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We landed him. Steven Adams, New Zealand's most beloved basketball export and our number one dream guest for years, is coming to Between Two Beers. In this episode of Hambassadors, Seamus and Steve take you behind the scenes of the biggest week in the podcast’s history. Four recordings in six days, a surprise Easter weekend email that changed everything, eight steaks on order, and two and a half hours with a seven-foot legend who had a flight to Houston that night. Plus, a live appearance on TVNZ Breakfast, the Stacey Jones recording, a World Cup update, love languages, and a new full-time hire joining the team. Hambassadors is proudly brought to you by Stark Property.-- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She ran the Bulldogs, steered Australia Rugby through one of their biggest controversies, and led NZ sport through its toughest years. So why don't more people know the real Raelene Castle? In this episode we sit down with one of the most significant sports executives the southern hemisphere has ever produced - and discover that the woman behind the headlines is nothing like the one in them. We cover the six phone calls she made in four hours that launched her career in sport, what was really happening behind the scenes during the Israel Folau saga, her relationship with Des Hasler, living publicly with alopecia, and why the moment a rugby league legend walked across a sideline just to introduce himself told her everything she needed to know about the game she'd just entered. Raelene Castle is generous, funny, tough as nails, and completely open in this conversation - it’s so good, we need to re-share it with all our new listeners! Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers Clothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve and Seamus sit down with coach Di Foster for their unofficial Q1 review - and it's a big one. New naming sponsor (they can't tell you who yet), a TV deal in the works, and their first ever full-time hire. On paper, the best quarter Between Two Beers has ever had. But Di isn't letting them off that easy. In this episode: why securing long-term partnerships changes everything, the embarrassing process breakdown that quietly cost them sales, what it actually means to understand your own value, and why getting what you want is just the beginning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April 2020, during lockdown, Dai Henwood received a terminal cancer diagnosis. He kept it hidden. He kept doing stand-up. He kept doing interviews. He kept being Dai Henwood, while privately getting to grips with something nobody in his family had ever faced before. Four and a half years after his first appearance on the show, he sits back down with Steve and Seamus. Dai walks us through 52 rounds of chemo, 8 surgeries, a death ceremony in Japan, a three-part documentary, a book, and the moment he stopped acting like himself and started actually being himself. But this isn't a cancer story. It's a story about what happens when the fear of death is gone, and nothing remains but the joy of living. They talk about what a successful week actually looks like now. Why men need to hug each other more. The hardest thing he's ever done that isn't chemo. Why happiness is a calm emotion and most of us have never actually felt it. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the scenes of Between Two Beers this week, Steve and Seamus break down the Kieran Read shirt scandal that has gripped our viewers, reflect on driving the former All Blacks captain to his parents' place, and tease what might be their most powerful episode yet. Dai Henwood returns to the show - 52 rounds of chemo, eight surgeries, and a conversation about life, death, and what actually matters. Plus: Steve's soul-searching session with Carl Sheridan, Seamus MCs the All Whites legends dinner before their 4-1 win over Chile, Easter chaos with four kids, and Bowie's Easter Bunny conspiracy letter. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers, and massive shout out to the legends at Stark for supporting this show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kieran Read is one of the greatest All Blacks of all time. Two-time World Cup winner, Crusaders legend, and the man who replaced Richie McCaw as captain with 800 tests of combined experience suddenly out the door. But four years on from his first appearance on Between Two Beers, the most interesting chapter of Kieran's story is only just beginning. In this episode we get into the leadership journey from the very start - Rosehill College, the PE teacher who changed everything, displacing Reuben Thorne at the Crusaders, calling the Teabag lineout in the 2011 World Cup final, the Argentina moment where the coaches walked out, what Steve Hansen told him that stung, and why going to Japan felt like dropping 100 kilograms. Plus his $300K lads fund, a whiskey barrel in Reefton, and the Kieran Reed Human Endeavour leadership course. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve and Seamus sit down with their business coach Di for their first session of 2026 - and they're not holding back. On the table: a plan to 5x revenue in three years, double their audience in twelve months, and finally build the team around them that the business actually needs. They get into why growing your audience doesn't pay off in the same year, why neither of them are natural team builders, and why after six years of running on instinct, the numbers are starting to matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruben Miller spent 22 years as a forensic scientist in New Zealand, working on more than 160 homicide investigations. This is the story of what it cost him. In this episode we talk about what it actually feels like to walk into a homicide scene, the forensic principle that guides every investigation, the case that still hasn't left him, and what two decades of witnessing violence quietly does to a person. We also get into PTSD, therapy, what resilience actually means versus what we tell ourselves it means, and how Ruben found compassion for people most of us would write off entirely. Ruben's book The Blood Says Otherwise is out now at all good bookstores and online. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by our friends at Barkers Clothing. ⚠️ This episode contains discussion of homicide, child death, trauma, and PTSD. Please take care. If anything in this episode brings something up for you: Mental health — Need to talk? Free call or text 1737, any time. Depression & anxiety — Lifeline: 0800 543 354 Domestic violence — Are You OK: 0800 456 789 In a crisis right now — call 111 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you made the switch from ChatGPT to Claude yet? Steve and Che did - and they're not going back. In this week's Hambassadors they break down why they ditched ChatGPT, what Claude is actually doing for their business, and why one of them still can't bring himself to fully commit. Plus: the truth about what happens in the studio before guests arrive, Che’s horror dentist bill, going solo at Homegrown, and why putting IKEA furniture together is a life lesson. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers Clothing! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melie Kerr joins us fresh off being named White Ferns captain across all formats and scoring a T20 century on captaincy debut - the first woman ever to do so. But this episode goes well beyond cricket. Growing up in one of New Zealand's most celebrated cricket families, Melie was the kid who made her dad commentate 7am net sessions as if she was playing in a World Cup final. She went on to become the youngest ever White Fern, break records, and win that World Cup. From the outside, she had everything - her dream job and an amazing family. But behind it, she was fighting something nobody could see. Melie opens up about the panic attacks, the sleepless nights, the thoughts that scared her, and the moment she realised she needed help. She talks about the family intervention that changed everything, how Maddie Green became her lifeline, and what it felt like to sit in a hospital room reading from her journal while everyone in the room cried. She also talks about turning that pain into purpose - creating Treading Water, her video series built on the belief that one story might save one life. This is one of the most honest, important conversations we've had in six years. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers Clothing! If you or someone you know needs support, help is available. In New Zealand, you can call or text 1737 anytime to speak with a trained counsellor. If you are in immediate danger, please call 111. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Che and Di sit down for a one-on-one to go through the 2026 goals - but this is the episode they couldn't record until now. A new baby. A house. A marriage. The past few months have changed everything for Che, and in this episode he and Di work through what that actually means for his personal and professional life heading into the year ahead. They cover the weight goal (and the moment Che realised Doc had been quietly protecting his diet during pregnancy), why Di wants him to cross "investment property" off his goals list and replace it with something else entirely, how routine works both for and against you, and the one question that closes the episode out: are you proud of where you are? An honest, and genuinely funny conversation. This is ABO at its best. Topics covered: Life with a newborn and the work-life juggleBeing a present father AND a providerThe weight goal, the why behind it, and Di's simple framework for making it stickInvestment property vs. investment plan - Di challenges one of NZ's most default financial goalsKnow your numbers: in business, at home, and in investmentsReflecting on the infamous episode from last year - and what was really going on behind the scenes 👕 Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers Clothing. 0:00 — Intro & what this episode covers 0:45 — Che's new baby - how it's actually going 5:57 — Di's take: stepping up to the plate 14:30 — The weight goal: 130kg → 120kg and why 15:33 — Doc was quietly protecting his diet during pregnancy 27:06 — What Che actually wants 30:19 — What the past few months have really meant 31:27 — Wrapping up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam Messam is one of the most beloved figures in New Zealand rugby. Two-time Super Rugby champion, All Black, World Cup winner, and a 20-year servant of the Chiefs. But behind the jersey is a story most people have never heard. Adopted at six weeks old into a Rotorua family that went on to foster close to a thousand children, Liam opens up about identity, belonging, and the household that gave him everything he is today. In this episode we get into the conversation with Gordon Titchens at 16 that changed the trajectory of his career, being cut from the 2011 World Cup squad and walking through Auckland Airport alone into a media scrum, what Chiefs Mana actually means and where it came from, why Gilbert Enoka personally called him to be part of the 2023 World Cup Human Library alongside Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Keven Mealamu, leading the haka for the All Blacks after being voluntold by Keven Mealamu, getting a yellow card as a water boy at the World Cup, and completing an Ironman at 108kg with almost no marathon training. Plus lessons from Richie McCaw, Sonny Bill Williams and Dave Rennie, why he signed his last Waikato contract for $1, and how losing his mum to dementia shaped the brain health supplement brand he's building today. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by the legends at Barkers Clothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having our former headmaster Susan Hassall on the podcast sent us deep down memory lane. We go deep on NZ tuck shop nostalgia - the Juicies, the pies, the Cookie Time ritual - school discos, balls, prefects, wagging on a scooter, and what made Hamilton Boys' High so special. We also reflect on the response to the Susan Hassall episode, the 300,000 views on the trailer alone, the floods of comments from people whose lives she touched, and her line that stopped people in their tracks: why boys need love most when they're at their most unlovable. Plus we preview two massive upcoming guests - Melie Kerr, newly appointed White Ferns captain, who came in on game day and left us speechless. And Liam Messam - the most capped Chief of all time - whose story of leadership, culture and identity is one of the best conversations we've ever had. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers, and massive shout out to the legends at Stark for supporting this show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Hassall arrived at Hamilton Boys' High School in 1979 as a 22-year-old English teacher. She stayed for 46 years. In 1999, she became the first woman in New Zealand to be appointed headmaster of a boys' state school — a role she held for exactly 25 years. In this conversation, Susan shares what she's learned about love, leadership, loss, and what it takes to raise good men. We talk about her mantra — "you can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to show up" — the Greek concept of aretē that became the school's cornerstone, why she believes vulnerability is the most important quality in a leader, and what people get wrong about teenage boys. Susan also opens up about working through breast cancer without missing a day, losing her deputy Graeme Robinson to a heart attack in her office, the death of her husband James, and why the years immediately after school are the most critical for young men. Whether you're a parent, a teacher, a coach, or just someone trying to figure out what matters most — this one's for you. ⚠️ This episode contains a discussion about suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out: Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7) Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or free text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youthline: 0800 376 633 or free text 234 Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers. Check out their range at barkersonline.co.nz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Accidental Business Owners, we welcome our first-ever guest to the show: actor, radio host, and entrepreneur Mike Minogue! Two years ago, after appearing on the Between Two Beers podcast, Mike pitched us an idea that seemed too good to refuse: creating a corporate speaking bureau featuring our podcast guests. We launched B2B Speakers, and it was an immediate hit. But today, we are announcing a "conscious uncoupling". In this honest conversation, we pull back the curtain on what happens when a side hustle grows faster than your capacity to manage it. We discuss why we are stepping away, how Mike is taking the reins, and the rebranding of the business to Frank Speakers. In this episode, we cover: The Origin Story: How a late-night drive led Mike to pitch the B2B Speakers concept.The "Too Good" Problem: Why the rapid success of the business actually became its biggest stressor.Burnout & Capacity: Balancing a startup with radio shows, podcasts, and new babies.The Breakup: How to navigate a business exit without ruining a friendship.Frank Speakers: The future of the agency under the Frank Management umbrella.The Power of "Turning Up": Mike’s philosophy on consistency and why building trust takes 3–5 years. Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.