Dr. Alia Bojilova former SAS lead psychologist, and the author of The Resilience Toolkit.

She’s worked with elite special forces soldiers, athletes, CEOs, people operating at the absolute edge of human performance.

But her story goes far beyond that.

In this conversation, we talk about everything from growing up in post-communist Bulgaria, where simple things like toilet paper, cheese and chocolate were rationed, to moving to New Zealand at 17 without speaking English, all the way through to working inside one of the most elite military environments in the world.

And then, there’s the moment where everything changes.

Alia shares, in incredible detail, the story of being taken hostage in Syria. A seven-hour ordeal involving armed militants, minefields, and the very real threat of an ugly execution.

But what’s remarkable isn’t just what happened: it’s how she processed it, what she learned from it, and how she’s used that experience to better understand human resilience.

Dr. Bojilova is a unique individual- she is a real breath of fresh air- smart, tough and very funny. I walked away from this one thinking differently. I hope you will too.

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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.

Navajo Stirling is a UFC light heavyweight fighter and one of the most exciting fighters coming out of New Zealand right now. He is trained by the mixed martial arts guru Eugene Bereman at City Kickboxing in Auckland.

At the time of recording this intro, Navajo is in Seattle on a UFC lineup with Israel Adesanya…

Which is a really cool full circle moment- from the moment he decided he wanted to be a UFC fighter he followed the exact steps and blueprint created by Izzy.

This podcast is part of the Navajo Stirling story:

+ His upbringing in Upper Hutt…and only discovering the UFC while working at Foodstuffs and going to a co-worker’s house to watch a Connor MacGregor fight on TV.

+ What it actually takes to get to the UFC…the financial reality of it…and why so many people never make it.

+ His first time meeting and training his hero, Israel, after watching and imitating every single fight he had ever had on YouTube.

+ There’s also some great stuff in here about fighting itself: what it feels like to get hit, why he says everything slows down in the cage…and how he deals with pressure when he’s about to walk out. And then there’s the bigger stuff: purpose, potential and his fear of becoming just another “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.”

I think you will also enjoy this if you like learning about Kiwis who are out there chasing dreams and goals that seem impossible- its inspiring stuff.

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

Many of you may know Jenny-May Clarkson as the lady from Breakfast TV -but that chapter of her life is just a very small part of the Jenny May story.

After nearly 20 years in media and six years hosting Breakfast, Jenny-May stepped away at the end of 2025 without a clear next move, entering a terrifying new season of her life: uncertainty and reinvention.

This korero is 2 and a half hours long…but just scrapes the surface of the incredible life (so far) of an inspirational Kiwi. We talk about:

+ Why she walked away from a 20-year TV career. And the impact today from losing a sibling when she was 6 years old.

+ Why she loved playing with Dame Noelene Taurua but HATED her as a coach, And why she hates her Commonwealth Games silver medal (spoiler: its because it’s not a gold one)

+ The intensely personal decision to get her tā moko (kōwhai) and why doing full immersion te reo Māori was the hardest thing she’s ever done

+ What success means to her now and so much more.

I would love to say this is Jenny-May like you’ve never heard her before, but the truth is Jenny-May is always just Jenny-May- unapologetically herself- unfiltered, honest, warts n all. I already loved J-May before this…. but this definitely gave me an even deeper appreciation for her.

***

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.