Real Life
7:30pm-8pm Sun
John Cowan hosts ‘Real Life’, a weekly nationwide chat show featuring a different high-profile guest every week. John talks with them about their life, their upbringing, their passions and their view of the world.
John Cowan is an accomplished author, media producer and seminar presenter. He's been a hospital scientist in neurophysiology, a youth worker, a social worker, minister, and parenting expert, but his primary passion is communication: mainly as a speaker to live audiences, and as a writer. His wit and humour have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of people in live-audiences around the country.
Subscribe to the Real Life with John Cowan Podcast
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Dr Vanda Symon talks to John Cowan about researching dementia and her award-winning six-word memoir
Vanda Symon is a New Zealand author known for her Detective Sam Shephard series, which includes five novels, starting with her debut, Overkill, published in 2007....
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Animal wrangler Mark Vette talks to John Cowan about training wolves for Lord of the Rings and the Toyota 'bugger' dog
Mark Vette is an internationally renowned animal psychologist, zoologist, and founder of Dog Zen, an online dog training program. With over 40 years of experience,...
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Black Fern Maia Roos talks to John Cowan about being selected for the squad and why she got behind NZR's 'Mind. Set. Engage.' program
Maia Roos has rapidly ascended through the rugby ranks since debuting for the Auckland Storm in 2019. A talented athlete and leader, she served as Head Girl at Tamaki...
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'Head South' director Jonathan Ogilvie tells John Cowan about working with Stanley Kubrick and how his childhood informed his new film
Jonathan Ogilvie began his creative journey in the post-punk music scene of Christchurch, producing moody music videos for Flying Nun bands like The Jean-Paul Sartre...
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Campbell Hill tells Real Life about the work of Good Neighbour Trust in Tuaranga
Campbell Hill is the co-founder and Community Impact Manager of Good Neighbour, one of the Bay of Plenty's most prolific and impactful community organizations.With...
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"Prime Minister of Mt Roskill" Ella Kumar retraces her upbringing and career
Ella Kumar is the current chair of Auckland’s Puketāpapa Local Board, and in 2010 she was the first Kiwi-Indian woman elected to a local board in the country. She's...
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Comedy writer and author, Sam Smith, talks to John Cowan about the career pivot prompted by an MS diagnosis
Sam Smith is a stand-up comedian, comedy writer, and musician from Auckland, NZ. He gained fame as the winner of season one of The Traitors New Zealand in 2023....
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Kayak cross champion Finn Butcher retraces his journey to Olympic gold
Finn Butcher is a talented New Zealand slalom canoeist who has been competing internationally since 2012. Growing up near the Kawarau River, Finn discovered his...
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NZ musician Holly Arrowsmith talks to John Cowan about her definition of success and who influenced her new album
Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and raised in the mountains of Southern New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith is a multi-award-winning songwriter known for her poetic storytelling....
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David Walliams tells John Cowan about finding success in multiple careers and his new show coming to NZ
David Walliams is a renowned English comedian, actor, and author, celebrated for his collaborations with Matt Lucas on BBC’s Little Britain and Come Fly With Me....
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Former Olympic rower and new mayor of Tauranga, Mahé Drysdale, tells John Cowan about the new job
Mahé was raised in Tauranga and attended Tauranga Boys' College before moving to Auckland for his sixth form and university studies. He took up rowing at university...
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Ant Timpson - Filmmaker
Ant Timpson, born April 21, 1966, in Auckland, New Zealand, is a prominent film producer and director. In 2003, he founded the 48 Hours film contest, a significant...
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Social Ethics Professor Miguel De La Torre talks to John about his work and America's style of Christianity
Rev Dr Miguel A. De La Torre is a Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He has held prominent roles,...
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Musician Dave Baxter (Avalanche City) talks to John about his return from a 5 year hiatus
Since debuting in 2011, the band Avalanche City, the project of Dave Baxter, has enchanted New Zealand with its light and energetic indie folk-pop tunes. Born in...
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Author Alan Duff talks to John Cowan about his upbringing and the 30 year legacy of Duffy Books in Homes
Alan Duff, a prominent New Zealand novelist and advocate, is best known for his influential debut novel Once Were Warriors (1990), which won the PEN Best First Book...
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'The Forest Maker' Tony Rinaudo talks to John Cowan about his years of re-forestation work in Africa
Meet Tony Rinaudo, also known as ‘The Forest Maker’! As World Vision’s Principal Climate Action Advisor, Tony has revolutionized reforestation with his groundbreaking...
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Fern Sutherland, star of The Brokenwood Mysteries, talks her rural roots and what she loves about acting
Fern Sutherland, born in New Plymouth, began her acting career as a lead artist in short films produced by the UNITEC Performing Arts School. She gained early experience...
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Kiwi musician, Georgia Lines, on opening for Brooke Fraser and how she's handling a career on the up
Georgia Lines has quickly risen to prominence in New Zealand's music scene with her infectious personality and R&B-infused pop sound. In 2022, she won Breakthrough...
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‘I had two weeks left’: Top NZ doco maker on journey back from brink of death
Warning: This article discusses suicidal ideation. One of New Zealand’s most experienced journalists has opened up on his brush with death – and how a subsequent...
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Director Kevin Denholm tells John Cowan about the need for chaplaincy support on film sets
Kevin has been a fixture in the Aotearoa New Zealand film industry for over thirty years. He directed the highly successful Air New Zealand Nothing to Hide Brand...
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Mark Richardson fills John Cowan in on his latest career move
Mark Richardson is a former professional cricket player who represented New Zealand in 38 test matches in the early 2000s. After his cricketing career Mark found...
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Adventurer and author Sequoia Schmidt on how BASE jumping has helped her process trauma and loss
Sequoia Schmidt is a celebrated author, adventurer, and speaker renowned for her compelling personal resilience and exploration narratives. Her debut book, "Journey...
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Wayne Brown joins John Cowan to discuss his vision for Auckland
Wayne Brown is a seasoned leader with experience in business and public service, from steering large New Zealand businesses to serving as Mayor of New Zealand’s...
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Listen back to the celebration of John Cowan reaching 20 years as host of Real Life
Sunday the 9th of June marked a big milestone for John Cowan as he reached 20 years of hosting Real Life on Newstalk ZB! Over 963 shows, John has spoken to 835 different...
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NZ's youngest Mayor tells Real Life about surviving a vote of no confidence and why he won the election
Ben grew up in Otaki and went to Paraparaumu College. He is a self-taught computer coder and at the age of 12 those skills saw him inventing a GPS wristband that...
