The guest on this episode is Kallia McFarland, a private investigator and the founder of Serpenti Investigations.

If you’re watched a lot of TV shows and movies like me and you thought “private investigator” means trench coat, binoculars, and staking out cheaters with a box of donuts…you’re not alone. But Kallia’s work is way broader, and way more interesting.

In this conversation we get into what she actually does day to day: fraud investigations, workplace and ACC-related cases, skip tracing (tracking down people who have gone into hiding) and serving legal documents, often in situations where things can go from 0-100 really quickly.

We also go into Kallia’s very unexpected path to this career: from Air Force medic, to primary school teacher, to becoming a PI, plus the personal health journey that changed her life, and how she ended up finding family in a way she never expected: becoming a wife and a stepmum, and hearing the word “Mum” from two kids who helped heal a part of her heart.

This one is honest, funny, and surprisingly human. And if you’ve ever wondered what private investigators really do in New Zealand, you’ll learn a lot.

https://www.serpenti.co.nz/

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

Simon Gault is a man who wears many hats- celebrity chef, entrepreneur, pilot and most importantly- dad.

In this podcast conversation he let his guard down in ways that I wasn’t expecting. We discuss his early years in the kitchen under the notoriously prickly former podcast guest Tony Astle, stories from working as the personal chef for the Larry Ellison, building Euro with Leo Malloy and navigating fame during MasterChef at its peak.

Then there is all the non-work stuff: becoming a dad at 50, losing his father to motor neuron disease (and what assisted dying looked like in practice), and his own health journey with type 2 diabetes, losing 32kg, and the habits he now swears by.

When I asked Simon to be a guest, I expected it to be a great episode. But the conversation we had exceeded all my expectations.

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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, I’m a podcast host, not a financial adviser, so this is just general advice. I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions.

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

Don McGlashan is a national treasure. One of the greatest NZ songwriters of all time. He is responsible for songs like Anchor me, Dominion Road and even Bathe in the river.

And at the time of recording this intro (in mid-January 2026) a documentary about his life is being released: “Anchor me: The Don McGlashan story”

In this candid, funny, and at times emotional conversation, we talk about how the doco came about, his thoughts on being a pensioner, the grief of losing his brother when he was 15, his mental health struggles, playing Glastonbury, how his hits Anchor Me and Bathe in the river came about, why he called Chris Bishop a dickhead and much more.

I’m a fan boy so I was always going to love this conversation, But I think and hope you will as well.

***

Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.

If I could ask you to do one big favor — 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.