00:00:00
Oh, good. You're here. Come on. This is
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the center of performance. Whenever
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there's a top performance in New
00:00:06
Zealand, it all comes from here. That's
00:00:08
Lisa Carrington. She's been doing that
00:00:10
for days. That's the boys who got the
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hole in one in to
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Hey Finn, how's the performance going?
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>> Top tier.
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>> Nice. This is our generate room. In
00:00:21
here, you'll find our top performers
00:00:22
helping Kiwis maximize their Kiwi Saver
00:00:24
investments. Get in here, Finn.
00:00:26
Maximize. Generate. putting performance
00:00:29
first.
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>> Benise Minnie, welcome to my podcast.
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>> Thanks.
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>> It's worth um I mean people are going to
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be listening to this whenever they're
00:00:43
listening to it, but for you and I,
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we're recording this at 7 a.m. on a
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Friday morning.
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>> Yeah. Good time, eh?
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>> You asked you asked me in the I invited
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you on the podcast and you very kindly
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said yes and and you said um what was
00:00:56
your line? something about uh you peak
00:00:58
performance in the morning or peak
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clarity.
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>> Peak clarity. I'm like buzzing when I
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get into work. That is my most
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productive time of the day.
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>> This is cruel. This look I look tired.
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I'm so tired. It's so early.
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>> Often by this time I've got dinner on as
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well prepped
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on.
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>> But it's um it is great to connect with
00:01:20
you. Um and I'm so pleased you said yes.
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Uh this was sort of um the middleman was
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your your husband Dion Nash.
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>> He's always the middleman. Yeah.
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>> Yeah. Who's been a guest on my podcast
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and I sent him a message saying, "Oh, do
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you think Bernie would be keen?" And he
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asked you and here you are. Did you did
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much much thought go into saying yes or
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>> uh I Well, I don't do them often. It's
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like I I kind of don't um I don't love
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being out in the media and um so I I
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love I kind of love working hard and
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putting my head down and um so in our
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family I I leave the I leave the
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marketing and the color and the media to
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Dion.
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>> Why Why don't you think you're Yeah. You
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said before just before we started
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recording that you don't think you're
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very interesting or something. Why why
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Yeah. Is this a chapter of your life now
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where where you you think you've been in
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the public eye and now you just enjoy
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like being under the radar a bit or what
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is it?
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>> Oh, I I just my whole focus I guess now
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is our three children. Like one of them
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are they're not children anymore but
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young adults and um and pretty much
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adults but is it's all it's not about me
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anymore, you know. And I think that you
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go through sport. Sport's a pretty
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selfish um pursuit and and you learn a
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lot through you learn a lot through
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sport. and I loved the time that I had
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um you know at high performance you know
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at the top of your sport but then um you
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know it's been nice to
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to try and be the best at something else
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like being a great mom and um and then
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going back to to corporate world and and
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um and being able to really dig deep and
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and get good at something else as well.
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Yeah.
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>> Well, with all that in mind, it's great
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to have you here today. I really really
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appreciate it. I mean that. And um I've
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got so many cards here of things to talk
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about. There's a lot of cards for
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someone that describes himself as not
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very interesting.
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>> I'm intrigued to see what you've got on
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those cards.
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>> Okay. First of all, um so yeah, 7:00
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a.m. on a Friday morning we're recording
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this and it's I think the 11th of
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September. Um just cuz I don't know when
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people are going to be listening to this
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or watching this, but at the time we're
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recording this, one of the big stories
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in the New Zealand news cycle is um Dame
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Nolan from the Silver Ferns, and there's
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been like a like a players mutiny. Uh do
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do you know her personally? Do you have
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any thoughts on this? Some of the some
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of the Silver Ferns have been um quite
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quite vocal about um their displeasure
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with it.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Um I mean, I played with
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Nolan.
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>> Oh, you played together?
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So back in um
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well in New Zealand, but before that um
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we played together in Wellington in PIC.
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So I moved um I was pretty young. I did
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two years at Canterbury Uni and then um
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I just knew too many people in Christ
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Church. So I didn't make it very far
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across the campus. Too much socializing
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going on. So I ended up um packing up
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and heading to Wellington um because
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Maram Matamanu was uh the coach then and
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um and I you know she was a legend gold
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defense in her time and I thought it
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would be great to tap into that and
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Nolan was the goal for smokefree pic was
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our team then. Um so I joined that team
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and um and she was a key a key figure in
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that team. um beautiful beautiful player
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um beautiful authentic person as well
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which which sort of went for all of the
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players in that team but we knew our
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positions and and we knew what we were
00:05:02
striving for in there.
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>> Yeah.
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>> So as as I mean you're in a you're
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you're in a position where like you've
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been um deep inside the silver ferns
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camp um and now you're in people and
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culture so you're dealing with um like
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workplace disputes like this. Yeah.
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What's your take on the whole thing?
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Yeah, it feels very similar like I think
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um and I think it's probably indicative
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of um the real
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>> um the overall changing environment um
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you know not just in sport but in um you
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know in the world that we're in and uh
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and you know apart from it's there's the
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whole
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um just employee rights And um and the
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same with the the rise of or the the
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evolvement of the um the players
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association and player um you know that
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player kind of power. Um but also
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you know I think our sport is um all
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sports are at a real kind of crossroads
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where you've got professionalism and um
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but you still have grassroots. you got
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to lean on grassroots to come through
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and um and there's so many opportunities
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out there for them to to weigh up
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basically. But but everything is um you
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know what I'm doing and is is basically
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what I can see happening out there. It's
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all it is all people and culture and um
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and I talk often to um
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um you know the beautiful thing about
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having played in a team sport is that
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you know um you know when you've when
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you've been when you've created or been
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part of a really amazing winning culture
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um and you also know when um when you've
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been in one that's been um bad. Yeah.
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Yeah.
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>> Yeah. When when were you at your
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happiest in the sort of affairs?
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>> Uh
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so when I came like um when I came into
00:07:07
the team that's always challenging when
00:07:09
your new kid on the block um
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>> and you were a kid. You were literally a
00:07:12
kid. I was you were still at school.
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>> I was a baby. So for many years I was a
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baby in in every team I was in. Um cuz I
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was kind of that I was that um you
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overgrown quite early on. Um, and so
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then you um, and and I guess because of
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that I learned to just fit in with um,
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and and get along with with all
00:07:36
different personalities and different
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ages and
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>> um, but then um, yeah, it was very kind
00:07:44
of we were losing when I first arrived
00:07:46
in the Silver Ferns. We were we were the
00:07:50
touted as each time we went out in the
00:07:53
tour against Australia, we were the
00:07:55
worst Silver Ferns team that um you know
00:07:58
had taken the court against Australia
00:07:59
and we were losing by 30 goals each test
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match which is which is crushing um you
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know the I mean that in itself kills um
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culture and and it's hard to reverse
00:08:12
reverse engineer that. Um, so there's so
00:08:15
many factors that go on um, you know, to
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getting everyone at their peak potential
00:08:21
um, and performing and um, and it's no
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different to, you know, there's so many
00:08:26
similarities to to getting people to
00:08:29
perform in the workplace as well.
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>> Yeah. I suppose when you're on a team
00:08:32
that's losing, especially losing big,
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that's when fingerpointing starts and
00:08:36
blaming starts.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. And that's when actually you
00:08:40
need to stop and it's always what you
00:08:43
can control and and um you know what you
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can affect in there.
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>> Um
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>> but yeah there's there's there's a lot
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of factors and then the best teams that
00:08:51
I've um you know been in we had a great
00:08:55
um silver ferns team that we went to
00:08:59
South Africa and we won that series
00:09:01
against Australia in South Africa. Um
00:09:04
and uh and I guess you know we had a
00:09:07
team that that that was the rise of
00:09:09
Timapara George and um and Tanya Dalton
00:09:12
was out there on the court. It was a
00:09:14
really great um we had Irene, it was
00:09:17
Irene's first time back playing in South
00:09:20
Africa against South Africa. Um and uh
00:09:23
but yeah, we had a really close cohesive
00:09:26
unit over there. Um and and same I guess
00:09:31
I think back to the best the best teams
00:09:34
and culture that I was in um that that
00:09:36
PIC team with um WA and Nolan. Um but
00:09:40
and then Robin brought in with the many
00:09:42
years that she had
00:09:44
>> um down down in Southland for Sting and
00:09:47
Steel and um you know that was a real
00:09:50
kind of I was actually saying to Dion
00:09:52
about um there were very few players
00:09:55
that played in that era. Um, so it was
00:09:58
just like consistency.
00:10:00
>> Um, and she managed to maintain those
00:10:04
players and those combinations, but also
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um, you know, she probably extended
00:10:08
Robin extended my, um, my playing career
00:10:12
because of, you know, I had these bung
00:10:15
joints. Um, but she really, um, treated
00:10:19
us as individuals, but then as part of a
00:10:22
team. So she was able to um you know
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manage us individually and then have us
00:10:27
combine as a um as a you know as a
00:10:31
winning team. Yeah.
00:10:31
>> Um you mentioned Irene Van Djk just
00:10:33
before one of the one of the greatest
00:10:35
ever. What um what what's it like did
00:10:38
did when you were captain did you sort
00:10:39
of captain everyone the same way? Like
00:10:41
were you just Bernice and this is what
00:10:42
you get or did you treat people
00:10:43
differently? Cuz I've heard her in
00:10:45
podcast. It sounds like she's quite a
00:10:46
quite sensitive and
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>> differently. Yeah. Yeah. You can't you
00:10:50
you can't treat everyone the same. Um
00:10:53
you know to there's rules that keep
00:10:55
everyone you know on an even kill.
00:10:57
However um if you want to get the best
00:10:59
out of everyone uh you got to figure out
00:11:01
what motivates them and and how um you
00:11:04
can get them to perform at their best.
00:11:07
Yes, when Irene arrived and um and her
00:11:10
and Billy Miner joined the Silver Ferns
00:11:13
at the same time from overseas and quite
00:11:16
two big personalities, like two really
00:11:19
colorful um personalities. Um, and Irene
00:11:24
was super
00:11:27
sensitive and if you I know I remember
00:11:30
Annie Robbery, you know, firing a few
00:11:33
balls at her and and um they just, you
00:11:36
know, went flying through her hands and
00:11:38
and then um and then if someone raised
00:11:41
their voice, eyes would burst into tears
00:11:44
and um you know, this is in training and
00:11:47
so you had to really just um uh work out
00:11:53
how you could get Irene to I mean you
00:11:55
actually had to work around her to to
00:11:57
get her to grow and be you know stronger
00:12:01
and and um cuz she would always
00:12:03
initially she would fumble balls on the
00:12:05
baseline and um and you know she'd had
00:12:08
very limited kind of exposure to other
00:12:10
players and other styles of playing um
00:12:13
and then and we also had Donna uh
00:12:17
Lofhagen in the team and um and Dons is
00:12:21
um you know she's probably quite the
00:12:23
opposite to Irene and so it was trying
00:12:25
to get them to gel together and work
00:12:28
together and um yeah yeah there's often
00:12:32
you know I think it's being able to
00:12:34
harness those um the individuals and
00:12:38
those really strong personalities like
00:12:41
you definitely need to be able to
00:12:42
harness them and bring them together. So
00:12:44
there's a role. There's a role for big
00:12:46
personalities and then there's a role
00:12:47
for those people that gel and and stick
00:12:49
it all together. Yeah.
00:12:51
>> It's a lot for a captain. So you got to
00:12:52
focus on your own game. Um and then
00:12:54
you've got to like manage all these
00:12:55
different personality types. So I'm I'm
00:12:57
sure I even remember seeing Iron Van Djk
00:12:58
in some games like um like clapping when
00:13:01
the other team scores.
00:13:02
>> She did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I remember
00:13:04
playing against her at the um you know
00:13:07
prior to her um moving here and um and
00:13:11
she would be chatting to you and like
00:13:13
we're always taught don't talk to your
00:13:15
opposition but when you're at goal shoot
00:13:16
and goalkeep you do have a lot of time
00:13:18
where you're just kind of standing next
00:13:19
to each other and she would be chatting
00:13:22
and um smiling and then like if I got an
00:13:26
intercept off her she'd be clapping like
00:13:29
you know like clapping the defensive
00:13:32
player getting the interceptor was like
00:13:34
bit strange but that was kind that was
00:13:37
her personality like she was
00:13:39
>> she was genu genuinely um pleased for
00:13:42
you and um yeah and I think that's what
00:13:44
the the public absolutely loved about
00:13:47
her as well. She she connected with
00:13:49
them.
00:13:49
>> Oh, she's adored here. Yeah. Well,
00:13:51
there's so much nipple stuff to get back
00:13:52
into, but first first of all, we'll um
00:13:54
wind back and go back to the early
00:13:55
years, right?
00:13:56
>> So, um Simone and dad and Dutch mom.
00:14:00
>> Um Irish.
00:14:01
>> Irish.
00:14:02
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Irish descent. Yeah.
00:14:03
>> Oh, GPT did me dirty. Okay. So, my dad
00:14:07
um Irish mom. Um Mini Mini, that's your
00:14:09
your dad's name.
00:14:11
>> Um and Sally is your mom's name.
00:14:12
>> Yeah.
00:14:13
>> And um the they're they're meat, cute
00:14:16
guys. Your dad, they were both on the
00:14:18
athletics track. Your dad's a dathlon.
00:14:20
Your mom's like a discus and javelin.
00:14:22
And he he liked her thighs. Her big
00:14:24
thighs.
00:14:26
>> That's his story. Well, that's her
00:14:28
story. um yeah that um that he well when
00:14:31
he came out from Samoa he said he wanted
00:14:33
to play for the All Blacks and be a
00:14:36
Peter Snell like go to the Commonwealth
00:14:38
Games for athletics and so and he turned
00:14:40
up at the athletics track and mom um
00:14:42
well she was from the west coast um and
00:14:45
he was they he came into Christ Church
00:14:48
and went to the athletics track and the
00:14:51
coach there was Vladimir Bridus Valdi
00:14:54
Breedus and um and um the story goes And
00:14:59
dad's great with the story is that he um
00:15:02
he didn't have any running shoes and so
00:15:04
um and it was mid- winter in Christ
00:15:06
Church and and so he sent everyone for a
00:15:10
couple of laps and he told many many to
00:15:12
go he was going to have to do twice as
00:15:14
many laps to warm up those feet. But um
00:15:17
and then he said yeah then he he spotted
00:15:19
mom across the shop at circle and he
00:15:23
loved her big thighs.
00:15:26
>> Strong strong thighs. Oh yeah, women
00:15:29
love that. They love hearing that. Um
00:15:31
and they were both superb athletes. They
00:15:33
like Decathlon is like um Yeah. I mean
00:15:37
>> 10 10 events. Yeah.
00:15:38
>> The supreme supremely fit. Like you got
00:15:40
to be Yeah.
00:15:41
>> Well, it takes a lot of training like to
00:15:44
become
00:15:46
proficient and um excel in 10 events,
00:15:48
right? You gota be like really really
00:15:50
good but not not necessarily brilliant.
00:15:52
Had 10 very different things like you
00:15:54
know pole vault high jump sprinting
00:15:56
middle distance running. That's a lot.
00:15:58
>> Yeah.
00:15:59
>> It's crazy good. And and they were both
00:16:01
like Commonwealth Games level, right?
00:16:02
Both went to the uh 74 Commonwealth
00:16:04
Games in Christ Church.
00:16:06
>> Yeah. Yeah. So that was just I was born
00:16:08
in 75. Um but um you I've seen footage
00:16:11
of there was sort of it feels like it
00:16:14
was probably that early first footage of
00:16:16
the Comwalth Games and um because
00:16:18
they're in Christ Church and um and I've
00:16:20
seen in in all of the TVNZ archives like
00:16:23
the um you know there's they followed
00:16:26
the Decathlon and so um there's all this
00:16:29
footage of dad's family from Samoa
00:16:31
supporting him and and um and yeah mom
00:16:35
and dad um competing. Yeah.
00:16:39
So, were they like a sporting power
00:16:40
couple? I feel like you and you and Dion
00:16:42
Nash, both former captains of your um
00:16:44
big national sports, cricket and
00:16:45
netball. You you you guys were a power
00:16:47
couple when you got together. Were they
00:16:48
like a power couple in the 70s?
00:16:50
>> Yeah, pro. Well, I mean, in a way,
00:16:52
probably. I think athletics was big when
00:16:55
we were growing up. Athletics was a
00:16:58
really popular um you know, sport and so
00:17:02
families would all compete together. Um
00:17:07
and so a lot of the girls that I played
00:17:09
with later in the silver ferns all did
00:17:12
athletics coming through as well. So you
00:17:14
know the the Robberies Annie um Anna
00:17:17
Robbery and her family I met and
00:17:19
competed against them at athletics from
00:17:22
early age when we all started and Debbie
00:17:24
Fuller who um MTO like same thing met
00:17:28
her down at athletics and um and even I
00:17:32
mccoreny I sprinted against her at um at
00:17:36
nationals and you know so it was um you
00:17:38
you knew them at athletics and then um
00:17:42
later on met them all back again on the
00:17:44
net court.
00:17:45
>> Why didn't you gravitate towards
00:17:46
athletics? You've got two brothers again
00:17:48
like super sporty family. Your brothers
00:17:50
Chris and Nathan
00:17:52
>> um high jump and discus at the Olympic
00:17:54
and com games level for Samoa. Why did
00:17:57
you you must have spent so many years
00:17:59
your early years like at the track with
00:18:01
your parents. Why didn't you gravitate
00:18:02
towards athletics?
00:18:04
>> Um I did love so athletics was probably
00:18:06
one of my first loves. Um and then it
00:18:09
was I started making when I started
00:18:11
playing I didn't start neble till I was
00:18:13
10. Um, and then I started being pulled
00:18:16
through into rep teams. Um, as I said,
00:18:20
like I was, you know, six foot at 10
00:18:24
and, um, so I've been 6'2, which I am
00:18:27
now. Uh, since I was 12 and so I got
00:18:31
pulled up into, you know, at under 21,
00:18:34
Canterbury under 21s, I was 15. Um, the
00:18:36
Canterbury senior team, I was 16 and
00:18:38
then New Zealand at 17. So it was like a
00:18:41
really fast trajectory through. Um, and
00:18:44
so because of that, I tried to keep
00:18:46
doing athletics as long as I could
00:18:47
because I think that I even, you know,
00:18:49
now with my own kids, try and um, we've
00:18:52
tried to allow them to to do as many
00:18:55
sports as they can when they're younger.
00:18:58
It also helps with like your your muscle
00:19:00
development and different movements and
00:19:02
and then um and then and it was probably
00:19:05
18. So when I was quite deep into New
00:19:08
Zealand net stuff that I had to decide
00:19:11
and and stopped
00:19:12
>> stopped my track and field. Yeah.
00:19:15
>> If you're if you're 6'2 at the age of
00:19:17
12. Um but you don't have a saying it a
00:19:20
net New Zealanders. They've got their
00:19:22
eye on you. Wow. Were you were you
00:19:24
taller than your parents?
00:19:25
>> Uh yeah.
00:19:26
>> Yeah. At what age? What age did you pass
00:19:27
your parents?
00:19:28
>> Uh at 12. Yeah.
00:19:30
>> Unbelievable.
00:19:31
>> So they Well, they say they dad's shrunk
00:19:34
now, I think. But um they said they were
00:19:37
6' and 5'11. So it was quite early on.
00:19:40
Um and yeah, I'm always amazed now
00:19:43
actually down at the net courts that
00:19:46
there's some real tall timber out there.
00:19:49
Um you know, definitely
00:19:51
we as as people are evolving and and
00:19:54
getting bigger. Yeah.
00:19:57
>> And did I hear a story that um one of
00:19:59
your brothers almost drowned in the um
00:20:01
in the the steeplechase?
00:20:02
>> Yeah.
00:20:03
>> Steeplechase pond. Do you call it a
00:20:04
pond?
00:20:05
>> Yeah. The little water hazard in the
00:20:07
>> water. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The water jump.
00:20:08
Yeah.
00:20:09
>> What happened?
00:20:10
>> Oh, mom and dad were competing. So they
00:20:12
like they always sort of had the um
00:20:13
chili bin on the side and we just had to
00:20:16
stay near there apparently. And so he
00:20:18
was I think mom was shotputting and she
00:20:21
had asked someone to keep an eye on him
00:20:22
but she turned around and he was face
00:20:24
down floating in the steeple just chase
00:20:26
water and so she went over hauled him
00:20:29
out put him back on his feet and went
00:20:31
back to do her third throw.
00:20:37
>> That's amazing. Um, yes. So, being that
00:20:41
height at, so 6' tall at the age of 10
00:20:44
when you're still in primary school,
00:20:45
then 6'2 at 12 when you're at
00:20:47
intermediate.
00:20:49
What were you like as a person? Were you
00:20:50
self-conscious? Were you were you
00:20:52
confident? What did people say? Like,
00:20:54
what's the weather like up there?
00:20:56
>> Yeah. Super super self-con uh not
00:20:59
self-confident, like self-conscious
00:21:01
>> cuz you just want to fit in, right?
00:21:02
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so quite um and
00:21:04
you don't didn't like sticking out in a
00:21:07
crowd and and um and yeah, everyone sort
00:21:11
of saying how tall you are and um which
00:21:15
you know you're well aware of um
00:21:19
and u and obviously you know when you're
00:21:22
at school at that age and the boys grow
00:21:24
slower than the girls anyway. Um and so
00:21:27
you're just looking for something that
00:21:29
you are good at. Um and so sport I guess
00:21:35
um was an area that I kind of felt felt
00:21:39
comfortable. Net was when I started
00:21:41
playing net it was like I met a whole
00:21:43
lot of other tall timber
00:21:45
>> you found your tribe.
00:21:46
>> Yeah.
00:21:47
>> Yeah. That's right. That's right. Um and
00:21:51
yeah and and then you know within our
00:21:54
own family you you kind of it's it's the
00:21:56
norm. I've got cousins um on my mom's
00:21:59
side that are 67 68 um and so yeah and
00:22:03
my my kids our kids now are um 6'5 6'4
00:22:08
so yeah
00:22:10
>> and what was your connection like with
00:22:11
your cultures growing up some culture or
00:22:14
the Irish culture was was that a were
00:22:16
you like raised as like a a wheat big
00:22:17
sitting kiwi kid or was there a
00:22:19
connection to those to those roots? I
00:22:21
mean we like you create your own you
00:22:24
create your own culture at home like
00:22:26
your own it is like your family is your
00:22:28
team that you're um that you're creating
00:22:31
and um and so we were very Catholic we
00:22:36
um you know we went to had our rituals
00:22:39
went to church um on Sundays we um had
00:22:44
we knew that simon um our son roots and
00:22:49
um and we would have family come and
00:22:51
live with us from over in Samo cuz dad
00:22:53
was the eldest of his um siblings and he
00:22:56
was the first to come out to New Zealand
00:22:58
and then he would sort of sponsor his
00:23:01
brothers and cousins and um yeah so you
00:23:05
always were used to people coming
00:23:07
through and and um and mom was from a
00:23:10
big family too so uh yeah it's and and I
00:23:14
guess that whole thing around dad was
00:23:17
coach once he was play um competing but
00:23:20
then he was coaching and both mom and
00:23:22
dad ended up coaching sport um and you
00:23:25
always had the athletes um over and and
00:23:28
it was like you had family upon family
00:23:31
um which is pretty much what we
00:23:35
replicate now with Dion and myself with
00:23:38
you know we we done some coaching and
00:23:41
you end up um you know that's your
00:23:45
that's another team or another um
00:23:48
another group that you belong to And and
00:23:50
I think that's um that's the great thing
00:23:52
about yeah about sport.
00:23:55
>> I've never heard anyone frame it that
00:23:56
way, but that's a really that feels like
00:23:58
an aha moment for me that your family is
00:23:59
your you know each family has their own
00:24:02
sort of culture.
00:24:03
>> Yeah. Looking at it
00:24:05
>> and you create it. You um
00:24:07
>> you set the the rules and the boundaries
00:24:09
and the and how you engage. But um you
00:24:13
know a whole lot comes down to um
00:24:17
you know well everything happens at home
00:24:20
right so you talk about it all happening
00:24:22
around the the dinner table um and
00:24:25
that's where the real gold moments
00:24:29
happen you know where you're sharing um
00:24:32
not just food but um because all
00:24:34
cultures combine over over food um but
00:24:39
it's that um you know sharing of your
00:24:43
day and being able to um you know talk
00:24:48
about learnings and and um and I think
00:24:52
that's that's what I guess in a world
00:24:55
where things have got faster and faster
00:24:57
and and uh and the ease of of um you
00:25:03
know food and you kind of lose a lot of
00:25:06
those moments to connect and um you know
00:25:09
even the old washing the dishes as as
00:25:11
much as when we were growing up and you
00:25:13
fought and with your brothers and um but
00:25:17
actually, you know, they were moments to
00:25:20
be able to um to unpack things and and
00:25:23
um and chat about your day and um you
00:25:26
know, and it's discipline. It's like,
00:25:28
you know, it's all stuff that um you you
00:25:31
laugh about it, but when you lose that
00:25:34
time, I mean, that's just um
00:25:36
>> you know, gets spent on on devices now,
00:25:39
you know. So um so I think it's that you
00:25:42
can't take away um in a world of AI
00:25:45
which everyone is embracing and rightly
00:25:47
so but you still can't take away those
00:25:50
um that people contact and
00:25:52
>> that human connection. Yeah 100%.
00:25:54
>> Yeah.
00:25:55
>> It's funny you and I are similar ages
00:25:56
and there are parallels with our our
00:25:58
upbringings. Um there's the dishes
00:26:00
thing. Um by the way we did an appalling
00:26:02
job of washing and drying the dishes. I
00:26:04
look back now the dishwasher is a far
00:26:05
more effective way. Um but also the um
00:26:07
the Catholic thing as well. What what's
00:26:09
your relationship with religion like
00:26:10
now? Did you sort of dump it as soon as
00:26:13
you became an adult?
00:26:14
>> Um would you still call yourself?
00:26:17
>> We um so we've brought um like all of
00:26:20
our our um children have come through
00:26:23
the Catholic system, the schooling
00:26:25
system. Um and I find it a really um
00:26:29
like everyone's entitled to their um
00:26:31
their own beliefs. Um but it's a really
00:26:35
um you know I think the ma the the most
00:26:38
important thing is that you need to
00:26:40
believe in something um and um I find it
00:26:43
really um uh
00:26:47
uh not well therapeutic but um just to
00:26:51
to be able to escape as we were
00:26:53
traveling
00:26:55
um after world champs with the net
00:26:57
ballers. So it was in 1996
00:27:00
we um uh Debbie Debbie Fuller, Julie
00:27:06
Seymour, and myself um we went
00:27:08
backpacking around Europe. And when we
00:27:11
got to Italy um like to the Vatican,
00:27:15
they were like, "Benny, you need to go
00:27:18
in and go to confession and tell us what
00:27:20
it's all about."
00:27:22
they were just fascinated by the whole
00:27:25
um and so so I did and um but um but
00:27:29
when we we you know we we also when we
00:27:32
got to Venice um like we we couldn't
00:27:36
find it was like a Friday night in the
00:27:38
middle of the it was like 10:00 p.m. and
00:27:40
there was nowhere to stay. And um and we
00:27:42
ended up I looked up the guide book and
00:27:45
there was a a Catholic convent on this
00:27:47
little island um that only took women.
00:27:50
And um we basically slept in this church
00:27:52
in these little single beds. Um and um
00:27:55
they were like, "Bernie, you need to
00:27:57
lead the way."
00:28:00
And so um but um but yeah, I I I feel
00:28:06
like I feel quite grounded. um you know
00:28:09
in my um my beliefs.
00:28:12
>> Right. So your faith definitely has a
00:28:13
part in your life today.
00:28:14
>> It has a part in my life. Yeah. Yeah. I
00:28:16
like I um and
00:28:19
and and in my children's lives, it is
00:28:22
part of um like
00:28:25
>> like very much so in Pacific culture.
00:28:28
It's um very much part of of of the
00:28:32
culture and the way um and you know it's
00:28:36
really I know when um you know my my
00:28:41
boys uh love and and and India as well
00:28:45
um the singing and the beautiful hymns
00:28:48
um the way the Pacific culture um really
00:28:51
embrace religion as well.
00:28:53
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:55
So, Netball, so you make the silver fins
00:28:57
when you're 17 and you're still at
00:28:59
school. Actually, I've got a photo here.
00:29:00
That's um
00:29:02
>> Yeah, that's
00:29:04
>> Can we just talk about this?
00:29:06
>> How
00:29:08
can I just talk about it? This is like
00:29:12
This is like a moment in time, right? So
00:29:14
we we had finished um
00:29:20
we had finished a net training and uh
00:29:24
these were these were not the days that
00:29:26
clearly that um you know there were
00:29:28
false eyelashes and and uh
00:29:31
>> hair and makeup. We even did our hair.
00:29:34
>> We trained hard. Um and then they
00:29:37
basically said we're going to you know
00:29:39
we've got your head and shoulders photos
00:29:41
for um for New Zealand. Can you just
00:29:44
roll through and, you know, take these
00:29:45
photos? I did not know that these photos
00:29:49
were going to stay with us for the next
00:29:52
37 years or whatever.
00:29:55
>> I mean, that's on the that is on the New
00:29:58
Zealand website.
00:30:01
>> But you're so young. Like, you're you're
00:30:03
literally like just um I mean, you're
00:30:05
young young adult, but
00:30:06
>> 18.
00:30:06
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:08
>> Yeah. Um Yes. About the same age as what
00:30:10
your daughter is now. And here you are
00:30:12
playing for the national team. When when
00:30:14
you think of it like that, like this is
00:30:15
the same age as your daughter. It's it's
00:30:17
it's young, right?
00:30:19
>> Yeah. Yeah. It was really young. And I
00:30:21
remember being absolutely petrified of
00:30:24
well kind of in in awe of these players
00:30:27
that um that I had been selected to play
00:30:32
with in the New Zealand team. And then
00:30:35
um and we met that first tour that I was
00:30:40
on um we met in Toranga and we were on a
00:30:43
Marai um and um you know there was Tanya
00:30:47
Cox and Joan Hodson and and um and Julie
00:30:51
Carter and and Anna Nova these all these
00:30:54
legends Jo and you know I'd watch them
00:30:58
playing and then next minute I was
00:31:00
thrown in with them and I just remember
00:31:03
every training
00:31:05
um in Toadonga feeling like I was going
00:31:07
to vomit and like I just wanted to prove
00:31:10
that I was good enough to be there cuz
00:31:13
um you know no one actually really
00:31:15
talked to me. I mean I'm sure they did
00:31:18
but it felt like um I was competition um
00:31:22
you know this young kid had come in and
00:31:25
was was trying to get their position um
00:31:28
and so they were not going to make my
00:31:31
path easy. Yeah. Was there anyone that
00:31:34
sort of any of the senior players that
00:31:35
sort of took you under their wings or
00:31:37
like motherthered you or nurtured you?
00:31:39
>> Uh,
00:31:42
not that I should maybe not like I just
00:31:45
um
00:31:46
>> you like from where you are now, you
00:31:47
think that'd be an instinct thing to do,
00:31:49
right? There's this young girl here
00:31:50
who's the imposter syndrome must be
00:31:52
unreal at that age.
00:31:53
>> Yeah. I was lucky that Leilani Reed um
00:31:56
had made the team at the same time and
00:31:57
she was a year. So I was 17, she was 18
00:32:00
and um and so basically we were like
00:32:02
joined at the hip and um and we just we
00:32:06
only spoke if we were spoken to um and
00:32:09
just put our heads down and got on with
00:32:12
it.
00:32:14
>> And um so this was the late ' 90s. So
00:32:16
pre pre
00:32:17
>> early 90s
00:32:18
>> early 90s.
00:32:18
>> Yeah. 92.
00:32:20
>> So So pre- internet pre- internet.
00:32:22
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, um, the only negativity
00:32:25
you would have,
00:32:25
>> thankfully,
00:32:28
>> so I suppose the ne negativity you would
00:32:30
have had back then would have been, um,
00:32:32
I don't know, maybe some comments from
00:32:34
fans that you see in person or um,
00:32:36
sporting reporters online or anything
00:32:38
like that, but yeah. Was there any
00:32:39
negativity towards you and how did you
00:32:41
handle it? Well, I had also kind of
00:32:43
displaced um well, I know Julie Town's
00:32:48
End had been dropped or um for me coming
00:32:52
in as well. So, and she was a legend of
00:32:54
the game. So, yeah, you were definitely
00:32:57
under full scrutiny. Um and I had I
00:33:01
wasn't even in the New Zealand squad, so
00:33:05
um so it was kind of being plucked from
00:33:07
obscurity
00:33:08
>> like a wild card.
00:33:09
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Um, so you just kind of
00:33:15
you just had to get on with it
00:33:18
basically. Um, and and man up or toughen
00:33:22
up and
00:33:23
>> and um and see if you could make it.
00:33:25
>> Yeah. Well, and and you did. But yeah,
00:33:28
was it tough?
00:33:29
>> Yeah, it was tough. It was um Yeah, it
00:33:31
was tough. Like you just um you as I
00:33:34
said, you you felt like being sick at
00:33:35
every training. like you just ran as
00:33:37
hard as you could and and and I was fit
00:33:41
because I was doing athletics then as
00:33:42
well and um and I remember all the
00:33:44
fitness testing I was um you know in the
00:33:47
top level um so and and that's youth on
00:33:51
your side as well but there's always
00:33:54
lots of learnings um you know there's
00:33:56
the off the court and um and there's
00:33:59
mental preparation and I guess we're
00:34:01
pretty blessed um well I that at
00:34:05
Canterbury level, we'd had Lee Gibbs
00:34:07
coaching us as well. So, for a couple of
00:34:09
years, I'd been under Lee and um and Lee
00:34:12
had really prepared us well physically
00:34:16
like she and um and that was the early
00:34:19
days of she was teaching at Hillton High
00:34:22
School with um Gilbert and Noa. And so,
00:34:24
she had brought Gilbert in
00:34:25
>> and it was his early foray into sports
00:34:29
psychology, I guess. And um and so we'd
00:34:32
started and I remember Gilbert saying,
00:34:34
"Oh, you to me um you know, you've got a
00:34:37
really good kind of um
00:34:41
understanding or that kind of natural
00:34:43
thinking and that sports psychology
00:34:45
field." And so, um, you know, it was
00:34:47
that kind of you knew that some some
00:34:50
people out there had some belief in you
00:34:51
and then, you know, there was that real
00:34:53
potential to grow there
00:34:55
>> cuz the outcome was very good obviously
00:34:57
like you're you're a legend of the game,
00:34:58
but it could have it could have crushed
00:35:00
you, right? It could have easily easily
00:35:02
gone the other way. What What are your
00:35:03
memories of the your first time playing
00:35:05
for New Zealand putting on the black
00:35:06
dress? Um, so I didn't play the first
00:35:09
tour that I was on against Australia and
00:35:11
um I felt really um
00:35:15
I just remember watching the speed of
00:35:17
the ball and feeling um like it was like
00:35:21
that imposter syndrome. It was so fast
00:35:24
and um the ball just spun around and um
00:35:28
yeah the and thinking I'm not sure if I
00:35:31
want to go on the court. Um and then my
00:35:34
second tour was to England at the end of
00:35:37
the year. So it was my seventh form year
00:35:39
at school. Um the the under21 World Cup
00:35:43
was happening um in December and um and
00:35:47
I'd been aiming for that. Um but they
00:35:50
didn't select me for the under 21s. They
00:35:52
took me to England instead the month
00:35:53
before that. Um and I played every test
00:35:58
over there. My first test was at
00:35:59
Wembley. Um there were like a massive
00:36:02
packed stadium. It was full. Um and I
00:36:06
Tanya Cox was behind me. So I took the
00:36:08
bibet gold offense and as we were um
00:36:12
we got out on the court and it felt like
00:36:14
the ball was spinning and then all of a
00:36:16
sudden Tans just smashed the ball into
00:36:19
my guts and um so I had to catch it and
00:36:23
then I was away and that was it.
00:36:25
>> Yeah.
00:36:26
>> Yeah.
00:36:27
>> Yeah. Then I suppose you just sort of go
00:36:28
into that sort of flow state or just
00:36:31
muscle memory or whatever it is. You
00:36:33
just know what to do.
00:36:34
>> Yeah. Yeah. Just look for the ball and
00:36:36
go for it. Go get it. Intercept it.
00:36:39
>> And then um 18 it was suggested that you
00:36:41
retire because you had knee issues.
00:36:44
>> Yeah. So I went to um the next so it was
00:36:47
the next year the next tour um we went
00:36:49
to the world games in the Hague and in
00:36:53
our pre just before we left New Zealand
00:36:56
um I in a drill I hurt my knee and um
00:37:01
and so I did the whole tour over to the
00:37:04
Hague um played the world um cup world
00:37:09
games and then came back and my knee was
00:37:12
by the end of the before you. It was so
00:37:15
huge. Um and so they went to see what
00:37:19
damage I'd done. Um and yeah, so it's as
00:37:22
it turned out um I had like I had done
00:37:28
my cut my ligaments and my cartilage,
00:37:31
but I also had um like bone chips and
00:37:35
damage. a bit like um like Michael Jones
00:37:40
the wear and tear kind of knee um damage
00:37:44
and I know mom and dad's coach Baldi
00:37:49
Breus always he reckoned that you know
00:37:51
cuz I'd grown so quickly um that there's
00:37:54
always going to be a weak spot and so
00:37:56
his theory was that my knees were
00:37:58
>> were the weak spot um yeah so then they
00:38:02
the doctors recommended that I retire uh
00:38:05
from New Zealand level um and just swim
00:38:10
for pleasure and be a be a university
00:38:13
student which um which didn't sit well
00:38:16
with me. So I just figured that I
00:38:19
>> I wanted to have no regrets and um so
00:38:22
I've retrained how my biomechanics. So I
00:38:27
was really pigeon towed. Um and so that
00:38:29
was putting pressure down the outside of
00:38:31
my knees. So had to learn to to refire
00:38:36
all my muscles um and walk again then
00:38:40
run again. It was a really slow recovery
00:38:42
but I was just had focused on that end
00:38:45
goal of coming back and seeing if I
00:38:48
could play for New Zealand again. Um and
00:38:51
um being able to manage my my knees and
00:38:54
come back. Um I don't think you know
00:38:56
after a big injury it's pretty hard to
00:38:59
come back as as good as you were before.
00:39:01
Um but yeah, I guess I edged out um to
00:39:04
make you know do the 10 years with the
00:39:07
silver ferns after that.
00:39:09
>> Right. Yes. So for your entire career,
00:39:11
which was um all things given was was a
00:39:13
long one and 76 76 tests.
00:39:15
>> 78
00:39:16
>> 78 tests. Um
00:39:19
yeah. Was it just a case of like just
00:39:21
coexisting with this knee?
00:39:23
>> Yeah. The entire time? Um, you know, I
00:39:24
was lucky that um um Sharon, our physio,
00:39:28
would help me manage it cuz um it was
00:39:31
hard to not do everything that everyone
00:39:34
did. So, um but I would, you know, on
00:39:38
tour cuz you would train two or three
00:39:40
times a day on tour. Um but with loading
00:39:44
or um on a hard surface, so the concrete
00:39:46
surface cuz I cut I basically had no um
00:39:50
no cushioning in my knee. And so if it
00:39:54
blew up, like to get the swelling down
00:39:58
was really hard. Um, and so you had to
00:40:01
manage the swelling. Um, because it
00:40:03
meant that if you've got all that
00:40:05
swelling, your reactions slow.
00:40:08
>> Um, so that was like Sharon would watch
00:40:12
me running and see my movements and
00:40:14
check the swelling and if it's too
00:40:16
swollen, you can't train today. Um and
00:40:19
so um kind of hard within a team where
00:40:23
everyone's going, you know, at full full
00:40:27
speed and and to every training that I
00:40:30
would have to sit out some trainings and
00:40:33
um but then you were still fighting for
00:40:35
your bib on the court. So, you know,
00:40:38
kind of hard for some of the other
00:40:40
players to understand that um that I
00:40:44
wasn't just like it wasn't just, you
00:40:46
know, getting a free ticket out of
00:40:48
there. Yeah.
00:40:49
>> Yeah.
00:40:49
>> Oh, you weren't Yeah. just like trying
00:40:51
to get off training or anything.
00:40:52
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:53
>> Yeah. Yeah. What sort of impact, if any,
00:40:55
did this have on you mentally?
00:40:57
>> Uh oh. Look, you just um you can only
00:41:00
control what you can control. I had to
00:41:01
do a lots of water work. had to um had
00:41:04
to get better at swimming, but running
00:41:06
in the water, you know, it was the
00:41:08
beginning of the flotation belts, you
00:41:10
know, jogging. I've done some of that.
00:41:13
>> Oh my god, it's tedious.
00:41:16
>> Um yeah, and so being able to um you
00:41:19
know, bring in different methods of
00:41:21
training as well. So I remember in a
00:41:24
tour to England um and uh and we were at
00:41:28
Crystal Palace and um yeah so I wasn't
00:41:31
so in the end um I wasn't the only one
00:41:33
that was aqua jogging you know I
00:41:35
remember Linda Vangar and the rest of
00:41:37
the defenders coming with me um so it
00:41:40
probably brought in different you made
00:41:42
them look at different methods of
00:41:43
training too
00:41:45
>> yes I've had some knee issue I I I gave
00:41:47
aqu jogging a go a few years ago and I I
00:41:49
thought oh maybe it maybe it won't be
00:41:50
like I imagine it to But it was exactly
00:41:52
how I imagined it was 70-y old women.
00:41:56
Like just a me and a pool full of like
00:41:58
women in their 70s.
00:42:00
>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you're a runner,
00:42:02
it's um it's it is quite a hard um
00:42:06
transition. Um
00:42:08
>> yeah. So I I think that
00:42:10
>> that you have to work within within your
00:42:13
limits as well. But um you know prior to
00:42:16
that, prior to big injuries, I remember
00:42:18
that whole mindset of thinking, you
00:42:20
know, basically that I could get to any
00:42:22
ball on the court. Um you know, I
00:42:25
remember Lynn Gunson was our first um
00:42:28
coach and she used to do a drill where
00:42:31
um they would throw the ball at 2/3 and
00:42:35
and time that you could get all the way
00:42:37
back to the circle to get the ball. Um,
00:42:40
and so basically that made us believe
00:42:43
that that and I believed that I could
00:42:46
get any ball within those 2/3 once it
00:42:49
was in the air.
00:42:51
>> Wow. Um but I think you know as um as
00:42:54
injuries sort of set in by the end of my
00:42:56
career I was pretty much strapped up um
00:42:59
two ankles two knees um and that and and
00:43:03
that's kind of the trigger for um you
00:43:06
know when it was time to retire was
00:43:08
thinking of future and um and you know
00:43:12
having being able to do things with my
00:43:15
with my future children.
00:43:17
>> How's your body now? Have you you've had
00:43:20
a knee reconstruction or
00:43:22
>> not a reconstruction. I've had um you
00:43:24
know I luckily I didn't do an ACL but
00:43:27
just um you know lateral lateral
00:43:30
ligaments and lots of clearing out of
00:43:31
the debris
00:43:32
>> in my knee. Um and then my ankle bit of
00:43:36
wear and tear in there as well. Mhm.
00:43:40
>> And while this um Silver Fern's career
00:43:42
was going on, it was all on the backdrop
00:43:44
initially with um the end of secondary
00:43:46
school, but then um teachers college as
00:43:48
well and then um as a secondary school
00:43:51
teacher, which is amazing really. So
00:43:53
there was there was no money in net or
00:43:55
did you get some like pdiums when you
00:43:57
were
00:43:58
>> uh per DMs, but like there was really no
00:44:01
we we were we were amateur. Um but I
00:44:04
always remember Cheryl Wells, our New
00:44:06
Zealand manager saying um you know but
00:44:08
we aim to be more professional than the
00:44:11
professionals and um conduct ourselves
00:44:13
in such a way um that we um you know
00:44:16
shine above and um and so that was that
00:44:19
was how we conducted ourselves and um
00:44:22
and so
00:44:24
a lot of us were teachers uh because it
00:44:27
fitted in with tours um and and we all
00:44:30
you had to if you weren't working, you
00:44:33
were studying. Um, and so, but I do
00:44:36
think that that um that definitely
00:44:39
helped for post post career, post New
00:44:43
Zealand career um that transition um
00:44:46
wasn't as difficult in that you you
00:44:49
always had something to fall back on or
00:44:51
you had another career and you had um
00:44:53
other identities as well within.
00:44:56
>> Was it hard juggling both though?
00:44:58
>> H yeah, there was some crazy times.
00:45:00
There were definitely some some crazy
00:45:02
times of um like when I was teaching at
00:45:04
Ita Girls and we were about to head off
00:45:06
on the tour to South Africa um and it
00:45:09
was exams and I had um hundreds of exams
00:45:12
to mark um and I couldn't get through
00:45:15
them all and write the reports um and we
00:45:18
were flying out we were flying into camp
00:45:20
to do um sort of our media you know
00:45:23
photos and signings and trainings um and
00:45:26
so I I talked to my HOD and I packaged
00:45:29
them all up and I said I was going to
00:45:30
courier them down um before we flew out
00:45:33
to South Africa. Um, and I just remember
00:45:37
like each English exam was taking me an
00:45:40
hour to mark and I had 60 to finish off.
00:45:44
And so every spare moment I was uh, you
00:45:48
know, in my room marking these exams and
00:45:51
and I just remember we were signing the
00:45:54
posters like we had these signing
00:45:56
sessions and um, and Belinda Colling was
00:45:59
saying to me um, you know, how how can
00:46:01
we help, Bernie? can we help you like
00:46:04
get through this? And so I had a few of
00:46:06
them line up and some were helping me
00:46:09
transfer the mark into my marking book
00:46:12
um and then onto the reports. And then I
00:46:15
was writing the comments and then you
00:46:17
know we were checking off like and and I
00:46:20
managed to get them in the courier and
00:46:22
send them off before we departed for
00:46:24
Johannesburg and um yeah but but but
00:46:28
even when you thought you were busy um I
00:46:32
think that was kind of the refreshing
00:46:33
thing. you would come into camp and you
00:46:36
know Leslie Nickel was studying physio.
00:46:39
She went on to study um medicine and um
00:46:43
and Linda Vangana was you know she was
00:46:46
running her she was working and and
00:46:49
studying and running her local youth
00:46:51
group and and um caring for parents. It
00:46:55
was like as as busy as you thought you
00:46:57
were when you got into camp, you knew
00:47:00
there was always someone that was busier
00:47:02
than you and there was always someone
00:47:05
that that was doing more than you. So,
00:47:07
it just kind of put things in
00:47:09
perspective.
00:47:10
>> That's such a great story though,
00:47:12
outsourcing your marking to other silver
00:47:14
firms. That's
00:47:16
>> team outsourced the marking. They were
00:47:18
transferring the marks and there were
00:47:21
jobs that they could do.
00:47:24
Okay, calm down. Calm down. It's um
00:47:26
>> calling me out.
00:47:28
>> It's um it's a surreal thought though.
00:47:29
Like so here you are, one of New
00:47:31
Zealand's top net ballers uh in in our
00:47:33
national team playing at the highest
00:47:35
level and you've got a class load of
00:47:36
kids like um yeah, you were kind of
00:47:39
famous at the time.
00:47:39
>> Well, it didn't matter to them. They
00:47:41
didn't they didn't care like they
00:47:43
>> I suppose. Yeah, that shine would wear
00:47:44
off very quickly. Like at the end,
00:47:46
you're just a teacher that's going to
00:47:48
>> give them good marks or bad marks.
00:47:50
>> Yeah, that's right. And you, you know,
00:47:52
when you're teaching in the classroom,
00:47:53
you're trying to get them, you know, to
00:47:55
all pass their exams, right?
00:47:58
>> And um becoming captain of the silver
00:48:00
fins at 20. Is 22 very young to become
00:48:02
captain? It seems very young. Obviously,
00:48:04
you were experienced. You'd been in the
00:48:06
team for 5 years by then, but yeah. Was
00:48:09
that a young age to become captain?
00:48:11
>> Yeah, I think so. Um, probably. I I had
00:48:14
some experience with
00:48:17
cuz my second year in the Canterbury
00:48:18
team um Lee made me uh vice captain of
00:48:22
the Canterbury team
00:48:24
>> at um 18
00:48:26
>> and so um which again poses challenges
00:48:30
of captaining much much older players
00:48:33
and more experienced players and um and
00:48:36
so you you definitely
00:48:40
have to find a way to earn their
00:48:42
respect.
00:48:42
and to be able to lead them. Um,
00:48:45
>> how do you do that? How do you find
00:48:47
their respect?
00:48:48
>> Well, only by performing on the
00:48:50
performing on the court first and
00:48:52
foremost. Um, but also, you know,
00:48:55
respecting what they bring to the team
00:48:58
as well. I know um
00:49:01
you know John Graham was one of Dion's
00:49:04
um managers in one of what he views to
00:49:08
be their their one of their best cricket
00:49:11
teams um with the black caps and he
00:49:14
always said when he was leading and um
00:49:18
you know in charge at at Oakland Grammar
00:49:20
that he surrounded himself by um you
00:49:24
know the best and so more you know I I
00:49:28
think you know more competent, more um
00:49:30
intelligent is in that uh surround
00:49:33
yourself with with the best. So they
00:49:35
push you but they also um you know they
00:49:38
fill the gaps that you you have as well.
00:49:41
And so I think that's the trick with
00:49:43
with leadership in that space is that
00:49:46
you um really tap into them leading with
00:49:50
you um and how you motivate them and
00:49:53
make them feel valued as senior members
00:49:55
is important. Mhm.
00:49:57
>> How much harder is it um being kept into
00:50:00
just being a player? Like in terms of
00:50:01
the workload,
00:50:02
>> uh there's quite a lot of responsibility
00:50:05
just in terms of the commitments out off
00:50:08
the court, but also you uh you've been
00:50:11
put in that position because you have
00:50:13
the physical ability to perform and you
00:50:16
need to be able to
00:50:18
>> perform and be relied on on the court.
00:50:21
So, there's that consistency key. Um and
00:50:24
then off the court being able to
00:50:27
interact with the media um be the
00:50:29
spokesperson as well. Um but also you
00:50:33
know it's that bringing the team
00:50:34
together and um so there's
00:50:39
there's quite a bit in terms of and
00:50:41
planning with the coach. So the coach
00:50:44
and captain relationship's key.
00:50:46
>> Um and you know I know it's um and there
00:50:51
always is a captain for a coach. So um
00:50:55
so you know when there's changes there
00:50:58
there's inevitably um there'll be you
00:51:01
know there's a there's a team to lead a
00:51:04
team and um so you need to you need to
00:51:07
work well together.
00:51:09
>> Do you have a favorite coach from your
00:51:10
career like a standout? I think back and
00:51:13
think how lucky I was to have been
00:51:16
exposed to such good coaches um across
00:51:19
the board and and you always will um you
00:51:23
know you'll take a little bit you'll
00:51:24
take some pieces that resonate from each
00:51:28
coach that you've been exposed to and
00:51:30
you kind of create your own um your own
00:51:33
combination. So, like as I said, Lee
00:51:36
was, you know, she was former Silver
00:51:38
Fern and she was the Canterbury coach at
00:51:40
the time and um and so I learned a lot
00:51:42
about that um work ethic and um and that
00:51:47
mental mental power and resilience. Um
00:51:50
then I had Lynn Gunson who was um she
00:51:55
was she used to give me things to think
00:51:59
about that I'd never really entertained
00:52:02
that that thought. So kind of challenged
00:52:04
your thinking. Um and then Yvonne
00:52:09
uh Willering when she was coaching New
00:52:11
Zealand and she um she really focused on
00:52:17
the the intercepts and she was a goal
00:52:19
defense as well. Um and so um she tapped
00:52:22
into that like that idea of you're in
00:52:26
charge on defense and you're setting up
00:52:28
and making the space and making it look
00:52:30
free. was a real um and then being able
00:52:32
to go and and gobble them up, you know.
00:52:35
Um so I enjoyed that. And then I had
00:52:37
Robin
00:52:38
>> um brought in who was um you know she
00:52:43
was right time for me to be exposed to
00:52:46
Robin. Um she was also young
00:52:48
internationals um in the which was the
00:52:51
old feeder to the New Zealand team. So
00:52:54
the young young crew coming through. Um,
00:52:57
so yeah, we were really lucky that we
00:52:59
had a a good stable of um of former
00:53:04
Silver Ferns that had gone straight back
00:53:06
into coaching and um and imparting their
00:53:08
knowledge. So um yeah, in that space,
00:53:13
>> what what would be um your absolute peak
00:53:16
and absolute rock bottom from your time
00:53:18
in Silver Ferns?
00:53:21
Uh,
00:53:23
rock bottom
00:53:25
was
00:53:27
losing the 99 world champs um in Christ
00:53:30
Church. Um,
00:53:32
>> I had that.
00:53:33
>> You got to say I've written it down.
00:53:35
>> I actually have that in brackets cuz I
00:53:37
wondered if Yeah. So, you were um lost
00:53:38
in the final to Australia and you had a
00:53:40
big lead going into the fourth quarter.
00:53:42
Yeah.
00:53:43
>> And then and then lost. Yeah.
00:53:44
>> Yeah. And um it was so loud in that
00:53:47
stadium. Uh we'd done so much work, you
00:53:51
know, for the four years prior to that.
00:53:54
Um we was super fit. We were definitely
00:53:57
on paper we were the better team. And um
00:54:00
and then in the last quarter
00:54:03
um you know, Australia just clawed back
00:54:07
and um it was so loud in the stadium
00:54:10
that you could not hear anything. Um, so
00:54:15
>> loud screaming for the silver ferns or
00:54:18
for
00:54:18
>> the whole Well, I mean, yeah, for the
00:54:20
silver ferns, but for the whole game.
00:54:21
So, okay.
00:54:22
>> But, um,
00:54:24
you you so much so that you struggled to
00:54:28
connect with the players
00:54:31
>> down the court, which is really
00:54:33
important on the court, right? So, I
00:54:35
just remember Don's shooting um and and
00:54:39
cuz we played together in Southland um
00:54:43
and I would always
00:54:45
talk to her, call to her and on the
00:54:48
shots and um and yeah, you just knew
00:54:52
that she couldn't hear you and it was
00:54:54
just um you're so isolating and then we
00:54:56
lost in the final few seconds of that
00:54:59
game. There was a a missed shot, the
00:55:01
ball came down. um I couldn't stop it
00:55:04
and then they had a center pass and um
00:55:07
and yeah, they shot it through and won.
00:55:10
Um and and just there was absolute
00:55:13
silence in the stadium. Everyone was on
00:55:17
their feet and I just remember looking
00:55:20
at the rest of the team and we were
00:55:22
like, "God, what have we done?" Like
00:55:24
this is um yeah, we've lost it. Um, and
00:55:29
it it took it, you know, a long time for
00:55:33
those individual players to to recover
00:55:36
from from that. Um, and to build back
00:55:39
up.
00:55:40
>> Yeah.
00:55:40
>> Yeah.
00:55:41
>> Were you captain at the time?
00:55:44
>> Uh,
00:55:45
no. Belinda Colling was captain. Yeah.
00:55:47
Yeah. I was Spice. I think I was Spice.
00:55:49
Yeah.
00:55:50
>> Yeah.
00:55:50
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:55:51
>> Yeah. How How Yeah. Yeah. How long did
00:55:52
it take to get over that? When I had
00:55:54
your um your husband Dion uh on the
00:55:56
podcast, he's he said there's times even
00:55:58
now that he'll be in the shower thinking
00:56:00
about things he could have done
00:56:02
differently through his career. Like is
00:56:03
it something that still I mean it's a
00:56:05
long time ago. It's quarter of a century
00:56:06
ago, but you still
00:56:08
>> Yeah. Is it something that still plays
00:56:09
on your mind from time to time or not
00:56:11
really?
00:56:11
>> Well, yeah. Yeah, I mean you think about
00:56:13
you do think about those um those losses
00:56:16
and but that's look you and they're
00:56:19
crushing but the big learning um you
00:56:24
know that's when you learn the most um
00:56:26
through that adversity. Um we had just
00:56:30
before that um before the world champs
00:56:33
Leilani Reed had passed away. So Leil
00:56:35
Lani I'd started my silver ferns career
00:56:38
in the team with her in ' 92. Um and so
00:56:43
in many ways there was,
00:56:45
you know, some perspective in that um
00:56:49
you know, we were still, you know, we
00:56:51
had lost and it felt like we're rock
00:56:53
bottom, but we're still we're still
00:56:55
blessed with life and still Yeah. Yeah,
00:56:58
that's right. We're still alive.
00:56:59
>> Um and um and so
00:57:04
but it did make you re rethink goals and
00:57:08
and what you wanted to achieve. Um, and
00:57:11
then conversely, you know, when you have
00:57:13
your big wins, I always found that you
00:57:18
um you think it's going to be more more
00:57:20
elation than there is. Like I remember
00:57:23
the big winds with the Sting
00:57:26
um and even with New Zealand and in many
00:57:29
ways it was relief um because you had
00:57:32
that absolute belief that you could do
00:57:34
it and so when you actually fulfilled it
00:57:36
it was more relief and absolute
00:57:39
exhaustion like dragging yourself off
00:57:42
the court than um than Yeah.
00:57:46
>> Yeah. an expectation rather than a
00:57:48
surprise like yeah well good this is the
00:57:50
outcome we should have had. this is what
00:57:52
we've been working towards. And um and
00:57:55
and then knowing that you had to reset
00:57:57
again. Like after every tour,
00:57:59
>> you have a massive time of almost a real
00:58:04
downer. Um because you're on tour
00:58:06
together, you're living and breathing
00:58:07
everything. Um you know, you're rooming
00:58:09
with someone the whole time and then you
00:58:11
would come back to everyday life. Um and
00:58:15
have that real sit on the end of your
00:58:17
bed moment of um you know,
00:58:21
back to the day-to-day grind. Um because
00:58:24
there's a real adrenaline rush obviously
00:58:25
with um with sport itself and then when
00:58:29
you're in the limelight for New Zealand
00:58:31
um even more so you carry that kind of
00:58:34
responsibility of the country that
00:58:36
feeling that you're out there you're
00:58:38
you're very privileged to wear the
00:58:41
silver fern and to be one of 12 at that
00:58:44
time to lead the country. Um and so you
00:58:48
know there is that shouldering of
00:58:51
responsibility that um that you have
00:58:53
over that period as well.
00:58:55
>> Oh, what about the absolute peak? So
00:58:57
we've addressed the rock bottom, but
00:58:58
what's the what's the peak? Is it the
00:59:00
Commonwealth Games Medal? No.
00:59:02
>> Uh the Well, um that's what I was saying
00:59:06
that like when you did have the wins
00:59:08
that you um
00:59:10
>> Oh, you're just expecting them.
00:59:11
>> Well, well, not expecting them. It was
00:59:12
just relief that you had achieved your
00:59:15
goal. It was um you know when you got
00:59:18
the team to fire and be at its absolute
00:59:20
best was um was a real kind of you know
00:59:25
that was key. Yeah. And so I think that
00:59:30
um you know I think really fondly of my
00:59:33
time down in the Sting with um with
00:59:38
Robin and um and the the winning run
00:59:41
that we had down there with her. But um
00:59:45
you know and it was and it was creating
00:59:48
a fervor in um in an area that um they
00:59:53
just lapped it up and um and the full
00:59:55
support. Um and then I think just that
01:00:00
um
01:00:01
yeah I mean always playing captaining
01:00:04
New Zealand's a real honor as well. So
01:00:07
that's probably the peak. Yeah. the
01:00:09
Southern Sting era that you're talking
01:00:11
about. Was that with with the glitter
01:00:12
wigs? Was that the glitter wigs era?
01:00:14
>> The wigs.
01:00:15
>> That was That was massive, eh? Where did
01:00:17
Where did the wig thing start from? That
01:00:19
was huge for a timer.
01:00:20
>> I'm not sure, but um everyone
01:00:22
>> wore the glitter wigs. The look sharp
01:00:23
wigs.
01:00:24
>> It was um you know, it was big. They
01:00:27
queued overnight. You know, it was the
01:00:29
beginning of the queuing overnight
01:00:31
outside Centennial Hall for um for a
01:00:34
spot to watch the team play. And um you
01:00:37
know it was a tiny hall and it was um
01:00:40
people took their sleeping bags and um
01:00:42
they queued for tickets and they queued
01:00:44
to get in and and it was kind of felt
01:00:46
like a real turning point for for
01:00:48
netball itself like that um that was the
01:00:50
start of the national league that kind
01:00:53
of started momentum.
01:00:55
>> Yeah.
01:00:56
>> And how did you um how was the
01:00:58
transition to life postp profofessional
01:01:00
sport?
01:01:02
>> Uh
01:01:02
>> did you did you live on your own terms
01:01:04
or
01:01:04
>> Yeah. So Dion and I retired within the
01:01:08
same year. Um we were um basically
01:01:16
his back and my knees and ankles and um
01:01:20
you know there was a lot of Voltar and
01:01:24
>> he needed an endorsement deal.
01:01:26
>> Um yeah the anti-inflammatories um just
01:01:30
to train and get by. Um and so but then
01:01:34
there's always a a really difficult
01:01:37
transition for all athletes um when you
01:01:40
retire
01:01:41
>> and um and so we both started studying
01:01:44
the post-graduate
01:01:47
um career counseling for elite
01:01:48
performers which which sort of starts
01:01:50
out in that phase and um and uh I don't
01:01:54
think he completed it but I I completed
01:01:56
that qualification and then sort of
01:01:59
jumped back into working with athletes
01:02:01
that um on their career career pathways
01:02:04
sort of um journey and um and then that
01:02:09
that helped me understand what we were
01:02:12
going through. And they and the theory
01:02:15
of it is that the more hats that you
01:02:17
have while you're playing elite sport um
01:02:21
provides a an a smoother transition or
01:02:25
um a shorter transition. often like
01:02:27
there was case studies of of triathletes
01:02:30
or um that you know took um you know 10
01:02:34
or more years to transition. Um it's
01:02:36
because it's your it's your view of
01:02:38
yourself and um is wrapped up in your
01:02:43
persona. Um so the more personas and
01:02:45
then and the wider network of friends
01:02:47
outside of your kind of chosen sport is
01:02:50
also important too.
01:02:53
>> Yeah, it's interesting you say that. Um,
01:02:55
I've asked um, Toenzo Bazone on the
01:02:57
podcast a couple of times. Very, very
01:02:59
good. Um, Iron Man, but he's he's
01:03:00
finished doing that now.
01:03:01
>> Um, and he said he's keen to do the
01:03:03
podcast, but just not right now. He
01:03:05
goes, "I need to I just need to figure
01:03:06
out, you know, where I am and what I'm
01:03:07
doing next before I do it."
01:03:09
>> Um, because I think there's part of him
01:03:11
that maybe feels like a bit embarrassed
01:03:12
or a bit inadequate at the moment that
01:03:14
he hasn't figured out what the next, you
01:03:16
know, chapter of his life is.
01:03:18
>> Yeah.
01:03:18
>> It's interesting. It leaves a big void I
01:03:20
guess say and it's a void that like 99%
01:03:22
of us even more than that can't even
01:03:23
imagine what it's like.
01:03:24
>> Well, it's like well it's it's quite
01:03:27
similar to um you know someone that's
01:03:30
possibly had 25 years in banking and
01:03:32
then they've um decided to change
01:03:34
pathways or they've um or they've
01:03:36
retired um you know or long you after a
01:03:38
longer period of time. And so your whole
01:03:41
your whole idea of yourself is wrapped
01:03:43
up in that in that career. And so um
01:03:46
yeah there's there's
01:03:49
um trying to figure out your next steps
01:03:52
and um and feeling like you are starting
01:03:56
at the beginning again is is
01:03:59
challenging. Yeah. And your idea of
01:04:01
success and you know your like I think
01:04:05
with sport as well like your whole um
01:04:09
ego is wrapped up in in um your success
01:04:13
in sport.
01:04:17
must have been helpful you and D on
01:04:18
having each other. Um you both in this
01:04:20
very very unique position where you both
01:04:23
um yeah played at the your sport at the
01:04:24
highest level both being captains for
01:04:26
the country. So I suppose if he's having
01:04:28
a bad day maybe you'll bring him up or
01:04:29
if you're having a bad day he'll pump
01:04:31
him up. Is that how that sort of dynamic
01:04:33
worked at that time? Yeah, really sim I
01:04:35
mean like-minded um that we could
01:04:38
discuss um the ups and downs and the
01:04:40
challenges um you know the injury
01:04:42
challenges and um but also
01:04:46
um that ability I think to to challenge
01:04:50
each other other on different things. Um
01:04:53
yeah, I think we and we work well
01:04:58
together like um um you know, we're
01:05:02
similar in many ways but different very
01:05:04
different. We probably people will um
01:05:08
think I think from the I think from the
01:05:12
outset that people think that um that
01:05:16
I'm one way and he's the other and um
01:05:18
but we're actually the opposite. Um
01:05:20
yeah. What what what do you think people
01:05:22
think?
01:05:24
Um well um you know like he um like I
01:05:30
think they always used to say that I I
01:05:33
was always kind of the smiling um you
01:05:36
know smiling and seem really nice but I
01:05:38
can be pretty tough underneath it all
01:05:41
and and he will keep overthinking things
01:05:45
and he's pretty sensitive. Um, and um,
01:05:49
and you know, around the house, Dion's
01:05:53
all about color and look and feel and
01:05:56
um, and I've got a tool belt.
01:06:02
>> That's cool.
01:06:02
>> I always joke I always joke at work that
01:06:04
I'm probably like the the after the
01:06:07
technicians that um I'm like, "Yeah,
01:06:10
that's a yeah, get to the the the real
01:06:14
steps and to the answer." M. So, what's
01:06:17
the um what's the meeting story with you
01:06:18
guys? Was that Soul Soulbar? He was at
01:06:20
at the table next to you and he showed
01:06:22
you some
01:06:23
>> Lemon Lemon um which was down um down on
01:06:27
Princess Wolf and um and so I was out
01:06:31
with two of the net ballers um and we
01:06:34
were up for the review of the 99 world
01:06:38
champs loss and um and Dion had been
01:06:40
sent home from India injured um and he
01:06:46
was out with his niece and sister for
01:06:49
his birthday. Um, and yeah, he brought
01:06:51
some drinks across and said, "Hard luck
01:06:53
about World Champs." And then, um, and
01:06:55
then pulled his chair in a little bit
01:06:58
later. Um, but that was not after when
01:07:01
he put the drinks down that I thought um
01:07:05
that well, Belinda Blair um had said,
01:07:11
"Is that Dion Nash?" Um, and Leslie had
01:07:15
said, "Who?" and
01:07:18
and um and so yeah, he um and then he
01:07:23
Gilbert and Noa connected us actually
01:07:26
after that.
01:07:27
>> Oh, so he hit Gilbert up for your
01:07:29
number. Is that is that what is that
01:07:31
what you mean?
01:07:32
>> Possibly.
01:07:33
>> That might be the story that's gone
01:07:35
around.
01:07:36
>> Um did what did you did you think
01:07:38
anything of him at that first meeting?
01:07:40
Did you think, "Oh, he's he's kind of
01:07:41
cute." Or
01:07:42
>> um
01:07:44
>> uh Yeah. Yeah. I thought um that um you
01:07:47
know we we had a bit of fun and I did
01:07:49
think that maybe he got the wrong idea.
01:07:51
Um and I remember trying to he was he
01:07:55
was like oh I'll buy I'll buy a drink
01:07:57
and then um I put my arm out to block
01:08:00
him and uh he slipped his arm through
01:08:02
and got the wrong idea. So that kind of
01:08:04
really tells that's what I mean about
01:08:07
our personalities
01:08:09
like and he was all excited and he was
01:08:11
like oh
01:08:13
and I thought Jesus he's got the wrong
01:08:15
idea.
01:08:15
>> Oh that's that's so that is that paint
01:08:17
made such a funny visual. So you're
01:08:19
sitting there blocking him and
01:08:20
>> I went to block him and then he was like
01:08:22
slre through.
01:08:25
>> So well when did you when did you
01:08:26
realize he was he was the one? Was it
01:08:28
like a slow burn or
01:08:30
>> Oh, no. He he rang um um I was at I was
01:08:34
doing college of education in Chicago
01:08:36
and um rang a Bloxom who um was at Tik
01:08:40
down there with me um was with me and
01:08:43
Dion had rung and left a message and
01:08:46
when I heard the message she said, "Oh,
01:08:48
oh, you looked um you know, you know,
01:08:50
your reaction was quite excited." But um
01:08:53
yeah, we just um you know, I think we we
01:08:56
got on really well from the beginning.
01:08:59
>> Who said I love you first?
01:09:01
>> I can't remember that.
01:09:03
>> Yes, you can.
01:09:06
>> I imagine it was I imagine it was him.
01:09:10
>> Hey,
01:09:11
>> he's not defend himself. Yeah. Yeah. Um
01:09:14
Yeah. How long have you been married
01:09:15
now? What is it? Actually, I've got a
01:09:16
photo here of you guys um on your
01:09:18
wedding day. Look at that.
01:09:19
>> A look how young we are. Um,
01:09:22
>> you do look so young, eh? So, but that
01:09:24
was that you you weren't though. I mean,
01:09:26
it's it's quite funny. So, that was um
01:09:28
you'd both, you know, represented New
01:09:30
Zealand and captain into your national
01:09:31
teams at that point. Um, but you do you
01:09:33
look so
01:09:34
>> 2003 we um we're coming up 23 years
01:09:37
married.
01:09:37
>> Yeah.
01:09:38
>> Ever come close to packing it in?
01:09:40
>> Uh, no.
01:09:42
>> No,
01:09:42
>> no. Um, what's the like like you kind of
01:09:46
weather most things
01:09:49
>> together? Um, as I said, I think we
01:09:52
we're quite a good team. Like, we we
01:09:55
even out each other. Um, and you know,
01:09:59
we're able to kind of stretch each other
01:10:02
and even out things and and work
01:10:05
through. Um, and we always we always
01:10:08
manage to have fun together as well. So,
01:10:11
>> yeah. Yeah.
01:10:12
>> Yes. It's a really successful
01:10:14
partnership, eh?
01:10:15
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think um,
01:10:17
you know, we talk we talk a lot. We talk
01:10:19
about everything. Um, so when you say
01:10:22
about that like this early morning, um,
01:10:27
this is not that early morning, but um,
01:10:29
but we
01:10:30
>> 7:00 a.m. on a Friday. Um, we have a
01:10:32
little ritual cuz I always bounce out of
01:10:34
bed and um, the espresso machine's been
01:10:38
on overnight and I make us um, an
01:10:40
espresso and we sit and talk um, first
01:10:44
thing in the morning about the day ahead
01:10:46
and what's on and and what needs to be
01:10:48
done and um, yeah, and we check in
01:10:50
during the day.
01:10:51
>> Is is that a a natural thing or is that
01:10:53
something that you've had to sort of
01:10:54
work on? Because I think that's probably
01:10:56
um, jeez, you know, the demise of a lot
01:10:59
of relationships. you just don't make a
01:11:01
conscious effort to have that
01:11:03
communication piece.
01:11:04
>> Yeah, I think communication's key. I
01:11:05
mean, we've had times where we probably
01:11:07
haven't been great. I've been, you know,
01:11:09
accused of not um being a great
01:11:11
communicator at times when you just kind
01:11:13
of get and that's often when you get
01:11:15
really busy with things, right? And um
01:11:18
and so it's it is about prioritizing it.
01:11:20
Um and and it can get pretty bloom and
01:11:24
hectic with um when you've got three
01:11:26
toddlers. Um, I remember it was the
01:11:29
crazy days of three under four and a
01:11:32
half was pretty full on. Um, but I think
01:11:36
you you you end up making it through
01:11:38
>> um those ages and stages um
01:11:42
>> the trenches.
01:11:42
>> Yeah, the trenches.
01:11:45
>> Um and uh and you know and making sure
01:11:48
that you enjoy uh the time that you do
01:11:51
have with you know goes pretty quickly
01:11:53
where the the they're out the door in no
01:11:56
time. What's been your biggest adversity
01:11:58
as a couple?
01:12:00
>> Um,
01:12:03
[Music]
01:12:06
I don't know. Probably the transition
01:12:09
from
01:12:10
>> um elite sport across like Dion finding
01:12:15
um a career
01:12:17
um you know outside of cricket that he'd
01:12:20
never had a job other than cricket um
01:12:24
until he retired. whereas I was in quite
01:12:26
a different
01:12:27
>> situation. Um so I think that creates a
01:12:31
bit of um
01:12:33
you know um some challenges in itself
01:12:36
where uh he didn't he didn't know where
01:12:41
his next step was. say like you say um
01:12:44
and then I think then conversely when he
01:12:47
jumped in there and was um was working
01:12:50
at 42 below and doing a lot of traveling
01:12:52
overseas um you know that always puts
01:12:55
strain on on um on relationships when
01:12:58
you especially like that's the alcohol
01:12:59
industry is not a particularly healthy
01:13:03
family environment you know
01:13:05
>> um and so when we started having having
01:13:08
kids the um and that was when he um
01:13:10
broke away and said, "Look, I I want to
01:13:14
I want to try and um I don't know if I
01:13:16
can work for I don't I don't know if I
01:13:19
can work for anyone like as in
01:13:21
employable skills. Um so, I'd like to
01:13:24
start my own business." And I said,
01:13:25
"Well, yep, let's let you know, do it
01:13:28
now and um give it a go. Give it a go
01:13:31
for at least 10 years and and now's the
01:13:34
time to do it." And so, you know, we
01:13:36
sold our house and he did and um you
01:13:40
know, set up in our next home um you
01:13:42
know, boxes of triumph and disaster in
01:13:44
the hallway and and um kids crawling
01:13:47
over it and kind of making your way. Um,
01:13:51
and I think it's been like his labor of
01:13:54
love, but he absolutely is so invested
01:13:57
in in the brand and and loves what he,
01:14:01
you know, the products that he's
01:14:02
producing and and the journey that he's
01:14:04
on. Um and then that whole transition
01:14:08
for me um post kids like kind of
01:14:11
juggling work and going back to to find
01:14:14
yourself post um you know being a mom
01:14:17
which I love being a mom but um but also
01:14:20
you know trying to figure out something
01:14:22
that you're good at as well.
01:14:24
>> I didn't realize that aspect of
01:14:26
triumphant disaster which is it's a
01:14:28
great brand that he's built but I didn't
01:14:29
realize that you guys were all in like
01:14:31
selling the house putting all your money
01:14:32
into it.
01:14:33
>> Big risk.
01:14:34
>> Big risk. big risk.
01:14:35
>> But I think that's kind of like your um
01:14:38
you know um you do it as a couple and
01:14:40
you do it as a as a team and um and just
01:14:44
um you know you can always change
01:14:46
course.
01:14:47
>> You can um you know really everything's
01:14:50
within your your control and um just try
01:14:53
and make good decisions together.
01:14:56
>> Which products do you like? Do you have
01:14:57
Shearers soap in the shower? Do you use
01:14:59
Rock and Roll face scrub?
01:15:01
>> Rock and Roll. So, the rock and roll um
01:15:03
base scrub and um and the the
01:15:07
moisturizer. So, the game face is a is
01:15:09
like
01:15:10
>> like we just the kids uh the teenagers
01:15:14
fly through the game face. Um
01:15:17
we're always stealing Dion.
01:15:20
You're like running around the house. Um
01:15:23
but yeah, it's u there's there's
01:15:25
products all over the place. Yeah.
01:15:27
>> Oh, they are they're great products. Um
01:15:30
yeah, I'm sure you've played a part in
01:15:32
it, but I mean it's his baby. You must
01:15:33
be so proud of like what he's built.
01:15:35
>> Yeah, really proud. And um but but
01:15:37
really it's it's been all him. He's
01:15:39
creative. I just provide some home
01:15:42
support. Yeah.
01:15:43
>> Yeah.
01:15:44
>> So, two national captains in the house.
01:15:46
Who who's um like who's like the leader
01:15:48
or the boss or is it is it sort of
01:15:50
>> Do you have to ask that question? I
01:15:53
mean, is it is it obvious? I'm the boss.
01:15:57
>> Yeah. from from my dealings with him
01:15:59
like he seems he seems like quite a
01:16:00
passive cruisy guy and so I suppose
01:16:02
someone has to have the role of leader
01:16:03
but yeah I just wonder how it is or does
01:16:05
this change from day to day period to
01:16:08
period.
01:16:09
Oh yeah. No, it does. It does change
01:16:11
like um but um
01:16:15
yeah, I mean I'm probably the the home
01:16:19
stability in in terms of like feeding
01:16:22
everyone and um
01:16:25
and um keeping some continuity. Um but
01:16:28
yeah, Dion's that like you know, he he's
01:16:32
a driver as well. But um you know we
01:16:34
definitely I mean I keep saying to the
01:16:37
to Indie Jet and Soul that look if you
01:16:41
can survive these parents you can
01:16:43
survive anyone out there in the
01:16:46
>> in the world.
01:16:47
>> Yeah. Oh well what do you what do you
01:16:49
mean?
01:16:50
>> We're pretty we're pretty tough like I
01:16:52
think
01:16:53
>> like tough on tough on them or just high
01:16:55
expectations or
01:16:56
>> Yeah. high expectations but um you know
01:16:59
tough but fair but um I I don't think it
01:17:01
can be easy for them
01:17:03
>> being our as in people's expectations of
01:17:06
them
01:17:07
>> outside like um you know looking in like
01:17:11
expecting them to be
01:17:14
>> you know sports people or um you know
01:17:17
talent or um kind of all eyes on them.
01:17:21
You just really want them to develop
01:17:23
their own in their own way and in their
01:17:26
own personalities and not be known as
01:17:28
Dion and Bernie's Yeah. You know, Dion's
01:17:30
son or Bernie's daughter. Yeah.
01:17:32
>> Yeah. Step. Yeah. Yeah. That piece must
01:17:35
be hard. I've had um both um Ryan Fox
01:17:37
and Grant Fox on the podcast and um
01:17:39
Yeah. The most recently Grant Fox and he
01:17:42
said it was um
01:17:43
>> it was like really cool for him to see
01:17:45
that he's now you Ryan Fox's dad. Yeah.
01:17:47
Yeah, for so long it was um Oh, that's
01:17:49
Ryan, Grant Fox's son.
01:17:52
>> So, from a parenting perspective, that's
01:17:53
really cool. Do you um Yes. So, you you
01:17:56
guys both um both former captains as
01:17:58
we've established and you're in an HR
01:17:59
role at Highandi. So, you're obviously
01:18:01
very good at um you know, communication
01:18:03
and having difficult conversations. Do
01:18:06
you what's your um argument styles like
01:18:08
or are you you both quite good at?
01:18:10
>> Uh I'm probably naturally a bit of an
01:18:13
avoider. Um because I'm I like I do like
01:18:16
peace. Um and
01:18:18
>> well, no one likes conflict. E and I
01:18:20
suppose if you're dealing with
01:18:21
>> Dion loves a good argument. He loves a
01:18:23
like a really good and sometimes he will
01:18:26
he will kind of needle me to antagonize.
01:18:29
Um and uh and yeah, but I can be pretty
01:18:33
stubborn when I want to be. So um dig
01:18:35
the heels in. What
01:18:37
>> what would um Yeah. If if he was here,
01:18:40
what do what do you think he would say
01:18:41
your best and worst qualities are?
01:18:44
Uh
01:18:47
[Music]
01:18:48
well I probably he would say that my my
01:18:51
stubbornness probably is one of my worst
01:18:53
qualities.
01:18:54
>> How bad is it?
01:18:55
>> Um and then maybe my best qualities is
01:19:00
um that he he has observed before that
01:19:04
he said he he marvels that I genuinely
01:19:08
love people. So a people person.
01:19:11
>> Yeah.
01:19:11
>> What about him? best and worst
01:19:12
qualities.
01:19:13
>> Uh um best qualities probably his energy
01:19:18
and um and creativeness and drive. Um
01:19:24
and worst qualities
01:19:27
um he can be quite black and white on um
01:19:32
yeah when he gets something in his head.
01:19:35
>> Yeah.
01:19:36
>> A fixed mindset. Are you guys quite
01:19:38
competitive with each other?
01:19:40
>> Yeah.
01:19:41
Who's worse?
01:19:43
>> Uh
01:19:44
you it would be hard to pull push some,
01:19:46
you know, to single someone out. Our
01:19:48
whole our whole household is pretty
01:19:50
competitive. We play sport um eagerly as
01:19:56
a family. Um but there's always fights.
01:19:58
Yeah.
01:19:59
>> What about with um with with things that
01:20:02
don't necessarily require that sort of
01:20:03
level of extreme competitiveness like
01:20:05
board games,
01:20:06
>> cards,
01:20:07
>> just anything.
01:20:08
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
01:20:10
>> Oh, did I hear a story about you guys
01:20:11
like during um the co lockdown like you
01:20:13
were like
01:20:14
>> beep test?
01:20:15
>> Yeah. Yeah. You going to the park each
01:20:17
day? Eh,
01:20:18
>> twice a week.
01:20:19
>> Twice a week.
01:20:19
>> It might have been three times. Yeah. We
01:20:21
would run the kids beep test, but we did
01:20:23
it with them and um and people from the
01:20:25
park would bring their deck chairs out
01:20:27
and watch us.
01:20:32
There'd be arguments on the way home
01:20:34
about like someone not hitting the line.
01:20:37
Oh my god, that's amazing.
01:20:38
>> The cone.
01:20:39
>> So, what does what does home look life
01:20:41
look like now? So, your eldest has left
01:20:43
home.
01:20:44
>> Yeah.
01:20:45
>> Yeah. He's at university. Um we've got
01:20:46
two at home. Um so, it's still um I
01:20:50
mean, we always said about having three
01:20:52
children that it was like going, you
01:20:54
know, going from two to three um was
01:20:56
like going from man-on-man to his own
01:20:59
defense. And um and now we've gone back
01:21:01
to man on man again. So, um, and it
01:21:05
means that we we've got one more to
01:21:07
teach to drive and, um, and yeah, but,
01:21:11
um, yeah, it won't be long before
01:21:14
they're all out the door, I'm sure. So,
01:21:15
we're kind of refocusing
01:21:17
>> on um, preparing ourselves ourselves for
01:21:20
for life after children, probably.
01:21:22
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How how how is this
01:21:25
chapter looking for you guys? Must it's
01:21:26
a strange a strange time in in life, eh?
01:21:28
>> Yeah. Yeah, it is. But, um,
01:21:30
>> but you're still you're still both quite
01:21:31
young on the big scheme of things. We're
01:21:32
not that young. There's like we're
01:21:34
actually kind of um we're old parents at
01:21:38
schools at some of the schools with the
01:21:41
um you know at the pickup and things but
01:21:43
I don't feel I actually don't feel as
01:21:45
old as I as I am. say um I love I've
01:21:48
been coaching Indy's
01:21:50
um Prem team and I I love that you know
01:21:54
mom always said that coaching kept her
01:21:56
young um and teaching kept her young
01:21:59
kind of being in a school environment
01:22:01
and I think that like dealing with
01:22:03
teenagers um does that. So I think yeah
01:22:06
enjoy enjoy it while you can.
01:22:10
>> And I've got this um this photo here.
01:22:13
This is the cover of the um the Women's
01:22:14
Weekly from 2010. Do you remember that?
01:22:17
>> Yeah. Yeah. That was Last Baby.
01:22:19
>> Yeah. Yeah. That was controversial at
01:22:21
the time, eh? It
01:22:22
>> was really controversial. Yeah.
01:22:23
>> So um for anyone that's listening to
01:22:25
this not watching it, it was um Demi
01:22:27
Moore did this uh cover for Vanity Fair
01:22:29
when she was heavily pregnant. It's a
01:22:31
like a tasteful nude with a big baby
01:22:33
bump. Um and you did a homage to that in
01:22:36
the New Zealand Women's Weekly. Um it
01:22:38
says, "Benise many celebrates the joy of
01:22:40
motherhood." Um yeah. Yeah. What are
01:22:42
your recollections of that?
01:22:43
>> Uh, so there was lots of fallout. Um, I
01:22:47
know my dad and brothers weren't like
01:22:51
that comfortable with it,
01:22:53
>> like a conservative Samoan thing or just
01:22:55
>> Yeah, I think just and because everyone
01:22:57
had an opinion on it. Um, but I mean it
01:23:00
was my third baby. I was never going to
01:23:03
uh, you know, in my mind I wasn't going
01:23:05
to have another one. Um and um and it
01:23:08
was like celebrating, you know, being
01:23:12
celebrating the joy and the blessing of
01:23:15
of life really. So um so why not? And um
01:23:19
>> it's a beautiful photo.
01:23:21
>> Yeah. Yeah.
01:23:21
>> Yeah. Are you proud of it?
01:23:22
>> Yeah. Proud of it. Yeah.
01:23:23
>> Do the the more years that go by like
01:23:25
I'm sure there was like maybe at the
01:23:26
time like a sour taste in your mouth cuz
01:23:28
you know you don't want to let people
01:23:29
down. You don't want your family to you
01:23:31
know it bums you out. Um, but
01:23:33
>> we we had it on the wall in the hallway
01:23:35
at the top of the stairs and I think we
01:23:38
took it down um cuz I think Jet was
01:23:40
embarrassed when he brought friends
01:23:42
around. It's like that's me, you know,
01:23:45
that's me in there.
01:23:48
That's your mother.
01:23:48
>> Yeah. So, what Yeah. In 2010, what did
01:23:51
Backlash look like then? This is like
01:23:53
pre Facebook. I'm guessing there was
01:23:55
like MySpace and Bibo and that's
01:23:57
probably it.
01:23:58
>> Yeah. I don't even remember that. It was
01:23:59
it was more general um talk but yeah it
01:24:03
didn't phase me like honestly people are
01:24:07
entitled to have their opinion and it
01:24:10
kind of is just a reflection of their
01:24:11
mindset
01:24:12
>> um you know even now everyone comes from
01:24:16
their own perspective and their own view
01:24:18
um and so um yeah I mean that's the
01:24:21
beauty of people right like you um
01:24:24
everyone's totally different um but I
01:24:27
just I think the one thing I remember
01:24:29
Solomon, my eldest, um at a like he he
01:24:33
was a toddler, I think, and um he's
01:24:35
holding my hand and I can't remember
01:24:37
what I said, but he said, "Mama," he
01:24:40
said, "Never judge." And um and I think,
01:24:42
you know, like out of the mouth of
01:24:44
babes, right? Like um you know, never
01:24:47
judge like you know that that is
01:24:50
probably the downfall of people is that
01:24:51
that whole judgment and um yeah, just
01:24:54
accept people for who they are.
01:24:56
>> Wow. That's such a healthy space to be
01:24:58
playing in.
01:24:59
>> Um, yeah, it's only the last couple of
01:25:00
years that I've I've got to the point
01:25:01
where I realize other people's opinion
01:25:03
of me is none of my business.
01:25:05
>> Yeah.
01:25:05
>> But it's um it's taken a long time to
01:25:08
get there.
01:25:08
>> Yeah, it's hard. I mean, it is hard. you
01:25:10
get quite and I know like like that I I
01:25:14
do this um personality testing um with
01:25:17
lots of the leadership um teenage
01:25:19
leadership programs that the pinnacle
01:25:21
program that I'm involved with and um
01:25:24
and it's looking at you know how you are
01:25:27
and how you communicate and how you
01:25:28
react to things and like um you know it
01:25:32
kind of flows off me now but I guess
01:25:35
that's probably why I don't like you say
01:25:37
do as many media things as I want like
01:25:39
it's keeping things in a world of social
01:25:41
media, I like to stay quite private
01:25:44
>> um and um not put yourself out there for
01:25:47
judgment, right? And so um whereas also,
01:25:49
you know, I know that say for Dion, it
01:25:52
does affect him hugely. Um you know, he
01:25:55
does worry a lot of what people think of
01:25:58
him. Um and but it's quite nice to be
01:26:01
able to um you know, give your own
01:26:06
thoughts and perspective to each other
01:26:07
as well. M
01:26:08
>> he does. He wears his heart on his
01:26:10
sleeve, doesn't he?
01:26:10
>> He does. Yeah.
01:26:12
>> Bless.
01:26:12
>> Yeah.
01:26:13
>> All right. Dancing with the Stars.
01:26:15
You're in the first season of Dancing
01:26:16
with the Stars, too.
01:26:17
>> He does. Yeah.
01:26:18
>> Yeah. Now, groundbreaking.
01:26:19
>> So, Dance with E.
01:26:20
>> Groundbreaking.
01:26:21
>> Groundbreaking. Oh, why do you say that
01:26:23
sarcastically?
01:26:24
>> Um because I'm quite I feel quite lucky
01:26:27
to have done the first show. Um but also
01:26:30
that there's no footage of me out there
01:26:32
dancing. So, um
01:26:34
>> is not there must be on YouTube. It's
01:26:35
got to be.
01:26:36
>> There's nothing. There's nothing. It's
01:26:37
great. Like actually um my net team this
01:26:40
year tried to find it and that to no
01:26:42
avail
01:26:43
>> because um yeah anyone that does a fir
01:26:46
any first season of a reality show it's
01:26:48
sort of like a trailblazer like you
01:26:49
you're going into the dark you don't
01:26:50
know what the expectation is like it's
01:26:52
well you know if you get asked to go on
01:26:54
Dancing with the Stars now you can you
01:26:56
know phone someone up that's been on a
01:26:57
previous season and find out what it's
01:26:58
like but you had no sort of blueprint.
01:27:00
Who was in the first season? Uh Shane
01:27:03
Cortez,
01:27:04
>> right? Iron
01:27:05
>> Norm Huitt.
01:27:06
>> Um
01:27:07
>> did he win? Norm, didn't he?
01:27:09
>> Norm. Yeah. Uh
01:27:13
>> um Shad Bolt.
01:27:14
>> Oh, Tim.
01:27:15
>> Yep. He So those three were above me, so
01:27:18
I got fourth. Um Theresa Healey, um
01:27:22
Georgina Bayer, Nikki Watson. Yeah, she
01:27:25
was she was first to to get voted out.
01:27:28
>> Oh my god.
01:27:30
Oh my god. Some legendary names there.
01:27:33
Iconic.
01:27:33
>> Yeah. Yeah, it was.
01:27:34
>> And it was Jason Gun the host.
01:27:36
>> Yeah.
01:27:36
>> Yeah. Yeah. The live band.
01:27:38
>> Live band. And um and it was the hardest
01:27:42
thing I've ever done actually. Harder
01:27:44
than I mean cuz it's something that um
01:27:47
you know it was I was not good at it.
01:27:50
And um you know these limbs they're like
01:27:53
the hard to coordinate such extremities.
01:27:56
Um so um and then when you're dancing
01:28:00
all day every day for um and and with
01:28:02
that um you know driven by the fear of a
01:28:06
live performance at the end is um
01:28:11
is is frightening.
01:28:12
>> Yeah. Cuz you and I are about the same
01:28:14
height. I reckon um I don't know. I I
01:28:17
think the taller you are you just you
01:28:18
always look dang you know gangly and
01:28:20
awkward when you
01:28:22
>> when you move. I don't know that. Yeah.
01:28:24
On reflection, is it sort of like type
01:28:26
two fun? Like it was horrible at the
01:28:27
time, but you look back and it was
01:28:28
actually
01:28:28
>> I love dancing now. I really like enjoy
01:28:32
um moving my body and um and yeah, music
01:28:37
and um and I do it was a great thing to
01:28:40
have done and to learn the discipline of
01:28:43
um of Latin and um ballroom and yeah.
01:28:47
Yeah, it was great.
01:28:51
>> This has been a fun chat. Is is it fun
01:28:52
to reflect on all these?
01:28:54
>> Yeah, it is. And I probably don't give
01:28:56
the time to reflect um often on, you
01:29:00
know, what's gone before. Um
01:29:02
>> is that a growth mindset thing? Cuz
01:29:03
you're just always looking at what's
01:29:04
ahead.
01:29:05
>> Yeah. Yeah. Eyes up. Um and I know I was
01:29:08
chatting to Linda Vangana. Um, I often
01:29:11
call her in the car in my Hyundai on the
01:29:14
way home and and um and she was saying,
01:29:18
"Well, Burns, you know, like it's up to
01:29:20
us to shine the light." And um and yeah,
01:29:24
we um we were singing along together. Um
01:29:27
and yeah, I think you know, you take it
01:29:29
upon yourself to to bring the positivity
01:29:33
and bring the energy and and shine the
01:29:35
light.
01:29:36
>> I've actually got Linda coming in next
01:29:37
week for a podcast record as well.
01:29:39
>> Yeah.
01:29:39
>> Yeah. So when you say singing along like
01:29:41
you she was on the phone and you were
01:29:42
actually singing.
01:29:43
>> Oh, we were singing this little light of
01:29:46
mine. I'm going to let it shine.
01:29:50
>> And laughing and um I mean you got to
01:29:53
honestly laughter is is just the
01:29:56
medicine, right?
01:29:56
>> Yeah.
01:29:57
>> Yeah. You mentioned um driving in your
01:29:59
High before because you've been at High
01:30:01
for a long time now, right?
01:30:02
>> Yeah. Almost 12 years.
01:30:03
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. um in in a very uh
01:30:06
tough challenging role in in very tough
01:30:08
challenging conditions. Um yeah. Is it
01:30:11
people in culture or HR? Is it all the
01:30:13
same sort of thing?
01:30:13
>> People in culture.
01:30:14
>> So you you have to like like manage
01:30:16
people out of jobs and let people go and
01:30:18
have
01:30:19
>> like difficult conversations is what
01:30:20
you're getting paid to do.
01:30:21
>> Difficult conversations and create a
01:30:24
good culture to perform in. Um you know,
01:30:27
you you get the culture right and um and
01:30:31
then the outcomes and the results will
01:30:33
happen. Um, yeah. So, that's that's what
01:30:36
I work on daytoday.
01:30:37
>> So, you a permanent box of tissues on
01:30:39
your desk?
01:30:41
>> Uh, yeah. Wow. Maybe I don't have any in
01:30:46
in my office at the moment. Yeah. Yeah.
01:30:49
>> Oh,
01:30:51
like a a job like that cuz I'm just I
01:30:53
don't know. I'm probably projecting
01:30:54
here, but I think most most people like
01:30:56
actively avoid difficult conversations.
01:30:59
I I had Sir Steve Hansen on the podcast
01:31:01
and he called it um I think he had had a
01:31:04
percentage for it. I think he called it
01:31:05
the 16 percenters. So it's 84% of the
01:31:07
conversations you have a nice you know
01:31:09
um 16% of conversations have to be
01:31:12
difficult ones. Um what's it like
01:31:14
driving to work in the morning knowing
01:31:16
that you've got like a set of difficult
01:31:17
conversations coming up as part of your
01:31:19
job?
01:31:19
>> Well, the key really is that um to build
01:31:22
relationships before you have to have
01:31:23
the difficult conversations. So, um, you
01:31:26
know, if you get to know everyone that's
01:31:31
within your, you know, within your
01:31:34
family or your staff, um, you know, and
01:31:37
you have a a history of of, um, that
01:31:41
environment to have free flowing
01:31:42
conversations, they're not as difficult
01:31:45
as, um, ones where, you know, you you've
01:31:49
not dealt with someone on a one-to-one
01:31:52
um, regularly. So the the key is that
01:31:56
consistency
01:31:57
>> um will help you in times that you know
01:32:01
in delivering tough messages.
01:32:05
>> It's quite funny all the um all all the
01:32:07
the pieces of the bene story. So there's
01:32:09
like um you know having a class load of
01:32:11
kids um captaining the silver ferns and
01:32:15
now this and I suppose um it's all sort
01:32:17
of been like sharpening the axe and you
01:32:18
growing as a person but [ __ ] you must
01:32:20
have learned so much in this role over
01:32:22
the last 12 years.
01:32:23
>> Yeah. Yeah. really and I think um you
01:32:26
know that that being being firm but fair
01:32:30
um and so it is about um
01:32:35
yeah it it's you do hone your skills and
01:32:39
um and but the key is around like I'm
01:32:43
always learning um and so I I don't know
01:32:47
I don't know the answers to everything
01:32:50
um but I think when you can connect with
01:32:52
people um in in a vulnerable way and but
01:32:56
then be able to um
01:33:00
you know set the goal and and um take
01:33:02
everyone with you. That's the key to
01:33:04
leadership. Yeah.
01:33:07
>> How do you personally measure success in
01:33:09
life today? Professional and personal. I
01:33:11
mean like when you're a silver f it's
01:33:13
easy, right?
01:33:13
>> You win, you lose.
01:33:15
>> Yeah. Yeah.
01:33:15
>> It's success or failure. Well, I for me
01:33:19
success is um is creating good humans
01:33:23
with my three
01:33:25
um children and um creating, you know,
01:33:29
happy happy healthy contributing members
01:33:33
of society um and that they could be,
01:33:37
you know, we're created allowing them to
01:33:39
be the best that they could be so that
01:33:41
they can fulfill their potential. And
01:33:43
so, not just my three. So that's kind of
01:33:46
been a bit of a mandate of mine is
01:33:48
working. I love working with youth. Um I
01:33:51
love kind of growing people, helping
01:33:54
them grow their potential and be better
01:33:56
than they were
01:33:57
>> yesterday.
01:33:59
How how scary are you as a mom? Touch
01:34:01
with this never happens, but say one of
01:34:03
the kids calls and they've like crashed
01:34:04
a car or they I don't know spend a night
01:34:07
in a police cell. Like they do they call
01:34:10
you or Dion? How's the response going to
01:34:12
be?
01:34:12
>> Uh you scary? I imagine they'd call me,
01:34:15
but um um I think that um you know I I
01:34:23
think that you want to keep the the
01:34:26
channels of communication open. You
01:34:28
always want them to be able to to call
01:34:30
you anytime. Um but on the odd occasion
01:34:36
when the roar has been required, the
01:34:39
roar does come.
01:34:43
The beer has been poked.
01:34:47
>> Oh my god.
01:34:48
>> But it's rare.
01:34:48
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's when you text
01:34:51
you, text you, and then put your phone
01:34:52
on flight mode, give you 10 minutes to
01:34:54
process. And
01:34:56
>> um Yeah. When people look back on Benise
01:34:59
Mini and say 20 years from now, what do
01:35:01
you hope they say about you? Not as an
01:35:02
athlete, but as a human being,
01:35:04
[Music]
01:35:06
>> I feel like you don't really care.
01:35:07
>> Yeah. Well, just hope that they um they
01:35:11
believe that I've added value to this
01:35:14
world. Yeah.
01:35:16
>> And a perfect day off for you. What does
01:35:17
that look like?
01:35:18
>> Uh curling up in the sun with a good
01:35:20
book
01:35:21
>> and some music, some tunes playing in
01:35:24
the background. Yeah.
01:35:25
>> Yeah.
01:35:26
>> What sort of book?
01:35:27
>> Uh I read everything. So I do love um
01:35:32
Yeah. I fiction and non-fiction, but um
01:35:35
a good novel.
01:35:36
>> Yeah. Yeah. I actually um we both Dion
01:35:40
and I love a tactile book. We different
01:35:42
different um different genres but um but
01:35:46
then I've just encountered the the
01:35:49
Kindle which um I've been tuning through
01:35:52
a few books on the Kindle and
01:35:54
recommendations. Yeah,
01:35:56
>> Kindle's convenient. It's not I'm the
01:35:58
same though. I love I love an old school
01:36:00
book.
01:36:00
>> Yeah, love paper and and we have a big
01:36:02
bookshelf of our books. We love reading.
01:36:05
>> What's the main genre? sports
01:36:07
biographies.
01:36:08
>> Do you have do you have many confessions
01:36:10
in there?
01:36:11
>> Many confessions is in there. Um we
01:36:13
don't have like we've got some sport
01:36:16
Dion's coded them. He's got his um
01:36:19
>> like color coded or alphabetical or
01:36:21
>> he's got his um he's got his um what do
01:36:24
you call it? Where is he's a separate
01:36:28
book with everything that's on our
01:36:30
bookshelf and
01:36:31
>> Oh, like a catalog.
01:36:32
>> A catalog. That's exactly what that is.
01:36:35
How many books have you got? They
01:36:37
require a catalog.
01:36:38
>> He's got first edition New Zealand
01:36:40
history books up there and some
01:36:42
beautiful um Yeah, some beautiful books.
01:36:44
Yeah.
01:36:44
>> Wow.
01:36:46
>> What's your what's your inner critic in
01:36:48
a voice like? Are you quite kind to
01:36:50
yourself or are you always sort of like
01:36:52
pushing yourself to do more or be
01:36:54
better?
01:36:54
>> Um you got to be kind to yourself.
01:36:56
You've got to you've got to have a um a
01:36:59
you know that little voice that talks to
01:37:00
yourself is so important. Um
01:37:02
>> yeah. So just you know that that telling
01:37:06
yourself you can do it and um you know
01:37:08
that's the only way you can you can take
01:37:10
risks take calculated risk risks but um
01:37:13
just to give yourself that energy to get
01:37:16
up and go. Yeah.
01:37:17
>> Have you always been like that?
01:37:19
>> Yeah I think I have. Yeah. Mhm.
01:37:21
>> What are you most afraid of?
01:37:23
>> Most afraid of
01:37:26
uh I don't love spiders.
01:37:30
>> Well that's good. anyone that um I asked
01:37:33
that question to a lot of guests and
01:37:34
anyone that's got an answer like um
01:37:36
spiders or deep water or whatever I I
01:37:38
think I think that's good
01:37:39
>> deep water
01:37:41
the
01:37:43
you know the things that you can avoid
01:37:46
>> largely what about flaws what are your
01:37:48
biggest flaws
01:37:49
>> uh
01:37:50
>> what are you still working on as a
01:37:51
person
01:37:51
>> I can be I'm known as being a bit of a
01:37:55
dreamer um so yeah that is
01:37:58
>> how's that a flaw
01:38:00
>> uh
01:38:01
Yeah, it can be if you are not a
01:38:03
dreamer. Yeah, I mean you a dreamer can
01:38:06
drift along in life. So um yeah and so I
01:38:09
think that that that's something that
01:38:10
that Dion um you know evens me up in
01:38:14
that space.
01:38:15
>> Yeah.
01:38:15
>> What about future goals? Where do you
01:38:17
see yourself at? Let's say 60. I suppose
01:38:19
60 is the next big milestone, right?
01:38:21
>> It's not that far. Um
01:38:22
>> what what are you now? 50.
01:38:24
>> 50.
01:38:24
>> Oh, come. It's a whole decade away.
01:38:28
>> Uh we we will be back at 60. um
01:38:31
hopefully having some adventures and I
01:38:33
love traveling, love traveling the
01:38:35
world. Um love being immersed in
01:38:37
different cultures and um and learning
01:38:39
languages obviously as a languages
01:38:41
teacher. Um so I would love to learn a
01:38:43
few more languages and um but I also am
01:38:46
enjoying um you know honing new skills,
01:38:50
gardening, um those sorts of things. So
01:38:52
yeah, lots to do. There's lots to enjoy
01:38:54
in life. Um, and if you if your kids or
01:38:57
Dion were here, what three words would
01:39:00
you like them to use to describe you?
01:39:03
>> Um, what three words would they use? Um,
01:39:08
I think, you know, fun. Um,
01:39:12
I think
01:39:14
considered and,
01:39:18
um,
01:39:21
loving. M
01:39:22
>> yeah,
01:39:24
>> it's a a great collection of words.
01:39:27
Yeah. And are you proud of yourself?
01:39:29
>> Yeah, I am proud of myself. Yeah. Yeah.
01:39:32
Yeah.
01:39:33
>> This has been fun. It was very very like
01:39:36
it's not even 9:00 and we've finished
01:39:38
the podcast. What am I going to do with
01:39:39
the rest of the day?
01:39:40
>> Well, that's it.
01:39:41
>> Yeah.
01:39:41
>> The whole day is ahead. It's brilliant.
01:39:43
It's brilliant.
01:39:44
>> Win the morning, win the day.
01:39:46
>> Yeah. Hey, this has been really, really
01:39:48
enjoyable. Thank you so much for Yeah. I
01:39:50
know this is a big call for you.
01:39:52
>> Yeah.
01:39:53
>> As as in you don't you don't go out of
01:39:55
your way to, you know, to seek any sort
01:39:57
of limelight. Um you'd probably rather
01:40:00
not be doing this than be doing this. So
01:40:01
I really appreciate it.
01:40:03
>> Yeah. Thanks.
01:40:03
>> That's been cool. Thanks so much,
01:40:04
Benise. You're a great New Zealander.
01:40:06
>> Thank you.
