The Dom Harvey Podcast

David Downs is a man with a wild CV: he quit university to become a comedian, helped build the New Zealand comedy scene, co-founded The Classic and even wrote a few books.

Then somehow pivoted into tech, ended up working for Microsoft, running the show across Southeast Asia. And now he is the chairman of The Icehouse and works in government helping shape how the world sees New Zealand.

But there is so much for to his story than the wild career:
A few years ago, David was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. What started as feeling a bit run down turned into being told he had less than a year to live… and that there was no treatment options left in New Zealand.

And that’s where things take a pretty wild turn.

Through a random LinkedIn message, he ends up getting access to a cutting-edge treatment in Boston. Problem is… it costs about a million US dollars.
So in this episode, we get into all of it.

We also talk about what he’s doing now to help bring that same life-saving treatment to New Zealand, so other Kiwis don’t have to go through what he did.
There’s a lot in this one, laughter and tears. It’s heavy in parts, but also funny, honest, and genuinely inspiring. All told by a man with an incredible ability of telling a great story.

David’s one of those people who’s been through something huge… and instead of just moving on, he’s decided to use it to help others.
It was the first time we met. I thoroughly enjoyed his company and I think you will too.

Check out the work being done at the Malaghan Institute: https://www.malaghan.org.nz/

Donate here: https://donate.malaghan.org.nz/event/go-the-distance/home

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Dan Plews is a sports scientist, endurance coach, and one of the fastest age group IronMan athletes on the planet. And these days you’ll find him with his shirt off at one of those Hyrox events.

You may not know the name, but you definitely know some of his clients- Dame Lisa Carrington, Emma Twigg, Eric Murray, Hamish Bond and Team NZ to name a few. Actually, it was double Olympic gold medallist Eric Murray who messaged me suggesting Dr Dan as a podcast guest.

Athletes and teams that Dr Dan Plews have worked with have collectively won over 30 Olympic and world titles.

In this episode as well as learning more about this low-key legend, some of the stuff we look at includes:

* Lessons from coaching Olympic and world champion athletes

* The biggest mistakes everyday athletes make.

* Longevity in sport - how to stay competitive into your 40s and beyond. Why, at 43, he believes he is still nowhere near done.

And so much more!
***

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 wish I had been introduced to Generate 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.

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)

Watch Helenes doco here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0t97mhZcIA
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.