Grey Areas with Petra Bagust

What does leadership look like when you step onto the periphery and commit to being a good neighbour above pretty much everything else? In this expansive and unexpectedly funny episode of Grey Areas, Petra sits down with Archbishop Justin Duckworth, the dreadlocked, mostly barefoot Anglican Archbishop of Aotearoa, New Zealand Tikanga Pākehā.  From growing up in Stokes Valley with no church background to living in central Wellington and working with people who live on the margins. His motivation was and is to make life a little more bearable for people who were struggling, to add a bit more joy, to prioritize those who aren't being prioritized, whose voices are not heard, or aren't heard enough. “I think… when I look back over my life, that is what drives me.” Justin is now based on a regional edge in Whanganui with his wife Jenny, and unpacks why locating himself on the margins keeps his perspective grounded and his heart open. Together, Petra and Justin get meta about the high-stakes cost of modern leadership, why we've created a culture where broken leaders are cast aside rather than restored, and how the "Western capitalist dream" has left a generation searching for a deeper, more meaningful story. Justin tackles complex global issues, from climate change and AI to political tribalism, through the lens of grace, forgiveness, and radical humility. Support the show: greyareas.nz/support Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you’re feeling in "rude good health," working across your dream broadcasting gigs, and a routine test turns your world upside down in an afternoon? Seasoned Kiwi broadcaster Mel Homer was checking her heart health via a blood test when hours later, she was admitted to hospital, diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). A rare, aggressive, and life-threatening blood cancer that gave her zero warning.    In this raw and courageously funny episode, Petra sits down with her longtime broadcasting peer to unpack the long, high-stakes journey through "scorched earth" chemotherapy, biopsies and eyeball bleeds, and losing her hair, to finding a life-saving stem cell donor in a young French woman on the other side of the globe. Relief and love showed up in quirky moments, like sending her adult sons via FaceTime to search through her drawers for comfy undies. Mel opens up about the terrifying reality of high-risk genetic mutations, the brutal physical toll of Graft-versus-Host disease, and the emotional shift from survival mode to navigating recovery as "Mel Homer 2.0".  Together, Petra and Mel explore why aging in your 50s is a profound privilege, the importance of keeping a soft heart, and how choosing relentless positivity and dark humor can light up even the darkest hospital rooms.  Support the show: greyareas.nz/support Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TJ Power is the best-selling author of The DOSE Effect and a neuroscientist who teaches people, young and old, how to fix their brains. By paying attention to how we’re wired, and what we spend our time doing, we can change our brain chemistry in remarkably simple and effective ways. In our social media-soaked frantic society it’s easy to accidentally ‘hack’ our motivation getting cheap rewards that don’t last and lead to addictive and unfulfilling behaviours. In this chat TJ gives us plenty of tips for how to get our brains back on track to feeling and functioning fabulously. Support the show: ⁠greyareas.nz/support⁠ Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, I sat down with beloved kiwi musician Stan Walker. Our conversation covers his multidimensional career, his journey with identity, the importance of maintaining boundaries, and protecting his peace. He speaks openly about his growing understanding of forgiveness, the effects of trauma, and the long-term process of healing and self-acceptance. Stan also emphasises his dedication to his family, health, and bringing hope, life, healing, and joy through his music. I really admire Stan for his vulnerability, honesty and courage and I’m so excited to share this kōrero with you all. This episode covers some confronting topics, including sexual abuse. If you need help you can always reach out to Safe to Talk⁠ confidentially, any time on 0800 044 334 or text 4334. Support the show: greyareas.nz/support Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 8 of Grey Areas launches tomorrow! And just like the first sensational seven seasons my guests will wrangle with the challenging, embrace the mystery and celebrate the wins - I’m excited to dig into the grey areas of life with my NEW guests and you. Can’t wait! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices