Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett

This week, Paula's guest is Dr Ivor Popovich, an intensive care doctor in Auckland. He has worked across different hospitals and specialities for the last 10 years and will fully qualify as a specialist in August, but he has had first-hand knowledge of the state of our health system in that time. He has written a book - A Dim Prognosis: Our Health System in Crisis – and a Doctor’s View on How To Fix It - and joins Paula to discuss his career journey and what he thinks our health system needs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Silver Fern turned commentator, broadcaster and Breakfast co-host, Jenny-May Clarkson. She discusses her new memoir, Full Circle, and her life story - from her rural upbringing, losing two of her brothers, her time with the Silver Ferns, moving into broadcasting, becoming a mum to twin boys in her 40s, and how she came to claim back her Māori identity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef and businesswoman Nadia Lim. They discuss her successful career as a chef, author, farm owner and founder of My Food Bag, and how Nadia has capitalised on the opportunities in her life to get where she is today - and what she has learnt from the risks she took and the mistakes she made along the way. Easy Weeknight Meals - 10th Anniversary Edition is in bookstores this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is motivational speaker and author Jake Bailey. They discuss his cancer diagnosis nearly 10 years ago and the viral speech that followed it, and how that has shaped his life since - and why he is ready for that part of his story to no longer define him. And Jake offers advice he has learned for overcoming adversity - and how to not only be resilient, but how to thrive during difficult times. Jake's new book, The Comeback Code, is available now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Matilda Green, who has recently started as the fill-in host on The Hits Drive show. They discuss 10 years since she appeared on The Bachelor and found love with her husband-to-be, Art, and how that experience has changed her life. She shares advice for living your life on social media, and how to get a handle on people's perceptions and misconceptions of you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Australian author, Trent Dalton, who returns to Auckland for a special talk about his acclaimed career, including Boy Swallows Universe. They discuss how his life story influenced his debut novel, what his family thinks about being a part of his fiction, meeting his idol Eddie Veder, and he shares his advice for being optimistic and why he doesn't think it's naive to view the world with positivity. Details for Trent's talk and other events at the Auckland Writers Festival, head to writersfestival.co.nz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is comedian and TV host, Guy Williams. They dig into his ADHD diagnosis, why his family is full of a lot of performers, his time spent on our screens, and his new standup show, If You Mildly Criticise Me I’ll Say It’s Cancel Culture and Turn To The Alt-Right. And Guy digs into his TV show, New Zealand Today, why he likes visiting small towns, and how he approaches interviews with people he doesn't agree with. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is award-winning actress Rebecca Gibney. They talk about her career in New Zealand and Australia, her favourite roles, receiving Australian TV's highest honour, and her new show on Three, Happiness. And Rebecca shares advice she's learnt from decades in the TV industry, and why at 60 she is not slowing down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef and TV presenter, Manu Feildel. They discuss his upbringing in France and his early days as a chef and in the hospitality industry, and his breakout role as a judge on My Kitchen Rules - including his best tip for trying to impress the judges. He also shares tips and recommendations he picked up filming his new show, Off the Grid, that saw him and Colin Fassnidge travel New Zealand in a campervan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is former broadcaster and author Ali Mau. They discuss her career and her life lived in the public eye, before discussing her new memoir, No Words, and the revelations she made about being sexually abused as a child, and how that has informed her advocacy for survivors and her new charity work. WARNING: This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse. SEXUAL HARM Where to get help: If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7: • Call 0800 044 334 • Text 4334 • Email support@safetotalk.nz • For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list. If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WARNING: This episode discusses mental health, depression and suicide. This week, Paula's guest is former police negotiator turned mental health advocate Lance Burdett. They discuss his career in the force, and why he believes his experiences with depression helped him in his role. And they discuss advice for surviving with anxiety in anxious world, an area Lance has focused on in his new book, Anxiety is a Worry. Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111. For counselling and support: Lifeline: http://www.lifeline.co.nz, call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) Suicide Crisis Helpline: www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline, or call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youth services: Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234 What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm) Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7) Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): Call 0800 000 053 For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts - click here for informationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is comedian and co-host of TVNZ's Endangered Species Aotearoa, Pax Assadi. They discuss his role on the show and how he makes the difficult subject matter funny and engaging - something Assadi has been doing his whole career. He also shares his experience of being raised by his immigrant parents and how things have changed since he was a child. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Theophila Pratt. Born Honey Faithful in the Christian community of Gloriavale, Theophila never fit in, changing her name at 16 and eventually leaving at 18. She has shared her story in a new book, Unveiled, in hope it will help the women in Gloriavale and bring those in power to account.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, who last month returned to work after treatment for breast cancer. She discusses the turbulent period for her party and how her diagnosis and treatment clashed with all of this, and she gives insights into how she got through it all - including getting advice from Nikki Kaye. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paula's back for a new season, and her guest this week is multi-hyphenated entertainer, Hayley Sproull. They discuss Hayley's many gigs - including her upcoming role as host of the NZ International Comedy Festival Gala - and how she handles all these jobs. Plus, Hayley discusses how being honest has become a key part of her brand, the state of the local comedy industry, and if she thinks she could win Taskmaster again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, for the last episode of the year, Paula is joined by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to discuss his first year in office and what he's learned in the country's top job. He also discusses where his values come from, how he keeps being PM separate from his family life, and how he copes with criticism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is celebrity chef, Chelsea Winter. They discuss how Masterchef changed her life, life in the public eye, and her move towards plant-based diets and the backlash she got for that. Chelsea shares her advice for having a stress-free Christmas when it comes to those big family meals. Her new cookbook, Tasty, is in stores now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Scott Cam, the host of The Block Australia. They discuss the latest season, airing now on Three, and his thoughts on how contestants have changed over the years, before Scott gives his advice for those planning their own home renovations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and suicidal thoughts. This week, Paula's guest is boxing champion Mea Motu for an emotional interview as Motu discusses her experiences with domestic violence, why she got out for her children's sake, and why years later she learnt to put their feelings first in order to forgive her ex-husband. FAMILY VIOLENCEHow to get help:If you're in danger now:• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.Where to go for help or more information:• Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)• Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)• It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450• Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.How to hide your visit:If you are reading this information on the Herald website and you're worried that someone using the same computer will find out what you've been looking at, you can follow the steps at the link here to hide your visit. Each of the websites above also has a section that outlines this process. Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111. For counselling and support: Lifeline: http://www.lifeline.co.nz, call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) Suicide Crisis Helpline: www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline, or call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youth services: Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234 What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm) Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7) Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): Call 0800 000 053 For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts - click here for informationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is the CEO of Cassiobury, Rhiannon McKinnon. They discuss her pathway through the business community and moving to New Zealand, including her time as CEO of KiwiWealth, before getting her advice for the next generation of CEOs and business leaders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula is joined by her longtime friends, adventurers and humanitarians, Sir Graeme Dingle and his wife Jo-anne Wilkinson.  They discuss their many adventures together, Sir Graeme's mountaineering and the important work they are doing through the Graeme Dingle Foundation.  They also share their advice on how to improve the lives of our young people, how we can better support those who are struggling and why boot camps might not be the answer. Sir Graeme's book, The Promise on One Tree Hill, is out now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is a familiar name - Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper. He's Ask Me Anything's first returning guest, but Soper has a story to tell after a year of health difficulties. He discusses what he went through after heart surgery last year, and gives his insights and advice on being a parent, his expectations ahead of his seventh child arriving in January, and his thoughts on the coalition government. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Antonia Murphy, known for running the ethical brothel 'The Bach' in Whangarei from 2017 to 2019. They discuss how Murphy got into this line of work, and what the whole experience taught her about sex work, consent, and the lives of the women she came across. She also discusses her advice for moving on after losing a child. Madam, Murphy's memoir, is out now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is All Black great turned mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan. They discuss his thoughts on the current state of rugby, his views on ambition and a need for society to move away from extremes, and his latest business ventures. He then shares his advice on talking about and addressing your mental health.    Suicide and depression help services: If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111. For counselling and support: Lifeline: http://www.lifeline.co.nz, call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) Suicide Crisis Helpline: www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline, or call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youth services: Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234 What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm) Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7) Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service): Call 0800 000 053 For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts - click here for informationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is RNZ journalist Susie Ferguson. They discuss her new memoir, Bloody Minded, and get a range of advice from Susie, including from her experiences reporting from war zones, going public with her endometriosis diagnosis and subsequent hysterectomy, and being a woman in a man's world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is broadcaster and mental health advocate turned farmer, Matt Chisholm. They both discuss their mental health struggles and learning to identify when things are wrong, before Matt shares advice on moving to rural life and what we can learn from farmers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: This episode contains frequent strong language.  This week, Paula's guest is 'Coffin Confessor' Bill Edgar. They discuss his unique career  and what it involves - from airing secrets at funerals, to cleaning out people's homes, to even burying cash. He also shares his advice on dying and what he has learned from his clients over the years. Edgar's new book, The Afterlife Confessional, is in bookstores now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is long-time radio host Jay-Jay Feeney. They discuss her relationship with ex Dom Harvey know they are working together again and being an oversharer, before discussing Feeney's decision to leave radio, what prompted it, how she knew it was time, and reinventing yourself as an older woman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is actress Antonia Prebble. They discuss her early career, her transition to adult characters, and working on comedy Double Parked, and get advice from Antonia on how to avoid being typecastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is multi-talented entertainer, Eric Idle. They discuss his 60-year career, spanning Monty Python, musicals and live shows, his cancer diagnosis, departed friends, and life in America. And Eric shares his advice for sticking around and how he's kept going in his career over the decades. Eric brings his new stage show, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live, to New Zealand next month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paula's back for another season, and her first guest is SportsCafe-ish host, Ric Salizzo. They discuss his return to New Zealand and bringing the iconic sports comedy show back as a podcast, as well as his adventures in the US and in journalism. He then shares advice for turning ideas into action, how to identify talent, being ahead of the game, and the importance of backing yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's final guest of the season is broadcaster Ryan Bridge. They discuss the closure of Newshub and his move to Newstalk ZB, his wedding to his long-time partner, and get advice on dealing with negative feedback, the balance between a private and public life, and holding his own opinions. Ask Me Anything will return in September. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Sonia Gray, broadcaster and host of the award-winning  neurodiversity podcast, No Such Thing as Normal. They discuss Gray's career, being comfortable sharing her own neurodiversity story and her motivation for advocating for the community, before sharing her advice for parents going through the same battles she experienced. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Property Academy Podcast co-host and resident economic for Opus Partners, Ed McKnight. He shares advice for getting on the property ladder, including how to maximise the 'no-cash method', where to buy and what sort of homes to look at, and what to know about maintenance. Plus, he discusses his former life studying opera and the lengths he went to get a first job. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Theresa Gattung, fresh off receiving her Dame Companion honour. They discuss the recognition and Theresa's long career in business, and why more progress is to be made on getting women a seat at the top table. And Theresa shares what she has learned about romance and dating in the modern era through her new venture, Compatico. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is broadcaster, journalist and former The Project co-host, Kanoa Lloyd. They discuss her career, her time on The Project and its end, battling stress, and her young family. Kanoa then shares her focus on finding meaningful outcomes in life and how she has adjusted to her new routine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is radio host turned author, Matt Heath. They discuss his varied career - including his time as a columnist that caused trouble for Paula - before digging into his new book, A Life Less Punishing, and what he learned about living a more tranquil life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is award-winning Newstalk ZB newsreader and Straight Up podcast co-host Niva Retimanu. They discuss Niva's early days in Invercargill, losing her parents at a young age and dealing with her grief, plus her and Paula's shared passion for costumes and secret nicknames. Then she shares her advice for Pacific youth and journalists on how to excell and thrive in your career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is Wavewalker author Suzanne Heywood. At 6, Suzanne and her younger brother were taken on a round the world sailing voyage by her parents. What was meant to be a three year trip ballooned to a decade, with Heywood and her brother eventually ending up in New Zealand forced to fend for themselves. Suzanne joins Paula to discuss about the epic story she details in her book, and how she managed to escape, plus her advice for parents who might be thinking of similar trips. Suzanne will be taking part in the Auckland Writer's Festival, running May 14 - 19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula's guest is local entertainment icon Jason Gunn. He discusses why he quit radio, the impact of his mum's death and the changing face of local television, before digging into advice for how to best communicate with kids, whether that's through the TV, reading to them, or as a grandparent. Jason Gunn's 'Jason Mason' series is available for purchase, and he will be at the Auckland Writer's Festival that runs from May 14 - 19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula is joined by doctor turned comedian Adam Kay. They discuss his bestselling book turned TV and standup show, This is Going to Hurt, his motivation for writing it, becoming a father and a BAFTA winner, and his advice for people considering a career in medicine, and what governments need to do to improve healthcare. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Paula is joined by former squash World Champion and Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy. They discuss her new memoir, Dame Suzy D: My Story, her acclaimed career, and her experiences on Celebrity Treasure Island, before discussing her experiences as Race Relations Commissioner and the backlash she faced in that role. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.