Between Two Beers Podcast

Matthew Ridge, a Kiwi sporting legend, shares his extraordinary journey from rugby union to rugby league, including his time as a TV star and businessman. He opens up about his bromance with Marc Ellis and the magic they created on screen. The conversation dives deep into personal challenges like addiction, mental resilience, and pivotal life lessons shaped by adversity. Ridge also reflects on his struggles with fame, relationships, and the impact of his past decisions on his career and family life, offering a gripping insight into a remarkable life.

Steve and Seamus get excited for their fifth birthday celebration in Auckland, discuss all the best and worst small talk with former guests at the recent Auckland FC game, reflect on recent episodes with Andrew Mehrtens, Cassie Roma and Jackie Van Beek and reveal next week's guest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackie van Beek is one of New Zealand’s funniest and most creative minds. She has written, directed and starred in The Breaker Upperers, Nude Tuesday and The Educators and featured in everything from Funny Girls and What We Do in The Shadows, to Golden Boy – and most recently the Australian re-make of The Office – where she is one of the two creators. In this episode we talk about growing up with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, how she got engaged to comedian Jesse Griffin after knowing him for a month, how she chose her merkin, the art of improvisation, falling into film making, directing TV, The Office Australia and partying with Leonardo di Caprio. Jackie is an absolute legend of NZ’s creative space and this was such a fun chat. We loved her company and outlook on life and there were a ton of laughs across this one. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Mehrtens is a legend of NZ Rugby and the second highest All Blacks point scorer of all time. He’s also widely regarded as one of the most intelligent All Blacks and Sir Wayne Smith described him to us as a ‘genius’ on and off the field, who understood the game better than he did. Universally known as Mehrts, in this episode we talk about what he’s been doing with his life abroad for the last 20 years, his new-born twins and his fluent French, his best “Suzie” and Jonah Lomu stories from 1995, reflections on the recent loss of his father, the Crusaders and pulling the fingers in South Africa, punditry, family, and all the best yarns in between. Mehrts is a childhood hero of ours and the perfect guest; this was an epic chat, he’s got the stories, but he’s also got the depth and humour and we had a ton of laughs through this one. We're also super stoked to have Mehrts on the books of B2B Speakers, so if you like what you hear in this episode, and would love him to share his story at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus and Steve take listeners behind the scenes of Bree Tomasel's book launch on K-Road, discuss their upcoming episode with All Blacks joker Andrew Mehrtens, we hear about Steve's four-day bender in Sydney, reflect on Seamus' 30 kg weight loss, and we tease their live event with Jason Gunn coming up in November.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bree Tomasel is one of New Zealand’s most popular and loved broadcasters. She’s the hilarious, fun-loving co-host of ZM’s Bree and Clint Drive Show, she’s the host of Celebrity Treasure Island on TVNZ, she has 1.5 million followers across her social media channels and in 2022 was named New Zealand TV Personality of the Year. She’s also just released her book and in it we discover a different side of Bree, she writes about some of the most difficult and challenging chapters of her life, and in this episode she talks about it all publicly for the first time. Steve messaged Bree halfway through reading her book to say how captivating and powerful it was – and how many people it’s going to help. And I've got no doubt you'll see it too by the end of this one. We hear about the home invasion at her nan’s place when she was nine, where she thought she was going to die – and how it contributed to anxiety and panic attacks throughout her life, we talk about her challenges revealing her sexuality to her dad – and why she kept it a secret for 10 years, her big life regrets and journey of discovery with ADHD as an adult and where her sense of social justice comes from. We also talk about how she built her huge following on social media, all the best stories from her relationship with her mum Di, Channing Tatum, radio-wars, and we read through some of Seamus’ DMs he sent Bree seven years ago! It's a really cool chat, It’s Bree sharing her story, warts and all. I also highly recommend her book Unapologetically Me which is out now. We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murray Thom is one of New Zealand’s most successful and creative entrepreneurs. He’s the man behind some of our most iconic and successful productions, including The Great New Zealand Songbook, The Great New Zealand Cookbook, The Offering, and Piano by Candlelight. On the international front, two of his productions – Miracle Babies and the Together 10 CD Collection – have both featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In this episode we talk about why he left school at 15 and how he became the Managing Director of CBS Records at 23. How he won a government tender for the Personalised Plates business in 1987, which at its peak had a turnover of $30 million and staff of 60, how he brought together Celine Dion and Anne Geddes, how he manifested becoming a world champion sailor, his best business hacks and all the best stories in between. Murray’s life was made for a long form podcast and there are so many brilliant nuggets of business and life wisdom in this one, it’s a super entertaining chat. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz and let our guests make your night. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve and Seamus discuss their last-minute studio emergency, who their top-five replacements for Matt Heath are, recent recordings with Bree Tomasel and Lisa Carrington and how Wayne Smith has been helping them with their episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since we last spoke to Dame Lisa Carrington she has won three Olympic gold medals in Paris – bringing her career tally to an astounding eight gold medals – and cementing her place amongst the world’s greatest ever Olympians. So we had a lot to catch up about. We find out about the teamwork involved in the K4 triumph, which added another layer to her legacy, smashing world records at training, why she swerved us at the Halberg Awards, the truth about the most difficult year of her career – and how close she came to walking away, training through sickness, her relationship with husband Bucky – and why she makes him a coffee every morning, if she’ll continue in the boat, becoming an author and the most articulate insights into her elite mindset. It was a really special episode. Lisa was an open book – and there are so many incredible nuggets of wisdom and inspiration sprinkled across this episode. After listening, you really will understand how she’s won 8 Olympic gold medals. It’s not just the discipline and the drive, it’s the thought that goes into every decision along the way. We felt so incredibly privileged to have a front row seat with NZ’s great athlete, hope you enjoy. We're also stoked to have Dame Lisa on the books of B2B Speakers, so if you like what you hear in this episode and would love her to share her story at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. And to get the best discount off your NordVPN plan - go to nordvpn.com/betweentwobeers - our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Craig Fenton is the CEO of New Zealand Rugby Commercial which means it’s his job to drive the business of the All Blacks, Black Ferns and other teams in black. But Craig is not your typical rugby administrator. He owns a record label and a film production company, he has his pilot’s license, he was a lawyer, he worked at Google for six years, he hosted his own podcast and he’s on the cutting edge of all the latest trends and developments with AI and technology. And he’s a great chat. In this episode we talk about the time he rapped for the Black Ferns Sevens, the future of AI, what he learned from mixing with the best minds at Google, how he connects with his kids, why he returned to NZ after 20 years overseas, NZ Rugby’s biggest issues, the business of rugby and the future of content creation in NZ. Craig is a larger-than-life character, energetic, into technology – in fact he’s a self-titled geek who is an exceptionally hard worker. He’s lived a pretty exceptional life so far but you get the feeling the next chapter might be his best. We loved this chat – and took so much from it. This episode is brought to you by TAB, download the new app today and get your bet on! Listen on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts from or watch the video on YouTube. We're also stoked to tell you about the business we've built. If you'd like to get one of our epic guests in to MC or Speak at your function or event, flick us a message by going to b2bspeakers.co.nz and let our guests make your night. And to get the best discount off your NordVPN plan - go to nordvpn.com/betweentwobeers - our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.