The Growing Kiwis is a podcast for ambitious people who are committed to growth in business, money, health, mindset, and life. The podcast explores what it really looks like to pursue a high-performance life in New Zealand. The wins, the challenges, the lessons, and the consistent actions that compound over time. Growth is the central theme, whether that’s growing businesses, investments, people, community, impact, or ourselves.
Growing Kiwis with Claire Williamson
Claim This Podcastby Claire Williamson
18 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇳🇿
Podcast Overview
The Growing Kiwis is a podcast for ambitious people who are committed to growth in business, money, health, mindset, and life. The podcast explores what it really looks like to pursue a high-performance life in New Zealand. The wins, the challenges, the lessons, and the consistent actions that compound over time. Growth is the central theme, whether that’s growing businesses, investments, people, community, impact, or ourselves.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/4/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 1, 2026
From fast horses to fashion labels - Annmarie Hughes on building two businesses in one world
<p>Annmarie Hughes is an equine dentist and the founder of Aspin and Co, a New Zealand owned luxury equestrian apparel brand she launched while on maternity leave. Originally from North Wales, Annmarie built a career in equine dentistry in the Waikato before spotting a gap in the market between cheap throwaway riding gear and expensive European imports. This episode covers the courage to launch a business with a newborn on your hip, why getting comfortable being uncomfortable is the entrepreneur's real superpower, and the surprisingly simple secret to building a loyal community around a niche brand. It is fast, funny, full of side quests, and genuinely useful for anyone juggling more than one identity at once.</p><h2>In this episode</h2><ul><li>Why Annmarie launched a new business on maternity leave instead of resting</li><li>How she spotted a gap in the equestrian apparel market that nobody else had filled</li><li>The best advice she ever received about failing fast and not taking it personally</li><li>Why a batch of glittery brown jodhpurs taught her to trust her customers over her own taste</li><li>How sponsoring riders built an entire community around the Aspin and Co brand</li><li>The juggle of running two businesses, equine dentistry and a fashion label, alongside being a mum</li><li>Why she believes self awareness is the single biggest predictor of entrepreneurial success</li><li>Where AI fits into her business, and the one place she will never let it take over</li></ul><br/><h2>Chapters</h2><p>Timestamps are based on the raw recording, nudge them once the intro is trimmed in the edit.</p><ul><li>01:03 Welcome and introduction</li><li>02:11 From North Wales to equine dentistry in the Waikato</li><li>04:46 Launching Aspin and Co on maternity leave</li><li>05:47 Spotting the gap in the equestrian apparel market</li><li>07:03 Growing the range from jodhpurs to head to toe apparel</li><li>08:35 Building an online community during COVID</li><li>10:51 The best advice on getting comfortable being uncomfortable</li><li>12:01 The glittery jodhpur disaster that became a bestseller</li><li>13:43 From hand drawings to CAD to manufacturing</li><li>18:08 Sponsoring riders and building brand identity through values</li><li>21:15 Late nights, newborns and the reality of building a business</li><li>23:13 What makes a good entrepreneur, self awareness and failing well</li><li>29:05 The man in the arena, celebrating failure as growth</li><li>32:19 Manifestation, hard work and believing in what you are building</li><li>34:21 Secret sauce, taking action fast and trusting yourself</li><li>43:38 Using AI for customer service while protecting the brand's human side</li><li>46:53 The customer who was too intimidated to walk into the stand</li><li>52:09 Final reflections on redefining success</li></ul><br/><h2>About Annmarie</h2><p>Annmarie Hughes is an equine dentist and the founder of Aspin and Co, a New Zealand owned and operated luxury equestrian apparel brand. Originally from North Wales, she trained in equine dentistry in the UK before moving to New Zealand, eventually settling in the Waikato. She launched Aspin and Co while on maternity leave with her daughter Nina, growing the brand from a single style of jodhpurs into a full range spanning clothing, footwear and even veterinary hoof care products. Annmarie balances running two businesses with raising Nina alongside her husband.</p><h2>Links</h2><p><a href="https://aspinandco.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aspin and Co website</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aspinandco/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aspin and Co on Instagram</a></p><h2>Enjoyed this episode</h2><p>If this one resonated, follow Growing Kiwis wherever you listen, and share it with someone who is building something of their own. We would love to hear your biggest takeaway, so come and say hi over on Instagram.</p>
June 24, 2026
A journey through authenticity with Rose Kennedy
<p>In this episode of the Growing Kiwis Podcast, we sit down with Rose Kennedy, founder of Rose's Dining Table, to talk about creativity, authenticity, motherhood, and building a business that reflects your values.</p><p>Rose shares the journey behind creating a brand that has become known for bringing people together around the table, creating meaningful experiences, and celebrating genuine connection. We dive into the courage it takes to do things differently, the importance of staying aligned with your values, and how motherhood has influenced both her personal growth and business journey.</p><p>This conversation is a beautiful reminder that success doesn't have to fit a traditional mould. By embracing who you are, leaning into your creativity, and staying true to what matters most, you can build a life and business that feels deeply fulfilling.</p><h3>In This Episode:</h3><ul><li>The story behind Rose's Dining Table and how it all began</li><li> Why authenticity has been a driving force in Rose's journey</li><li> The role creativity plays in business and everyday life</li><li> Building a brand and community with purpose</li><li> The realities of entrepreneurship behind the scenes</li><li> Lessons motherhood has taught her about balance and growth</li><li> Staying connected to your values through different seasons of life</li><li> Redefining what success looks like</li></ul><br/><h3>Connect with Rose:</h3><p>Follow Rose's journey and learn more about her incredible work through <strong><a href="https://www.rosesdiningtable.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rose's Dining Table</a></strong><a href="https://www.rosesdiningtable.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">.</a></p>
June 17, 2026
From the workroom to the numbers with Abby Van Schreven
<p><strong><u>Content Warning:</u></strong> In this episode, Abby shares a deeply personal experience involving her fathers suicide and loss. The conversation is approached with sensitivity and compassion, but we wanted to make listeners aware in case this topic feels difficult or triggering.</p><p>EPISODE SUMMARY</p><p>Abby Van Schreven spent 14 years building the fashion label Maaike before closing it and starting again, this time helping other creative business owners get to grips with the numbers and the business side so they can build something sustainable. Her new venture, Waffle Advisory, comes from everything she learned the hard way.</p><p>This is a rich, honest conversation about getting clear on why you are really in business, learning that everything is learnable, and building a life and a business that are genuinely yours. Abby also shares a profound personal loss and how it shaped the way she lives now, with warmth, perspective and a lot of heart.</p><p>IN THIS EPISODE</p><p>- Getting to the core of why you are really in business</p><p>- From a fashion label to advising creative founders</p><p>- An early life in hospitality, and the lessons that stuck</p><p>- Building Maaike, going global, and learning on the fly</p><p>- Becoming a mum, identity, and the myth of having it all</p><p>- Money stories, and unlearning what holds you back</p><p>- Perspective, loss, and what really matters</p><p>- Surrounding yourself with people who get it</p><p>WHAT WE COVER</p><p>Timestamps are not in the raw transcript, so slot these in from the final edit.</p><p>- Who Abby is: creative, foodie, grower, and someone who craves deep connection</p><p>- Helping founders align what they are building with what they actually want</p><p>- Why she started Waffle Advisory after years in fashion</p><p>- A teenage start in hospitality, and learning above the line and below the line</p><p>- Growing up in Waimate, independence, and pushing back on being told what to do</p><p>- The MICA story: Fashion Week, retail, export and early Shopify</p><p>- Becoming a mum, survival mode, and rethinking identity</p><p>- Money stories, perfectionism, and what she has unlearned</p><p>- A turning point and a profound loss, handled with care</p><p>- What gives her meaning, and keeping joy in the everyday</p><p>- Finding her people in the Waikato, and being honest about the hard parts</p><p>- Her unreasonable advantage: she can talk to anyone, about anything</p><p>ABOUT ABBY</p><p>Abby Van Schreven is the founder of Waffle Advisory, where she helps creative business owners understand the finance and business side so they can grow something sustainable. She co-founded and ran the fashion label Maaike for 14 years, navigating retail, e-commerce, export and manufacturing, and now brings those hard-won lessons to other founders. A creative, a foodie and a grower who loves the ocean and nature, she lives in Cambridge with her partner James and their son Mateo.</p><p>LINKS</p><p><a href="https://www.waffleadvisory.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Waffle Advisory</a></p>
18 total episodes available
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- What is Growing Kiwis with Claire Williamson?
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This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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