The Dom Harvey Podcast

This episode with Jason Paris first came out at the end of 2024. I thought I’d release it in case you are new or new-ish to the podcast and missed it the first time round.

Also, because New Zealand’s latest landmark- the seriously impressive One NZ stadium has just opened in Christchurch. And Jason was deeply involved in signing off on this 10-year multimillion dollar sponsorship

This is a rare peak into the man behind the title.

From growing up in Invercargill with a solo mum on the benefit with no relationship with his father, to leading major brands like Spark, TVNZ and now One NZ, we talk about:

+ How Jason rose to CEO without a university degree
+ Why he gives out his personal email to customers
+ Lessons from mistakes –from million-dollar errors to public criticism
+ The importance of family, presence, and being a great dad
+ The story behind the One NZ stadium sponsorship in Christchurch, and much much more!

This episode is a reminder that behind every CEO is a regular human being, shaped by their past, driven by their values, and still figuring things out.
Jason’s story is proof that where you start doesn’t determine where you can go.

If you’re hearing this for the first time, I have no doubt you’ll love it.
If you are relistening to it, I hope you’ll pick up on some stuff you missed the first-time round

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

If you grew up in New Zealand in the late 90s or early 2000s, chances are you’ll know that name Dame Theresa Gattung.

Theresa became the CEO of Telecom at just 37 years old. Becoming the first woman to run a large NZ public company.

And during that time, she was part of some massive decisions - including the sale of the Yellow Pages for over $2 billion… which, looking back now, was unbelievably well-timed.

But that’s just one chapter.

Since then, she’s gone on to back and build businesses like My Food Bag, which became one of New Zealand’s biggest startup success stories… and gave her the freedom to live life more on her terms.
But this conversation isn’t just about business.
We unpack it all here:

The mindset that helped Theresa become CEO at 37
The reality of being a woman in leadership - then vs now
Lessons from burnout, failure, and rebuilding after major life transitions
Why she chose not to have children — and has no regrets
Her daily non-negotiables for mental and physical wellbeing
What success looks like to her now in her 60s

There’s some incredible perspective in this one: On leadership, on resilience, and on what actually matters when you zoom out a bit and look at the big picture.
***

Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.
If I could ask you to do one big favour — for me and for yourself — it would be to consider getting KiwiSaver advice from Generate, like I did.
The decisions you make with your KiwiSaver now could have a big impact on how much you have to live on in retirement. And if you’ve never had KiwiSaver advice before, you could be missing out.
Generate has a strong track record of long-term performance — You can check out their latest returns on their website.
They also have advisers who can come to you and help you figure out the right KiwiSaver setup for your goals — no pressure, just good advice.
I met with one when Generate came on board as a sponsor back in 2023 — and honestly, I wish I’d done it sooner.

Head to generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom to book a chat

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.

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.