The Dom Harvey Podcast

Helene Barron is an elite trail runner, a high-performance physiotherapist, a coach, a wife, a mum, a daughter, a sister, a legend and now a survivor- after being diagnosed with tongue cancer.

In early 2023 Helene was on top of the world: she’d just finished top 5 at the Tarawera 100 Miler, one of the toughest tunning races in the country.
Life was good: Career, family, everything was lining up.

And then, just weeks later…everything changed. Helene became one of the 77 New Zealanders every day who get told they have cancer.

In this episode, we get into:

+ The moment she discovered something wasn’t right: a tiny sore that turned out to be aggressive cancer

+ The phone call that no one ever wants to receive

+ Recording goodbye messages for her kids before surgery

+ What it’s really like going through six weeks of radiation

+ And how she found the strength to keep moving forward when everything felt uncertain

We also talk about resilience, perspective, and why she lives by one simple rule now: don’t drop the glass balls (I’d never heard this theory before but I love it- I hope you will too)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Quin is the CEO of Foodstuffs North Island, a business with over $10 billion in turnover, 24,000 employees and more than 400 stores across brands like New World, Pak’nSave, and Four Square.

This is part of the Chris Quinn story- a look at the man behind the title.

We talk about losing both of his parents at a young age, the lessons that shaped how he leads today.

We get into career setbacks, including missing out on the CEO role at Telecom and what that taught him about resilience.

There’s some great management lessons and insight into what makes a strong leader, from a guy who has done it at the highest level imaginable for a very long time.

And lots of fascinating insights about running 400 grocery stores through the pandemic when Kiwis were panic buying toilet paper, and the reality of leading a team of people who face abuse or violence on a daily basis.

This is a masterclass on what it takes to lead at the very top. I loved meeting and getting to learn more about CQ and I’m sure you will too.

***
Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.
Generate is an award-winning KiwiSaver provider with a track record of delivering strong long-term returns for their clients- you can see their latest returns for yourself on their website.
I became a client when they came on board as the show sponsor and it’s been a gamechanger for me personally- I’m kicking myself for not doing it years earlier.
You can book a no obligation chat with one of their awesome KiwiSaver advisers at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom
The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. To see their Product disclosure statement see generatekiwisaver.co.nz/pds
Past performance does not guarantee future returns.
And just a reminder — everyone’s situation is different, so I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda Luxon is probably best known as the wife of the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

But she also has her own story, her own perspective, and a really thoughtful way of looking at life, relationships, and what actually matters.
Not to mention some really strong opinions on critical thinking and why it is incredibly important.

Amanda is a self-described introvert and typically does her best to stay out of the spotlight which makes this podcast appearance a rarity.

Due to the nature of politics, you might already have an opinion on Amanda Luxon. This long form conversation will either change your opinion or reinforce what you already think, and either of those outcomes are fine - I just appreciate you being open to give this episode a listen.

Some of the ground we cover in this conversation includes:

+ What it’s really like living alongside one of the most demanding jobs in the country- the reality behind the negative headlines, the polls, the rumours and how you make a relationship work when one person is essentially “on duty” 24/7.

+ Amanda shares some of the philosophies that shaped their children, from teaching them whose opinions actually matter, to why the first thing you say to your child when they screw up is more important than anything that comes after.

+ And there are some really human moments in here as well… from dance parties in the kitchen to Christophers annoying habit of sharing memes and the story behind that viral election night photo of her biceps.

It’s honest, it’s reflective and it gives you a side of public life that we don’t often get to hear.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Alia Bojilova former SAS lead psychologist, and the author of The Resilience Toolkit.

She’s worked with elite special forces soldiers, athletes, CEOs, people operating at the absolute edge of human performance.
But her story goes far beyond that.

In this conversation, we talk about everything from growing up in post-communist Bulgaria, where simple things like toilet paper, cheese and chocolate were rationed, to moving to New Zealand at 17 without speaking English, all the way through to working inside one of the most elite military environments in the world.

And then, there’s the moment where everything changes.
Alia shares, in incredible detail, the story of being taken hostage in Syria. A seven-hour ordeal involving armed militants, minefields, and the very real threat of an ugly execution.

But what’s remarkable isn’t just what happened: it’s how she processed it, what she learned from it, and how she’s used that experience to better understand human resilience.

Dr. Bojilova is a unique individual- she is a real breath of fresh air- smart, tough and very funny. I walked away from this one thinking differently. I hope you will too.
***

Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.
Generate is an award-winning KiwiSaver provider with a track record of delivering strong long-term returns for their clients- you can see their latest returns for yourself on their website.

I became a client when they came on board as the show sponsor and it’s been a gamechanger for me personally- I’m kicking myself for not doing it years earlier.

You can book a no obligation chat with one of their awesome KiwiSaver advisers at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom

The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. To see their Product disclosure statement see generatekiwisaver.co.nz/pds
Past performance does not guarantee future returns.

And just a reminder — everyone’s situation is different, so I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Navajo Stirling is a UFC light heavyweight fighter and one of the most exciting fighters coming out of New Zealand right now. He is trained by the mixed martial arts guru Eugene Bereman at City Kickboxing in Auckland.

At the time of recording this intro, Navajo is in Seattle on a UFC lineup with Israel Adesanya…
Which is a really cool full circle moment- from the moment he decided he wanted to be a UFC fighter he followed the exact steps and blueprint created by Izzy.

This podcast is part of the Navajo Stirling story:

+ His upbringing in Upper Hutt…and only discovering the UFC while working at Foodstuffs and going to a co-worker’s house to watch a Connor MacGregor fight on TV.

+ What it actually takes to get to the UFC…the financial reality of it…and why so many people never make it.

+ His first time meeting and training his hero, Israel, after watching and imitating every single fight he had ever had on YouTube.

+ There’s also some great stuff in here about fighting itself: what it feels like to get hit, why he says everything slows down in the cage…and how he deals with pressure when he’s about to walk out. And then there’s the bigger stuff: purpose, potential and his fear of becoming just another “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.”

I think you will also enjoy this if you like learning about Kiwis who are out there chasing dreams and goals that seem impossible- its inspiring stuff.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.