The Candid Kiwi blog

  Episode 15 My Mental Health Story Kia Ora and welcome to my fifteenth episode. Today I share about part of my mental health story. I go into detail about my struggles with depression, anxiety, postpartum and suicidal thoughts.  I also talk about a little bit of family history about some mental health as well. I'm nervous to talk about my mental health story, but I know when we talk about it openly we can make connections as well as educate others about being more accepting of others journey. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're with me in this podcast adventure. Until next time....... Ka kite ano au i a koutou

  Episode 14 - Bro. B Kia Ora Welcome to my fourteenth episode on The Candid Kiwi. I'm excited to introduce you to my seventh guest ........ Brother Royce Baucke.  Bro. Baucke, or Bro. B as we used to call him at school, has lived a full, wonderful life. He tells all on this podcast with me, on an early Brisbane morning where he currently lives.  I got to know and love Bro. B when I went to CCNZ for my last year of high school. He was my art teacher and one of the best people I know in real life. His art room was a safe haven for many students. He's inspired almost all he's come in contact with and a lot of his students have gone on to be successful and creative people in their atmosphere's. At CCNZ we called all teachers Brother or Sister then their last name. That's why I'll always refer to Royce as Bro. B. Yes that's me in the front in the PJ's not looking at the camera. His son Jershon that he talks about is the tall one right in the back. One of my ...

  Episode 13 - 1994 CCNZ Kia Ora Welcome to episode thirteen. Glad you've made it this far with me on my podcast adventure. In this episode I talk about one of the toughest yet rewarding years of my life. The year was 1994 and I was attending a brand new high school for my last year. It was filled with a few rough spots and I'll tell you about those and more. What I learned and gained from this year of hardship has helped form who I am for the future me. For that I'll always be grateful.  I think being resilient comes with going though tough trials and coming out the other end of them with more perspective and gratitude in your heart for what you gained. I have long forgiven the trials of that year but will forever be blessed with the people I met because of the year. They still bless my life to this day and for that reason alone, I'll forever be grateful for this year in my life, 1994. So come with me and learn a little more about my story. Until next time....... Ka ki...

  Episode 12 Melanie Day Kia Ora Welcome to my twelfth episode with Melanie Day.   Melanie is a 6 foot 1 inch powerhouse of a woman who showed up on the court ready to play. She played basketball for UCLA and BYU and tuned down the opportunity to play for the WNBA. She coached at UNLV and now is the assistant coach of the BYU women's team currently. Melanie was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2013 when she was pregnant with her third child. She thought she'd beat it for a year, only to have it come back in her bones. She shares with us what that was like and the things she learned about herself and others along the way. She decided to make a bucket list, once they told her she had only 2-5 years to live. She slowly started crossing off things on that bucket list. She decided to never say "some day" and make that day today and encourages us to do the same in our lives. Her five years was up last Autumn and she's still here, feeling good and kicking butt. Melan...

  Episode Eleven Kia Ora Welcome to my 11th episode.   In this episode I’ll take you on a trip about all the sports I’ve done over the years. I’ve even given some non-kiwis some homework to do. I talk about the ups and downs and how sports has helped me in my life and also the struggles I have with diving into new sports.  Hope you’ll come listen. Until next time ...... Ka kite ano au i a koutou #candidkiwi #candidkiwipodcast #thecandidkiwi

Episode Ten Kia Ora and welcome to episode ten with Kyle Warner. Kyle grew up in Chico CA in a less than ideal environment. He grew up with trauma in his life from a young age and tried to push through it.  With the help of some kind people he was able to find a bike and with a bike he found identity. He tested at the top 1% in math and English, yet was getting a 0.5 GPA. He made changes within himself and was determined not to be another statistic and graduated with a 4.0 and became a pro downhill mountain bike rider. He won three North American downhill cups and was at the top of his game. But then he gave back to his hometown and it struck him that life was about more than winning championships. So instead of training for the World Cup, which he'd already placed 10th in, he went on a path of service and teaching. He still races locally, but now with the love of his life, April, has started a company called Ridemtb.com April and Kyle have made it their job to teach us, all of us,...

 Episode 9 Kia Ora Welcome to Episode 9.  In this episode I talk about all of my experiences in hospitals. Most of them are me, and some are my kids and husband. My first visit was when I was four years old and had broken my leg. My brother also split his head open. I talk about the story around this visit. Wasn't I cute? Here's my brother and I in happier times. Then I talk about my hospital visits around each of my births. Don't worry men, I don't go into gory details! Here I am pregnant with my first child. Here I am after having him. Pregnant with my second child. Here I am after giving birth to her. My son and daughter at the hospital. Here's my husband with our daughter. Here I'm pregnant with my second son. Here I am after giving birth to Takeshi. Here are all my children in the hospital after the birth of my son. Here I am pregnant with my last child. Here we are after the birth of our last daughter. Here's all four of my children in the hospital wit...