Parents We've Met

Dayna and Jenny are joined this week by a very special guest, Vasa Fia Collins. Fia is the wife of the late Fa'anānā Efeso Collins - a deeply respected Samoan community leader, Auckland politician, educator and advocate - whose sudden passing in February 2024 had a profound impact on his family and the communities he served.

Fia shares what it’s been like to walk through deep loss and grief, supporting her two daughters while also finding her own footing. She reflects on the individual ways her girls have navigated grief, the challenge of rebuilding routines and confidence after...

Is a new phone or gaming console topping your kid’s Christmas wish list? Or is tech already a part of daily life? Either way, this chat’s for you. 

Jenny and Dayna are joined by Parent Coach Sheridan Eketone for a deep dive into navigating screens and the digital world without meltdowns, battles or bribery. 

In this episode, we cover everything from setting kids up for safety before they hop online, to modelling the digital habits we want them to adopt - and resetting boundaries if things have gone too far. 

With Sheridan’s help, we also offer ...

If you’re feeling defeated by sleep, or lack thereof, this episode is for you. Sleep psychologist Dan Ford, founder of The Better Sleep Clinic, joins Dayna for a straight-up chat on sleep, stress, melatonin and magnesium, and how genetics might have a role to play in your bedtime struggles. From snoring to nightmares, insomnia to 3am wakeups, Dan unpacks some common sleep challenges and sheds light on how our kids' sleep habits might be affecting their brain development and wellbeing. 

Together they also explore some of your burning sleep questions, including: 

This episode is a reassuring reminder that anger isn’t a parenting failure - it’s a message! In this coaches’ couch episode, Jenny and Dayna sit down with Parent Coach Kristin Ward to unpack what might be going on beneath those fiery ‘red-brain’ moments that sometimes sneak up on us parents.

We talk about why anger shows up, why some of us meet it with shame or self-condemnation, and how understanding its purpose can completely change the way we respond. 

Using the ‘anger iceberg’ metaphor as our guide, we look beneath the surface at the unmet needs...

Neuroscience educator ⁠Kathryn Berkett⁠ joins Jenny and Dayna for a deep dive into our kids’ brain development, with tips on how we can support them through every leap, wobble and wild moment that these changes bring.

In the first three years of life, babies’ brains form an astonishing thousand trillion connections - and then, just when we’ve caught our breath, the second massive brain upgrade arrives in early adolescence.

In this episode, Kathryn shares more on:

In our first-ever coaches’ couch episode, Jenny and Dayna pick the brains of parenting expert Sheridan Eketone to find out how we can maintain a united front in parenting – even when we disagree with our partner.  

From balancing differences in parenting styles and upbringings, managing fallout and disagreements, to finding common ground and consistency between households in co-parenting situations, Sheridan offers hot tips and takes on how to make communication and collaboration a little smoother. 

Keen for more episodes on relationships? Check out: 

🎧 Jo Robertson: Sex and relationships in tricky seasons 

🎧 Navigating tricky stuff at Christmas with Sher...

Jenny and Dayna are joined by the inimitable Jack Tame, a dad, stepdad, journo and familiar voice of New Zealand media, for an honest kōrero about the ups, downs, joys and ‘marrow-deep’ exhaustion that make up modern dad-hood. 

Jack shares about the wave of love that struck the moment his newborn entered the world - the kind that gets you in the guts as well as the heart. He shares the challenges of the work/whānau juggle, the secret power to be found in the dependability of routines, and how becoming a parent  has changed the way...

Kicking off on Tuesday 4th November, Season 3 of Parents We've Met brings new goodness to your listening ears. This season, we’re shaking things up a little!

We have new episode formats 'From the coaches' couch' where our Parent Coaches unpack your real-world parenting challenges and offer hot tips and tools to try at home.

Alongside seasoned experts, Jenny and Dayna will take a dive deep into some meaty parenting topics like sleep, adolescent brain development, emotional wellbeing and more.

And of course, there'll be plenty more raw, entertaining and honest chats with we...

MoreFM Drive Show host and devoted dad Paul ‘Flynny’ Flynn joins Jenny and Dayna for a heartwarming chat about the highs, lows, and lessons of parenting in a blended family setting. 

With his signature wit and warmth, Flynny opens up about navigating separation with kids in tow, the complexities of blended families and the deep joy that comes with rebuilding relationships after rupture. He shares why ‘making an effort’ with co-parents matters, how playfulness and laughter can be a brilliant circuit-breaker, and the power of simple and heartfelt ‘I love yous’. 

Parents We’ve Met is brought to yo...

“Rowing is my job; my autopilot. Being a mum is the hard part,” says gold-medal-winning Olympic rower, mum and newlywed Lucy Spoors. 

Rowing legend Lucy Spoors joins Dayna and Jenny for an inspiring and honest chat about what it takes to be a new parent in high-performance sport.  

Not long after giving birth to her son Rupert – and after a nine-month battle with hyperemesis gravidarum – the ever-determined athlete was back on the water with rowing partner and fellow mum Brooke Francis, and an Olympic gold medal in their sights. 

Lucy regales Jenny and Dayna with h...

Today on the couch we’re joined by Dayna’s friend Clint Randell. He’s one-third of The Edge breakfast show team, a content creator, devoted husband and dad to two—who somehow manages to juggle it all while finding time for fun. (Could be thanks to the great advice he got from Dayna when she was his peer support leader in high school 😉) 

In this funny, honest and thoughtful conversation Clint opens up about the mess and magic of his dad-hood journey to date, including: 

If you're in the thick of parenting and want to protect and strengthen your relationships – and improve intimacy with your partner – this one is for you! Sex and relationship therapist Jo Robertson (recently an expert on Married at First Sight New Zealand) is back on the Parents We’ve Met couch to answer some questions from our podcast community (and a few from us) around sex, communication, blended families and making relationships the best they can be. 

Join us as we dig into topics including: 

Join Jenny and Dayna for a heartwarming conversation with New Zealand entertainer, funny guy, dad, entrepreneur and the man behind the perfect Wakachangi beer and chip combo, Leigh Hart. 

In this episode, we dive into Leigh’s journey as a dad to two kids, the lessons he’s carried through from his intrepid childhood and how he’s created his own unique, inimitable role of ‘dad’ in his youngsters’ lives. 

From keeping humour at the centre of family life, to building up those all-important muscles of patience, Leigh lets us into his fatherhood journey which like most has...

We're into a new year and to start things off on a high, we're chatting with Dr. Jin Russell - a consultant developmental paediatrician at Auckland's Starship Children’s Health, a Growing Up in New Zealand researcher and tireless champion of better health and developmental outcomes for New Zealand kids. 

In this episode Jin touches on some of the findings of her PhD thesis into the effects of health inequities on kids’ development, which at times is confronting, but at other times is incredibly hopeful. On the hopeful end of the spectrum, Jin shares some of her positi...

Today's episode features a deeply personal conversation with Dayna’s long-time friend Kylie DellaBarca-Steel, a writer, film producer and mum to three young boys. 

Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at 40 years of age, Kylie began writing a blog called Courage, Love and Legacy, where she shares openly about her cancer journey and the winding road ‘through both dark valleys and along sun-lit streams’ that she’s currently navigating. 

What follows is a heart-wrenching yet hope-filled chat on the couch with Jenny and Dayna that delves into the depths of love, loss, and what truly matters in l...

‘Tis the season to be jolly but also ‘tis the season to be tired and bumping into big feelings and behaviours! This week we’ve doubled down on parenting experts and invited parent coach Sheridan Eketone to join Jenny and Dayna on the couch to answer all your crunchy Christmas and holiday-related questions. 

Tune in for stacks of handy tips, thoughts, stories and a whole lotta light relief as we delve into topics including: 

Today on the couch, Jenny and Dayna enjoy a conversation full of laughs and good feels with Jackie Clarke, a legendary New Zealand entertainer, singer and ‘diva’ (in all the best ways!) 

In this delightful chat, Jenny and Dayna are treated to the odd spontaneous musical cameo from Jackie herself as she recalls her formative childhood memories and some of the soundtracks that inspired a life-long love of music and theatre. 

A ‘boy mum’ to two now-adult sons, Jackie also talks her motherhood journey and the juggle of a big career, which saw her travelling around the...

We’ve reeled in a fantastic guest for this episode - Scott Parry from the New Zealand TV show Fishing and Adventure (now in its 12th season) is here for a chat through his other favourite gig – being a dad! 

First off though, we challenge Scott to a quick-fire round of fishing questions to get to know him a little better before digging into some of the highlights of his fatherhood journey to date (him and his wife have just added twins to the brood!). 

We also talk about the challenge of finding patience in parent...

In this episode, Jenny and Dayna shed some light on childhood anxiety with the guidance of Dr Melanie Woodfield, a mum to two teenage boys and a highly regarded clinical psychologist of over 20 years.  

As key contributors to Parenting Place’s latest self-guided online course, Untangling Anxiety: Supporting kids through worry and fear Dr Melanie and Jenny chat about the increase in anxiety in primary and intermediate-aged New Zealand kids, and what we can do as parents to help build resilience and boost independence in our young people. 

Dr Melanie also openly shares about some of her...

Today on the couch we have actor, content producer and mum, Rebecca Randell, though to most of New Zealand she would be better known as Dawn Robinson from the country's longest running drama, Shortland Street. 

Rebekah is refreshingly open as she shares with Dayna and Jenny the emotional journey that her and her hubby Bevan went on to become parents, hunkering down in those exhausting first months with a colicky newborn and the delight that she’s now finding in slowing down and embracing simple moments with her daughter.  

With Jenny’s help they address the fam...

Having uncomfortable conversations, recognising blind spots and saying sorry well –  this meaty episode is equal parts earnest and fun. A small disclaimer  - this episode contains mention of sensitive topics around mental health and includes a sprinkle of mild swearing so just be aware if the kids’ are around. 

Richie Hardcore is a dad to two boys, a social activist with a Masters in Sociology, a Muay Thai trainer, speaker, advocate and educator working in the space of family and sexual violence protection.  

Sitting on the couch with Jenny and Dayna he takes a deep dive into...

One of New Zealand’s most-loved TV presenters (former host of The Project), Kanoa Lloyd joins Jenny and Dayna for a thoughtful kōrero on motherhood, her career and the joys of raising a child with all their glorious quirks and qualities.  

With Jenny’s expert guidance, we address those big old ‘red-brain’ feelings (namely anger!) that can surface when you become a parent, and the challenge of having a flexible mindset to roll through the waves and changes that inevitably come with this parenting gig. 

Kanoa inspires us with tales from her own childhood, and how inte...

Jenny and Dayna are excited to share the couch with New Zealand musician and songwriter Nathan King who has reunited with his former band Zed (after two decades – where did that time go?!) to create a fresh new album, Future Memory. 

A doting dad to three young people, Nathan chats candidly about family life and his music career, but also about the complexities of raising a neurodiverse child, from the emotional toll it has taken on the King family unit to the love and resilience that has grown out of their struggles. He and his wife Rachel hav...

Buckle in for an uplifting conversation filled with laughter and wisdom! Petra Bagust is the host of popular Rova podcasts Grey Areas and Sunday Sanctuary, a radio personality and TV presenter, a media chaplain, mum to three young people and all-round wonderful wāhine. 

In this episode, Petra shares candidly how she has approached the highs and lows of motherhood with grace for herself, and the many things she’s learned along the way. With energy, wit and wisdom, she delves into the richness that can be found in relationships, the magic of her personal te reo journ...

We're back with a 2nd season of Parents We've Met. The first episode of Season 2 will be dropping on Tuesday 15th October - and while you wait, here's a little preview of what's to come.

This season, co-hosts Jenny Hale (author and parent coach) and Dayna Galloway (former TV presenter and mum-to-two) will be sharing some laughs, tears and tales with well-known New Zealand parents, including:

Did you hear the one about the kids who were allowed to write on the toilet wall? And no, we don’t mean toddler scribbles! 

In our Season 1 finale episode, Jenny and Dayna unpack the stand-out stories, curly questions and honest reflections from our nine guest episodes to bring you a snackable selection of parenting ideas, expert advice and inspiration. 

A huge thank you for tuning into the first season of Parents We’ve Met. We’ve loved receiving your feedback, reviews and ratings and look forward to bringing you more chats, laughs and special guests in...

The final guest for Season 1 is one of our very own: the much-loved media personality, Parenting Place pou tangata and father-to-three Pio Terei.  

Pull out the tissues as this kōrero is full of tears – the happy ones and the sad ones! Pio shares openly about his journey with grief after the loss of his youngest son Teina and offers some self-care advice for others living with grief.

He also chats with Jenny and Dayna about his simple but beautiful upbringing, his love of creating connections through kai (food) and kōrero (conversation), and the importan...

Now if you wear clothes this episode is totally for you! This week, Jenny and Dayna are joined by the wonderful personal stylist, image consultant and mum-to-two, Heather Hale. 

Heather shares honestly about the magic of being a mum, but also the unexpected hard stuff she’s navigated including post-natal depression, letting go of ideals and grieving expectations. 

If you think your parenting wardrobe could do with a refresh, Heather also shares some great, practical styling advice for mums and dads, including tips on what we should be retiring from our wardrobes in order to feel...

This week, Jenny and Dayna are hanging out with a top bloke and legend of a dad, Sean Brown. Sean’s the chippie that has put Dayna’s home back together after various floods and burst pipes, but you may also recognize him as the fix-it, make-it-better builder extraordinaire from the TV show, Sort Your Life Out NZ. 

Sean inspires Dayna and Jenny with the sense of fun and playfulness he brings to his dadding role, and in this gorgeous episode, we hear more about how he strives to be a ‘present’ dad and create a fun homelife...

Co-star of the popular reality TV show, The Casketeers and māmā to SIX, Kaiora Tipene joins Jenny and Dayna for a beautiful kōrero on motherhood, whānau and a topic that’s a little bit taboo in some families: death. 

Through her humble stories and reflections, Kaiora shares about her own upbringing, how she honours her Māori heritage in her work and whānau, and the value she places on ‘I love yous’ and a fearless expression of feelings. 

Jenny and Dayna take the opportunity to seek Kaiora’s advice on grieving well, supporting...

Jenny and Dayna are joined by another awesome dad guest this week! Some of you might remember Ido Drent as Daniel Potts from New Zealand's favourite soap opera, Shortland Street, or more recently from his roles on The Gulf and Offspring. In recent years, Ido has shelved his acting work to spend more time focusing on the tough but wonderful job of parenting alongside his wife Mandy – the chief memory maker of the family. 

As you'll hear in this episode, Ido approaches the season that his young family is in right now with a lot of emotional int...

Jenny and Dayna sit down with sex and relationship therapist, Jo Robertson, for a glorious chat on all things ‘motherhood’, including surviving deep-sea sailing adventures and navigating the sexual culture and pornography landscape that our kids are growing up in. 

We learn about who Jo is as a mum of three boys, how she encourages curiosity and risk-taking in her household, and how growing up in a home where no topics were off the table has helped to shape the woman she is today. 

Jenny and Dayna also take the opportunity to grab some tips from a...

Award-winning radio host and super proud dad Ben Boyce sits down with Jenny and Dayna to share some glorious tales from his parenting journey.  

Ben’s been making people laugh for years; he's one of the creative forces behind the hit comedy series, Jono and Ben, and he's the co-host on The Hits Breakfast show. We reckon he might have been the King of Dad jokes and pranks before he became a dad himself! 

In this episode, we hear what it’s like for Ben raising daughters in today’s landscape, the challenge of distractions when you’...

Former Silver Fern Sulu Fitzpatrick joins Jenny and Dayna for an inspiring kōrero about the juggle of life as an athlete and a mum to a blended family of six.

Sulu shares openly about the highs and lows of her career, what it was like becoming a mum to multiples as a teenager, and the winning mindset she’s embraced as she’s navigated the ups and downs of a professional sports career.

We delve into Sulu’s beautiful upbringing, and reflect on the importance of her village and the value she places on raising...

Actor and comedian Josh Thomson sits down with Jenny and Dayna to share some humble and hilarious tales from his dadding journey. The ‘Tongan of Timarū’ as he’s known to some, Josh is a well-known face of New Zealand television, having had roles on The Project, Seven Days, Have You Been Paying Attention?, The New Legends of Monkey, Young Rock, Gary of the Pacific – and even Studio 2, the kids’ TV show that Dayna co-hosted back in the early noughties! 

Through beautiful personal reflections and anecdotes, Josh shares the ups and downs of becoming and being a dad, includi...

Kia ora and welcome to Parents We’ve Met, where we share in the glorious, horrendous and hilarious world that is parenthood.

In this first season of our new podcast, co-hosts Jenny Hale (author and parent coach) and Dayna Galloway (former TV presenter and mum-to-two) chat with some well-known New Zealanders who they admire, and who just like them are navigating the wild and wonderful terrain of parenthood.

Our Season 1 guests include: