If you grew up in New Zealand in the late 90s or early 2000s, chances are you’ll know that name Dame Theresa Gattung.

Theresa became the CEO of Telecom at just 37 years old. Becoming the first woman to run a large NZ public company.

And during that time, she was part of some massive decisions - including the sale of the Yellow Pages for over $2 billion… which, looking back now, was unbelievably well-timed.

But that’s just one chapter.

Since then, she’s gone on to back and build businesses like My Food Bag, which became one of New Zealand’s biggest startup success stories… and gave her the freedom to live life more on her terms.

But this conversation isn’t just about business.

We unpack it all here:

The mindset that helped Theresa become CEO at 37

The reality of being a woman in leadership - then vs now

Lessons from burnout, failure, and rebuilding after major life transitions

Why she chose not to have children — and has no regrets

Her daily non-negotiables for mental and physical wellbeing

What success looks like to her now in her 60s

There’s some incredible perspective in this one: On leadership, on resilience, and on what actually matters when you zoom out a bit and look at the big picture.

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Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.

If I could ask you to do one big favour — for me and for yourself — it would be to consider getting KiwiSaver advice from Generate, like I did.

The decisions you make with your KiwiSaver now could have a big impact on how much you have to live on in retirement. And if you’ve never had KiwiSaver advice before, you could be missing out.

Generate has a strong track record of long-term performance — You can check out their latest returns on their website.

They also have advisers who can come to you and help you figure out the right KiwiSaver setup for your goals — no pressure, just good advice.

I met with one when Generate came on board as a sponsor back in 2023 — and honestly, I wish I’d done it sooner.

Head to generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom to book a chat

The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. To see their Product disclosure statement see generatekiwisaver.co.nz/pds Past performance does not guarantee future returns.

And just a reminder — everyone’s situation is different, so I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions.

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