Zealous State of Mind Podcast with the Guru of Gainz

It was an honour to sit down and talk with the humble New Zealand Rugby League legend that is Ali Lauitiiti. Especially since his style of play was one I really admired growing up as a league fanatic. 

This episode was a real special moment in my podcasting career as we sat at the front of his house in South Auckland drinking coffee and hot chocolate while talking about the ups and downs of his career, family, faith, life after footy and much more!

Listen in for a few laughs and lessons from the easy going former back rower as he transitions to life after a great footy career. #ZealousStateofMind 

I've done alot of Bible studies and workshops over the years that I have been a Christian. Out of all the ones I've been to and participated in, the studies with AJ and his intimate group of keen learners, are one of the few that has stood out for me and helped me have a deeper understanding of the Word.

AJ is young but he's dedicated to his relationship with God and his Word. He's definitely one of the best teachers I've had the pleasure of studying with. Not only have I learnt alot but one of the things that really stood out for me was his in depth look into the scriptures without an angle of converting anyone but just focusing on what the scriptures say. 

Really enjoyed hearing AJ's story, getting to know him better and excited about some of the projects he is working on! 

It's been 7 weeks since my last update episode and since I could't quite tee up a time with a couple of my guests, I knew it was time to go solo, except this time I didn't go solo, my wife joined me after I asked her to jump on and fill in anything I may have missed or to add any extra thoughts.

In this episode, I share what I got up to over the school holidays, Coaching at CrossFit Infinite, basketball coaching with my Junior Girls Basketball team, our latest MOVE EVERYDAY apparel drop, getting ready for our second baby, a few things I have noticed and learned recently and a few other thoughts and opinions I have on certain topics that I have experienced recently. Tune in and enjoy!:) #WesWesNet #ZealousStateofMind 

Was a pleasure to sit down and talk with Kelly who is a bundle of energy and good vibes only.

I learnt a lot in this episode about the benefits of growing up total immersion Maori, the importance of unconditional love and having a vision as parents but not only for our kids but our grand kids also.

Kelly is from what I can remember the only brown face I know who has said they come from a place of privileged and is absolutely happy at the same time. 

Tune is for this unique conversation with many insights! 

Was a pleasure to catch up and connect in person with the humble and hardworking NZ Weightlifter Isaac Lawgun. Especially since I had been following his career from afar online for a while.

Isaac has done a lot in his career so far but the Northland native is still very hungry and has some big goals that he is striving hard towards achieving. 

You won't find many young 20 year olds who have the same sort of focus that Isaac does. While most people his age are out partying and living for the now, Isaac works 4 days a week (Fridays off for training) has his nutrition and training on point, all so he can put his best foot forward towards achieving his goals.

Was a good reminder to always keep setting goals and to work relentlessly towards them!

Haven't laughed this hard in a while and found myself buzzing for a while afterwards as we had so many similarities in our gym & business journeys.  From having the same guys that inspired us both in the beginning, to living in the gym at a certain stage in the journey, to having the same struggles trying to develop athletes while looking after our own athletic endeavours and the general population who were the people keeping our doors open and lastly, both of us literally running our respective gyms for 8 years before moving onto the next phase of life.

Dave has a larger than life personality and an even BIGGER heart that impacted numerous amounts of people in the 8 years that he owned and operated Iron Will Training. Not only did Dave help people in their health and fitness journeys, but he also led the way, being one of the top competitors in Strongman and highly respected among his peers for a number of years, but the best is yet to come!

As one journey ends, another one begins! Stay tuned as Dave has some unfinished business to take care of and like many of the greats, he aint ducking or weaving;)

This is Dave's amazing story so far. Tune in to hear some great stories about what he and his wife were willing to do to make Iron Will Training the great place that it was! #NeverGiveUp #AllHeart #IronWill

With both of our families being connected through MAGS and the Metro Lions Football Club and having known Sam for a number of years now, it was good to sit down with him to catch up as I had known for a while that he had been doing some great work through his job at AUT as a Pacific Student Recruitment Officer and in the Niuean community. It was also really cool getting to know him a bit deeper and a privilege to hear some personal and families stories.

Ever since I first met Sam at school, he has been involved in leadership, whether it be in the school Niuean group or coaching the junior metro lions teams, he has been out there serving in some sort of capacity. 

Sam is a great story teller and weaves humour into his tala which I really enjoyed.

He has a unique way of thinking about things and adapts with the times while keeping a strong hold onto his culture and beliefs. 

Really enjoyed this talanoa, trip down memory lane and number of ah ha moments! 

His attention to detail to the little things going on around him is somewhat of a gift in my opinion.

Great listen if you are into culture, story telling, leadership and vision!  

Check it out!

Was really cool to connect with Theresa and pick her brain because it's not everyday that you get to talk with someone who is a World Champion in 2 different sports (Rugby Union and Sevens) 

What stood out for me from the beginning as we started to talk was that she was onto it and none of her success was a fluke. Theresa is organised, hardworking, driven, very intentional with her decisions and what she trying to achieve. I guess you could say there's an element of luck in anyone's rise to the top in their chosen field but you have to give yourself every chance by doing your doing your due diligence for when opportunity arises and she did/does just that. 

Although she's considered one of the more "older" players in both Rugby Union and Sevens, she only at the tender age of 25 and having achieved so much already, she shows a maturity beyond her years.

In this episode, Theresa talks about her purpose and how she tries to use her platform to affect the world in positive ways.

She also talks about her upbringing, growing up in a competitive family environment, starting out in many different sports, how she almost went down the Netball route, her Rugby and Sevens journey so far and much more!

Tune in and get behind what her and the Black Ferns are up to. 

It's definitely something special! #BlackFerns

Really enjoyed chatting with Benny and getting to know him because as someone who grew up as a streetballer and a big fan of Basketball, Benny aka BJ is a legend from my era. Even though I didn't know BJ personally back then, I knew he was a rising star and someone to keep an eye out for.

In my last few years of high school at Mount Albert Grammar I remember him and his team giving us a few hidings that year including a season opener where we thought we would match it with them. His 2004 Avondale College team eventually went on to win the National Championship.

BJ has won and had success wherever he has played and shares some great insights on what it takes to win and the mindset you have to have to go to the next level. A big reason why I wanted him on the podcast.

Now that I work at Avondale College and knowing that his team was the last team to be in the mix for years, I was very grateful to have the big man on the podcast to share his story and to learn from him.

BJ shares his really well thought out and insightful views on racism.

There's a lot more to this charming Basketballer who is very self aware, straight up, intuitive and a lot more!

Tune in as it's definitely an episode you won't wanna miss! 

Really enjoyed this episode with Arden McCarthy who loves a chat and loves the game Rugby League. He's done a lot in the game so far and the game has been good to him.

He's done a bunch of travel and made many life long friends through the game which most people might know about but what most people might not know about is his background and upbringing which I found very interesting and inspiring.

Arden is a great communicator, story teller, unapologetic himself and says things as they are which I admire and find refreshing each time I catch up with him. 

Tune in as there's more to Arden than what you see and hear on the field!;)