Hunger & Heart with Kaila Colbin

Epizódok

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  Freediving Champion William Trubridge: How To Not Panic 15.09.2026 1ó 27p

  William Trubridge is one of the greatest freedivers of all time. He’s set 18 world records. Won six world championship titles. In 2016 he became the first person to reach 102 metres on a single breath with no fins and no rope.In 2019 he crossed Cook Strait entirely underwater, in a series of 934 breath holds over nine hours and fifteen minutes, to draw attention to New Zealand's critically endangered Hector's and Māui dolphins.When you’re 100 metres underwater, panic burns the oxygen you need to get home. So he’s spent decades building a system for not panicking — and it turns out the system works in a queue, in traffic, and in the conversation you're dreading.WHAT'S COVERED- Sailing the Pacific as a toddler — a boat was home until he was ten- The poem he wrote on an Auckland dance floor a year before he'd heard of freediving- Two failed world record attempts — and the word that made all the difference for the third- Risk vs stakes — and why refusing every dangerous thing is itself massively risky- What actually happened at 127 metres, and why his lungs stayed dry- The mental immune system- Why the muscles you breathe with decide how you feel- Nine hours underwater across Cook StraitFIND WILLIAM Website: https://www.williamtrubridge.com/ Instagram: @‌willtrubridge — https://www.instagram.com/willtrubridge/The Rebellion — his work teaching the mental immune system: https://www.rebellionimpactgroup.com/The Mental Immune System programme: https://mentalimmunesystem.com/MORE FROM WILLIAMOxygen: A Memoir — https://www.williamtrubridge.com/post/oxygen-a-memoir-by-william-trubridgeBreathe (2011) — the documentary following his attempt to become the first person to reach 300 feet on a single breath, no fins: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103163/Hunger & Heart is a podcast about the intersection of wild ambition and fierce compassion, hosted by Kaila Colbin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Stung By A Box Jellyfish In The Middle Of The Molokaʻi Channel: ‘I Just Kept Swimming’ 08.09.2026 1ó 11p

  At 17, Gráinne Moss swam the English Channel — the first Irish woman ever to do it. At 56, she became the 45th person on Earth to complete the Oceans Seven, the seven hardest channel swims in the world.This conversation is about the 39 years in between.We talk about the two failed attempts at the same stretch of water between Ireland and Scotland — one she was elated by, one that broke her.About being stung head to foot by jellyfish and somehow swimming on for seven more hours.About looking back at the White Cliffs of Dover three hours into the Channel — and her utter despair at realising she'd barely moved.About finishing her first channel crossing at 17 with nobody there to meet her.And about carrying everything she’s learned from ultramarathon swimming — the grit, the resilience, the purpose — into one of the hardest jobs in the New Zealand public service.WHAT'S COVERED:- The three hours that nearly ended her English Channel swim- Being obliterated by a shoal of jellyfish — and why she got out of the water happy- How you keep going when you can't see any progress at all- What a good coach actually does- Night swimming, box jellyfish and the Channel of Bones- Leading Oranga Tamariki — where she put her focus, and why she says you have to know your own reasons before you take a job like thatABOUT GRÁINNEGráinne Moss (née Gunn) grew up in Bangor, County Down, and started swimming in an unheated saltwater pool fed by the sea. She swam the English Channel in 1987 in 11 hours 52 minutes, aged 17, becoming the first Irish woman to do it. She moved to New Zealand in 1998 and swam the Cook Strait in 2001, and completed the Oceans Seven in June 2026 with the Tsugaru Strait in northern Japan — the longest span between first and final swim in the challenge's history. She is Chief Executive and Secretary for Regulation at the Ministry for Regulation, and was Chief Executive of Oranga Tamariki from 2016 to 2021.Visit Gráinne's blog https://grainnemoss.com/ for detailed accounts of her swims and follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swimirishkiwi/.—Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  11 Years Running All Blacks Rugby: Protests, Earthquakes And 6 World Cups 01.09.2026 1ó 9p

  Steve Tew was chief executive of New Zealand Rugby from 2008 to 2019, and ran the Crusaders and the Canterbury Rugby Union from 1996 to 2001. He is now Director of High Performance at High Performance Sport New Zealand.This week, he joins the podcast to talk about a career that started with a box of files inherited from a volunteer and ended up running the organisation behind the All Blacks — and about the decisions in between that he still thinks about.That includes protesting the 1981 Springbok tour while his own family sat on the other side of it, taking Rugby World Cup matches away from Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquake, backing a coach the media wanted gone, and the review that put New Zealand Rugby's own culture under outside scrutiny.WHAT'S COVEREDHow he ended up in sporting governanceThe 1981 Springbok tourWhy New Zealand Rugby apologised to players it never selectedThe February 2011 earthquake, and telling a city it had lost its World Cup matchesHow the Crusaders went from last to first in three seasonsAppointing Wayne Smith, and backing him when the results hadn't arrivedThe Respect and Responsibility ReviewWhat he looks for when he's assessing people for leadershipThe performance conversation he's never started too early Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Six-time World Champion With The Insight That Unlocked It All 25.08.2026 1ó 21p

  Mark Sorenson won two world championships by the age of seventeen. But at twenty, despite playing the best tournament of his life, his team lost the final. That heartbreak led to an insight: it doesn’t matter how spectacular you are if you can’t make the people around you better as well.Mark is one of only two New Zealanders to win world softball titles as both a player and a coach — four golds with the Black Sox, including the only three-peat in the history of the men's game, then World Coach of the Year after taking them back to gold in 2017.This conversation is almost none of that. It's about what happened in between: the years he tried to lift his team by policing them, and the shift that finally made them follow.We talk:- The difference between having the title and having people follow you- Why Mark told his own daughter she would never win a trophy while he was coaching- How to hold high standards without humiliating anyone- Being liked versus respected- The honesty gap between team spirit and high performance culture- Why rules without reason carry less weight- When delegating a hard conversation is the strongest thing a leader can do—A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Mark Sorenson for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nzHunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How Mike Cron Helped Turn Good All Blacks Into Greats For 15 Years 18.08.2026 1ó 13p

  Mike ‘Crono’ Cron spent 15 years with the All Blacks — more than 200 tests, two World Cups, and a reputation as the best scrum coach in the game.In this conversation he breaks down how he actually does it:Why he shows a photograph of cyclists shoving cigarettes in each other's mouths to every team he works with. How he used the Royal New Zealand Ballet to transform the All Blacks lineout. The three “big rocks” of coaching: systems, skills, and decisions.We also get into why "what did you hear" is a safer question than "what did I say". Why a team that goes slack the moment you turn your back is a sales problem, not a character problem. And the line he uses when he knows his comment is going to hurt — it’s a master class on feedback.For more about Crono:  https://www.mikecroncoaching.co.nz/Mike’s book: ‘Coach’ https://www.harpercollins.co.nz/9781775542650/coach/-Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  He Swam 1,367km Down New Zealand - 90 Days, No Wetsuit 11.08.2026 1ó 32p

  90 minutes into a 1,367km swim down the length of New Zealand, Jono Ridler turned his head to breathe and saw a large shark a body length away. He got out of the water for 20 minutes, then got straight back in — and kept going for another 89 days.The kid who had to be bribed with candy to finish a swimming lesson ended up breaking the world record for the longest unassisted staged swim. In this conversation he breaks down the journey.Along the way: the panic attack 100 metres into his first open-water race. The Cook Strait crossing that ended with him pissing blood. The 33-hour Hauraki Gulf swim where he hallucinated a snowman on the support boat.From swimming for a reward, to swimming for an identity, to swimming for something that will outlast him.We also get into the voice that tells you to stop (and why it only ever arrives at the edge of what you can do), how to train the mental skills necessary for his feats of endurance, and what he's learned about uncertainty since walking away from a 13-year career with no idea what comes next.Jono Ridler | Speaker, Athlete, Advocate — https://www.jonoridler.com/Live Ocean Foundation — https://liveocean.org/Swim4TheOcean — https://www.swim4theocean.org/FOLLOW JONOInstagram: @‌jonoridlerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Jono-Ridler-61584529661244/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonoridler/-Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  8,200m Up K2, He Walked Away Alone: Peter Hillary on Survival, Fear & Sir Edmund’s Advice 04.08.2026 1ó 11p

  At 8,200 metres on K2, in deteriorating weather and near the summit, Peter Hillary made what he calls a “bravely independent” decision: he turned around and descended alone into the storm. The rest of the group stayed together and pushed for the top.It was one of the loneliest descents of his life — and it’s the reason he's here to tell the story. None of the others survived.In this conversation, we trace how a lifetime in the mountains, with a father like Sir Edmund Hillary, prepared him for that moment: a childhood where a family holiday meant Kathmandu at age seven, a teenage ascent of Mount Aspiring twice in three days followed by a humbling introduction to Aoraki/Mount Cook, and the 1979 avalanche on the west face of Ama Dablam that killed a member of his team and left him hanging on a near-severed rope with a compound fracture.We also talk why he rejects the framing that he grew up in his father's shadow — and how he thinks about it instead — and why whether he could live up to his father’s accomplishments was never the right question.Peter Hillary has dedicated his life to mountaineering, adventure, and the outdoors. He also continues his father’s contribution to the Nepalese people who have meant so much to the family. Peter is chair of the Himalayan Trust, founded by Sir Ed, which does extraordinary work providing health and education for remote communities in Nepal. Find out more and support his work at http://himalayantrust.org–A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Peter Hillary for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How Wayne Smith Built the All Blacks, Crusaders & Black Ferns Into Winning Cultures 28.07.2026 1ó 5p

  Sir Wayne Smith — aka “The Professor” — is one of the most decorated coaches in New Zealand rugby history. In this conversation he opens up the systems behind decades of winning.The season the All Blacks spat into vials so a scientist could map their hormones — and why every fix was cultural, not chemical. The Henry V video that rebuilt a last-placed Crusaders side. The honesty card players handed back when a teammate broke the standards — and the cards Smith found pushed under his hotel door on tour. Why he doesn't believe in team talks. Why he wore sunglasses to speak to one All Black before games. What the self-coached 1924 Invincibles still teach anyone leading a team a century later.And then there's the Black Ferns: the party bus that traumatised him until Kendra Cocksedge told him to stop asking about the music, the coin toss where his captain overruled him, and what coaching the women's game taught him about how different teams find their best.▶ Want to learn these systems from the inside? Explore the Crusaders Leadership Programme™: https://crusadersleadership.com/▶ Register for the upcoming Crusaders Leadership Programme™: https://bomanz.myshopify.com/products/clp?variant=42228067205233–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How Dr Luke Sniewski Ended a 30-Year Porn Addiction 21.07.2026 1ó 8p

  He found the cable-box switch that unlocked adult content when he was just five years old. For the next three decades, porn was Dr Luke Sniewski’s coping mechanism for loneliness, stress and fear - through a professional football career in Italy, a burnout that ended his training business, and relationships that all ended the same way.He spent nearly a decade trying to willpower his way out. It never worked - because the behaviour was never the problem.Dr Luke Sniewski's doctoral research at AUT studied meditation as an intervention for men with problematic pornography use - research that ended up revealing something he didn't expect about what actually helps people change.In this conversation, Luke explains why you can't quit a behaviour you refuse to understand, what meditation actually is, why the saviour instinct leads to burnout, and how to talk to your kids about the things you hope they never do - without judgment, and without driving it into secrecy.Connect with Luke's Somawise community: https://www.skool.com/somawise-tribe/aboutJo Robertson's TEDx talk on young people and porn, referenced in this episode: https://tedxchristchurch.com/jo-robertson–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How NZ's Most Unlikely Basketball Legend Was Built: Brother Battles, Bleeding Fingers, Zero Shortcuts 14.07.2026 1ó 3p

  Dillon Boucher was so sure he'd made the 2000 Olympic team that his wife had already booked her flights. But when they announced the squad in alphabetical order — by the third one he knew he hadn’t been selected.What Dillon did next is the definition of commitment.He quit his job, started a coaching business so he could keep a ball in his hands all day, and trained until his fingertips split open.By his own admission, pursuing basketball full-time back then was “absolutely madness.”Dillon made the Tall Blacks the following year and went on to become one of our greatest ever.In this conversation the unlikely legend unpacks how someone with no natural athleticism built a career at the top: the coach whose belief changed everything, why every loose ball is critical, the difference between consequences and punishment, and why the willingness to do hard things is the most underrated strategic advantage there is - on the court, in the boardroom, and at home.Whether you're leading a team, raising kids, or wondering if you're good enough for the room you're in, this one's for you.–A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Dillon Boucher for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  How Resentment Builds in Even the Best Workplaces 07.07.2026 57p

  Nobody is born good at hard conversations. Not even the people who teach them.I’ve spent years running Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead™ programme. I built the Courageous Communication™ programme specifically around the skills of having hard conversations. But teaching it and living it are two different things. In this episode I sit down with my colleague Hannah Hudson to talk honestly about what it's actually like trying to walk that talk every day.The defensiveness that creeps in when a client gives feedback. The resentment that builds when you let something go but don't really let it go. The moment all your skills go out the window in a meeting you thought you'd ace.We cover why anger sometimes feels like the only possible response (and why there are always other options), how to set a boundary without being angry, and the one definition of success in a hard conversation that doesn't depend on how the other person responds.If you've ever swallowed the thing you needed to say - this one's for you.🎓 Want to get better at hard conversations? Start with the free Courageous Communication™ email course: https://nz.boma.global/cc-email-course🧭 Explore upcoming Dare to Lead™ programmes: https://nz.boma.global/dare-to-lead–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The All Blacks' Secret: Why Performance Needs Care 30.06.2026 1ó 5p

  ⚠️ Please note: this conversation talks about depression and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, free help is available through Lifeline - call 0508 TAUTOKO, that's 0508 828 865.Sir John Kirwan is one of New Zealand's greatest All Blacks — but, while he lived the life of a champion, his mental health suffered. He's since become one of the country's greatest wellbeing advocates - speaking openly about his own depression, the night on tour when he wanted to jump out of a window, and rebuilding his entire life from scratch.In this conversation with Kaila Colbin, JK talks about what depression actually felt like from the inside, why he had to treat himself like he was dead before he could start again, and the system he built - and now teaches - to make sure he never goes back there.This isn't a rugby episode - though there are some great stories. It's a conversation about what it takes to perform at the highest level of anything - and why care isn't the soft option.In this episode:Why JK says balance is bullsh*t - and what to do insteadThe night he wanted to end his life, and what his mum said that changed everythingHow he put his life into boxes and rebuilt it from the ground upThe All Blacks' performance-care philosophy - and why he believes it's why they finally won the World Cup in 2011The six daily pillars he uses to protect his mental healthWhy the care conversation and the performance conversation are the same conversationWhat a Catholic priest told him before his wedding that became some of the best advice he's ever receivedWhy the badge of honour around working yourself to exhaustion is destroying peopleThe "to-done" list - and why it matters more than your to-do listWhat it means to manage your imbalance instead of chasing balance📚 JK's BooksAll Blacks Don't Cry: A Story of Hope - https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/All-Blacks-Dont-Cry-John-Kirwan/9781776950492Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times - https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Stand-By-Me-John-Kirwan/9780143570639–A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Sir John Kirwan for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Dame Farah Palmer: What 3 World Cups Taught Me About Leadership 23.06.2026 1ó 12p

  Dame Farah Palmer wasn't the most talented athlete in the room. She was nearly invisible at her first university orientation week. And then… someone from the rugby club noticed her.In this conversation, Kaila Colbin sits down with one of New Zealand's most decorated sportswomen: three-time Black Ferns World Cup captain, Dame Companion, first woman elected to the New Zealand Rugby board, and one of the architects of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 in Aotearoa.We get to the origin story most haven’t heard: the absent father, the eating disorder, the scholarship her mum found for her, and what it actually means to lead when you're not sure you're the right person.Please note: this conversation contains discussion about eating disorders. If you or someone you know is struggling, free help is available through EDANZ — call 0800 2 EDANZ (0800 233 269).This episode covers:Growing up in Piopio and the sliding-doors moment at Otago UniversityBeing shoulder-tapped for rugby at 16 and what it did for her relationship with her bodyBeing asked to captain the Black Ferns - and hiding behind the door afterwardsThe "BTB" framework: Better Than Before and what it did for team cultureWhat she calls her “fourth World Cup” and why it means more than the three on the field📖 Book mentioned: Who Moved My Cheese - https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/who-moved-my-cheese–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Maggie Cogger-Orr: The Loneliest Job on the Field - Lessons from a World-Class Rugby Referee 16.06.2026 1ó 6p

  What does it take to hold professional athletes to the highest standards - without ever raising your voice?Maggie Cogger-Orr is one of New Zealand's top rugby referees and the current Referee of the Year. Originally from Canada, she grew up playing gridiron football before falling in love with rugby - and after two ACL injuries ended her playing ambitions, she went all-in on refereeing. She's now officiating at the top level of the men's and women's game.In this conversation, Maggie unpacks the "know me, be me, stay me" framework NZ's top referees use to perform under pressure, and why accountability has nothing to do with anger. She shares the early mistakes that taught her how to de-escalate, how she processes being shouted at in front of thousands of people, and what every leader can learn from the loneliest job on the field.–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Rob Hamill: My Brother Was Captured and Executed by the Khmer Rouge 09.06.2026 1ó 18p

  Rob Hamill is one of New Zealand's most storied and decorated rowers - a silver at the World Championships in 1994, the winner of the first ever Atlantic Rowing Race in '97, and a man who has lived a life most people couldn't imagine. But beneath the athletic achievements is a story that shaped everything.When Rob was 14, his older brother Kerry went missing while sailing through Southeast Asia on his OE. Sixteen months of silence followed. His parents wrote letter after letter to ports across Asia, hoping for news that never came. When it finally did, it arrived on the front page of a newspaper: Kerry had been blown off course into Cambodian waters, captured by the Khmer Rouge, tortured for months at the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison, and executed.In this conversation, we get into grief, resilience, forgiveness, and what it means to carry loss through a life lived at full throttle.Rob shares the extraordinary details of Kerry's forced confession — and the extraordinary messages his brother managed to hide inside it.He talks about rowing across the Atlantic and discovering, alone in the middle of the ocean, that he had never truly grieved.He talks about testifying at the War Crimes Tribunal in Cambodia thirty years later. About losing his other brother, John, in the aftermath. And about why, in 2018, he and his family set sail to circle the globe — finishing the journey Kerry never got to complete.Please note: this episode talks about suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, free help is available through Lifeline, call 0508 TAUTOKO, that’s 0508 828 865.Links mentioned in this episode:🎤 Rob Hamill's TEDx Talk — On Forgiveness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87a7KNq2YQ🎤 Matt Brown — The Barbershop Where Men Go to Heal | TEDxChristchurch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UhP3OZ9ZCE–A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Rob for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Blakey Johnston Surfed For 40 Hours Non-Stop - The Response Was Incredible 02.06.2026 1ó 57p

  He lost his dad to suicide, surfed for 40 hours straight and built one of Australia's most powerful mental health movements — one wave at a time.Blake Johnston is a World Record holder, mental health advocate, Director of Cronulla Surfing Academy, and the man behind the world's largest paddle out. But before any of that, he was a kid from Cronulla who loved the ocean more than anything — and had no idea how much he'd one day need it.In this episode, Blake shares the full story: growing up with ADHD in a house of many brothers, chasing a pro surfing career that didn't quite go the distance, meeting and marrying his partner Lauren, and then — in a single phone call on the way home from a surf retreat — having his world shattered when he lost his dad to suicide.What followed was a decade of rebuilding. And then, in an act that defied what most people would consider humanly possible, he paddled out into five-to-six foot surf at 1 AM, and didn't come back in for 40 hours and 7 minutes. 707 waves. A world record. This conversation covers grief, purpose, resilience, the ocean, community, parenthood, and mental health.Please note: this episode talks about depression and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, free help is available through Lifeline, call 0508 TAUTOKO, that’s 0508 828 865.To learn more:Get a link to Blakey’s website: https://www.swellbeing.com.au/A link to his book, Swellbeing: https://www.swellbeing.com.au/product/swellbeing/And a link to the documentary (trailer and where to watch in Aus): https://inpiecestogetherfilm.com/–Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The Most Dangerous Atlantic Rowing Race in History — Sarah Kessans Was In It 26.05.2026 1ó 19p

  Sarah Kessans came to New Zealand for a two-year postdoc. Thirteen years later she's still here - an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury working across synthetic biology, space research, and agricultural climate science.But before all of that, she was a 20-year-old from Indiana with $500, no ocean experience, and an idea she'd read about on a plane.In this episode, Sarah tells the full story of how she and her college rowing rival entered the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race — a 5,000 km crossing from the Canary Islands to Antigua. How they built their own boat, raised $150,000 from nothing, and arrived at the start line as one of the most prepared crews in a fleet of 26.And what happened on Day 45 when a rogue wave flipped their boat upside down, 1,400 miles from land, in the middle of a hurricane.In this episode:How a single book on a flight changed the entire direction of her lifeBuilding a racing boat in her dad's cabinet workshop in IndianaWhat it's actually like to row through the night, alone, in the middle of the AtlanticThe capsize — and the 14 hours that followedWhy she went backBreaking the women's world record by 17 daysHunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Andrew Mehrtens: The Feedback That Changed My Career Forever 19.05.2026 58p

  Few All Blacks have ever been as loved as Andrew Mehrtens. Ask him why, and he'll tell you he was just the kid next door who got a winner wish.Growing up bilingual in the small North Canterbury community of Tuahiwi, Mehrts wasn't the biggest, the fastest, or the strongest. What he had was something harder to define - and harder to hold onto.In this conversation, Mehrts opens up about the confronting feedback that forced him to rethink how he showed up as a teammate, the coach who believed in him three times when nobody else would, and what genuine team culture actually looks and feels like when you're inside it.A conversation about humility, trust, and what happens when someone cares enough to tell you the truth.—Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Why Sir Edmund Hillary Told Jamie Fitzgerald to Dream Bigger - Rowing the Atlantic & Walking to the South Pole 12.05.2026 59p

  What do you do when Sir Edmund Hillary tells you your ambition isn't big enough?For Jamie Fitzgerald, that question led to one of the most remarkable expeditions in New Zealand history - becoming the first Kiwis to reach the South Pole unsupported on foot.But before Antarctica, there was the Atlantic. In 2003, Jamie set the world record for rowing 5,000 kilometres across the ocean - with three weeks' notice and a partner he'd never met.In this conversation, Jamie shares what extreme adventure taught him about resilience, team culture, and what it actually takes to unlock peak performance - whether you're in a storm in the middle of the ocean or leading a team of 6,000 Rugby World Cup volunteers.—A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Jamie for a keynote and leave your audience hungry for more, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read.  You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.  The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience.  It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Paused for renovations. See you next week! 05.05.2026

  This week, no new Hunger & Heart episode. We’ve paused for renovations and will be back next week, bigger, brighter, and bolder than ever. See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.