setting up a specialist high-performance sport snow sports programme that has evolved into the national body and is one of the highest-performing park and pipe programmes in the world. She has attended five Olympic Games as the physiotherapist for the New Zealand ski team and the USA ski team. A leader in her field, Ginny attends and presents at international physiotherapy conferences and through these networks gains access to ground-breaking research, for the benefit of our Kiwi athletes.  She calls her success a happy accident, but you will hear Gin’s passion and energy about people and progression. She is an enormous asset to our athletes and our town. In the winter you will find her heading up Treble Cone, watching the sun come up, with a smile on her dial. We hope you enjoy this show.

Dougal sits down with Duncan Good to talk about his path to being an owner of Ray White Wanaka, and how he rounds out life with sport, family and friends. Sport provided a solid footing for Duncan in business; he transferred skills and lessons learnt in leadership and mindset into his business life. Sound advice he received early on from All Blacks coach Steve Hansen continues to ring true to this day. Duncan talks about how he was lucky to have significant influencers shape his thinking and encourage him to continually stretch outside of his comfort zone, which led him into auctioneering, Challenge Wanaka and eventually real estate. We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation.

Sally Currie works for herself in every sense of the word. One of her jobs is centred around her husband Braden Currie (her husband), triathlete and multi-sport Ironman. Sally is Braden’s media and partnership manager, a role she created for herself in order to ensure Braden had every opportunity to focus on what he does best. In this honest discussion Sally opens up about her kids, her Dad’s influence and how she met and married Braden. She has taken a very deliberate approach to designing a life of fun. Sally describes herself as unemployable and therefore survives on creativity and resourcefulness. She has shaped her life and work to suit a life of travel, sport, children and happy days. Hard work and her father’s wisdom is sprinkled throughout her story. She has survived on her wits and wiles and enjoyed every facet of the vast array of businesses she has been involved in over the years.  She puts the variety she has experienced in her life of business, down to her lack of concern and worry around things not working out.  She instead opts to believe that everything is possible and that life has a natural way of natural way of leading you to where you need to be. This pair are adventurous and entrepreneurial and have carved out a fun life of action. We hope you enjoy this honest and interesting chat!

Rob Holt from See Crow Fly coffee tells his tale about moving from Ireland to New Zealand, and from head dishwasher to head barista. He has a love of fine things: beautiful pencils, beautiful views and beautiful coffee. Rob and his partner Rachel are two of Wanaka’s most experienced and recognisable baristas. It is likely Rob has served you up a flat white and it is likely it may have been one of the best you have tasted. Rob has had the knack for making coffee ever since he made instant coffee for his Mum in the mornings as a youngster.  Today he is an absolute master of his craft. Like a mad scientist Rob loves experimenting with roasting coffee beans, at the heart of it, he is focused on roasting coffee, he likes to drink. Rob is a true artisan, his secret to success is striving to make every coffee better than the one before. Please enjoy this relaxed and interesting chat with Rob Holt.

We are lucky to have had Jackie Boyd on the show! Jackie and Dougal discuss family, life in business, and open water swimming. Jackie jumped in the deep end in 2017, taking over full ownership of Penberthy Insurance and rebranding to beSure. With over 25 years’ experience, her name is synonymous with insurance in Wanaka. Dougal digs deep on family; Jackie is the youngest of 9 children, has two girls of her own, and she has found whānau and community in the swimming community in Wanaka. Jackie dipped her toes into open water swimming by entering the very first Challenge Wanaka. The event sparked a love affair with the lake and swimming for fitness and events. She was instrumental in forming the Lake Swimmers Club and as a Trustee of the Wanaka Watersports Facility Trust she is intent on ensuring the facility is available to all the community. This discussion will give you an insight into Jackie’s values, and her focus on our community and family. We hope you enjoy it.

Dougal Allan sits down with Eddie Spearing to talk about motorbikes, skateboards, snowboarding and music. The pair talk about serendipity, being in the right place at the right time and capitalising on a little bit of luck to shape up an epic life! Eddie is a mechanical design engineer by profession and this foundation unlocked an unlikely chain of events that led him to become the Publisher of Snowboard UK Magazine, setting up the British Snowboard Association, finding a Kiwi wife and moving to Wanaka New Zealand. Eddie and Dougal talk about the birth of the Ruby Island Swim, Eddies open water wetsuits and how to bring all your knowledge and skills together. Here’s to making luck happen!

Jess Eastwood speaks to Nikki Potts from Health 2000 and Fusion Natural Health Clinic. Nikki tells us about purchasing and owning a retail health store at 23 years old. She also talks about her private clinic working with her customers on nutrition, fertility, hormone and gut health. Her approach helps people understand what is going on in their body and how they can obtain optimal health. We hope you enjoy this chat!

https://www.wanakapodcast.com/episodes/nikki-potts

https://www.fusionhealthclinic.co.nz/

Jess Eastwood talks to the passionate Lucas Parkinson from Ode Restaurant. Lucas takes us on his journey into the world of food, and offers an insight into the trials and tribulations of owning a restaurant. He talks about his mentors, the unique culture of the New Zealand food industry, and he lets us in on a few things he has learnt along the way. Lucas offers his philosophy on conscious dining, creative cooking and why building a business on solid values is important to him. This honest and open discussion lets us see Lucas’s resilience, tenacity and unique passion for his craft. We hope you listen in and dine at Ode.