Simon Gault has absolutely NO IDEA what's coming!

In this very special episode of Forkin' Good, Kate Fenwick has organised a mystery guest for Simon, and he's determined to figure out who it is.

Before the big reveal, Kate and Simon settle in for one of their usual hilarious catch-ups, covering everything from Simon's recent skin cancer surgery and Kate's weight loss journey to teenage children, overflowing wardrobes, supporting local butchers, cooking the perfect steak and their favourite moments from nearly a year of podcasting.

But throughout the conversation, Simon keeps coming back to one question: WHO IS THE MYSTERY GUEST?

Kate drops a few clues, Simon starts getting nervous, and the guesses become increasingly ridiculous. Could it be an ex? An old colleague? Someone from the food industry?

Then, just when Simon thinks he's about to meet one surprise guest, Kate reveals what she's actually been planning.

It's a celebration of the people, conversations and friendships that have made the first year of Forkin' Good so special.

Watch until the end for Simon's reaction!

Subscribe to Forkin' Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations about food, health, sustainability and life, with plenty of laughs along the way.

And tell us in the comments: Who would YOU like to see on Forkin' Good next?

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Tiktok: @forkingoodpod

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Instagram: @simon_gault
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Tiktok: Simonjgault
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Menopause can affect sleep, mood, memory, weight, relationships, sex and how women feel in their own bodies. So why is there still so much confusion about it?

In this episode of Forkin' Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with author and health journalist Niki Bezzant for a refreshingly straightforward conversation about menopause and perimenopause.

Niki helps separate good science from the enormous amount of menopause misinformation online and talks about HRT, sleep, alcohol, weight gain, strength training, brain fog and the changes women can experience through midlife.

But this isn't just a conversation for women.

They also talk about what partners need to understand, how menopause can affect relationships and intimacy, why communication matters, and what men can actually do to support the women in their lives.

Most importantly, Niki explains why menopause doesn't need to be viewed as a catastrophe or the end of something. It can also be a transition into a powerful new stage of life.

Subscribe to Forkin' Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more open conversations about food, health and life.

This episode discusses general health information and personal experiences. For individual advice about menopause, symptoms or hormone therapy, speak with an appropriate healthcare professional.

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A product can have blinded trials, published papers, and strong safety data and still be treated like it’s dangerous simply because it works. That’s the knot we pull apart with Professor Julia Rucklidge as we look at how Medsafe regulates supplements and why therapeutic micronutrients keep getting squeezed into rules designed for pharmaceuticals, not prevention.

We talk about Daily Essential Nutrients and the broader evidence on micronutrients for mental health and wellbeing, including ADHD outcomes, stress resilience, postnatal depression support, and improvements families report beyond symptoms. Then we get into the regulatory reality in New Zealand: dose limits, the ban on prevention or treatment claims for foods and supplements, and how “public safety” can become a catch-all justification even when comparable or greater risks sit on supermarket shelves. Julia shares a firsthand story of trying to access the nutrients via a prescription pathway and why Section 29 creates a strange barrier for well people who want to stay well.

From there, we zoom out to Pharmac funding, affordability, and the equity problem when families can’t keep paying for something that helps. We also look at what prevention could actually mean: smarter natural health product regulation, clearer pathways for evidence-based supplements, and practical public health moves around ultra-processed food, marketing to kids, and nutrition education. Julia also touches on the “soil to brain” idea and why soil health, magnesium, stress, and diet all link back to mental wellbeing.

If you care about evidence-based healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand, listen through and join the conversation. Subscribe, share this with a mate, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Tell your local MP: https://te-puna-toiora.github.io/micronutrient-access/

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Can what we eat really affect how we think, feel and behave?

In this episode of Forkin’ Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with Professor Julia Rucklidge, clinical psychologist and Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Canterbury, whose research has focused extensively on nutrition, micronutrients and mental health.

Julia explains what micronutrients actually are, why vitamins and minerals are essential for the brain, and what her research has found when micronutrients have been studied in people experiencing a range of mental health challenges.

The conversation also explores ultra-processed food, the importance of eating a diverse range of whole foods, the idea of aiming for 30 different plants a week, and why simply looking at protein, carbohydrates and fat may be missing an important part of nutrition.

They also dive into ADHD, particularly in children and teenagers, and discuss research investigating the relationships between diet, micronutrients, attention, mood and behaviour.

Julia shares practical places to start, including putting real food first, as well as resources for people who want to learn more about her research.

Learn more from Professor Julia Rucklidge:
The Better Brain - https://thebetterbrainbook.com/
University of Canterbury Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group - https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/research/about-uc-research/research-groups-and-centres/te-puna-toiora-mental-health-and-nutrition-research
Julia Rucklidge’s TEDx talk and online education - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA

Subscribe to Forkin’ Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations about food, health and the things that shape how we live.

This podcast discusses research and personal perspectives relating to nutrition and mental health. It is for general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

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Thinking about getting dental work done overseas?

In this episode of Forkin’ Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with Jacqui Anderson from Dental Destinations to talk about Simon’s experience travelling to Vietnam for major dental work.

They discuss how the process works, the difference in costs between New Zealand and Vietnam, implants, crowns, follow-up care, choosing reputable clinics and why going overseas for dentistry shouldn’t mean simply booking the cheapest option you can find online.

Simon also shares what the experience was actually like, from the dental treatment itself to the food, travel and some rather memorable Vietnamese delicacies.

Plus, Jacqui and Simon reveal plans for upcoming Vietnam dental and food tours, combining professional dental treatment with some of the incredible food and experiences Vietnam has to offer.

Find out more through Dental Destinations and follow them for details on upcoming tours.

Subscribe to Forkin’ Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations about food, health, travel and life.

This episode discusses personal experiences of dental treatment. It is not a substitute for individual dental or medical advice.

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What does it take to build a restaurant worthy of Michelin recognition, while still staying completely true to yourself?

This week on Forkin' Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with chef and 50/50 owner Helen Turnbull, whose remarkable career has taken her from Wellington to Japan, working with Gordon Ramsay and Michelin-starred chefs, before returning to New Zealand and creating her own dining experience in Kāpiti.

Helen shares what Gordon Ramsay is actually like to work for, the lessons she learnt cooking in Tokyo, and how Japanese and French techniques have influenced the food she creates at 50-50.

We also get inside Helen's extraordinary approach to food. She works with local and foraged ingredients, cooks six and nine-course menus, operates without a walk-in chiller and has spent much of the past nine and a half years as the restaurant's sole chef.

Then there's Michelin.

Helen talks about what it meant when the Michelin Guide finally arrived in New Zealand, the moment she discovered 50-50 was being considered, and what it felt like to receive international recognition for the restaurant she'd spent nearly a decade building.

But does she now want a Michelin star?

Her answer says a lot about the kind of restaurant she wants 50-50 to be.

We also talk about why great service matters just as much as great food, building a strong restaurant culture, seasonal and rescued produce, and Helen's latest obsession: creating sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks designed specifically to match her food.

And, of course, Simon finishes with the important question: if Helen could choose her last meal, what would it be?

Subscribe to Forkin' Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations with fascinating people from the worlds of food, health, business and beyond.

Find Helen and 50-50:
https://www.50-50.co.nz/

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What happens after the transplant is over and you're expected to get on with living?

In Part 2 of our conversation with double lung transplant recipient and health coach Jess Avenell, we explore the side of transplantation that doesn't always get talked about: rebuilding your health, finding a new normal, creating the right support network and learning how to live well with the second chance you've been given.

Six and a half years after receiving new lungs, Jess shares what she wishes she'd known before her transplant, why recovery involves far more than medical care, and how nutrition, movement, behaviour and lifestyle can complement the medical support transplant recipients receive.

We also talk about the enormous role played by family, friends and support people, and why those caring for transplant recipients need support too.

Jess takes us inside the extraordinary Transplant Games, where organ recipients, living donors and transplant families come together to compete, connect and celebrate the additional years of life made possible through organ donation.

And there's an important conversation for every New Zealander: having "donor" on your driver's licence isn't the whole story. Jess explains why talking openly with your family about your wishes matters.

Today, Jess uses her lived experience as The Transplant Coach, helping transplant recipients and their support crews navigate their own journeys with greater strength, health and hope.

Find Jess and learn more:
The Transplant Coach: thetransplantcoach.co.nz
Instagram & Facebook: The Transplant Coach

If you haven't watched Part 1 yet, check out our previous episode to hear Jess's remarkable story of receiving a double lung transplant.

Subscribe to Forkin' Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations about food, health, people and the things that make a difference in our lives.

This podcast discusses personal experiences of transplantation, nutrition and health coaching. It is not a substitute for individual medical advice from your healthcare or transplant team.

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What do you do with a second chance at life when somebody else made that second chance possible?

In this episode of the Forking Good Podcast, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with Jess Avenell — The Transplant Coach — to hear the extraordinary story behind her double lung transplant.

Jess was just 21 when she was diagnosed with a rare lung disease. She was young, fit and training for a half Ironman when she began noticing that something wasn't right. Eventually, she was confronted with the devastating possibility that she might not make it to 30.

Instead of putting life on hold, Jess booked a one-way ticket to the Greek Islands, spent years living and working overseas, built her career and kept pushing forward — even as breathing became increasingly difficult. Eventually, she required full-time oxygen and had to plan something as simple as her commute around whether she'd physically be able to walk up a ramp.

Then came the call that changed everything.

After an intensive transplant assessment and roughly 60 days on the waiting list, Jess received a double lung transplant in 2020. But receiving new lungs wasn't the end of her journey — in many ways, it was the beginning.

Jess opens up about the gratitude she feels toward her donor and their family, the emotional reality of living with donated organs, transplant recovery, immunosuppression, relationships, identity and what happens when everyone around you thinks you're “fixed” — but you know you've come out the other side as a different person.

Today, Jess uses her experience as The Transplant Coach, helping others focus not simply on what they can't do after transplant, but on how they can meaningfully move forward and make the most of the life they've been given.

And this is only Part 1.

In the next episode, Jess joins Simon and Kate again to dive deeper into life after transplant, food, health and the practical strategies she now shares with others.

Connect with Jess Avenell — The Transplant Coach:

Facebook: Jess Avenell – The Transplant Coach
https://www.facebook.com/share/1dMAFKB9Xt/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram: @the_transplantcoach

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessavenell

Website:
www.thetransplantcoach.nz

YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@the_transplantcoach?si=d9Bslgu2ezFHu_e_

Subscribe to the Forking Good Podcast to make sure you don't miss Part 2 with Jess.

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Facebook: @Officialsimongault
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