Shows
Myternity LeaveGuest Ep with Lesa MacLeod-WhitingThis week on Myternity Leave, life threw me a curveball — a family emergency meant I had to hit pause on documenting the next leg of the parental leave journey.Luckily, my very funny friend Lesa MacLeod-Whiting (2025 Billy T Award nominee and my Are We Pals? podcast co-host) had been at my place earlier in the week — and we just so happened to record a chat while she was there!From accidentally ending up at a pro-abortion rally with a five-week-old, to sharing tips about going back to work as a self-employed new mum, Lesa provides us w...2025-04-2824 min
Are We Pals?Cosy Catch Up: Saying Goodbye to Season TwoIn this episode of Are We Pals? Podcast, Sammy and Lesa get together and reflect on what they've learned over the second season. They have some pretty exciting news about what they're working on next, chat about the difficulties of prioritising friendships (and podcasting!) amid ever-evolving circumstances, and gush over their friendship and how damn lovely it is. Do note that this particular episode has been delayed in being published due to Sammy' waters breaking not long after recording, making her a bit to preoccupied with a newborn to edit. But it's finally here! So sit back...2024-11-3035 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Hoani Hotene?For their final guest of the second season, Sammy and Lesa are joined by Hoani Hotene (2022 Raw Comedy Quest WINNER and recently announced 2025 Billy T Comedy Award nominee!). They already know they are friends with Hoani, so much so they had told him repeatedly that he couldn't be on the podcast, but maybe feature 'on a mini off-shoot version'. Undeterred, Hoani remained one of 'Are We Pals?' biggest fans, and when Sammy messaged Hoani to say congrats on the Billy T nom, he asked if this meant he could finally be on the pod. So they agreed, mainly...2024-10-101h 02Are We Pals?Cosy Catch Up: Antenatal classes and a hatred of children's entertainersSammy and Lesa got together for a cosy catch up at the start of Spring, diving into the latest happenings in their lives. Sammy shares her experience joining an antenatal class, hoping to make new parent friends in her area—and to learn a thing or two about giving birth too.Meanwhile, Lesa has some incredibly strong opinions about children's entertainers that she just can't hold back. What starts as a pretty normal chat about local community life somehow spirals, complete with an unexpected amount of singing and Sammy reminiscing about her time in The Sound of Mu...2024-09-2446 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Jerome Chandrahasen?This week Sammy and Lesa are trying to find out if Jerome Chandrahasen (TVNZ's Comedy Gala, Wellington Paranormal and the main comedy booker in Wellington) is their friend or just simply a work colleague. Jerome started comedy back in 2003 alongside people like James Nokise, Ben Hurley, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement. He also runs Wellington's longest running stand up comedy gig Raw Meat Monday, co-founded the Humorous Arts Trust in 2010 and has had a direct impact on many a New Zealand comedy career, including Sammy's and Lesa's!Find out what he likes to do in...2024-09-0651 minAre We Pals?Cosy Catch Up: Olympics, Friendship Activities and Reminiscing on LondonSammy and Lesa have decided that this cosy catch up should be used for actually catching up. Both have had some good news and bad news in the last week (including fun gigs, babymoons, break-ins and failed driving tests) so now is the perfect time to talk about it. During this far-ranging yap, they discover they lived in the same part of London at the exact same time. Have they met before? Could they have been London friends? And why did neither of them go to the Olympics 2012? Grab a cuppa and settle in for a cosy...2024-08-0846 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with David Correos?Sammy and Lesa are trying to find out if David Correos (who you'll know Taskmaster NZ and all those Burger King ads) is their friend. But, the window to find out is tight! In between work, school drop off and Sammy and David having to head over to Grey Town for a comedy gig, the pals have roughly half an hour to pin David down, and get him to tell them where they rank in his top 100 friends list. In this chaotic and completely UNEDITED episode (there was no time for that!), Sammy and Lesa forgo their...2024-07-2632 minAre We Pals?Cosy Catch Up: When life comes first Lesa and Sammy are back together for another Cosy Catch Up. But sadly, life has not been the easiest for one of our 'Are We Pals?' twosome. Having had to put the podcast on hold for a couple of episodes, the pals manage to get together to have a chat about everything that's been going on and generally catch up on life. In between a more serious chat about loss, they also manage to cover 'getting your colours read' (the spiritual kind), planning a fake holiday to Greece and then almost start getting into foreign politics before reigning...2024-07-1136 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Steve Wrigley?Join Sammy and Lesa as they catch up with Kiwi comedy legend Steve Wrigley on the latest episode of "Are We Pals?".Steve, once a staple on the New Zealand comedy scene, now tours the US comedy circuit but recently returned to Wellington to visit. There, he invited Sammy and Lesa to open for him at his gigs and even back to his "dodgy" Airbnb (which, despite its alleyway location, turned out to be just fine—thanks to Sammy and Lesa's thorough background checks).They kick things off by dissecting quirks of friendship in the US...2024-06-1946 minAre We Pals?Cosy Catch Up: Where have we been?!Sammy and Lesa are back and their friendship is as strong as ever. So why did they disappear off the face of the earth for a while? Why did they mysteriously start Season Two and then go silent? And why has someone unfriended Lesa on Facebook? Find out all the goss in this (newly titled) Cosy Catch Up. 2024-06-1232 min
Conversations With WāhineLesa MacLeod-Whiting and Samantha HannahHarita and Viola interview the amazing comedians Lesa MacLeod-Whiting and Samantha Hannah about their new podcast 'Are we pals?'2024-05-1558 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Olga Koch?Sammy and Lesa are back for Season 2! Before the NZ International Comedy Festival kicked off they managed to score a chat with the wonderful Comedian Olga Koch while she was performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.In this episode, they discuss how to forcibly invite yourself to a new friend’s wedding and the pain that can come when you think someone wants to be your friend, but discover they were simply "networking".Make sure you grab tickets to Olga’s show Prawn Cocktail - book one of the last few tickets here...2024-05-1434 min
Ghosts of Boyfriends PastSamantha and the Husband HuntAs we always say, every bad date is a good story and no one knows that better than this week’s guest, Scottish Comedian Samantha Hannah.Sammy decided she was going to try to to find a husband in a year and then write a comedy show about it: ‘How to Find a Husband in a Year’.Samantha joins Liz and Tom to talk about her hunt, and the surprises she found along the way.You can find Samantha and all the details on her latest comedy shows on her social...2024-05-0143 minAre We Pals?Are We Still Pals?As Season One of 'Are We Pals?' comes to a close, there's a switcheroo version of the first episode. This time, Lesa interviews Sammy. Are they still going to be friends? Will there be a Season Two? Do they have new non-negotiables? Are cousins a dying concept? Settle in for the last ep to hear all this and more. Then make sure to follow @arewepals on Instagram, join the Are We Pals? Facebook Group, or if you're feeling particularly generous, support the patreon!
Make sure to check in next season for another round of chats about A...2024-03-2435 minAre We Pals?Snap Chat: What to do when your friendship fizzles out?Sammy and Lesa are back in the fort and are rather full from too much lasagna and nachos. But after one of their pod pals wrote in asking what to do when a friendship fizzles out, they have a job to do. They simply must chat about it! This Snap Chat is longer than usual and goes on some surprising tangents, including one about being intimate with the contents of a wine bottle. Enjoy!2024-03-1728 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Krystine Nation?Sammy and Lesa chat with Real Life Wife social media superstar and comedian Krystine Nation over video call from The Fort. Krystine talks about her 172,000 friends, how comedy has helped her manage her emotions and spills the tea on some pretty juicy friendship drama. We also find out her non-negotiable and discover if she is a pal! Be sure to catch Krystine, Samantha and Lesa's shows at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival this May. Tickets are available now. 2024-03-1036 minAre We Pals?Quick Snap Chat: Male friendships and (lack of) photographsOn this week's Snap Chat, Lesa's four-year-old daughter Frida joins the Are We Pals? team in the fort! They answer a Pod Pal question from a male listener who realised, after being asked to produce photos of his best friend for a hen do, that he had a distinct lack of photos of his friends. This reminded him of a song by NoFX which was sung by the lead singer after his friend passed away, and touches on the fact you never take photos of your best friends because you never think that you'll never see them again. As...2024-03-0316 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Ben Hurley?Sammy and Lesa are back and this time they're in the lovely Te Auaha Cinema Room in Wellington to find out if New Zealand comedian Ben Hurley regards them as friends. Ben (7Days, The Project, Seven Sharp) shares his friendship history, his thoughts on male intimacy and tells us why we need to eat more kina.2024-02-2545 minAre We Pals?Quick Snap Chat: What to do when you've over-committed on friendships?Lesa and Sammy have made a fort and have cosied up inside it to talk about friendship. This week, they share their thoughts on what to do when you've committed to too many friendships. They mull over an Italian custom known as 'squillo', accept that some friends are bad at communicating, and discuss the controversial notion of bringing all your different friend groups together for a party. They also share who the 'friend of the week' is! And it's Sammy's mum's best friend. Cute!2024-02-1816 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Justine Smith?Samantha and Lesa chat to New Zealand comedian Justine Smith in a dressing room at the Wellington Opera House, before Jussi and Sammy perform at Dai Henwood's homecoming gig. They talk Taskmaster NZ, how Justine has become 'Auntie' to up-and-coming comedians, and they all find out if they are all friends.2024-02-1133 minAre We Pals?Quick Snap Chat: Are sleepovers still cool?In between celebrity interviews, Sammy and Lesa dive into friendship topics provided by listeners of the podcast, or "pod pals" if you will. Here they ask, "are sleepovers still cool?" and reminisce on their experiences growing up while chatting about what constitutes a sleepover. They also start to dream of setting up Are We Pals? live events! Would you come to a sleepover with them in a planetarium?2024-02-0416 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals with Dai Henwood?Dai Henwood gigged with Sammy once but met Lesa for the first time in this podcast episode. While finding out if friendship could be on the cards, they talk about left-field friends, Dai's cancer diagnosis and reveal their non-negotiables. Have a listen to discover their friendship fate.2024-01-2830 minAre We Pals?Are We Pals? Lesa and Sammy find out!Are We Pals? is a podcast all about adult friendship. Where co-hosts Lesa and Sammy (Wellington comedians Lesa MacLeod-Whiting and Samantha Hannah) find out who their true friends are, and try to make some new ones along the way. Before they can do that though, they must first establish their friendship. Are they friends? Or are they destined to be solely podcast co-hosts? In this very first episode, they find out! And the results were not quite what they were both expecting.2024-01-2029 min