Life rarely follows the script, and honestly, I’m not sure it’s supposed to.
Plot Twists & Flipping Scripts is a space for honest conversations about the unexpected turns, messy middles and moments that change us. I’m Jem — a writer, coach, budding DJ and event organiser, mum, and endlessly evolving human — talking through life, relationships, motherhood, health, creativity and what happens when the old version of your life no longer fits.
Sometimes it’s just me thinking out loud. Sometimes I’m joined by interesting humans with stories and perspectives worth sharing. No polished answers or perfect endings — just real conversations about navigating the plot twists and having the courage to flip the script.
In this episode, I talk about the shame that came with a piece I wrote and put out into the world, what I meant by wanting an aligned village and feeling like I haven't had one in a wee while, vulnerability hangovers and the cost of doing the things that I am, and finding that balance between doing the things but at a pace that doesn't send me back to a ME/CFS relapse. Thanks for listening, if anything I say resonates please do reach out. Find me @withjem_ on IG.
3 Oct 2026
S2 EP4 - Affirmations, my style
Affirmations, but make them a little less boring. I wanted something I could put on when I need to remember who the fuck I am — not someone softly telling me I am a beautiful glowing light while ocean sounds play in the background. So I made my own. For the days you’re doubting yourself, overthinking everything, feeling misunderstood, starting again, changing your mind, or wondering what the actual fuck you’re doing with your life. A reminder that you’re allowed to do life differently. You’re...
24 Sept 2026
S2 EP4 - For My Nan
This episode is a little different. I wrote something for my Nan—and when I finished it, I realised I wanted to say it out loud. It’s about her. It’s about me. It’s about sex, shame, honesty, monogamy, mental health—and the stories we tell about women who refuse to behave properly. This is For My Nan.
16 Sept 2026
S2 EP3 - How a Seven-Day Situationship Nearly Took Me Out
I went looking for something pretty simple: chemistry, connection, good sex and someone I actually enjoyed spending time with. Somehow, approximately seven days later, I was emotionally attached, wildly confused, briefly considering celibacy and wondering how the fuck something so short had managed to knock me around so much. In this episode, I unpack what happened — but more importantly, what it showed me about myself. About loneliness. About the difference between intensity and intimacy. Ab...
2 Sept 2026
S2 EP2 - Doing Things Because You Want To
Another update/ check-in episode. In this one I'm reflecting on the last wee period: - Joy/ Aliveness Experiment - Doing things because you want to vs. for external approval, and the uncomfortableness that can come with putting yourself out there, building and creating things - Letting things fall away in this eclipse season
26 Jul 2026
S2 EP1 - Okay… So What Now?
The podcast is back. No big relaunch, no perfectly mapped-out season — I just felt like talking, so I hit record. In this episode, I’m reflecting on the last couple of months: navigating another ME/CFS relapse, relationships, motherhood, asking for more support, trying to build community, getting back behind the decks, remembering what makes me feel alive, and figuring out what the hell work and life are supposed to look like from here. I don’t have a neat lesson or a five-step plan. I’m very...
6 Jun 2026
Episode 13: With Jem - Health Flares, Balancing Connection & Space, Feeling Oversharey
A real-time check in 🤍 No script. No polish. Just where I’m actually at right now with flipping my own scripts. A few things have been stirring lately and instead of waiting until I’ve figured them out, I thought I’d hit record. In this one I dive into: – moving through health flares – the balance of connection and space – winter/ hibernation feels – woah-ing back on the real-time romantic status updates - ending of season, with one more episode to release, and then a few weeks break Consider...
Some conversations don’t tie themselves up neatly. They crack things open. They challenge perspectives. They bring discomfort, honesty, reflection and vulnerability to the surface all at once. In this episode, Bree and I explore relationships, emotional triggers, communication, self-awareness and the complexity of being human. A conversation about connection, growth, accountability and learning how to sit with the parts of ourselves we’d often rather avoid. Raw, reflective and very real 🤍 Int...
This episode on Flipping the Script, I sit down with HempStarChrist — cannabis activist, ALCP member, and someone deeply passionate about education, harm reduction, and human rights. We explore his journey with cannabis, what he personally uses it for, and the wider conversations society still struggles to have openly. From medicinal vs recreational use… to morality vs legality… to why some altered states are socially accepted while others are judged — this episode goes far beyond stereotypes...
19 May 2026
Episode 10: With Jem - Exploring Non-Monogamy, Jealousy & Self-Acceptance Around Cannabis
A real-time check in 🤍 No script. No polish. Just where I’m actually at right now with flipping my own scripts. A few things have been stirring lately and instead of waiting until I’ve figured them out, I thought I’d hit record. In this one I dive into: – exploring jealousy, insecurity, and relationship dynamics – self-acceptance around my use and long-time relationship cannabis Consider this your latest voice note from the journey… letting you into the process in real time. Intro & outro...
Shona’s life changed forever at 34 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. What followed was years of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, IVF, fertility preservation, grief, depression, healing, and ultimately learning how to rebuild a life that looked completely different from the one she had imagined. In this deeply vulnerable episode, Shona shares her experience navigating cancer treatment, medical trauma, mental health struggles, childlessness, relationships, identity shifts, and the...
20 Apr 2026
Episode 8: Temuri - Addiction, Purpose, and Backing Yourself
In this episode, I sit down with Temuri — a filmmaker whose journey has taken him from the Soviet Union to the corporate world… and then completely off-script into creativity, addiction, recovery, and rebuilding a life on his own terms. We talk about what it really looks like to follow a calling — especially when it pulls you away from everything that feels “safe” or expected. The highs, the lows, and the messy middle that doesn’t always get shared. We get into: – Leaving the corp...
In this episode of Flipping the Script, I sit down with Jessie — the founder of Manawa Ecstatic Dance — to talk about movement, expression, and what it really means to get out of your head and back into your body. We dive into what ecstatic dance actually is (beyond the stereotypes), and how spaces like this are creating something many of us are craving right now — real connection, community, and a place to just be. Jessie shares her journey from traditional party culture into sober, freeform...
2 Apr 2026
Bonus Episode: A Real-Time Check-In
A real-time check in 🤍 No script. No polish. Just where I’m actually at right now with flipping my own scripts. In this episode I talk about: – noticing and shifting my patterns in love (hello limerence) – a funny festival moment – what it feels like to hit what would have been my wedding anniversary – the season we're heading into — slowing down, shedding, recalibrating – and a new women’s circle idea that’s starting to take shape This is one of those episodes w...
30 Mar 2026
Episode 5: Tali - Reinvention, Resilience, and Refusing to Shrink
Before the stage, the tours, and the recognition… there was a girl writing songs at 9 years old, already feeling deeply and seeing the world differently. In this episode, I sit down with Tali — one of New Zealand’s most iconic voices in electronic music — for a real, honest conversation about what it actually takes to build a life outside the norm. We get into: Growing up with music and finding her voice early Moving overseas and breaking into the UK scene The high...
19 Mar 2026
Episode 3: Nadia - Identity, Truth, and Spiritual Awakenings
In this episode of Flipping the Script, I sit down with my friend Nadia for a deep and honest conversation about identity, truth, spiritual awakening, and what it means to radically change direction in life. Nadia shares her journey from corporate life, long-term relationship expectations, and external “success” into a much deeper process of questioning everything — from who she was, to what she believed, to how she wanted to live. We talk about intuition, embodiment, relationships, feminine...
10 Mar 2026
Episode 2: Porou from East Coast Cannabis - Changing the Narrative Around Cannabis in Aotearoa
In this episode of Flipping the Script, Jem sits down with Porou from East Coast Cannabis Company to talk about his journey from the illicit cannabis world into the legal medicinal industry. They explore stigma, cannabis culture in Aotearoa, the impact of prohibition on communities, and why education and honest conversations are essential if New Zealand is going to move forward. Porou shares his thoughts and stories from decades in the cannabis world, the challenges of reform, and his mission...
23 Feb 2026
Episode 1: Flipping the Script Begins
Welcome to Flipping the Script with Jem. In this first episode, I’m sharing why this podcast exists and the moment I realised the life I was building — the one that looked “successful” on paper — didn’t actually feel right in my body. I talk about the quiet questioning that so many of us experience… the low-level anxiety, the burnout, the identity shifts that can come with motherhood, relationship changes, and simply growing into new versions of ourselves. This space is for the ones who...
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