Little Addicts: Kerene Strochnetter on Why We Do What We Do
Ever wondered if your nightly glass of wine (or your need for approval, or your shoe-shopping habit) counts as an addiction? Gary sits down with Kerene Strochnetter, author of "Little Addicts," to unpack why she reckons we're all wired for addiction of some kind - big or small. She shares her own journey with red wine, people-pleasing and "retail therapy," and why beating yourself up over it never actually works (if self-criticism worked, we'd all be perfect, right?).
It's a surprisingly gentle chat about a prickly topic - childhood trauma, burnout, dopamine systems, and Kerene's practical "three Ns" (notice, name, need) for catching yourself before you reach for the band-aid. No judgement, no quick fixes, just honest talk about what's really driving our habits and how to choose a bit more wisely next time.
Tune into A Very Tall Man from Midnight - 6:00am on the Rhema Media App.
For more from the show, visit the A Very Tall Man (https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/no-content/overnights-with-gary) page at rhema.co.nz
Produced using AI tools under human supervision.
Support A Very Tall Man: https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link (https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link)
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27 Oct 2026
Jenny Williams: AI, Chatbots & House of Liars
Gary's just read a book that's made him want to chuck out half his gadgets (sorry, security camera). His guest is Jenny Williams, former writer on Microsoft's AI ethics team and author of House of Liars - a novel about writers trapped on an island competing for cash, with AI lurking in the background. Turns out it's barely fiction: Gary reckons his own ChatGPT "Bruce" might be Jenny's AI character's cousin.
They get into the good, the bad and the downright unsettling - AI "going rogue" past its guardrails, chatbots replacing jobs (and maybe your therapist), driverless cars, and whether Burger King's drive-through voice is even human anymore (spoiler: it's Patty). Jenny's refreshingly honest that she doesn't have all the answers, especially as a parent, but reckons caution and curiosity beat blind fear every time. Oh, and yes - she wrote every word of her book herself, no AI ghostwriters involved.
Tune into A Very Tall Man from Midnight - 6:00am on the Rhema Media App.
For more from the show, visit the A Very Tall Man (https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/no-content/overnights-with-gary) page at rhema.co.nz
Produced using AI tools under human supervision.
Support A Very Tall Man: https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link (https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
20 Oct 2026
Dame Juliet Gerrard: Science Advice From the Front Row
Ever wondered who the Prime Minister rings when even they don't know the answer? Gary sits down with Dame Juliet Gerrard, former Chief Science Advisor to the PM, who had a front row seat to the mosque shootings, the White Island tragedy and COVID-19 from day one. She talks candidly about the biscuit tin and Post-it notes she used to gather ideas from quiet voices in a room, the discipline of giving "good enough" advice before a decision is made rather than perfect advice too late, and why her job was never to filter the truth for "the greater good".
They get into the tricky line between scientific consensus and values-based decisions (abortion gets a mention), whether Aotearoa was ever really ready for a pandemic, the ongoing vaccine divide, and what AI means for healthcare going forward. Gary (never one to miss a height joke) also tries out a theory from his wife on Juliet, and asks the question everyone wants answered: does it still sting when politicians ignore the science? Her new book Front Row Seat unpacks it all.
Tune into A Very Tall Man from Midnight - 6:00am on the Rhema Media App.
For more from the show, visit the A Very Tall Man (https://www.rhema.co.nz/listen-on-demand/no-content/overnights-with-gary) page at rhema.co.nz
Produced using AI tools under human supervision.
Support A Very Tall Man: https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link (https://donate.rhemamedia.co.nz/?utm_source=omnystudio&utm_medium=link)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
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