We don't need to do everything by ourselves. Especially when life gets hard, it is super important to let others in to carry the weight of things together. To guide us in how we might do that, Petra first talks to Irish author and documentary producer Kevin Toolis about his book My Father's Wake. As it turns out, the Irish grieving ritual is packed with moments where people gather around the bereaved. In the second half, we bring back a conversation with former producer Grace McArthur from our 2024 episode on confession. She lays out Brené Brown's wisdom around vulnerability, a key ingredient in sharing the load with others.

A list of bookstores selling Kevin Toolis' book can be found here

Sacred Texts:

• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
• The film Living, directed by Oliver Hermanus and starring Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood

Music:

• FTA by Whitney
• Ocean City by Gunn-Truscinski Duo
• The Weight by The Band
• Innerspace by The Apples in Stereo
• One by U2
• Pray for Me by SAULT
• Equipoise by Max Roach

In a world of contant busyness and rushing around, it can be really hard to wait. In this episode, producer Sam unpacks his own difficult relationship with waiting and lands on a few questions to help guide his patience. Later on, Petra talks with Nathan McLellan, the CEO of Venn Foundation, about the different scales of waiting and how the biggest, most existential kind of waiting can guide our everday need for patience.

Sacred Texts:

Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr Seuss

What it Means to Wait by John Dennison

Music:

Rock & Roll by The Velvet Underground

Caja de la Sala by Khruangbin

The Guitar is Dead 3 by Horsegirl

Ya Ya Breathe by Bruno Pernadas

It's Going to Take Some Time by Carole King

A Calf Born in Winter by Khruangbin

If Only I Could Wait by Bon Iver and Danielle Haim

Exchange by Massive Attack

What does it mean to be a caregiver? Where does the beauty hide, and how do we manage the difficulty? In this episode, Petra talks with her neighbour, Nick, and Andrea Page, the director of the Salvation Army's Epsom Lodge here in Auckland. Producer Sam also pays a visit to musician C. Zukey to ask about the story behind his 2024 album Stone Fruut.

The hope is that this episode helps caregivers to feel seen and encouraged, as well as building understanding of what it is like in those who aren't caregivers.

Music:

Space 7 by Nala Sinephro

Interlude by Julie Byrne

Statue of a Woman by Novo Amor

Who Knows Where the Time Goes? by Fairport Convention

New Grass by Talk Talk

Water Temple by C. Zukey

Ocean City by Gunn - Truscinski Duo