The Candid Kiwi

Kia Ora and welcome to episode 44. This is Leisl’s story. Leisl was born in Australia. She’s lived in some remote places there and tells us about them. Then she moved to a few places in Canada and resides there now. Leisl is a writer, actor, mother, wife and criminal justice helper. Leisl shares her story about each of these, but mostly about her writing experience as a published author of four fantasy books. Leisl is positive and happy and by the end of this episode you’ll be in love with her as many are. Welcome and thanks for being here. Enjoy.

Kia Ora and welcome to episode forty two with Whitley. Whitley has gone through so many things. It’s hard to know where to start. It’s a privilege to have her walk us through her story, from birth, to adoption, to integration and more. Whitley is determined and smart and has defeated the odds by her success in life. I’m excited for you to sit and get to know her a little better and be educated a little more on race as well as what we can do in the face of trauma and tragedy. I’m grateful to give her her story and hope you’ll come give her your time. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora. Welcome to episode 40 with Topher. Topher is a husband, father and battalion chief in Davis County, Utah. Topher sits down with me and talks about his story starting from firefighter, all the way to where he is now. He didn’t always want to be a firefighter and shares with us how this came to be. We’re so lucky to have people like Topher who are willing to fight fires and save lives in our areas. So come and listen to his story. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty nine. My mother is back for round two of her story. She was in the USA for this episode and so I got to sit with her face to face. It was epic and the better way to do it for sure. Mum shares with us her life from 12 years old to when she met my father. She wraps up a couple of lose ends from her first episode and then we dive into torture, sports, perverts and more. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and learn more about the 60’s and 70’s way of living. It sounds like a hoot. Enjoy

Kia Ora. So it's almost been two years since my last episode. In this episode I catch you up on what I've been up to. I'm excited to start this journey again and have lots of stories to tell. Come do a kiwi catch up with me and see what's been going on the past two years and what's to come in future episodes.

Kia Ora and welcome to episode forty three. In this episode I talk about my trip to NZ and how things have been going the last couple of months since Masaru came home. I have Masaru talk to us and then Dru talk to us about their perspective as well. I love this because it’s bringing in multiple stories into one event. I hope you enjoy this intimate episode with the three of us. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode forty one with me. I havn’t talked about my story since April of last year! So I figured it was time to sit down and have a one on one about how these last few months have been since then. I go through my highlights of the last few months then dive a little deeper into some personal family things that we’re going through as of recent. I’m glad you’re here and hope you’ll come and listen and connect with me. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty eight. In this episode I introduce you to Dana. Dana and Jason were married young and had five children. They were best friends and worked like yin and yang together. Jason was a lover of the outdoors and mountain biked whenever he could. He was full of lots of ideas to make biking better, in the community. He started a website, then had a crazy idea to make a yearly challenge to bike around 230 miles of trails for ‘fun’. Jason’s life was cut short before he could put it out there himself. Dana and Jason’s friends decided to go for it and started what we know as the ‘Boise Trails Challenge’ in memory of Jason and it’s been going ever since. Jason’s presence is still felt around the Boise community and Dana shares with us what her life was like before and after Jason’s passing. Her insights are informative, raw, educational and emotional. I look forward to you being able to get to know Dana and her story and to learn from what she’s learned, being thrust into a life and situation that she never asked for or expected. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty seven. This episode I introduce you to my eldest son, Masaru. He just graduated in May of this year. So I have him sit down with me and talk about some of the ups and downs in his short life here. I love that I was able to capture a little of his story and be able to share it with you. Please come listen to his story and get to know us a little more. Ka kite ano au i a koutou.

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty six. Meet Ashlee. Ashlee was visited by detectives one night and told her husband had been shot twice and had died. The events that have unfolded in her life since then have been mind boggling. Ashlee shares with us her story of coming to grips with the tragedy and betrayal of that night and her path forward with healing and coming to grips with her new reality being a single mum with five kids. Ashlee teaches us how she’s been able to move forward. She’s published three books and has a blog about her path. She speaks publicly and has coaching available on her website. Sitting with Ashlee taught me a lot and I hope it does for you as well. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty five with me. In this episode I talk about a breakthrough therapy session I had with Kate and share it with you all. I talk a little about this long winter and the ups and downs with my seasonal depression with it. I also touch on parenting and how that’s going with my four kids and Dru by my side. It’s been a little tough. But we keep going right. I hope you can find comfort in this episode. I hope something can help you not feel alone, or maybe a little more educated or just supported more in your roles. Thanks for listening. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora. Welcome to episode 34 with my friend Phil. Phil was brought up in California in a religious family. He started feeling and knowing he was ‘different’ when he was around four years old. Phil liked boys but he also knew that he needed to hide that to fit in. Phil talks to us about his life of confusion as he tried to navigate his childhood. Then when he became a teen he realized there was a name for how he was feeling. Gay. He was met with bullying, however, when he confided in a trusted friend and his high school found out. His days were met with violence and verbal abuse. His parents kicked him out of home and then he became homeless. He tried to make it work but one night gave up and attempted suicide. He was saved and then found a new vigor for life and graduated high school and went to college. Phil has been married to his husband since it was legal in Idaho and has been with James almost 22 years. He’s now an educator for Paul Mitchell and is thriving. Come listen to a story of courage and connect with Phil. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to my thirty-third episode. In this kiwi story, we talk about my trip with my family to New Zealand for the month. And what a trip it was! So needed, and healing for me, and fun and connecting for my kids. My family know how to party. So come along for the ride and listen to how we do summer in New Zealand, Wright styles. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode thirty two. This is my friend from my childhood, Matthew. We grew up together for almost the first decade of my life. Then they moved to Hamilton and that’s where things took a turn for the worst for Matthew. In his story, he recounts the bullying that happened to him in highschool and how it made him want to take his own life. He’s here with us today, however, so he leads us on his journey of why he didn’t and what life has looked like since. It’s so important to be aware and kind. Matthew’s story is a reminder to be good to each other and to help and speak up where we can. Come listen to his moving story. Ka kite ano ou i a koutou.

Kia Ora. Welcome to my thirty first episode. I’ve been absent for a couple of months this summer and so talk about what I’ve been up to and why it’s been hard to keep up with the blog. We went on a trip in our van and school started as well as MTB season. I worked all summer. This is a first for me for a long time. Thanks for being here. Hope you’ll listen. Ka kite ano ou i a koutou.

Kia Ora and welcome to the beginnings of my mother’s story. She tells us stories from her childhood from the ages of 0 -12 years old. I only knew roughly 10% of what she told me. It was amazing to sit and listen to the epic stories of my mothers childhood. How she and my Uncles and Aunties survived is a modern day miracle. These adventures are what childhood in the 50’s in NZ were made of. Life is certainly different now. So sit back and relax for an hour and come listen to my mothers stories of her childhood. You won’t regret it. Ka kite ano au i a koutou.

Kia Ora. Welcome to episode twenty nine, Healing Kiwi Travels. This episode is me talking about my recent trip back to NZ and Australia last month. It’s a quick one week trip to see Bro B one last time. I mixed in seeing my family as well as some high school mates along the way. I learned a few things about myself and share what I learned with you in this episode. I’m glad you’re here and hope you enjoy my continued story. Ka kite ano au i a koutou.

Kia Ora and welcome to episode twenty eight. You get to meet Jared and hear his amazing story. What Jared has done in his life is stunningly beautiful. He’s worked hard and become successful and has put his whole heart into all of his work. From Law firm Kirkland and McKonkie then Young Living, Zulu grill, voice of the vanishing and now Amare Global, Jared has ventured to help make this world a better place. And after listening to his story you’ll see he’s done exactly that. He makes you want to do more and be more just by being around him. He’s one of the good guys and I’m so grateful he took time out to share with you all his story of passion. His biggest passion is his three beautiful children as well. So come listen to Jared’s story and you’ll end up loving him as I do. Ka kite ano au i a koutou

Kia Ora and welcome to episode twenty seven. This is my journey and story. This year has been a tough one, emotionally. So I dive into why and what I’m doing to cope, or not cope in some ways. Just the season and the cold weather, motherhood, injuries and things out of my control. These all contribute to a perfect storm of depression that I fight to get out of. I’m starting to feel better and have some things I’m looking forward to as well. I hope you’ll come listen and learn to more of my story. Thanks. Ka kite ano au i a koutou.

Kia Ora. Welcome to this episode with Paula. Paula was a single mother of four who put herself through school to become a social worker then a trauma therapist. She started to find a common thread in her line of work and amongst her workers……signs of sexual trafficking. She decided to sell her business and make it her life’s mission to fight this battle. Listen to what she does for these victims. Paula helps us to see the signs and educate us on what to do to help. She partners with law enforcement to fight these traffickers and bring them to justice. Her mission is to provide a safe place for these victims and give them whatever they need to move forward in their lives so they can gain their life back and sometimes their children. Paula’s story is a must listen to. Thanks for all the support. Ka kite ano au i a koutou.