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What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

It’s Alice here today and I hope this week has been kind to you - and that you’re keeping well. Heck it’s hard out there at the mo!

On Friday’s we run polls and questions on our Insta stories and this last Friday I asked people to share their highlights and lowlights of the week. Normally we get such a mixed bag - work wins, holidays, promotions, plus break-ups, bad news or job stresses. But this last week it was the same message over and over again: ‘the flu’, ‘I’m sick AGAIN’, ‘influenza A’. Numbers have definitely been spiking this last month, so if you’re under the weather, you’re most certainly not alone.

If you’re taking today as some R&R time (please do! Whether you’re ill, or just trying to stay on top of everything!) I have some recommendations for what to watch/read/listen to while you’re taking it easy:

TV: If you’re looking for something kinda light and silly, I watched The Five Star Weekend (with Jennifer Garner, Chloë Sevigny and Regina Hall) and it’s a very easy, low-stress watch. But if you’re up for something more intense though, can I please recommend Furious? It’s on Disney and stars Emmy Rossum - it is a tough watch at times, but it’s incredible. Emmy Rossum plays an FBI agent (with quite the back story that’s slowly revealed) who is on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating female serial killer. Both are walking their own paths toward justice and as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur.

Podcast wise, I listened to Sandra Bullock on Smartless this week, and it was a great listen (she talks a lot about caring for her late partner while he had ALS - it’s emotional, but uplifting). If you haven’t listened to Love Trapped, I definitely recommend it too. Here’s a piece Sarah wrote about it. And if you’ve already listened - there’s some big news in the case. Yesterday Laura Owens entered a guilty plea! She’ll be back in court in October for sentencing.

Books: I’m nearly finished reading Land by Maggie O’Farrell (the author of Hamnet), which is proving to be fantastic (but also quite devastating?). And even though I read it months and months ago, the book I still keep thinking about is Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden. If you like our Divorce Diaries series, I highly recommend it. Belle shares a very honest blow-by-blow of the end of her marriage which happened very suddenly during the pandemic. I read it in a day I found it so enthralling.

Other than that - Practical Magic 2 hits cinemas in a couple of weeks, so, maybe it’s the perfect day to rewatch Practical Magic?! Or, Verity isn’t far off being released (it stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Harnett) - so if you haven’t read the Colleen Hoover novel, now’s a good time. (Just a warning that she’s pretty dark. Maybe we all just watch Practical Magic?!?).

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great end to the week - and I hope you have some time to recharge your batteries!

Take care!
x

‘Be Honest With Me… Is My Use of AI Cause For Concern? With Great Disregard For My Own Dignity, I Present to You Some Real, Actual Chats From My Gemini History…’

Am I using AI too much? Am I outsourcing so much that I’m at risk of forgetting how to actually think for myself?! Writer Monika Barton takes a cold hard look at her use of AI and asks the big questions, whilst also (VERY BRAVELY) offering up her own search history for you to dissect…

Unless you’re blissfully off-grid (and sorry, but I know you’re not), you’re keenly aware of how AI has come crashing into our everyday lives with what feels like reckless abandon.

It’s already changed a lot, uses a staggering amount of natural resources, and threatens to steal all our jobs any minute before inevitably taking over the world, right?

Yet… we’re pretty much all using it. If you’re one of those steadfast people who has managed to abstain, whether on eco-conscious grounds, fear of a Terminator situation or general disdain for the concept, I earnestly applaud you.

I was you once.

As a writer, I loathe the idea of artificial intelligence rendering the craft of journalism and creative writing null and void. I banned my team at work from giving so much as a sideways glance to ChatGPT when it came to researching and producing stories. I was instantly mistrustful when it dubbed my dating profile bio “absolute perfection”.

Then, one fateful evening, my cat Dingo went on a homicidal rampage – despite my attempts to have him wear a bell and stay…

Keep reading » » »

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Are You & Your Partner Aligned, Financially? The Curve’s Vic Harris Breaks Down How You Can Stop Money Matters From Causing a Break Up

The Curve’s Vic Harris has spent a decade working deep in people’s finances – first as a fund manager, then building a financial education community of 100,000 women. She’s had a front row seat, witnessing how couples navigate money conversations and how those scenarios cam play out – especially as women step into greater financial power, all while the gender wealth gap remains so wide. Here, Vic shares the patterns she’s seen again and again, plus the top three things she suggests doing to foster financial intimacy with your partner – which should see you gain a stronger relationship and financial future at the same time!

How couples actually discuss investing, align on goals, and maintain their independence while building a life together.

A few months ago, a friend told me she’d just opened her own investment account. Separate from her partner’s, separate from any joint account. Entirely hers.

She wasn’t hiding anything. She just wanted something that was unmistakably hers.

When she told her partner, he said: “Why do you need that? We’re a team.”

It took her twenty minutes to explain that being a team and having your own financial identity aren’t opposites. They’re actually what makes a partnership work long term.

That conversation has stuck with me, because I think it captures exactly where a lot of couples are right now.

Women in New Zealand are earning more, investing more, and building more wealth than any generation before us. And yet the gender wealth gap hasn’t closed anywhere near as fast as…

Keep reading » » »

To Build a Home: Smashing the Mental Load, One SmartThing at a Time

In part one of To Build a Home, inspired and powered by Samsung, Kelly gets to grips with the invisible to-do list that runs every household, and the tech that finally took some of it off her hands. Here’s an introduction to SmartThings, how to use it, and how to make your house a help rather than a hindrance.

Capsule X Samsung

Okay so I’ve learnt a few things in my few months or so of home ownership – when you do buy your first home, one, it never feels less than a miracle (thank you, Auckland house prices!). But two, you also take unconditional possession of a second, invisible property, with no address and no floor plan, but, somewhat ironically, it lives rent-free in your head. It’s The List.

You’ve got one too, I’m positive – that running inventory of everything that keeps a household upright (ie, the mental load). Is there washing in the machine going slowly gross? Did I turn the heater off? When did I last vacuum under the couch, and do I want to know what’s under there? What is that noise? Ah Christ, is it the hot water cylinder and will it be expensive?

Selfies in a dryer is *very* millennial homeowner, surely

As a renter The List existed, of course, but it had a foolproof escape plan: if something broke, it was fundamentally Someone Else’s Problem (I guess that’s when you’re grateful for landlords! But now the broken thing is my broken thing, the mystery noise is my mystery noise.

And, look, I know the mental load isn’t news to any woman reading this. We’ve been carrying the family admin, the social calendar, the “we’re nearly out of dishwashing tablets” alerts since time seemingly started (I bet there’s cave paintings somewhere in the world of…

Keep reading » » »

Worried About The Flu? Sick of Being Sick? Here’s 15 Ways to Stay Well, As Flu Numbers Soar

Feel like you and your family are going from one cold or sickness to the next? Sick of being sick? You’re not alone – this winter has been a DOOZY for bugs and ails. Cases of the Flu, particularly in Auckland, are surging. Here’s how you can do your best to avoid the flu – and the other bugs currently doing the rounds…

If you’re feeling extremely over it, we know the feeling, so we’ve talked to as many health professionals as possible to find out what we can do to avoid yet another bout of sickness. Here’s what we’ve gleaned:

Get the Flu shot

Yes, it’s the most obvious one. If you haven’t had your flu shot, you might think it’s a bit late now – but that’s very much not the case. There’s still time! Health NZ is encouraging people who haven’t had the flu shot to go get one now. “Getting protection against the flu now can still prevent serious illness, reduce hospitalisations, and protect vulnerable whānau,” they say.

They’re warning that this year, the flu season appears to have a long tail to it, and could continue for quite some time into spring.

National Public Health Service’s Director of Prevention Immunisation, Nikki Canter-Burgoyne said that the flu doesn’t follow a strict timetable. “While there is one more month of winter, the flu season in New Zealand often extends well into early spring,” she says. “With people…

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In *THIS Economy* It’s Time to Go Electric – AND You Can Get a Brand-New Luxury SUV For Under $40,000? Read our GWM Ora 5 SUV Ultra Review!

Kelly Meharg tests out and reviews the GWM Ora 5 SUV Ultra and tries to figure out a way to not give it back. Spoiler alert – she loved it.

I’ll preface this car review by saying that by the end of my seven-day test drive of the GWM Ora 5 Ultra, I was scheming about ways I wouldn’t have to give it back.

Pretend it was written off? Say I lost it in the IKEA carpark? Or just flat-out refuse to return it? Because damn, I really wanted to keep this car.

Dear reader, don’t stress – my little Ora (I named her Rita because… well, obviously) is safely back at the GWM dealership. But I might just be going back very soon.

What is the GWM Ora 5 SUV?

OK, so to introduce you to GWM – they’ve been in New Zealand for a while now and have been making waves with their veeery competitively priced vehicles for 17 years. They’re on a big push to become a top five best-selling brand in Aotearoa by next year, so expect to see heaps more of them on the roads soon!

They have cars across the powertrain spectrum – petrol, hybrid and electric – as well as models ranging from compact SUVs, like the Ora 5, through to seven-seaters and utes.

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. The terrifying rise of schoolboys making AI girlfriends The Telegraph

2. For Some Singles, ‘Hobbyamory’ Has Replaced Hookups The New York Times

3. Poor Dad author goes bust Vanity Fair

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora, team!

Kelly here this week - coming to you from a chilly Hanmer Springs! (One of the best little gems of the South Island, as it turns out… I’ll write up a full travel story soon!).

But before I got here for a weekend away with my husband, I had a near meltdown this week over the stupidest thing and I just have to know if I’m the only one who gets absolutely sent into a conniption about this, or if I’m missing something.

WHAT is the point of those little removable bits of padding in togs and sports bras?

I was running late this week and had a grand total of 45 seconds to get dressed and get out of the house when I was pulling on a sports bra, only for it to make me look like I had two and a half boobs, the half being a misshapen, bulgy lump that sat awkwardly off to the side because the goddamn padding had taken a life of its own and refused to go back to where it was supposed to be.

After a lot of swearing and wriggling (I might have been a bit frustrated about a few other things too but let me tell ya, this was the grain of rice that tipped me over the edge!) I managed to sort myself and my boobs out and head out the door, but tell me - does anyone need these little inserts to be removable? They’re not there for any boosting purposes, rather, they just give your rack a little more shape and stability. Why do we need the option to take them out?! Or do people prefer their bras without!?

Am I the idiot?! Highly likely, but am I about this specifically? Someone please, enlighten me!

Speaking of fashion (well, kind of) I popped into a few shows at New Zealand Fashion Week, which was a treat. I have huge respect for fashion - I LOVE buying clothes and I really enjoy looking at a runway and imagining all of the pieces that I’d be thrilled to bring home with me. I’m not really there for those shows where you can’t buy the stuff, either because it’s more art, or because you’d need to take out a second mortgage to afford one frock.

So, I checked out out awesome Kiwi brands such as Caitlin Crisp and Karen Walker and yes, my wish list for both brands is now jam-packed, and I can’t wait to indulge in a few little treats soon! If these runways are any indication of trends coming into summer, there’s a lot of frills, colour and fun heading out way - and let’s be fair, the world can use as much colour and joy as possible!

That’s all from me, I hope you are having a glorious weekend!

New Stats Show the Last Time We Felt This Little Inclined to Have a Baby, There was a WORLD WAR Going On

NZ’s birth rate is in crisis. Latest figures from Stats NZ released on August 18 show that our estimated natural population increase is at its lowest since during World War II. But… are we at all surprised?

OPINION

TRIGGER WARNING: Postpartum Anxiety, Suicide

This week, Stats NZ released brand new population figures that showed NZ’s estimated natural population increase is at its lowest since the early 1940s, during World War II.

Yes, that’s right, the last time we felt this little inclined to want to have a baby, there was a WORLD WAR occurring.

Besides the fact that we were at war and the fear and anxiety that was causing (as well as the scarcity of supplies), there was also the hurdle that a lot of men simply weren’t even in the country to procreate. Back then about 194,000 New Zealand men were serving in the armed forces (along with 10,000 women of course!) which meant around 40% of all men aged 18-45 were in the military – 72% of whom, were serving out of the country.

But yes, it seems that’s the last time our birth rate was looking quite so dire.

I’d argue it’s harder than ever to have a child in New Zealand.

Keep reading »»»

I'll Have What She's Having: It's Kegel Balls Time! Our Panel Reviews Pretty Love’s Kegel Tighten Up - So, What's the Deal?

Get excited team, our most popular series is BACK – yes, it’s I’ll Have What She’s Having, our monthly panel of real, honest sex toy reviews, powered (wink) by our pals at Peaches and Cream (where you will, of course, find the best sex toys in NZ!). We have a brand-new group of diverse, fun and fabulous panellists who are ready and willing to try out some new products and give you their real, honest (and often hilarious) reviews. This month, our panel is testing out Pretty Love’s Kegel Tighten Up – a curious option for our panel who have VERY different takes! Are Kegel balls are a vibe? Let’s find out!

Capsule x Peaches and Cream

“Consistency is key…but if you can stick at it, they’re fabulous”

Jane, 36, newly single following a 10-year marriage and mum to two kids. She’s new to toys, as during her marriage the topic was ‘banned’, so she’s open to trying new things!

I was really keen to give these Kegel balls a try, and overall I think they’re a good option if you’re prepared to actually be intentional about using them. They’re comfortable, discreet and easy enough to incorporate into your routine, but I definitely found they require a bit of consistency rather than being something you’ll get much from using once in a while.

Keep reading »»»

In The Sandwich Generation? Not Far Off It? Don’t Know What We’re Talking About?! Here’s What You Can Do NOW To Survive the Squeeze…

Back in 1965, the average age of a first-time mum was 25.5.

Back then, you’d have likely got married at 21 and spent a few years adjusting to married life, before starting to have kids – probably three or four of them (the birth rate then was 3.5 per woman).

It was likely your own mother would have started having children by her early 20s too – if not earlier – so when you gave birth, your mum would have been about 50 and around to help, particularly because she wasn’t likely to work.

In last year’s statistics the average age of a first-time mum in NZ hit over 30 for the first time – 31.7 to be exact. The stats show that in the last 40 years, but especially the last 20, the age of a first-time mum has shot up significantly.

In a lot of ways this is amazing – it reflects that women’s roles have changed significantly and we now have so many more choices available to us. It also speaks to the fact that IVF and fertility treatments are making parenthood possible to more men and women.

We ran a story just a couple of months ago about the Hollywood baby boom amongst celebrities who are over 40. This year Aubrey Plaza announced she’s pregnant at 41 – so is Anne Hathaway at 43 and Natalie Portman at 45. It’s something I have a little experience in myself, after having a baby a few weeks after I turned 40. It’s a joy and a blessing and I’m so grateful it was a possibility.

But here’s one of the catches we don’t often address: as we continue to have children later in life – the crush of the sandwich generation becomes a little more intense.

Keep reading »»»

'I Kept My Cancer a Secret': A 31-Year-Old Kiwi Gal Self-Tested for Cervical Cancer - And Thank God She Did

Amber Sims was 31 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year after a self-administered test, and now, she’s now sharing her story of the support that has carried her through. Alongside her family and closest friends, a Cancer Society nurse became a vital source of reassurance, guidance and care.

Before cancer, Amber Sims was living a life full of plans – teaching music, riding thoroughbreds with her mum and sister, and pouring creativity into everything from work to sewing race-day outfits. But when ongoing abdominal pain and fatigue left her feeling that something wasn’t right, she pushed for answers.

In mid-2025 she went to the doctor for blood tests and, while she was there, also did the new cervical screening self-test.

A few days later, the clinic called with an urgent referral to a gynaecologist. Biopsies followed. Then came the diagnosis: stage 3C1 cervical cancer.

“I’m quite an independent person,” the Auckland woman says. “Until I knew what it was and what I was dealing with, I didn’t want to upset anyone.”

She attended those early appointments alone, waiting until she understood the diagnosis and treatment plan before telling the people closest to her. But once the full picture became clear, so did the seriousness of what lay ahead.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. “I kept a shopping diary for 30 days – an expert revealed the triggers making me click ‘buy’ and how to break them” Stylist

2. We Grew Up With Hayden Panettiere. Now We’re Reckoning With How Hollywood Failed Her Refinery29

3. I Went to Türkiye to Let Astrology Plan My Holiday. What Happened Next Wasn’t on the Itinerary Marie Claire UK

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

It’s Alice here today and I hope this week has been kind to you. I have found it to be an absolute mixed bag of crazy - yes, some crazy good, but also a fair bit that could just get in the bin please and thank you.

I chipped a tooth, got an unexpected tax bill, discovered that my eyesight (and, actually, overall eye health) is in worse shape than I thought (but holy moly, can I tell you, if you need help with your eyes, Harri at Specsavers in Newmarket is an angel - and is excellent at picking the right glasses for your face. She showed me how a frame with a slight cat eye shape can give you an instant face lift. Sold!) and had a dodgy few sleeps thanks to the latest barking daycare cough doing the rounds at our place (surely, winter must be coming to an end soon?!).

But. BUT. In the beautiful ying/yang of life, my husband and I spent an extremely rare night away from the kids trying out the Key to the City package at Auckland’s SO/ hotel. The glorious cough-free sleep! The peace! We had dinner at Tacoteca, which was unbelievably good (side note - if you too are gluten-free, this place is heaven! Very nearly everything on the menu is GF! And delicious!!). Yes, the tacos are amazing, but for winter they also have a chicken tortilla soup on the menu, which was so warming and tasty I haven’t stopped thinking about it since - I highly recommend the whole experience.

When we came back home the four-year-old adorably ran and flung himself at us, yelling “Imissedyousomuch” but without taking a breath added “doyouhaveanyOoshies?”

Yes, I know, I ranted about it in a story last week, but god almighty, these Ooshies are driving me to the absolute brink.

We’re counting our pennies at the moment (who isn’t in this economy) - something my eyes and teeth apparently didn’t get the memo about - and while we’re going through a busy phase we’ve been getting My Food Bag delivered, which is absolutely helping with the mental load. It does mean we only occasionally need to go to the supermarket, which seems to be driving the kids mad.

Our four-year-old does a stocktake every day - claiming that we probably don’t have enough washing powder, toilet paper or milk and absolutely need to do a supermarket shop immediately. (I am extremely thankful he is still very truthful and hasn’t started hiding things or eating at twice his normal rate in a bid to get more Ooshies - but, he may be capable of it if we keep going at this rate). But, my heart was warmed on Friday when he sent his big brother off to school with his own Ooshie double-ups to trade. Surely absolutely nothing says I TRUST YOU like giving your Ooshies over to someone to trade on your behalf.

The good Ooshies news is that I found A HACK. On Friday I went to the supermarket and spent $35.84 and took home 10, yess TEN Ooshies. I found another way to get ELEVEN Ooshies for only spending $32.51. I’ve written about it here if you want to know the secret!

I hope wherever you are on your Ooshie journey, you are doing okay.

Have a lovely weekend!

x

Pretty Postpartum with Kim Crossman: ‘Eight Months In, I’m Feeling a Little Less Pressure to Have it All Figured Out’

I had a wee Google to see what “most mums” are feeling at the eight month mark, something I have done a bit of over my motherhood journey as I often feel maybe I am an outlier, only to find I am more normal and not at all unique each time, which is honestly a good thing. Whilst I thrive on being unique in most areas of life, my emotional rollercoaster is one I prefer to be sharing than be alone on.

A quote that came up was, “I wish someone had told me that I’d miss every version of my baby, even while I was excited to meet the next one.” On these milestones, and when I sit down to reflect on the month, tears come instantly. A moment to take pause and look back at each four weeks, notice the changes in my baby girl, her size, her features, her movement, and it bottles in my throat making it hard to swallow.

It’s a mourning of sorts, in a really beautiful way, and a pressure to not ever forget the tiny details of each stage, the memories I hope are somehow tattooed in my brain forever. And it’s also so much joy. Holding two big emotions at once has really been the definition of my motherhood journey and again, knowing I am not unique is comforting.

Eight months will forever be a milestone for me for a few reasons, which a lot of you may have picked up on, and something I am sure when I find the appropriate way to share, I will do so. I think there are some things in life that need a little time before you can find the right words for them, and I am giving myself permission to have that time. But Coco and I are on a new little journey and I am committed to making it full of love and good vibes only. There is so much I want for this little girl and so much I want to experience with…

Keep reading » » »

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Come November, Around 2,700 18 and 19-Year-Olds Who Are Unable to Work Due to Illness Will No Longer Be Eligible for the Jobseeker Support Benefit Payment. Even Those Battling Cancer.

Yes, you read that right – in November this year changes will come into effect for the Jobseeker Support Benefit. These changes will mean 18 and 19-year-olds who are currently on the Jobseeker Support Benefit HCID (that means they’re on the benefit because of a health condition, injury or disability) whose parents earn more than $65,000 will no longer be eligible. It’s thought it will affect around 2,700 teenagers – some of whom are unable to work because they’re battling cancer. One mother, whose son received payments several years ago talks to Capsule about the heartbreaking reality of having a sick teenager, who wants nothing more than to be well and out there working and thriving. She fears for the families who will no longer be able to get assistance.

“I thought the year my husband died was – and would always be – the worse year of my life,” says Jennifer. “But then 2022 happened.”

When Jennifer’s husband passed away after suffering a sudden heart attack, it felt like her world was falling apart – but then, two years later she found herself in what she describes as true rock bottom.

“We had lots of different types of insurance, but apparently not enough,” she says. Jennifer works as a nurse, while her husband also worked in the public sector. “Neither of us were highly paid, but together, our income was good for getting by in Auckland. His payout was enough to cover his funeral and to cover bills for a little while. Until his death we were also helping our parents financially.”

But then, Jennifer was alone, servicing the mortgage and raising two kids – a son then aged 16 and an 11-year-old daughter. “Finding care for her while…

Keep reading » » »

THE ONE THING… ‘I Learnt About Hackers That Truly Surprised Me (And Has Changed How I View My Vacuum Cleaner – Yes, Really!)

Before journalist and mum Mary-Jane Aggett started making the documentary ‘Hacked’ she thought she had a pretty good handle on what hacking was all about – who was likely behind it and what means they would do it by. But, as she’s discovered the reality is quite terrifyingly different and it’s made her give ordinary home appliances a second look…

Before making Hacked!, I thought I had a fairly reasonable handle on hackers.

They were shadowy people in hoodies, sitting in dark rooms surrounded by blinking computer screens, tapping away at lightning speed while trying to break into a bank. Or, at the slightly less dramatic end of the spectrum, they were the reason your friend suddenly started posting, “I can’t believe this actually works!” above a suspicious cryptocurrency link on Facebook.

Annoying? Absolutely. But also… a little bit distant.

Then I began working on Hacked!, a new documentary investigating cybercrime in Aotearoa, and discovered something that made me look at practically every object in my house differently.

The one thing I learnt?

Keep reading » » »

Is Sending a ‘Closure Letter’ to An Ex Ever a Good Idea?

Some of us have sent closure letters, or nearly sent them and deleted them, or have an unsent draft, or may even be contemplating the shoulda coulda woulda right now. We asked some women for their opinions: to send or not to send?

Melanie, a 29-year-old from Auckland, was devastated when a boyfriend of two years – a man who had pursued her in the first place – broke up with her suddenly. “I was shattered that he broke up with me, but it felt like a slap in the face for it to happen over the phone.” She managed to say a few sentences during that call, but couldn’t communicate well. “My brain was short-circuiting or something.”

Later, her therapist suggested that Melanie write him a letter explaining how she felt about everything, then decide later whether to send or burn it.

“There were a lot of things I needed to say to him. Like, too many to even fit into your story, probably. So I wrote that letter. I thought about burning it – as in, deleting the file from my computer. But I decided that I needed to let him know how much I was hurting and exactly why. I made it clear that this was not in any way an attempt to get back together.”

After she emailed it, she felt nauseous for a month, second-guessing if she should have done it. “I’d said ‘please don’t reply’ even though part of me wanted a reply. But I was ultimately…

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Jen Hamilton Won’t Let Her Divorce Ruin Her Moment The Cut

2. Helicopter Parents Are Co-Piloting Their Adult Children’s Careers The Wall Street Journal

3. The New Generation Reinventing Bar TV Watch Parties Paper

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena, team!

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend. It’s Kelly this week, emerging from the puppy trenches (why did no one tell me it would be this stressful?!) and loving dog parent life!

Pic for attention, of course - this is Mustard on his first trip to the beach! Thank CHRIST we can go on walks now!

Anyway, it’s an awesome week of content for you this week - and, perhaps we’ve done this subconsciously, but it’s all on the lighter side (to balance out the world dumpster fire?), so I really hope you can take a few minutes to unwind, chill out (or vibe out, if you catch my drift after reading our below story).

But, while it’s all orgasms, Ooshies and organisation on Capsule, we know it’s still hard going out there, and we have some ripper yarns in the coming weeks that’ll tackle some of the biggest issues facing Kiwi women right now. If you think there’s something we should be covering, please do let us know at hello@capsulenz.com.

But in the meantime, enjoy!

'Life Is Stressful Enough Without the Pressure of Having to Collect a Full F***ing Set of Ooshies. Help!'

We are currently in the thick of the Ooshies campaign at Woolworths and Alice is just doing her best not to loose her mind.

OPINION

I’m convinced Woolworths might be after my last shred of sanity.

If you too are a parent (or maybe a Disney adult?!) you’re likely also in the thick of the Ooshie torment.

My days now often start with my four-year-old giving me a list of things he reckons we might possibly need at the supermarket – his not-so-subtle attempts to get us to Woolworths so he can get his hands on another packet of Ooshies. He’s an addict.

His addiction is only further fuelled by the hype these little bits of rubber are getting at his daycare. There’s even one imaginative little preschooler who has been telling the others about Ooshies that don’t even exist that he reckons are now in his collection – a glow in the dark Bluey or a pink Spongebob Squarepants Ooshie. (I gotta hand it to this kid, this is next level psychological warfare).

For those who are currently living in the beautiful peace that is not knowing about Ooshies, it’s the latest collectible campaign Woolworths is running to empty our pockets, sanity and dignity.

Keep reading »»»

27 Personalities, 3am Alarms & Controlling the Controllable: Laura McGoldrick's Sunday Reset

Welcome to The Sunday Reset, our series brought to you by the legends at My Food Bag, where well-known Kiwi women tell us how they actually spend their Sundays. The fridge clean-outs, the wellness rituals, the shortcuts they swear by, and the stuff they happily ignore: it’s all up for a yarn. Some are wildly organised, some are running on vibes and dry shampoo, but all of them are real, candid and a fab insight into how Kiwi women prepare for the week ahead. This week, Capsule catches up with broadcaster and sports presenter Laura McGoldrick, who takes our call in the middle of fronting New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games coverage, an assignment that comes with a daily 3am alarm! Between the brutal wake-ups, two kids (one of whom makes a VERY memorable cameo in this interview) and a husband who never knows which of her 27 personalities he’s going to get on any given day, Laura’s Sundays are a military operation of clean sheets, pancake flips and laid-out uniforms. Honestly? We’ve never related to anything more.

Capsule x My Food Bag

Kia ora mate! What does the average Sunday look like for you and your family?

Okay, so Sunday is my day to reset. I clean like a madwoman. Everyone’s sheets get cleaned, the fridge gets cleaned out, the laundry is replenished, everything’s put away. It’s like a spring clean every Sunday. Plus we restock and go through everything we need. Our My Food Bag arrives, and that’s also my sign to go and check the meals that I’ve ordered for the next week. It’s a full reset - it’s tidying anything that needs tidying, and in my case that’s usually my wardrobe, where things just get a little out of hand during the week.

So you actually are a real Sunday reset kind of person, because your week is chaos every other day.

It can be! The only time Sunday goes slightly skew-whiff is when the Warriors are playing on a Sunday. I’ll never be mad at them for that, I just have to slightly move my Sunday frenetic, frantic to-do. That’s the only time I would ever shift it. But it’s ok, I love the Wahs.

Up the Wahs! Do you actually look forward to the Sunday reset? Because when you’re describing it, yes, it’s a bit of a chore, but it also sounds like an actual mental reset as well.

Keep reading »»»

The Love Diaries: ‘I Feel Duped!’ Would You Let AI Write Your Wedding Vows? One Kiwi Bride Says She Feels Betrayed

Would you let AI write wedding vows for your big day? One Kiwi bride is feeling sick about the fact that her husband used AI to write his. So… was he wrong to do it?

Alex had the perfect wedding. It was her dream day, marrying her partner of seven years, surrounded by loved ones.

“Everything went so smoothly, except for like, one or two things, like the cars we ordered didn’t turn up so we had to uber – and my flowers that were supposed to be bright orange were more like a peach,” says Alex.

But other than a couple of little issues, Alex felt the whole day was absolutely perfect.

That is, until a few weeks ago, when she learned some information that has changed the way she views the day.

Alex found out that her husband, Josh, used AI to write his vows.

“AI wrote the whole thing,” she says. “Like, he didn’t just get a bit of help. It was the whole thing.”

Alex says her husband’s vows were one of her favourite things about the whole day. They’d decided to write their own and keep them a secret until the big day.

“His vows were so sweet and special and thoughtful,” says Alex. “He’d never said anything like that to me before and it made me feel so special and loved.”

But now, says Alex, “that feels like a lie. I feel duped.”

Keep reading »»»

Charm Offensive: How Pandora Got Cool Again (There’s an Actual NAME For It!)

So according to Gen Z and social media, Pandora is officially cool again!? As someone who had an OG charm bracelet when she was a teenager, Kelly Meharg looks into the resurgence and does things a little differently this time around…

Somewhere in a drawer at my parents’ house, there’s a sterling silver Pandora bracelet with an orange theme – orange Murano glass, orange enamel, an orange stone or two, all crammed onto the classic chain with no rhyme or reason. I’d committed to a colour story before I knew what a “colour story” was, and I wore that bracelet with the kind of unembarrassed devotion only a 15-year-old can achieve because it was, for me, the coolest bloody thing I owned.

Every charm meant something in that really deep, earnest way things used to mean back then. One was a birthday, one came from a mate who’s still a mate and at least one was bought with netball umpiring money in a fit of impatience because the milestones were not arriving fast enough for my liking. It was a wearable diary written by a girl convinced she’d already lived a great deal of life (lol) and then, somewhere in my twenties, it went into that drawer while I moved on to jewellery I had decided was more grown up (or that I bought at Diva with my meagre Glassons paycheck).

But now, after a gold Pandora bracelet, a gold necklace and five charms turned up on my desk last month, gifted from Pandora’s PR company, I think I’ve come full circle. Are we back on the Pandora bandwagon? Yes, apparently – but I’m extremely late to the party.

Keep reading »»»

Team, The Clitoris Has Finally Been Scientifically ‘Mapped’ & the Results Are Fascinating

It’s wild that we’ve reached 2026 and are still playing catch-up when it comes to understanding women’s sexual anatomy and sexual pleasure. Also, it’s time for orgasm equality - scientists at Amsterdam University Medical Center have released the world’s first complete 3D map of the clitoris’ internal nerve network – something that, surprisingly, took around 30 years longer than equivalent mapping of the penis.

Ladies, if you missed it yesterday, drop everything and plan a romantic evening tonight, or have your vibrator on standby. Why? Because yesterday was International Female Orgasm Day. Yes, really!

It began as an initiative launched in 2007 in the town of Esperantina, Brazil, by José Arimateia Dantas Lacerda. He realised his wife hadn’t experienced an orgasm and decided it was time to sexually satisfy her (about time!) and encourage other men to satisfy their wives. A city councillor, he drafted a proposal, approved by the city council, to establish Día Internacional del Orgasmo Femenino (International Day of the Female Orgasm). A bouquet for José!

The purpose is, of course, celebrating and trying to bring about female orgasms. And it’s also an opportunity to challenge taboos about women’s sexuality, encourage open discussions about female sexuality and our bodies, and our right to sexual pleasure. Can we make it a national holiday, please? While we’re at it, how about a new hashtag: #youcomefirst?

We've written about the orgasm gap before – men orgasm more than women do, because penises don’t always do the trick for women. Between 80-95% of women don’t have orgasms from intercourse alone. 80% of heterosexual women have faked orgasms, and 5-10% of women have never experienced them at all. Oh, and generally, women need 10-20 minutes to experience orgasm. And 70% of female orgasms are due to clitoral stimulation.

Keep reading »»»

Review: I Tried Caci’s Fractional CO2 Laser, AKA the Treatment Everyone’s Talking About – Here’s the Honest Take

Caci’s Fractional CO2 Laser is the most advanced treatment they offer so SURELY we’re in for some epic results! Kelly, a 35-year-old with texture, lines and redness, went in with high hopes – here’s exactly what happened, her review and whether she’d do it again.

Capsule x Caci – For transparency, Capsule has an ongoing partnership with Caci. This treatment was provided for review, but Caci had no sign-off on this piece and no editorial input into what you’re about to read.

Here’s the thing about the treatments that actually work: they tend to come with a bit of a catch – no such thing as a free lunch, right? Usually the catch is money, sometimes the catch is that you have to do it forever, and occasionally, as with Caci’s Fractional CO2 Laser, the catch is that for a few days afterwards, you’ll look like you’ve been lightly sunburnt through a fly screen.

Annoying? A little. Worth it? Hell yes.

I’ve been wanting to do a Fractional CO2 Laser for a while now, after hearing miracle stories from my beauty editor friends and reading online testimonials. I think I’m in that stage of my 30s where you really notice skin concerns accelerating – the lines are coming faster, the texture is, well, texture-ing, and what used to be a smooth tone now looks mottled and red. Cool cool cool.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Every Freida McFadden Thriller Book Ranked From Best to Worst The Everygirl

2. Feel like you’re stagnating at work? The DRIVE rule could be the key to unlocking your next step Stylist

3. Bankrupt at 28 The Cut

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

It’s Alice here and, well, it’s been a perfect storm this week - all the ingredients you need to have absolutely shocking sleeps. Anyone else with me?

I’m putting it down to this week’s fierce full moon, a bloody cold snap, a round of antibiotics (these winter bugs just won’t quit) plus I got hooked on a terrifying TV show that I’d told myself I wouldn’t watch and then kept staying up too late watching it.

Weeks ago I’d watched the first 15 minutes of the first episode of Cape Fear and decided that it was too grim, but, then I got all brave after watching Widow’s Bay - which I loved, despite the creepiness of it all - and decided maybe I should give it a go after all. Particularly after a few people had raved about it.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve given the show a watch, but heck - it sure is creepy, and it only gets bleaker by the minute. Javier Bardem is terrifying in it. So much so, that when the smoke alarm in the garage went off at 3am while it was literally howling with wind outside and the windows were being hammered by sideways rain, the first thing that flashed into my brain was Javier Bardem and that maybe a murderous psychopath was now targeting my family. Cool cool cool. (Side note: apparently smoke detectors can be triggered by sudden high humidity?). If you’ve watched the show - the finale screened here on Friday - I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ve written mine here (as well as my recommendations for shows like it, if you’re into dark psychological thrillers), but please do drop me a line! And, maybe if you have any light, happy shows you love, you could send me your recommendations (while my frayed nerves repair themselves!!)?

There’s a bunch of great stories to get stuck into this weekend on the site.

Sarah’s written a really interesting piece about a Kiwi woman who is reflecting back on her decision to get an abortion - something she certainly doesn’t regret, but does sometimes feel some guilt about because she never told the friend of a friend who she had slept with. Sarah’s talked to therapist about this tricky situation - with some really interesting different viewpoints and takes.

I had an interesting, emotional chat with a Capsule reader who had a difficult relationship with her mother for decades. Her parents divorced when she was 13 and she believed it was all her mother’s fault and she was to blame for ripping her world apart.But, some 20 years later - whilst pregnant with her first child - she came across a death notice, which bizarrely revealed the truth.

Kel’s also made me have a think about what my algorithm is up to, with her great piece about whether our phones might actually be making us… well, dull?

Elsewhere on the site, if you’re feeling chilly, we have the 10 best winter warmers we truly swear by - and lots of them are on sale right now! We’re in that spot where the winter sales are starting to come in, but we’ve still got a fair bit of cold weather in front of us, so it’s a good time to buy!

Aaaand, we have one of my fave columns - Kim Crossman interviews her sister this week for her column, Pretty Interesting. I so love this column and Kim’s commitment to bringing some more positivity, kindness and curiosity to our worlds.

I hope you have a beautiful rest of the weekend!

The Divorce Diaries: ‘For 20 Years I Blamed My Mum For Causing My Parents’ Divorce – Then a Death Notice in the Paper Changed Everything’

Sally was 13 when her parents sat her and her younger sister down one otherwise unremarkable Saturday morning to announce they were splitting up and getting a divorce.

“It’s 30 years later and I can still remember it, exactly,” says Sally. “I can remember the lounge suite, the feel of it – everything. I remember there being s bit of one of the seams coming away and fixating on that as my parents were talking. I started picking at it.”

One of the strongest memories she has of that morning was how upset her father was.

“He was not a man who cried,” she says. “I don’t think I’d ever seen him cry and he was crying as he talked to us. His eyes were red, he was using a handkerchief to wipe his eyes and his whole face. He was in a real state. I remember, like, wanting to look at his face, but also having to look away a lot because it felt so overwhelming and intense seeing him crying.”

Her mum didn’t cry. Her voice sounded different, but she kept telling the girls how much she loved them and how everything was…

Keep reading » » »

I Think My Phone Is Making Me Less Interesting… Are Algorithms Ruining Taste & Making Us Dull?

Somewhere between the barrel leg jeans and the brown bubble plates, Kelly Meharg started to wonder whether her taste was actually hers. Turns out there’s a name for that.

I knew something was wrong the minute I looked in the mirror.

On the way out to a work event, I saw myself. Like, saw myself. In a pair of mid-wash, mid-rise barrel jeans.

Now, nothing against those of you gals who can rock a barrel leg. I applaud you, I salute you. But me? No. No no nooooo.

Firstly, they simply don’t flatter my body shape – long torso, tiny legs (wait is this why I just got a corgi…) a tummy, and thighs that are brilliant for netball but not so much for a lot of what we now call *fashion*. I like to minimise my bottom half, not accentuate it… so why the hell am I trying to leave the house looking like West Auckland’s answer to MC Hammer?

‘But they look so cute online,’ I grumbled to myself, turning around to find my old faithful pair of Levi’s straight legs.

Then I looked around my house…

Keep reading » » »

To Tell, Or Not To Tell Him: Do You Need to Tell Your Sexual Partner That You’re Getting an Abortion?

Here’s one woman’s story behind the difficult choice not to tell the man in question about an abortion – and a counsellor weighs in on the subject, as do men on Reddit…

At age 23, Kate*, to her shock, found herself pregnant, having had sex with a friend of a friend without discussing contraception. “He would have just assumed I was on the pill. He should probably have asked though, right?” Right. And she was. Kate thinks she must have accidentally skipped some pills, or that the pill just failed.

It took her six weeks before she realised she was pregnant. “When I tested positive, I threw up from the shock. I went into freeze mode, as though if I kept my body completely still, this whole thing would go away. I thought ‘this is something that happens to other people, not me’.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell her sexual partner. “I threw up again just thinking about telling him. I felt sure he would want an abortion, based on comments he had made in a group setting about being terrified of…”

Keep reading » » »

Want to Escape Winter? NOW is the Perfect Time to Visit Balmy, Beautiful Port Douglas – the Gateway to Great Barrier Reef & the Daintree Rainforest

While Mother Nature seems to be ramping winter up a notch here, it’s the perfect time to visit balmy Port Douglas. Right now it’s their dry season, highs are a balmy 27 degrees and there’s plenty of fab resorts to get amongst – as well as not one, but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites right on the doorstep. It’s no wonder that Port Douglas has been named one of Booking.com’s Top 10 Trending Destinations for 2026. Alice took a look at what’s on offer in this up-and-coming tourist destination…

I’m expecting to feel terrified. I’d felt my heart starting to beat more rapidly as I descended the wooden staircase, waving goodbye to my friends – as well as complete strangers sat watching me, pointing and waving. I imagined by the time I got into the tank – if I actually even mustered the courage to get inside – that my heart would be beating out of my chest.

But instead, I feel oddly calm.

Instead of fear, I feel awe and amazement – by the time I’m out of the tank I’m energised and buzzing from the experience.

I’ve surprised myself – and a fair few friends back home – by trying one of the more daring attractions on offer in Port Douglas: the ‘Swim with the Salties’ experience at the Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas’ CrocArena. The attraction puts you nose to snout with giant saltwater crocodiles, swimming alongside them, separated by just Perspex. On one side of the tank is Goliath, a 4.3m, 500kg croc – and on the other is Big Al, a 75-year-old beast, weighing 600kg and stretching 4.3m long.

Yes, the two crocs are fearsome, but being in such close proximity to them, I suddenly have a newfound respect and admiration for them. They’re beautiful up close. But yes, also…

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. How Do People Actually Afford These Summer Trips? The Cut

2. The A.I. Gender Gap Meets the Parenting Gender Gap The New Yorker

3. The Weekly Practice That Made Me Feel Safer with My Partner Than 10 Years of Couples Therapy Ever Did The Female Edge

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora team, Kelly here - hope you had a fabulous week!

It’s a packed wee newsletter this week, so I’ll keep this bit short and sweet, but I’m so happy that this week, our WILDLY popular toy review column, I’ll Have What She’s Having, is finally back, with the support of our pals Peaches and Cream.

We’ve been running this column on and off almost since the start of Capsule and it’s always been one of our most-read and most-requested, and I’m really proud that we have crafted a space where a diverse group of panellists can be open and honest about how we can lean in and get the most out of our sex lives. The panel has been designed to represent as many of our readers as possible, with the hope that you’ll see at least a little bit of yourself in one of the panelists. They’ve all volunteered to be part of IHWSH for different reasons - finding themselves after babies, or relationship splits, or simply to have a hell of a good time solo! - and we’re thrilled that we have the backing of Peaches and Cream to be able to run these reviews once again.

On that note, you would have seen in the media this week that there are yet more job cuts coming for our industry, this time for Stuff. No one will sugar-coat things and tell you it’s easy for media companies out there. It’s tough going, especially for small, independent media companies like us.

If you’re a paid subscriber to this newsletter, we truly can’t thank you enough for helping us keep the lights on and allowing us to tell the stories that we think matter to Kiwi women.

Equally, we have an incredible group of partners with whom we’ve worked for years, and some new organisations that have recently joined (with a few exciting new ones to come soon!). We’re so grateful you’ve chosen our platform to work with - and thank you for engaging with the content we create for these brands, it means a lot. We work really hard to make sure our integrated stories are ones you’d read anyway, and that they all reflect and serve Capsule’s overarching vibe of smart reads and relatable rants!

We need independent media more than ever, so we’re so jazzed you are part of this community. And if you ever have ideas, comments or just need to rant (we get it!) the inbox is always open at hello@capsulenz.com.

Have a gorgeous week, team, and enjoy this week’s collection of stories!

The Divorce Diaries: ‘I Was Accidentally Tagged Into a Facebook Post…Which Finally Explained Why My Husband Had Left Me’

Naomi never really understood why her husband had left, until – bizarrely – she was accidentally tagged on Facebook in a post that gave her all the answers…

“No way, no way, no way!” thought Naomi* as she saw the Facebook notification pop up. “Things are certainly taking a turn for the weird!”

She clicked on the link, in which she was tagged, and started reading the post made by her ex’s David’s aunt, Liz. “Congratulations to David and Naomi…” it read. Which was already a little odd, because David and Naomi had fairly recently separated. She’d always liked Liz – she always made sure she sat next to her at family dinners because she hilarious, and she seemed to have a soft spot for Naomi. But, had Liz secretly been happy they’d split or something? She wasn’t used to seeing them being congratulated for deciding to divorce.

But then, she kept reading.

Keep reading »»»

I’ll Have What She’s Having: Our Panel Review the Satisfyer Vulva Lover 3 - This One Has the Team *Writhing* - But Is There a Catch?!

Get excited team, our most popular series is BACK – yes, it's I’ll Have What She’s Having, our monthly panel of real, honest sex toy reviews, powered (wink) by our pals at Peaches and Cream (where you will, of course, find the best sex toys in NZ!). We have a brand-new group of diverse, fun and fabulous panellists who are ready and willing to try out some new products and give you their real, honest (and often hilarious) reviews. This month, our panel is testing out the latest from Satisfyer - yes, the makers of everyone’s bestie, the Satisfyer Pro 2 - and reviews the Satisfyer Vulva Lover 3. Come along for the ride!

is thing is the SUV of pleasure toys… powerful, reliable and delivers the desired ‘outcum’”

Jane, 36, newly single following a 10-year marriage and mum to two kids. She’s new to toys, as during her marriage the topic was ‘banned’, so she’s open to trying new things!

This thing is the SUV of pleasure toys. It’s powerful, reliable... and slightly bigger than I expected.

Performance-wise? Absolutely no complaints. The air pulse and vibration combo is chef’s kiss, and being able to control them separately means you can operate things to your liking. It took a few goes to figure out the settings - I probably should have looked at the instructions.

Keep reading »»»

Could You Benefit From a 'News-tox'? Why I Avoided International News For a Month - And What Happened Next!

It’s a wild time to be alive, and an easy time to get overwhelmed by the world’s geopolitics. Sarah Lang decided to tap out of international news for a month. How did it go?

If you don’t want to see someone’s posts, you can unfollow them on Instagram or Facebook (or unfriend them on Facebook, though that’s sometimes too blunt a tool).

But we can’t unfollow Trump. If you consume international news through various platforms, he’s all over it. Meta, can you please invent a feature that stops any Trump content appearing on my feed? Thank you.

I’ve always kept up with international news because I consider myself a global citizen, not just a New Zealand citizen, and I very much care what’s happening around the world, especially in war zones and where things are very bad. I know I shouldn’t put blinkers on. I’m a journalist, after all.

But news consumption is tricky. Research indicates that exposure to just 14 minutes of negative news (and let’s be honest, that’s the majority of news) can elevate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some experts advise you to restrict your news consumption to, say, 10 to 15 minutes in the morning and, say, 10 to 15 minutes in the evening – and only from trusted news sources. I started doing that. But I was still getting too much Trump.

A month ago, I thought ‘God I’m so sick of hearing his voice and seeing his face, but what can I do about it? Nothing.’ Then I realised I could do something.

Keep reading »»»

He Was Looking For Love on The Bachelor, She Was A Producer On The Show… Then She Fell In Love With Him. The WILD Tea Behind The Bachelor

In her memoir The Love Producer, a former producer on The Bachelor spills tea on hooking up with the lead and her own romantic fantasy for them

It is a truth universally acknowledged (well, at Capsule anyway) that I know far too much about all things Bachelor. Hence I could bring you the update on Taylor Frankie Paul‘s (cancelled at least for now) season and start my deep dive into the story behind the podcast Love Trapped.

Now Julie LaPlaca has entered the chat. She’s just released her memoir ‘The Love Producer: My Unscripted Journey From a Reality TV Career to My Own Happily Ever After’. So, naturally, I pre-ordered a copy. The book doesn’t betray literary genius, but it’s an interesting, engaging read if you’re a Bachelor or reality-TV fan – especially if you wondered whether those rumours about Peter Weber and his producer were true.

Julie charts her life so far. Originally a country girl, she worked her way up from the bottom to become a producer in the TV industry. She landed a dream job on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, enjoying coming up with interesting date ideas. Then she was promoted to a coveted role: producer for the lead. This meant she went everywhere with them, flew with them between cities and countries, prepped them for dates, got them to express their feelings in ITMs (in-the-moment interviews) etcetera: a literal fulltime job and then some. Julie started with Hannah Brown. She says Hannah was a bit mean at first but their relationship improved.

Keep reading »»»

IKEA Designed an ENTIRE Room for Me – Here’s the Before and After, and What It’s Like to Makeover a Whole Space with IKEA in NZ (For Under $1500!)

Kelly Meharg channels her inner Swede with a whole room makeover with IKEA NZ – here’s how she designed (and built, of course) a practical but also chic entranceway.

Capsule x IKEA

When we bought our first home, we hit the jackpot in the sense that 90% of our 50s baby bungalow had just been through a full reno, and my husband and I, being people who, frankly, suck at things like painting, plastering and sanding, were thrilled.

However there was one space that had remained untouched since God knows when – our entranceway or, as my sister-in-law dubbed it upon seeing it, our mudroom (mudroom sounds SO much classier, no?).

What wasn’t classy was how we were treating this dud of a space – as a dumping ground. Boxes, random stuff that needed to be taken to the hospice shop, shoes, jackets… it’s this Virgo’s idea of unorganised hell.

So, off I toddled to IKEA with a dream, fully intending to truly embrace that Swedish/Kiwi DIY spirit, and here’s what happened (TL:DR – outsource, baby!).

Good storage solutions – we all want them, none of us have

Keep reading »»»

‘It’s a Brave and Courageous Thing to Get a Divorce & Then to Also Do it in a Way that is Kind and Loving’ Gin Wigmore on Heartbreak, Soulmates, Motherhood & Creating a Beautiful Mess

Gin Wigmore packs a whole lot of living into her life. As an artist, she’s had one heck of a career – releasing multi-platinum albums, winning six New Zealand Music Awards and building a large global audience. Her songs have featured on TV like Grey’s Anatomy and Orange Is the New Black. Just last week Prime Video released the new series Ride or Die (starring Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham and Bill Nighy) – the theme song is Gin’s Kill of the Night.

Besides music though, Gin’s continued to challenge herself by throwing herself into other projects – from opening a hotel in Palm Springs, to a new deli in Auckland’s Kingsland. She’s spent much of the last decade and a half based in the States, but fairly recently moved back home to Auckland a little more permanently. She’s home with her two young sons after going through a heartbreaking divorce.

Last week – eight years after her last album – Gin released her brand new offering, Beautiful Mess. It’s her most vulnerable, raw and personal piece of work yet. Here, we had a chat with Gin about the new album, life, love, motherhood and more.

So, having said that, Gin, how are you today?

Wow, you’re so right with that being a big question! I like to actually respond in a way that’s real – and then to be received. That question often falls on deaf ears! Today… I am a whole bundle of feelings. To be honest, it’s like I’ve given birth to another child. It feels like Christmas. It feels like all parts exciting, terrifying, nerve-wracking, like a relief and like a huge part of my last five years has been like given up and surrendered to the world to now live and breathe.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. “Pretty Blondes” and Dirty Janes: Women Are Driving Mass True Crime Interest in Female Killers Vanity Fair

2. I Shopped Exclusively Secondhand for 6 Months—Here’s How It Changed My Personal Style The Everygirl

3. Is Food The Greatest Relationship Challenge Of Our Time? Bustle

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

It’s Alice here this week and heck.. it’s been a pretty good one. At the very start of this year, I decided to go a bit woo-woo again (side note: Kelly told me about this trend of looking back to when you were 14/15 and remembering what you loved then - the idea is that if you’re looking for a new hobby now, you should base it around that. So, witchcraft it is, then? Can’t wait for Practical Magic 2!).

I made a vision board - well, I chucked a few things on Canva - and one of the things I put on there was a family trip to Fiji. I then told my husband how overwhelmed with work/life I was, but that I’d somehow made time (aka procrastinated) for a vision board. I showed him the Fiji picture. “Why don’t we just do it?” he said. I googled flights to Fiji - both Air NZ and Fiji Airways were having a sale, even over the July school holidays. So… we booked and promised to squirrel away the money.

Instant woo-woo success.

So here I am, refreshed after five nights away with the fam in the warmth. And for the first time on a family holiday I actually got a fair chunk of reading done. I finally read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke - the one about the Tradwife mega-influencer who suddenly finds herself back in pioneer times. Have you read it? It’s completely unhinged… and unnerving. I can’t remember the last time I hated a character so much. She makes Amy from Gone Girl feel like a joy. It’s nearly a week since I finished it and I’m still working through my thoughts and feelings about it!

Do leave a comment below, or email me at alice@capsulenz.com with your thoughts. And send me your book recommendations - or podcasts and TV shows. My definite, you HAVE to read them reccs at the moment would be Strangers by Belle Burden (if you’re a fan of the Divorce Diaires, you gotta read it) and Sarah Wynn-WIlliams’ Careless People (she’s the Kiwi Facebook/Meta whistleblower and it’s fantastic). I’ve just downloaded Land by Maggic O’Farrell to my kindle, so we’ll see how that goes. TV-wise - my recs are here (honestly, give Widow’s Bay a go!) and if you’re looking for a new podcast, Sarah Lang got me well and truly hooked on Love Trapped.

Hope you have a lovely Sunday!

xx

The Midlife Pleasure Renaissance and the Great Sexual Reawakening – Is Women’s Sexual Peak Actually In Her 40s, 50s and Beyond? Diving into Sex in Midlife

When you look ahead to sex in midlife, you might think of it as winding down. But what if you’ll actually be reaching a sexual peak? What if we care less about how our bodies look and more about how they can give us sexual pleasure? We’re examining all of this in our new series THE MIDLIFE PLEASURE RENAISSANCE, brought to you by Peaches and Cream, New Zealand’s place for pleasure! First off, Sarah Lang dives into the pure facts – that midlife is the time to embrace pleasure, rather than hide away from it. It’s just science! (And read on for some spicy little helper recommendations from Peaches and Cream to aid your journey!)

A friend I’ll call Liz is frank about talking about her sex life – and she’d love women out there to know her story. Now 47, she went through two years of perimenopause, but managed symptoms thanks to HRT [hormone replacement therapy], other hormonal treatments, lubricants, and a female boss who understood her needing to leave a meeting when she got a hot flash.

When Liz and her husband first met, they had sex every few days, then once a week. Over the years, that became about once a fortnight, then once a month. “Maybe half the time, I experienced clitoral orgasms which were pleasant but not incredible. I just figured I didn’t have much of a sex drive.” Her husband complained that she rarely initiated sex, and counted the days until she did, announcing the number of days passive aggressively. As problems developed in the marriage, they stopped having sex altogether. “We didn’t talk about it, but the silence surrounding it was loud.” Her husband wanted out and Liz found she agreed. They’re co-parenting their children, 11 and 9.

After menopause Liz found she did have a sex drive. She found herself very attracted to a colleague on a work trip. “It was visceral to the point I masturbated thinking about him. We hooked up twice and the sex was the best I’d ever had and then some. I’d only had clitoral orgasms before but these were vaginal orgasms and it felt like a…

Keep reading » » »

Sheena Hemens Lost Her Daughter Lauren in a Car Accident – Aged Just 27. Sheena Was Legally Entitled to Just Three Days Off Work. Now, She’s Working to Extend That For Future Bereaved Families…

When Sheena Hemens suddenly lost her daughter in a car accident she was in complete shock – and further so at the idea that parents who have lost a child are currently legally entitled to just three days bereavement leave. Three days – just a long weekend – after suffering the greatest loss imaginable. Barely enough time to organise a funeral. Here, in her beautiful own words, Sheena shares her experiences – the petition she currently has before Parliament, and how she rose from the ashes after losing nearly everything that mattered to her.

This year marks three decades in this beautiful country of New Zealand. I am British and an eldest daughter, so yes, I’m a fixer, a doer and a multi-tasker. I am also an entrepreneur, a divorcee, a mother of three grown children, and a grandmother to a five- year-old superstar. In 2023, I thought I knew exactly who I was. After more than 50 years I was happy with myself. I didn’t think I would ever really change.

I’ve run a PR and events agency, a little crêperie that smelled like Sunday morning, a marketing consultancy. I was business to the bone – the kind of woman who could run a function for 200 people, clock that table nine was quietly getting divorced over the entrée, and find every typo on a client’s website in one glance.

Maison de Crepe, my restaurant, was founded in 2016. I was franchising it. And then 2020 sauntered in and asked the entire hospitality industry – whose…

Keep reading » » »

The Divorce Diaries: “He Left Me, Then Went on Our Honeymoon…With My Friend”

This week we spoke to Kathryn* who separated from her husband two years ago, when he dropped a bombshell – and then she discovered there was a hell of a lot more to the story…

It had been four-and-a-half years since Kathryn* and Tim’s wedding day, and they decided that it was finally time they took their honeymoon.

They’d spent a couple of nights in a hotel in town after the wedding – a gift from his parents – but had figured that a proper holiday could wait. They were far more focused on saving up to buy their first home, which was also their motivation for doing their big day on a relatively small budget. But now, nearly five years later, they’d bought the house, created a tidy savings account to start a family with and decided it was time to book a holiday before it became more difficult to travel with a young child or two in tow.

They’d booked their flights, taken a month off work and had been firing off emails to one another with links to different hotels or activities they could book in. It was an exciting time.

Then, while taking a coffee break one afternoon…

Keep reading » » »

Everyday Wellbeing, Actually Made Simple: Nutritionist Claire Turnbull on the Small Changes That Last

Nutritionist Claire Turnbull wants to finally take the overwhelm out of wellbeing – here she talks us through her new hub with the Cancer Society, and the small, no-guilt changes to nutrition, snacking and sleep that actually stick.

Capsule x Cancer Society

Claire Turnbull has been in and around the health and wellbeing industry since she was 15 – first as a health aide, later as a dietitian, and these days running her team at Mission Nutrition. Cancer has touched her life the way it has for so many of us, and her dad is on his own journey with it right now over in the UK, so she’s doing her best to support him from afar.

It’s part of the reason why she’s glad to be working with the Cancer Society – but if you’re bracing yourself for a lecture, don’t. What Claire is interested in is the opposite of fear and extremes – it’s the small, doable, genuinely sustainable stuff: the everyday wellbeing that helps you feel better, have more energy and look after yourself without turning your whole life upside down. That’s the thinking behind Everyday Wellbeing Made Simple, the campaign and online hub she’s created with the Cancer Society. We sat down to talk through what “simple” actually looks like.

Kia ora, Claire! “Everyday Wellbeing Made Simple” is a lovely promise, because wellbeing can feel like anything but. What does…

Keep reading » » »

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The Deep Dive: Understanding Motherhood – the Misconceptions That Have Spanned MILLENIA & the Worrying Resurgence of the Manosphere

Read Part One of our interview with groundbreaking cultural historian Elinor Cleghorn, author of 2021 book Unwell Women, and recently released book A Woman’s Work: Reclaiming The Radical History of Mothering, here. In Part Two, we talk about whether women can ‘have it all’, maternal mental health, the rolling back of reproductive rights, the manosphere, Elinor’s inspiring mother, and Elinor finding out she wasn’t immune to the pressure to be a perfect mother

Elinor, I’ve often thought about the women who have come before me: having to bear 10 or more children, losing half of them to illness, being terrified of dying giving birth and leaving their other children motherless. Is it weird to almost feel these women in my cells?

Nope! That was true for me writing this book. I started thinking about my maternal genealogy. My Nan was this boisterous, energetic, sometimes quite angry woman. I adored her, but she was difficult. For women like her, their destiny was work a little bit, get married. Then WW2 happens and, of course, war is bad, but also suddenly you’re a working-class young woman, interacting in the wider world. Then you have to give up this freedom. There must have been unspoken…

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. The Case for Liking, Not Loving, Your Job Burnt

2. Older Adults Turn to ‘Golden Girls’ Housing The New York Times

3. When Can You Ask The Person You’re Dating: “How Much Money Do You Make?” Refinery29

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora team!

Kelly here this week - I hope you had a lovely Matariki with friends and whānau!

Turns out there’s a very specific sound my inner child still makes, and it was activated most intently when I walked onto the set of You and Me to meet the woman who helped raise me (no shade, mums from the 90s!).

Don’t meet your heroes, sure, but when you’re given the chance to chat to Suzy Cato, you bloody do.

I’d told myself I’d be professional about the whole thing, because I’m a grown woman who runs a media company and I’ve interviewed many people before, thank you very much - but then Suzy walked in, warm and unhurried and exactly as I remembered her, and I felt something in my chest just come completely undone. This was the woman who raised a whole generation of us through the television set, who taught us to sing and to share and to sit still for at least the length of one song, and sitting there in the same room as her felt less like work and a lot more like being tucked into bed.

I loved every minute of it. I loved that she was every bit as kind in person as the version of her that’s been living rent-free in my memory since I was small and loved that she’s spent decades caring about New Zealand kids without ever once getting cynical or tired about it, and I loved how candid she was during the whole interview - it went far deeper than I thought it would. I came away a little teary and a lot grateful, which, for the record, is not my usual post-interview state.

But it got me thinking about why so many of us are reaching backwards right now, why Pandora bracelets are back (stay tuned for a deep dive on that one!) why we’d rather rewatch the shows we grew up on than start anything new (I’m on my fifth go of Modern Family?!) and why an hour with Suzy Cato felt genuinely like medicine.

Nostalgia, I reckon, is what we grab for when the present feels loud and the future feels at best uncertain and at worst completely fucked. It’s a soft place to land, and our childhood comfort figures ask nothing of us except that we remember them fondly, which, in a year that’s asked a great deal of everyone, is an enormous relief.

And why not. Be right back, just popping down to HBK for a pair of cargo shorts and some blow-up furniture. Maybe a lava lamp.

You can watch our full conversation with Suzy over on the Capsule YouTube channel, or click through below!

Pretty Postpartum with Kim Crossman: A Man Tried to Tell Me My Prolapse Was Made Up for Attention… But 7 Months In, I’m Finally Feeling My Mumma Bear Energy

This week Kim is most certainly back with her genuine, ‘tell it like it is’ perspective at seven months of being a mum to gorgeous little Coco!

Welcome to seven months.

I wrote on Instagram this week about feeling like I’ve hit some kind of confidence stride, so let me lull you into a false sense of toxic positivity before I get into the nitty gritty – I am so in love.

I really feel like I listened to the people who said “enjoy it, it goes so fast,” and over the last seven months I’ve genuinely tried to check my priorities, be as present as possible with Miss Coco, and be intentional about how I spend time with her. I’ve been trying not to do a million things during her wake windows and instead actually be with her, show her things, do things she enjoys and soak it up. I’m definitely not nailing that every day, but I do feel like I’m getting better at it.

It feels like the first time I’m really setting some boundaries or little rules for myself as a mum. Being overly available at all times is very 2026, but it’s also not especially healthy when you’re trying to be present with a baby. So this month I’m working on being really efficient when Coco sleeps so that when she’s awake I can actually enjoy being with her, rather than slipping into my usual mode of trying to achieve, tick things off and get everything done.

One of the biggest shifts this month has been in me. I feel like I’m finally stepping into a bit of a mumma bear energy – more confident, more assured of myself and more willing to advocate for Coco and, slowly, to advocate for myself too…

Keep reading »»»

‘I Got Asked to Sing ‘It’s Our Time’ at a FUNERAL!’ – Conversations with Capsule, Powered by Samsung: Suzy Cato on Never Growing Up, Depression and Caring FAR Less Now She’s in Her 50s!

National treasure Suzy Cato is back for a whole new generation of little kids! We sat down with her to talk Peter Pan energy, the skincare tricks keeping her ageless, moving through depression, and why turning 50 mid-reality telly (menopause and all) became her “what’s next?” moment.

This interview was filmed on the incredible Samsung S26 Ultra (seriously!) and brought to you by our pals at Samsung. For our full review of the S26 Ultra, click here!

There are some people who walk into a room and the whole place gets ten degrees warmer. Suzy Cato is, for sure, one of them!

CONVERSATIONS WITH CAPSULE, POWERED BY SAMSUNG

Keep reading »»»

The Love Diaries: ‘I Fell For the Perfect Man, Then Found Out His Ex Was Pregnant… Or Was She?’

When Capsule reader Alana* read our recent story on the podcast Love Trapped – a bizarre story about a woman who allegedly faked a pregnancy, she immediately messaged her husband. The story felt eerily familiar…

When she thinks back to the very beginning, it’s how easy everything was that strikes Alana.

She and Tim had met on a dating app - they exchanged a few messages and then arranged to meet up on a Saturday afternoon. The quick cup of coffee together soon turned into a couple of glasses of wine and rolled into dinner. Nearly 12 hours later, Alana headed home - with plans already made to see Tim the next evening.

“It was all so easy,” says Alana. “It was like walking straight into the middle of a relationship. We skipped the beginning bit, the awkward bit where you’re like, ‘what’s going on, are we dating, do I like you, are we in a relationship?’ It wasn’t over-the-top, it was just comfortable and easy and quick.”

A month in, Alana felt more settled than she’d ever felt in a relationship. Yes, it was quick, but she felt that her and Tim would be together for the long haul.

“I remember I was driving to Tim’s from work and the sun was shining and I felt so happy,” says Alana.

Which is when she got a call from Tim, who sounded flustered. He said something had come up and he was going to be late - so maybe Alana should stay at her place. Alana asked if everything was okay and Tim reassured her he was fine - but she wasn’t convinced.

“Something was definitely off,” she says.

Keep reading »»»

The Deep Dive: Where Our Apparent Fixation with a ‘Natural Birth’ All Began & the Internalised Myths About Birth & Motherhood We Carry Within Us…

U.K.-based Elinor Cleghorn is a ground-breaking cultural historian, specialising in women’s lives, bodies, and health. She’s the author of 2021 book Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World, and recently released book A Woman’s Work: Reclaiming The Radical History of Mothering.

A Woman’s Work begins in the ninth century BCE, and takes us through periods in history including ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and ensuing centuries, up to the present day. Because history has largely told men’s stories, Elinor tells a unique story, which includes introducing change-making women across history, many of whom are little-known.

Elinor talks to Sarah Lang about the importance of rituals when birth was incredibly dangerous; the ingrained notion that a pain-filled ‘natural birth’ makes us good mothers; the narrative that women’s bodies were corrupted yet childbirth was compulsory; how Christianity demonised women (blaming Eve) and held women to an impossible standard (the virgin Mary); the ancient Greeks’ belief that women had to orgasm to conceive; and why it’s vital to tell mothers’ stories right now.

Hi Elinor! How did you approach the book?

To tell a story of the past, I’m drawn to think: what do I care about? What are my stakes? What do I stand for? What stories am I choosing to tell, and how? Because motherhood is an absolutely mammoth topic. Everyone’s got an emotional, specific relationship to the idea of mothering – they’ve been mothered, or are a mother, or both.

You felt that the story of mothering was neglected by history, and it was vital to document it now?

Keep reading »»»

“I HATE Being Domestic!” Breaking Points, Budget Hacks and Boxing Gloves – Nadia Lim’s Sunday Reset

Welcome to The Sunday Reset, our new series brought to you by the legends at My Food Bag where well-known Kiwi women tell us how they actually spend their Sundays. The fridge clean-outs, the wellness rituals, the shortcuts they swear by, and the stuff they happily ignore – it’s all up for a yarn. Some are wildly organised, some are running on vibes and dry shampoo, but all of them are real, candid and a fab insight into how Kiwi women prepare for the week ahead.

This month we chat to the OG herself, Nadia Lim – My Food Bag co-founder, cookbook author and mum of three. Living rurally in Queenstown with her husband Carlos and her three boys, Nadia’s Sundays are built around slow cooking, big clean-ups and the non-negotiable goal of getting dinner on the table by 5:30… or else chaos well and truly ensues!

Capsule x My Food Bag

Kia ora Nadia! So tell us, what does a normal Sunday look like for you? We have to assume there is a My Food Bag in there somewhere!?

[Laughs] Yes! I get my My Food Bag delivered for two or three nights, and we generally use it at the beginning of the week. Then I like to freestyle the rest of the week using whatever ingredients and leftovers we have, and make use of any meals I’ve pre-cooked on the weekend.

What about the rest of the day, beyond food?

Very often, if we’re not out as a family, on Sunday mornings I will do a slow-cooked meat casserole curry or something pre-cooked, because I just find it so handy. It really, really does save me during the week.

Ooh, what’s the go-to?

Just before I left home I did a chipotle beef stew. I chopped some onions, sauteed them off with garlic, chucked the meat in (I don’t bother browning it, I used beef shin on the bone – it’s a cheaper cut perfect for slow cooking), poured in beef stock, a can of chipotle sauce, one tablespoon of brown sugar, a tablespoon of soy sauce. Put the lid on, chuck it in the oven. The preparation time is, I’m not exaggerating, 10 minutes. Then it slow cooks for four to five hours until the meat’s really tender. I put it on auto cook so we can go out and do stuff, and when you get home you just take it out, let it cool down, portion it into containers and put them in the freezer, and maybe one in the fridge for a few nights’ time.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Wannabe is 30 years old – it’s time for the Spice Girls to get back together Stylist

2. How To Use Astrology To Manipulate Your Boss At Work Refinery29

3. 18 Girls’ Night Ideas That Go Beyond Wine Night The Everygirl

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

It’s Alice here this week and heeeeck. I always find the week before school holidays to be a little bit of a sprint - it’s like a mini version of the week before Xmas. I know the holidays are going to mean I’m stretched, so I try to get ahead beforehand - which is always when the universe laughs, right? It’s always the week the kids catch the flu, the oven breaks and there’s a sudden flurry of extra things to do for work.

But here we are! And the sun is shining…for now!

If you’ve got kids to think about these school holidays and they’ve kind of crept up on you (*raises hand*), here’s some stories on Capsule that might just help ease the load:

• Stuck For What to Do These School Holidays? Here’s What’s On, Where to Go and What to Do at Home (This has loads of free options, plus some discounts - including 50% off kids tickets to Kelly Tarlton’s)

• Mānawatia a Matariki! Here’s What’s On Across Aotearoa (There’s loads of events on over the next two weeks to celebrate Matariki - many are perfect for taking tamariki to!)

• Travelling with Kids? Here’s 20 Tried and Tested Travel Items We Swear By (If you’re taking the kids on a road trip, or popping on a plane for a wee holiday - lucky you! - here are some items that might just make your life a whole lot easier.

I hope whatever you’re doing this weekend, you can get a little chill time in - my dream for you right now is that you’re reading this in bed with a cuppa, things are quiet and you have some time to have a read (honestly, the ancestry test story is WILD! Or, you can catch up on what happened yesterday at Taylor Swift’s wedding here! Personally, I’m still surprised by how BIG the whole thing was - and that Adam Sandler was the celebrant, obviously).

Hope you have a lovely day!

x

‘I Did An Ancestry DNA Test Looking For Answers… Instead I Opened a Huge Can of Worms’

After both of Vanessa’s parents passed away, she realised she was left with so many questions about her heritage, so she decided to do a DNA ancestry test to learn more. Little did she know, she’d soon be faced with even more questions than answers…

It came as a huge shock when Vanessa’s mother passed away from a brain aneurysm, just four months after her father from cancer.

“Dad’s battle had been short in the end,” says Vanessa. “Losing mum overnight was unfathomable.”

Vanessa had thought there would be so much more time – she realised once her parents had both passed that she had things she’d like to know.

“About five years later our eldest was doing a school assignment and needed to do a family tree,” she says. “I realised I couldn’t go back very far. Mum and Dad didn’t have siblings – there wasn’t anyone I could go to to ask.”

It became something Vanessa focussed on – she looked up genealogy groups and tried researching her roots as best she could. She did a DNA test for one of the ancestry companies and ticked the box saying she’d like to connect with anyone who she was potentially related to.

“I told my brother I was doing it – he didn’t seem all that interested but said to…

Keep reading » » »

Leave a comment

“I HATE Being Domestic!” Breaking Points, Budget Hacks and Boxing Gloves – Nadia Lim’s Sunday Reset

Welcome to The Sunday Reset, our new series brought to you by the legends at My Food Bag where well-known Kiwi women tell us how they actually spend their Sundays. The fridge clean-outs, the wellness rituals, the shortcuts they swear by, and the stuff they happily ignore – it’s all up for a yarn. Some are wildly organised, some are running on vibes and dry shampoo, but all of them are real, candid and a fab insight into how Kiwi women prepare for the week ahead.

This month we chat to the OG herself, Nadia Lim – My Food Bag co-founder, cookbook author and mum of three. Living rurally in Queenstown with her husband Carlos and her three boys, Nadia’s Sundays are built around slow cooking, big clean-ups and the non-negotiable goal of getting dinner on the table by 5:30… or else chaos well and truly ensues!

In this chat, Nadia gets candid about the reality behind her picture-perfect life – because, like us all, there are times where even the most well-intentioned week can turn to, well, custard!

Capsule x My Food Bag

Kia ora Nadia! So tell us, what does a normal Sunday look like for you? We have to assume there is a My Food Bag in there somewhere!?

[Laughs] Yes! I get my My Food Bag delivered for three nights, and we generally use it at the beginning of the week. Then I like to come up with my own recipes, or use what I’ve already cooked and have in the…

Keep reading » » »

Stars Rained Down at New Zealand’s First Michelin Awards… But There Was a Giant Black Hole

Kelly went to the first ever Michelin Guide New Zealand awards ceremony… here’s her take on what happened

OPINION

It was a glorious night for New Zealand’s hospitality industry – more than 110 recognitions handed out by the legendary Michelin Guide to incredible Kiwi restaurants across the country.

It was more than anyone expected – a true reflection of just how good our kai and our manaakitanga truly is – and we even scored a rare two-Michelin star award, with Essence in Queenstown taking top honours.

Sitting in the media section, let me tell you the vibes in the room were HIGH – Michelin spared no expense for the glittering ceremony and when I say the word they went for was clearly dramatic I’m not exaggerating, from the striking red and black colour scheme through…

Keep reading » » »

Leave a comment

The Deep Dive: Where Our Apparent Fixation with a ‘Natural Birth’ All Began & the Internalised Myths About Birth & Motherhood We Carry Within Us…

U.K.-based Elinor Cleghorn is a ground-breaking cultural historian, specialising in women’s lives, bodies, and health. She’s the author of 2021 book Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World, and recently released book A Woman’s Work: Reclaiming The Radical History of Mothering.

A Woman’s Work begins in the ninth century BCE, and takes us through periods in history including ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and ensuing centuries, up to the present day. Because history has largely told men’s stories, Elinor tells a unique story, which includes introducing change-making women across history, many of whom are little-known.

Elinor talks to Sarah Lang about the importance of rituals when birth was incredibly dangerous; the ingrained notion that a pain-filled ‘natural birth’ makes us good mothers; the narrative that women’s bodies were corrupted yet childbirth was compulsory; how Christianity demonised women (blaming Eve) and held women to an impossible standard (the virgin Mary); the ancient Greeks’ belief that women had to orgasm to conceive; and why it’s vital to tell mothers’ stories right now.

Hi Elinor! How did you approach the book?

To tell a story of the past, I’m drawn to think: what do I care about? What are my stakes? What do I stand for? What stories am I choosing to tell, and how? Because motherhood is an absolutely mammoth topic. Everyone’s got an emotional, specific relationship to the idea of mothering – they’ve been mothered, or are a mother, or both…

Keep reading » » »

The Smart Way to Use Buy Now, Pay Later Services – According to People Who’ve Figured It Out

We delve into the buy-now buy-later area of finance with Afterpay – how do you use it? When SHOULD you use it? And how does it all work?

SPONSORED CONTENT: CAPSULE X AFTERPAY

I don’t know if you believe in Murphy’s Law, but I sure do – because the week I was on deadline to write this story, my car got broken into the morning we were leaving for Fiji.

We had been saving for a long-planned holiday to Fiji… and then, just as we’re leaving for the airport, I see it. A busted window on my poor little Subaru. Someone had broken into my car.

Cue a repair expense that was not in the holiday period budget.

Hello, Afterpay.

More than four million Kiwis and Aussies use Afterpay, and the conversation around how and why people use buy now, pay later services has become a lot more nuanced.

And that nuance is worth getting into, because when used thoughtfully, Afterpay can be a helpful spending tool. So how do you actually…

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. At 92, she’s as fit as someone half her age Washington Post

2. Cosmeticorexia: How girls are falling down a skincare rabbit hole BBC

3. ‘It’s Hard to See My Parents Live So Lavishly While We’re Struggling’ The Cut

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

Capsule’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora team!

Kelly here this week, and I had to laugh when I wrote the title of this newsletter because man, am I feeling the weight of responsibility right now as a new pup owner.

My life has changed instantly, dramatically, stressfully and wonderfully since we welcomed Mustard the corgi a few weeks ago, and even though I’m riddled with anxiety about potty training and questioning almost every decision we make - is this the right food? How much physical activity should we be doing? And does he actually love me?!

I’m not a mum yet, so I don’t know what it’s like to be at home with a newborn baby apart from the fact that, obviously that’s a far harder (and scarier?!) job, but this is my first taste of having something depend on me to stay alive. This is the first thing in a long time that has changed how I live my life, and I’m actually kind of loving the responsibility.

It’s true when they say dogs change everything, and while Mustard is only three months old I can see the dog he will be - my little mate that’ll be my BFF during work from home days, long walks and beach outings and trips to the pub (I am DETERMINED to make him a pub dog) and during the 10 seconds he’s not biting me, peeing on the floor or barking at the wind, he’s cuddling up close and giving so much love.

However, it has meant that trying to work full days while keeping one eye on old mate and his bathroom habits has been tricky and I’m well and truly behind on mahi - but we’re getting there!

It’s our usual eclectic mix of yarns on Capsule this week - I hope you the stories, and that you’re having a glorious weekend, hopefully with some sunshine!

Are You Asking Yourself, ‘Is This It?’ How to Make Change in Midlife – When it Can Feel Like You’re Drowning in Responsibilities

Anyone out there entering midlife - or in the thick of it - asking themselves, ‘Is This It?!’ Well, you’re not alone. Kiwi Nikki Taylor helps women around the world who are navigating the midlife years - and a huge number of responsibilities - many of whom are suddenly wondering if they’re in the right job...

“My twenties and thirties sped past,” says Nikki Taylor, “and suddenly I was in my forties carrying far more responsibility than I expected.”

Anyone else in their forties and beyond reading that sentence and finding themselves nodding along with Nikki right now too?

Midlife – which is generally viewed as the time when you’re aged between 40 and 60 - has a sneaky way of creeping up on you. One day, you suddenly find yourself looking in the mirror, slightly surprised by the person looking back at you. You’re all of a sudden wondering if those wrinkles and grey strands of hair are just an inevitable outcome from the passing of time, or if they can be blamed on the sea of responsibilities you now seem to drowning in. Because now, there always seems to be something or someone who urgently needs your time, attention, or money (often it’s actually all three). All at a time when your body and hormones are shifting and you could really do with some TLC yourself.

“Yes, midlife can be incredibly complex,” says Nikki. “Many women find themselves providing multigenerational care for both children and their ageing parents, all while managing life including careers, relationships, transitions, and their own wellbeing to name a few.”

Keep reading »»»

5 Tips to Help Completely Dry Damp Towels Before Your Next Shower

Gah, we’re well into the winter months now, and one of the tricky side effects of the cold, wet weather is constantly having damp towels. So, when the weather is ghastly, just how are you supposed to keep them dry and toasty for your next shower? Here’s what the experts advise doing…

The only thing that makes stepping out of a hot shower in winter bearable is the thought of drying of in soft, cosy towel. But that can be a little bit tricky when the cold – and often rainy – weather makes everything slower to dry.

Having towels dry by the time we have our next shower isn’t just for our comfort, it’s also for hygiene as moisture provides a breeding ground for bacteria and mould to grow. You’ll also find that the faster towels dry the less musty they will smell.

Towels should be replaced every few days, and while you can replace them sooner if they stay damp you’ll find yourself doing laundry more often if you don’t get two to three uses out of a towel.

Keep reading »»»

More People Are Getting Bowel Cancer In Their 20s, 30s and 40s: The Enormous Importance Of Early Detection, and Why Talking About Poo Should Not Be Taboo

During June, Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, around 30 New Zealanders under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with bowel cancer. These diagnoses are happening too often, and often too late. Yet when caught early, bowel cancer is more than 90% curable, so awareness of the symptoms is so important – and the government needs to do more.

When we think of cancer, we might first think of breast cancer, skin cancer or lung cancer. But why don’t we talk more about bowel cancer? Or is that sort of self-explanatory? Conversations surrounding this part of our body are often considered yucky, embarrassing, even taboo. Social stigma and embarrassment is one of the main reasons many people don’t talk openly about bowel issues. And sure, your bowel motions probably aren’t something to bring up at the dinner table.

But we have to get past any squeamishness, and talk about poo. Why? Because we need to normalise talking about bowel cancer and its symptoms, so we know what to look out for – and visit a doctor early.

Bowel cancer is the second-deadliest cancer worldwide, and New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Every year, around 3300 New Zealanders (that’s around nine per day) are diagnosed with bowel cancer, and each year around 1200 New Zealanders (around four per day) die from the disease.

Keep reading »»»

Hidden in Plain Sight! Flight Centre’s Travel Experts Share Their Close-to-Home Hidden Gems in the Pacific and Australia For Your Next Holiday

You think you know our little corner of the world? Think again. Flight Centre’s travel experts share the close-to-home spots for your next Australia and Pacific Islands travel (and the unexpected corners within them) that still feel like a genuine new, exciting discovery – but no 30-hour flight required!Capsule x Flight Centre – click here for our Travel Diaries series for more inspiration!

Ok, here’s the thing about living in Aotearoa: we’re spoiled rotten when it comes to nearby escapes, and yet somehow we still find ourselves defaulting to the same old itinerary: the same resort, the same beach, the same buffet breakfast (no judgement, there!). But what if we told you that some of the best ‘off the beaten track’ travel experiences are hiding inside the destinations you think you already know and love, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get to?

We asked the experts at Flight Centre, the people who spend their days matching Kiwis with their dream holidays, to spill on the close-to-home hidden gems they recommend again and again. Some are lesser-known corners of well-loved favourites, others are whole destinations flying a little under the radar. But all of them are within easy reach of Aotearoa, which, with winter well and truly upon us, feels like very useful information indeed!

Keep reading »»»

The Motherhood Diaries: Is 40 the New 30 When it Comes to Hollywood and Motherhood?

Over the weekend Anne Hathaway announced she’s expecting her third child. It’s an announcement that received a lot of attention because, well, Anne is an A List celebrity who has just been on a media blitz for two new films… plus, she’s 43 years old. But Anne is just one of many celebrities who have given birth over 40 in the last few decades – and more and more of us regular folk are having babies in our forties. So, what’s going on?

TW: Infertility, IVF, Miscarriage

It’s a video that only lasts a few quick seconds, but when Anne Hathaway posted it to Instagram over the weekend, well, the world went insane.

As you’ll likely have seen multiple times by now, that video showed Anne walking into frame with her arms folded around her middle, she then stopped and unfolded them, beaming as she revealed her pregnant belly.

The news quickly spread across the world – yes, because Anne is an A-list celebrity who has recently finished a media blitz for The Devil Wears Prada 2, but also because she is 43. Well past that ‘cliff’ fertility apparently drops off at 35.

This will be Anne’s third child – she has two sons, Johnathan (10) and Jack (6) with her husband Adam Shulman. Prior to having her first son she had a miscarriage and has said in the past that there was “straight line” to her earlier pregnancies and has wanted women who have or are dealing with “infertility and conception hell” to know “they have a sister in me”.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. “AI Is Replacing Us”: Australian Women On Losing Their Jobs To Technology Refinery29

2. “Pretty Blondes” and Dirty Janes: Women Are Driving Mass True Crime Interest in Female Killers Vanity Fair

3. 4 chic mums on how they reclaimed their personal style Stylist

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

Alice here this week, and I hope you’re doing well!

Today I’m super excited to have another Pretty Postpartum column from Kim after a little break. I have so missed her columns - and I know a lot of you have too. The honesty with which Kim writes is like nothing else I’ve come across - which is incredibly refreshing in the motherhood space.

But, unfortunately it doesn’t come without some complications, which Kim has generously written about this week.

I’m so proud of Kim for her honesty - particularly around her experiences with prolapse, and I’m so thankful that she’s been willing and keen to go there. I was floored when I read that 30% to 50% of women demonstrate some degree of prolapse (often Stage 1 or 2) in the first 3 to 6 months after birth because I have heard zilch about it until Kim started writing about it.

We’ve had so much feedback about how much this has meant to women who have been going through it too. It’s the funny thing about going through something that is so common, yet never spoken about - you can definitely start to think you’re the only one on planet earth going through it.

We’ve had feedback from women at every stage in life. Lots from women who have older children now, but who have loved having their memories jogged of all the different stages of having a baby. Every baby and experience is so unique, and yet there seem to be so many things that are universal and Kim has a real gift at capturing it. There’s so much joy - but also a whole cocktail of feelings.

I was speaking to a therapist about this a few months back - she was saying that through speaking to so many of her clients, and watching her own children now have babies, how different it is to when she was a new mother. How much more intense the experience is.

As she explained, when she was a new mum, you’d have a few different books to choose from about pregnancy/parenting; the advice of your midwife and obstetrician; the support and/or opinions of your mum, mum-in-law, maybe an aunt or older sister, and then a small antenatal group of women you’d see each week to compare yourself and your baby to.

Now, well, we have an endless number of different resources and pieces of information (most of which give conflicting advice) and literally millions of women to compare ourselves to through the internet (the majority of whom are only giving a highlight reel of their experiences). The noise can be so intense.

I was telling Kim this week about when my son was somewhere between 9 and 12 months and someone started talking to me about him using a straw. They said there was a magic window, something to do with a sucking reflex that meant they’d easily be able to pick up using a straw, but that window would soon close. Well, holy moly. I spent the next week putting a straw in front of him and fretting. This was during a period where he was awake every hour of the night, so my brain was very easily suggestible - and not functioning at its best.

Then, I woke up one morning with this one, clear-headed, rational thought: ‘I have never met someone who can’t use a straw because their mum didn’t each them when they were in the three month window of having a sucking reflex as a baby. WTF am I doing!?!’

In the years since, I’ve come back to this so many times, when I start listening to random advice, trends, opinions or thoughts about parenting on the internet and start feeling guilty, competitive or afraid. Is this like the straw all over again? Why am I buying into this right now? WTF am I doing!?!

Parenting can be a rollercoaster - I’m so glad we have Kim’s steady, truthful voice in the mix.

I hope whatever you’re doing, you’re having a wonderful weekend!

Talk soon!

Pretty Pregnant with Kim Crossman: Gorgeous Coco is Six Months. Plus, Why She Has Pulled Back Lately & the Turmoil She Has Felt…

Six months. How are we here already?

I must admit this is the first blog I have felt sort of anxious and nervous about writing because I had some feedback that really rocked me a few weeks ago, causing me to pull back slightly from sharing my journey and then I have felt in turmoil in many ways since.

I had two people share that they are petrified of birth because of me sharing my prolapse journey and it broke me. I spent so much time in the build up for birth advocating for positive birth stories and not trauma dumping on pregnant women and now in sharing my story I have done exactly what I set out not to do.

I had the best birth. Was it slightly complicated and somewhat spicy let’s say? Sure. But I wanted to always share with the underlying vibe of, I would do it all again today if I could. I loved it so much. Yet in wanting to also honour those who have been following who have had birth injuries, are going through menopause or experiencing similar symptoms, or are just along for the ride, to hear that in my openness some of the takeaway for others is fear, that hurt me.

I know I can’t control how people choose to receive me or the things I share, but I certainly want people to feel informed and entertained, not for me to unlock a new possible pending trauma. So that’s why I have been a little quiet, trying to navigate how I tow the line of being honest, but also fun and real, but also entertaining haha. So bear with me.

One of the worst parts of a conception journey, pregnancy journey, birth and new motherhood is the negative commentary from others unsolicited. The sleep now, wait till they start talking back, enjoy your freedom now comments have always…

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I've Written About Reality Telly for Years. Then, My Husband Went on It - Here's How THAT Went

I’ve been reality-telly adjacent for a long time. In my time as a writer at a weekly magazine I wrote about them all – The Bachelor, MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules, Dancing with the Stars, The X Factor, New Zealand’s Got Talent. It was all about the ‘ordinary’ people achieving the extraordinary, and I loved it. The characters! The underdogs! The slightly hokey Kiwi versions produced on shoestring budgets compared to the international versions!

The Bachelor was great – it was the heady days of Art and Matilda where all was right with the world and love managed to triumph over format. These were also the days when magazines had money, and I somehow found myself on a yacht in the Whitsundays with these two glorious specimens, embarrassed to be seen in my bikini next to them, diving into turquoise waters and lounging on white beaches for a stunning cover shoot.

But I’ve also seen the dark side of reality television. I’ve seen contestants have full-blown meltdowns over their portrayals on telly, annoyed that certain things didn’t make the final product, annoyed that things did and using the classic line ‘it was taken out of context!’, forgetting that they signed up for, well, reality television.

I’ve had to deal with diva ‘celebrities’ who thought they were far better than the format they were judging (one such judge on X Factor refused to participate in a photoshoot until a full-length mirror was sourced on our location so he could see his whole outfit – the three-quarter mirror in the bathroom didn’t suffice- and I had to do an emergency The Warehouse run before he was satisfied.)

Reality telly is brutal if you don’t fully understand what you’re signing up for. You’re there as a pawn for producers to shape, manipulate and use to get the best narrative and storyline. Sure, what they show in the final edit might be ‘real’ and ‘the truth’, but what isn’t shown is how they get to said truth.

So when my husband Mike told me he was keen to apply to be on the latest season of The Traitors New Zealand, I was excited and so, so jazzed for him – but I admit I was a little apprehensive.

Keep reading »»»

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A New Bill Could See 60% of Public Conservation Land Available for Exchange or Disposal. “There’s No Real Value,” Says the Minister of Conservation…

The Conservation Amendment Bill could see 60% of our public conservation land up for grabs. “It’s just bits and bobs,” says the the Minister of Conservation. “It seems almost unbelievable,” says Forest & Bird. “It’s the biggest attack on conservation land in New Zealand’s history,” says Greenpeace. Here’s what’s happened, and what you can do…

It’s a bill that slipped quietly through its first reading in Parliament, but one that could have far reaching consequences for all New Zealanders, and our future generations.

That bill is the Conservation Amendment Bill. A bill that potentially sees up to 60% of our public conservation land available for exchange or disposal. And yes, you read that correctly – 60%, a staggering five million hectares of public conservation land.

It was introduced to Parliament on May 7 by the Minister of Conservation, Tama Potaka, who says he has no intention to sell of large areas of conservation land – just “bits and bobs”.

“[It has] very little, if any, conservation value,” he told Parliament yesterday. “There’s no real value, but DOC continues to hold on to it. Actually, we should see that… in order to generate some money to invest in the very biodiversity that the opposition trumpets as the most important thing that we need to do now.”

But – not surprisingly – the bill has met serious opposition in NZ…

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Gen Z Has Declared It ‘Out’ – But Can Eyeliner Ever Really Die?

It’s another day, and Gen Z has declared another trend “cringe” and “over”.

This time it’s eyeliner, specifically the bold, upturned winged eyeliner many millennials are partial to, including stars like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.

Many are partial to winged eyeliner, or cat eye, for its boldness and power, especially in an era all about empowerment and taking your life into your own hands.

But youngsters say it is too reminiscent of this “girlboss” era, and that it instantly ages the wearer.

This debate has ebbed and flowed, but this time it seems it has been brought on by a 29-year-old influencer Ilinca Sipos asking her 22-year-old sister whether she thought anyone could tell that she was seven years older.

“Maybe it’s the cat eye?” the younger sister replied, to Sipos’ absolute shock…

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Tackling the Motherhood Penalty: Why Investing – Specifically in Managed Funds – Might Be Our Best Option and Route to Financial Freedom

When we hear the words ‘investing’ or ‘managed funds’, many of us put off looking into it, but is it as intimidating as it sounds? Can we rely just on KiwiSaver or are other Managed Funds super important? And why is investing particularly important for mothers? In Part Seven of our Motherhood Penalty series, we’re breaking all this down!

We’ve all contemplated what we’d do if we won Lotto, right? Would you buy a nice house? Take a long holiday? Move to France? Quit your job? Study or retrain? Help your child(ren) finance university?

I’m at an information session in Wellington run by financial adviser Elizabeth Moloney-Geany for mothers, in association with the Mothers Network. An organisation run by mums for mums, Mothers Network facilitates discussion groups to support and connect women facing the changes and challenges of motherhood.

Elizabeth asks those of us attending the session to imagine we’ve just won $5 million from Lotto.

“Jot down all the things you’d do, buy or spend it on.”

Me? A larger home with an outdoor area for my family of three. Keep my job but also study because I love both. Travel in South America. Get pre-made low-FODMAP meals delivered to my house. Help my son pay for university one day.

Elizabeth then asks us to imagine there was a mistake: actually, two people won Lotto, and you get $2 million. What comes off the list?

Okay, now my son needs to pay for uni himself.

Then Elizabeth says actually, you won $1 million. “What would stay or change?”

Okay, we’d…

Keep reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. The Mom Who Runs a Household With a Staff of AI Agents The Cut

2. Why Is Gen Z Obsessed With Romanticizing Their Life? The Everygirl

3. I Stumbled Across My Boyfriend's ChatGPT and It Ended Our Relationship Lindsey Hall Writes

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora guys,

Kelly here this week team, it’s been a big, big week.

I got a puppy!

And I am exhausted. Happy - SO happy - but exhausted!

I don’t think I’ve felt so many feelings at once - pure joy, anxiety, stress, frustration, bewilderment, uselessness, pride - and as someone who’s child-free, I feel like I have had a small glimpse into what it’s like for parents.

It’s a full-on cycle of naps, toilet training (or lack thereof at the moment, any tips PLEASE send them my way!), food, training and playing. It’s endless problem solving and hypothesising, trying to translate puppy yaps and sassy side eyes into what I think little mate wants and I’ll be completely honest, it’s been so much more intense than I thought it would be.

I’ve wanted a dog for years and years, and now finally life has calmed down a little and we have a suitable house, it was time. I convinced my husband it was a great idea, jumped online and, to my surprise, found the perfect pup almost by accident.

And now, the whānau includes Mustard the corgi! (I worked at New Zealand Woman’s Weekly for a long time and I have to assume my obsession with corgis began there!?)

He’s 10 weeks old and already packs a wallop of a personality and we’ve both instantly fallen in love with his little bunny hop run, Yoda ears, fluffy fur and yes, the cute corgi butt.

I almost had to laugh at myself the other night though because, with Mustard curled up between my husband and I on the couch, I couldn’t help but cry with happiness because I realised that now we have him, all of my big dreams in life - well, so far - have come true. He was the last piece of the puzzle for now (until we hopefully have a kid, don’t panic mother and mother-in-law!) and even though these next few weeks will be bloody tough when I can’t figure out why he won’t poop outside, I’m determined to enjoy it all.

It’s actually been a rather big few weeks in my household - along with welcoming Mustard, my husband and I popped over to Fiji for a wedding (congrats, Dave and Sarah!) and, most bizarrely, something else has dominated our conversations and viewing habits - The Traitors NZ.

Mostly because my husband is on it!

Watching from the sidelines has been a ride - I mean, you never expect your partner to go on reality telly, do you! - and I’ll be writing up a yarn on it all soon. But in the meantime, I’m so, so proud of Mike for putting himself out there and giving something as wild and weird and insane as The Traitors. It’s our favourite show and he was so determined to show up and play the game the best he could (if you’ve been watching you’ll know the game played him, at least at the start!) but he’s been having a blast being part of the Traitors universe. (It’s on Three and Three Now if you want to tune in!).

Life is a wild ride, huh!

Anyway, enjoy your week ahead and I hope you love this week’s collection of stories. And if you have any puppy tips, I’m on kelly@capsulenz.com!

x

The Love Diaries: ‘He Got Cold Feet – But I Soon Learned the Shocking Truth as to Why…’

Harriet figured having a relationship with a flatmate wasn’t the best idea, but when Chris suddenly moved in to the London flat she was living in while on her OE, she was smitten. Over the next few years they’d travel through the UK together, joined at the hip. She thought she knew everything about him – she even knew he was planning to propose after she found the ring – but, she ended up shocked by what happened next…

Harriet and Nancy were three months into their London OE, when their flatmate – the very unreliable Karl, announced that he was going back to Australia. And was leaving in 20 minutes.

Harriet was keen to get a female flatmate this time around – despite the fact the place had just one very small bathroom – but Nancy said she had good news: a guy she went to university with had just arrived in London and his flat had fallen through.

Nancy said that Chris was a lovely guy – he was really kind, smart and easy-going. He’d just broken up with his girlfriend to do the OE and now the flat he thought he was going to, had already been taken by someone else. She saw he’d just posted on Facebook asking if anyone knew of a place going, asap.

“Message him!” said Harriet. “We were both living from paycheck to paycheck – we could not afford to cover the rent, so someone who could move in NOW was ideal, and someone we knew wasn’t a psycho.”

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Sociologists Say Friends Will Soon Overtake Family Members as the Main Caregivers – So What Does That Look Like? Would You Move in With Your Pals After Retiring?

In the years to come, it will be increasingly common for friends, rather than family members, to take on more important caring responsibilities for each other. Might we even share homes? Bad Friend author Tiffany Watt Smith discusses this, and the idea of drawing up a ‘civil contract’ between friends who share their lives.

Tiffany, you did so much for your former next-door neighbour Jan, who had Parkinson’s, well before she was admitted to hospital then referred to social services. As her ‘friend/neighbour’, you emailed back and forth with her social worker. I was helping a friend recently and had the same thought you did with Jan – ‘am I a good friend or do I want to be seen as a good friend?’.

Everyone I’ve talked to about friendship has had that thought! It’s very common for people to doubt their own motivations, maybe because we don’t know what other women are doing. I’m very interested in research which shows that, in different cultures, there are potentially different styles of friendships –some favour a more intervening style and some favour a more independent style. Sociologists say there’s more of an independent, rather than intervening, style of friendship in Britain, and certainly in America. That may be the case in New Zealand. Plus each of us has to navigate our own personal style of friendship. And it can be uncomfortable or awkward when you’re getting more involved in someone’s life than perhaps you were expecting to, and might worry you’re doing it wrong or overstepping.

It’s also harder to ask for time off work to help care for a sick friend than it is to ask for time off to care for a sick family member, right?

Certainly in terms of getting carers’ leave or carers’ allowances. And it’s very hard to say to an employer, ‘I’m heading off now to take my friend to the hospital’. It’s an invisible form of caring, and when a friend dies, it’s disenfranchised grief. Also, say you’ve been caring for your friend and need to access them in hospital or another setting – it’s very hard if you’re a friend rather than a relative.

Keep reading »»»

Capsule Considers: The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Review (AKA The Tablet That Became My Portable Office, Co-Pup Parent and Sanity Saver)

Is this the do-it-all device for women who are already doing it all? Kelly road-tests Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S11 to find out – here’s her review!

Look, I’ll be honest – I’m currently in Fiji attending a friend’s wedding, and I’d much rather not be working. But hey, when you run a business, replying to a few emails with a margarita firmly in hand is no big deal, so I’ll take it.

What is making life a lot easier is what I’m using to type this review out – my new Galaxy Tab S11 which has, quite simply, changed the game as to how I’m working and living. I legit didn’t realise when I embarked on testing it out how helpful it would actually be in my day-to-day life.

I’ve never had a tablet before, and I’ll admit, when I think of tablets, I think of boomers who take them to concerts to take pictures and block your view. But, turns out they are a handy little accompaniment to life that fits into far more scenarios than I first thought.

First Impressions: Tiny, Mighty, Pretty

If you’re not familiar, the Galaxy Tab is Samsung’s tablet, which is to say it’s the Android world’s answer to the iPad. It’s a touchscreen that sits somewhere between your phone and your laptop in size: big enough to comfortably watch shows, read, type and work on, but small and light enough to throw in a bag and use on the couch, in bed, or in the car (parked, obviously). The “S” series is Samsung’s premium range, and the Tab S11 is the latest model, which comes in two sizes: the 11-inch version that I’m reviewing here, and a supersized 14.6-inch Ultra. Each comes with the S Pen stylus in the box, so you can write and draw on the screen too.

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In Sweden Parents Get 16 Months Total Parental Leave - At Least 3 Months to Each Parent. So, What's it Like Being a Swedish 'Latte Dad' on Parental Leave? One Kiwi-Born Dad Reports Back

Wellington born and raised Richard Burlace now lives in Sweden where he’s raising two children and has experienced being a ‘Latte Dad’. It’s what fathers on parental leave are often referred to and you’ll see them everywhere in Sweden, because of the leave system that is one of the most comprehensive and flexible in the world. Parents can take around 16 months, split between the two of them – but three months are reserved for each parent. It’s a use it or lose it system – and means dads on parental leave is a very, very common and normalised thing. Here, Richard explains what it has been like and the impacts it has had on his family.

I remember the first time I asked to take parental leave – We had been in Sweden for about two years, we had just had our son and I was working for a consulting company on a busy project. I remember thinking before asking, there is no way they will agree to this! My 50+ male manager said yes without batting an eyelid. In hindsight it was nothing strange, it was just expected and would have been seen as more strange if I did not take it.

Sweden offers some of the most comprehensive and flexible parental leave in the world. There are approximately 16 months that can be split between the parents with about three months that are reserved for only one parent or the other, it’s a take it or lose it system that encourages most families to use the allowance even if just for a few months. The days can be used until children are 12 so many people save a few days to extend holidays through the years.

It’s an opportunity that I am forever grateful for.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Stolen Sex Toys? Hijacked KitKats? We’ve Entered the Era of Whimsical Heists Vanity Fair

2. Constant Headphone Use Was Numbing My Mind — Maybe Yours, Too Refinery29

3. This Budgeting Shift Stopped Money Stress From Taking Over My Marriage The Everygirl

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

Alice here this week, and I hope you’re doing well!

I think I’ve taken a few wrong turns on social media lately, because my algorithm is now serving me up video after video of people sharing their morning, afternoon or evening routines (well, these and the billion clips I seem to get about creatine!?). I remember watching a video a month or so back - kind of enthralled - of a woman who described herself as ‘single, childfree and without ANY friends’ as she documented her cozy Friday night in. It seems from there, Instagram now thinks I want every video of this niche. But apparently - as I read in this story on The Cut - the single/child-free/friend-free influencer is having a massive moment right now. The irony of being friend-free, yet having more than a hundred thousand followers on social media is… so very 2026, no!?

But there’s something about this new wave of people sharing their routines that I feel much more onboard with - whether it’s the friend-free influencer or just a run of the mill influencer. In the past, routine-sharing videos have really done nothing but make me feel frustrated or bad about myself. They’re either with women who have kids, who decide to willingly wake up at 4am to work out/journal/take creatine and get a head start on the day/kids (I don’t think I physically have this in me), or they’re women who clearly don’t have a four-year-old in the house, because they’re having baths and writing lists of daily intentions at 8am without anyone yelling at them that they have cut their toast wrong.

Kel has talked about the power of routines and a Sunday reset for a while - and, until very recently, my Sunday reset has looked more like a sudden sense of dread that I should be more organised, followed by a quick whip around to clear the floor of Lego (I actually try to do this most evenings, since the morning I kneeled on a piece and could barely walk for a week) and get everyone’s clothes washed for the week ahead.

Last week though, we did have a bit of a breakthrough. See, it was only then that I realised how much of the week my husband I spend (or more accurately, waste) on this one conversation: What are we going to eat for dinner tonight?

Despite the fact we’ve both been alive more than 40 years each, it still somehow comes as a shock that every night we have to get something on the table.

My husband is the cook in our family (thank GOD) so the most I really do is suggest what meal it could be, or what is in our fridge that we could Ready Steady Cook into something. But last week we trialled My Food Bag as part of our new partnership with them and… what!? The daily ‘whatarewegoingtoeat!?!?’ stress has turned into a ‘remind me what we’re eating tonight?’ text from my husband. And, better still, I can actually follow the recipes without making a complete hash of things - and our kids have even given some new meals a try.

Kel’s been doing chats with familiar Kiwi faces about what they do on Sundays as part of the Sunday Reset with My Food Bag - the first one is in this substack - and so far I’m enjoying the little look into other people’s Sunday lives. They’re so much more relatable than the, ‘hey, just be like me and get up at 4am and write down what you’re grateful for’ kind of approaches that leave my stomach in knots. I’m a believer in slow Sundays (a believer, not always someone who can pull them off!), but I can see how much of a difference putting a bit of time aside on them can actually set you up for success for the whole week - without it having to be a headache (or take up the whole day!).

This week I’ve also become obsessed with a podcast after Sarah - our resident Bachelor fan - suggested Love Trapped. You can read her full story on it here - it’s a great pitch as to why you should give it a listen. It’s essentially a podcast about a former Bachelor star who was slapped with a paternity lawsuit by a woman who claimed she was pregnant with his twins. But you won’t believe where this story goes next. The weird twists are endless.

In another ‘fact is stranger than fiction’ kind of tale, our Love Diary this week is definitely worth a read. It’s a doozy, about a woman who was out celebrating with her sister, having a few bubbles after they bought a house together. She locked eyes with an attractive man, they flirted, had a little kiss and she wrote down her number after he asked for it at the end of the night. But come Monday morning, she had one hell of an unexpected sh*t storm waiting for her…

I hope whatever you’re doing today, you have a wonderful, restful day.

See you next time!

The Love Diaries: ‘A Gorgeous Man Flirted With Me in a Bar & I Gave Him My Number. Two Days Later, My Life Came Crumbling Down…’

Krista was celebrating.

Being a homeowner was something she wondered if she’d ever get to experience, but, somehow she and her sister had done it. They’d combined resources and that very day had bought their first home at auction. It felt surreal.

“It was massive,” says Krista. “So, yip, we were out having a few drinks to celebrate, that’s for sure.”

Early on in the night Krista locked eyes with a tall, handsome man on the other side of the bar.

“He was gorgeous,” she says. “I don’t know if it was just that, but I was drawn to him – there felt like there was this spark and energy when we looked at each other.”

A couple of minutes later, that man popped up next to Krista to introduce himself – his name was Peter – and to ask if he could buy her a drink.

Krista obviously said yes, and from there the two spent the next few hours flirting with each other.

“I was on a high – I’d bought this house, now this beautiful man was flirting with me… life was good!” she says.

They decided to all head to a different bar and along the way Krista found herself kissing Peter. He suggested they get in a taxi and go to her place, but she said no – she wasn’t interested in a one night stand.

“It could have been fun, but…

Keeping reading » » »

Fridge Hacks, Mental Load & A Whole Lot of Organised Chaos: Tima Savea’s Sunday Reset.

Welcome to The Sunday Reset, our new series brought to you by the legends at My Food Bag where well-known Kiwi women tell us how they actually spend their Sundays. The fridge clean-outs, the wellness rituals, the shortcuts they swear by, and the stuff they happily ignore – it’s all up for a yarn. Some are wildly organised, some are running on vibes and dry shampoo, but all of them are real, candid and a fab insight into how Kiwi women prepare for the week ahead.

First up in conversation with Capsule is Tima Savea, mum of three, full-time worker, and the woman keeping the Savea household running while her husband Julian transitions out of professional rugby. Between basketball trainings, netball games, open homes and a fridge that requires military-level organisation, Tima’s Sundays are equal parts reset and survival mode!

Capsule x My Food Bag

Kia ora, Tima! So, what does the average Sunday look like for you and your family?

Sundays are very much our family days, we like to just spend time at home. It’s also our cleaning day and the life admin day, and getting all the kids’ school stuff ready for the week. Our My Food Bag delivery arrives on a Sunday afternoon, so it’s really nice to get that delivered, sort out the fridge, and then know what to make for dinner for the rest of the week

So it really is a reset day for you guys.

It is. I don’t like to do much on Sundays, just being at home with the kids and the family. We usually go for a walk down the local dairy or we chill at home.

Do you crave Sundays throughout the week?

Oh yeah, because our week is so hectic with kids’ activities every day – basketball trainings, netball games. Saturdays are taken up by sports too, so Sunday is the only day where…

Keeping reading » » »

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Wanting to refine your own Sunday reset? Tima’s My Food Bag of choice is 5 nights for 6 to feed her large, hungry family. Check out myfoodbag.co.nz to find the perfect bag for your whānau!

A special offer for Capsule readers – receive up to $329 OFF all your FIRST FOUR deliveries with promo code CAPSULELAUNCH at checkout. That’s 50% off your first delivery, 20% off your second and 30% off your third and 10% off your fourth. Valid for new or returning customers who haven’t had a delivery in 13 weeks. TsCs apply. Valid until 30 June.

Are Parasocial Relationships Just Imaginary Friends For Grown-Ups? Are You in One? Are They Good or Bad For You?

Cambridge Dictionary named ‘parasocial’ the word of the year for 2025. Are parasocial relationships totally fine, or not that great? What happens when you see that person at the supermarket? Plus how does social media play into it? Sarah Lang talks to the world’s leading authority on parasocial relationships, who also answers some reader questions

What does the term ‘parasocial relationships’ mean to you? I think of them as one-sided connections that people form with celebrities, media personalities or sportspeople, often via TV, films, or social media.

I consider Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords one of the world’s most entertaining men. I was actually introduced to him once and just started giggling like a nutbar.

Also, I follow some former cast members from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette on Instagram (I know, I know). They’re definitely parasocial relationships.

I also love watching cricket, and kinda feel like I know Mitch Santner (strategic and funny), Glenn Phillips (a superhuman fielder) and Rachin Ravindra (affable and humble). Rachin helped my son take a selfie with him at a cricket game, and Theo ran back to me and said “Mum, Rachin touched your phone“.

You can also have a parasocial relationship with a fictional character. The women who host the podcast Real Or Not Real about The Hunger Games definitely have a parasocial relationship with Katniss Everdeen. And I think I do too.

Parasocial History

I spoke over Zoom to Professor Gayle S. Stever, Professor of Psychology at Empire State University of New York. She’s a world-leading expert on this subject. Her book Understanding Parasocial Relationships came out on April 28, outlining the extensive history of parasocial studies and analysing core psychological principles surrounding the subject, including psychological, developmental and attachment theories.

Parasocial relationships aren’t…

Keeping reading » » »

NZ Has a Problem. A Healthcare Issue That’s Bringing Our Hospitals to their Knees. But Hannah McQueen Reckons There’s a Way to Fix It – And Make Us Healthier in the Process.

Hannah McQueen – yes, the one we’re used to seeing dishing out financial advice – has moved into a new sector and is taking on one almighty challenge: our clogged up healthcare system. But, she’s feeling optimistic because she can see a way forward – one that will stop our hospitals being so stretched and one that will hopefully see us being healthier in the process.

Chances are, you’ve heard the name Hannah McQueen before. As the founder and former CEO of enable.me, she’s often been on our screens, called upon for expert advice when it comes to financial strategies, whilst behind the scenes she individually coached many Kiwis over her nearly two decades at the helm of the business.

But mid last year, Hannah sold the very successful company and has already launched herself into another – one she hopes might make a big difference to Kiwis, because she believes we’re all facing a rather difficult issue:

Our healthcare system.

Right now, she says, the system is pretty broken.

And one of the issues that she can see is one that is only going to continue to grow as an issue – but she also believes there’s a way to tackle it, and prevent a large number of people needing urgent hospitalisation.

“If you look at our health system and look at our hospitals, the average age of an inpatient in a medical ward is 85 years old,” she says. “Our beds are full. They’re filled with…

Keeping reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. The Loneliness Influencers: Inside the luxurious tedium of ‘I have no friends’ Tiktok The Cut

2. The Biggest Tell That Something Was Written by AI The Atlantic

3. How Much Nostalgia Is Too Much Nostalgia? Vogue

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Kelly here this week, and we’re all still absolutely jazzed this week that finally, after a long campaign by many in Aotearoa, including us, stalking is finally illegal in New Zealand.

This week, the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Act 2025 comes into force which means that - finally - stalking is now a crime in New Zealand.

Until this week, if you were the victim of stalking, sure, you could call the police, but there was very little they could actually do - despite the fact that stalking is often the first step in more violent crimes. An R U OK report stated 15% of stalking cases worldwide result in homicide. Research in the US indicates that 76% of all homicides of women started with stalking. ⁠

In December 2022 an Auckland law student, Farzana Yaqubi, was killed by a man who had previously been stalking her. Just two weeks before her death she had told police she was in ‘extreme fear’ and that she was worried that the stalking would “result in life-threatening results”.⁠

Since we began our series highlighting this issue in 2024, we’ve been gobsmacked with how many stories of terrified women we’ve heard, and it’s wild to think that stalking wasn’t a crime for so long, but now the law has finally caught up with reality.

Here’s some of those stories:

‘One Day He Is Going to Kill Me’: The Women Living in Fear Who Need a Stalking Law Change in NZ. Today.

‘I Don’t Know If I’ll Ever Feel Safe Again’: The New Documentary Which Aims To Give Stalking Victims A Voice

‘My Anxiety Has Never Gone Down Since’ – Jazz Thornton on the Terror of Being Stalked, What She’s Learned and the New Law That Will Undoubtably Save Lives

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with the aim of affecting real, meaningful change - this week, it happened!

Let us know what else you think we should be advocating for - our inbox is always open at hello@capsulenz.com.

Have a great weekend team!

The Capsule Chill-Out Club: Shit You Should Care About Founder (And Young New Zealander of the Year?!) Lucy Blakiston on The Power of Alone Time, Putting Your Phone on ‘Extreme Do Not Disturb’ and Why Anxiety is Scared of Her

Welcome to the Capsule Chill-Out Club – the place where we chat to well-known Kiwi gals about how they cope with high stress, high cortisol and anxiety… and how the chill the f*** out when everything is getting just a little too much!

Brought to you by our pals at Shark Beauty to celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated CryoGlow Cooling + LED Face Mask – a wearable combo of LED light therapy and under-eye cooling that delivers clinically tested skin-firming and acne-reducing results – we’ll be delving deep into what we’re all doing to stay balanced, level and, well, chill!

Today’s features one of Aotearoa’s most impressive media mavens, Shit You Should Care About founder Lucy Blakiston – who has also just been awarded the title of Young New Zealander of the Year. On a crusade to make people, well, care about shit, Luce’s supremely Gen Z approach to news means she’s always on and always online – until she’s not.

Kia ora, Lucy – MAN, you’ve had an absolutely huge few weeks, winning Young New Zealander of the Year AND appearing at SXSW – congrats, man! You’re so busy and full on – what’s your relationship with anxiety like for you right now?

I think at this point anxiety is scared of me! I’ve healed from my teenage anxiety so hard that I’ve swung in the other direction and am so comfortable being so myself in every room.

Overwhelm is completely normal (God, especially in this day and age!) – so when was the last time that you felt completely overwhelmed, and what did you do about it?

Keep reading »»»

WANT TO BE ON OUR SEX TOY REVIEW PANEL?! Now’s your chance!⁠

Guys, we’re fizzing! Our toy review column, I’ll Have What She’s Having, is finally back! ⁠For months we’ve heard from you, dear readers, that you’re missing your monthly toy reviews, so we’re thrilled to announce its return to Capsule, with the support of our pals @peachesandcreamnz! ⁠ And we need a brand-new panel of gals - all ages, stages, experience levels and lifestyles- to test our a bevy of toys and let their fellow wāhine know what’s worth vibing to (literally). ⁠
⁠
💦 What does a panellist need to do? ⁠
If selected, you’ll receive a box of toys from Peaches and Cream, and you’ll need to write three reviews detailing your experience (don’t worry, we can help with the writing if need be!). You can be anonymous, of course. ⁠
⁠
💦 How do I enter? ⁠
DM us on Instagram (@capsule_nz) or email hello@capsulenz.com, with your name, age, location and a little bit about yourself, your situation (single, relationship etc) and why you want to be on our panel - and why you think you’ll be a great fit! All entries are confidential, of course. Applications close on MONDAY 8 JUNE at 9pm and you must be located in New Zealand to enter. ⁠
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Feel free to send this post to someone you think would be perfect on the panel - we love a good recommendation! ⁠AND, thanks to Peaches and Cream, every applicant will receive a special, exclusive discount code, to say thanks... and some of the best applications might even receive something a little extra, too! ⁠
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Good luck - and we can’t wait to bring the vibes back 💫⁠

Pretty Interesting with Kim Crossman: ‘This is What Happens When Women Stop Trying to Fit Neatly into Boxes’ Kim Chats to AI Powerhouse, CEO & Entrepreneur Nyssa Waters

When I started this Pretty Interesting column, it was with the intention of shining a light on epic humans in a raw, honest, non glossy way. The kind of people who were and are inspiring me. What I didn’t expect was to become so invested, so excited and so amazed by the things these people are doing that it would open entirely new tabs in my brain. Today’s chat with Nyssa was no different.

I was introduced to her by my sister, Rochelle, one of the most interesting people I know, but also one of the greatest connectors on the planet. She simply said, “How have you NOT met Nyssa?” So I reached out and she very kindly joined me on Zoom for a chat.

From everything Rochelle had told me, I expected to meet an AI powerhouse.

What I did not expect was to meet a woman talking about global expansion, Singapore tax structures and billion dollar possibilities one minute, then tearing up the next because her kids are getting used to her not being home.

Keep reading »»»

The Mental Load Of Healthy Eating: Nadia Lim And Dr Libby On Why We Need To Stop Overcomplicating It

You’re not failing at nutrition – you’re just drowning in noise. We chat to My Food Bag co-founder Nadia Lim and nutritional biochemist Dr Libby Weaver about the crushing mental load of healthy eating, what you shouldn’t be paying attention to and how to go back to basics when it comes to your health.

Creatine. Bone broth. Keto. Paleo. Carbs! There are SO many theories out there – particularly in our social media feeds – that all seem to insist that they’re the silver bullet for health. Fads and trends are now a constant hum of noise that are screaming for our attention – but my GOD, it can be overwhelming.

It’s a feeling both Nadia Lim and Dr Libby Weaver agree on, and as they tell Capsule, the mental load of trying to eat the healthiest we can – especially when it comes to feeding your kids – is getting heavier.

The noise is the problem

“Nutrition is incredibly simple,” Dr Libby tells Capsule, “but we’re being shouted at right now. There’s just so much noise.”

Most of that shouting is about gimmicky fads, trends, and things designed for very specific people (like someone who’s very into weightlifting) but presented as though everybody needs them. “Your brain and your face and your bones and your muscles will all fall apart unless you’re buying 4,000 extras,” she says of the messaging. “And it’s just not true.”

Keep reading »»»

Growing Up is Realising Ross Geller Was A Toxic Boyfriend (Sorry, Not Sorry)

Lying about an annulment, a secret sex tape and pros and cons list about Rachel – how did we miss Friends’ Ross Geller and all his red flags growing up?! Even Lisa Kudrow has switched to Team Rachel.

I used to be a huge Ross and Rachel stan.

Maybe it was because Ross had been pining after Rachel since high school – the ‘geek’ who finally got his shot at the ‘It Girl’ when she stormed in Central Perk in a wedding dress in the very first episode.

Don’t we just love an underdog?

Ross played the nice guy: tall, handsome and a palaeontologist, something he would not shut up about. Good looks and intelligence? Perfect leading man material. Or so I thought.

What didn’t click when I was younger is that Ross had the emotional intelligence of a five-year-old. Whiney, possessive, a little girl-crazy, always the negative Nelly and relentlessly making everything about himself.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. “Chalance” Has Become a Dating Non-Negotiable—But What Does It Really Mean? The Everygirl

2. What Is Blue Health? Exploring The Science And Astrology Of Water’s Power Refinery 29

3. They’ve Heard the Warnings. Gen Z Is Tanning Anyway. The New York Times

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

Alice here this week, and I hope you’re doing well!

This weekend I’m having a MUCH better one than last. I won’t bore you (or depress you) with all the details - but please know that perhaps the least stressful thing that happened was finding a LARGE West Auckland spider inside my shoe. After I had put it on.

I was going to have a quick Google just now to see if I could identify it, but as soon as I saw the images I had to close my laptop and walk away for a while, but just know that it was LARGE. How did it happen? Well, as soon as I put my foot in my shoe, I immediately realised that something was very wrong, so I took it off (they were Converse), then pulled up the tongue to see what was in it (perhaps a rolled up sock?) and instead saw the legs of the thing. Still moving. I was on my own with our four-year-old and now perhaps one of my proudest moments to date is that I quietly took the shoe outside to deal with the situation (my second proudest moment might be that I didn’t just yeet the whole shoe into the bush). I didn’t need him also becoming afraid of putting his shoes on every time we leave the house.

But sadly one thing I couldn’t shield him from last weekend was the passing of our much-loved kitty, Pompom. We all miss her lots - including the four-year-old. We’re very fortunate in that this is his first time being confronted with death. But, wow. The questions they ask? Their brains are so incredible, but it’s also all very confronting. You never know when you’re next going to be in the middle of doing the dishes or playing cars when - BAM - you’re going to be asked a very tricky, confronting question about death. A side note - if you’re ever in this situation or know someone who is, can I please recommend a book? I had a copy of ‘There’s Something Wrong With George’ (A Lovevery Book) at the bottom of my wardrobe and it has been amazing at helping my little guy get his head around everything. It’s a book about a girl losing her pet goldfish and is pretty matter of fact but gets across the info they need. Brilliant.

So yes, we’ve been a bit sad at our house, but also thankful, remembering the good times. When I was pregnant with my son, Pompom was one of the first to figure it out. Every morning she’d scratch and meow to come into the bedroom, then would hop up on the bed and lie so her front paws would stretch out over my belly and she’d just sit there and purr. We called her ‘the midwife’ during that time because she did it every morning until the day I left to give birth. She never showed any interest in my stomach before or after that point. Pets are just kind of magical.

Okay, and now onto the Capsule stories for the week!

There is a VERY wild Divorce Diary this week (it certainly has some twists and turns), Sarah Lang looks at the FAFO style of parenting (aka F**k Around & Find Out!) - Sarah also did a great piece about Trump’s team using the word ‘under-babied’ 🤢 and how worried we should be about some of those sentiments beginning to pop up here in NZ which you can check out here. There’s a few celeb stories - like Mandy Moore finally talking about that Ashley Tisdale article (read the story here!) and one about Hayden Panettiere opening up about postpartum depression, birth trauma and her battle with alcohol. These are such important topics to talk about. I’m nearly halfway through her book and it’s confronting, but an incredible read.

Lastly, I wrote a little story about a health condition I have called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It’s an autoimmune disease I’ve had about 11 years now. Every few months I seem to get a message from someone I know, or a friend of a friend, saying they’ve been diagnosed, but I was still shocked to hear that it’s estimated that 10% of females have it. For a long time I’d resigned myself to the fact that maybe I just couldn’t “hack it” as well as other people - or maybe that feeling so bone tired all the time was normal? It’s not. And with the right medication and lifestyle adjustments you can feel fab. You’re just supposed to stay away from stress as much as possible… so maybe I’ll stick to just wearing jandals for a while?!

Hope you have a fab week.

x

The Divorce Diaries: ‘He Left Me Two Months After I Had a Tubal Ligation. I Was Only 32, With Two Small Kids to Raise Alone.’

Holly* knew she’d struck it pretty lucky when it came to love.

She’d met Curtis the day she same day she graduated from university.

“He was celebrating too and we met on the dance floor – one of those gross bars with a sticky floor,” she says. “But it was one of those really instant ones. Like ‘BAM’, we saw each other and that was it – we were a couple and inseparable from then on.”

Holly and Curtis seemed perfect. They loved the same things and just seemed to be so in sync with one another. Their careers were quite different, but also really complemented each other. They never had a fight, never argued and felt united on what their goals were: they did the OE together, bought a house, got married and had two children.

“It’s weird, but that night we met we asked each other all the big questions, like how many kids do you want – we both wanted two,” she says. “That was always the dream. Ideally a boy and then a girl, and somehow that’s exactly what we got.”

Of course their lives weren’t always just smooth sailing – there were tough spots: Curtis’ dad having a long illness and eventually passing away, plus a couple of bad financial decisions and that made for a couple of stressful years.

There was another small niggly problem – contraception.

“It’s a strange one, yes, but contraception was a bit of an issue between us,” says Holly. “I’m allergic to latex, so can’t use normal condoms. There are some alternatives, but, honestly – particularly when we were in our early 20s, the alternatives weren’t particularly good. And they’re expensive.”

Holly had tried going on the pill a number of times, but found she experienced pretty awful side effects.

“I tried different types, but…

Keeping reading » » »

Hayden Panettiere’s Painful Journey with Postpartum Depression, Alcohol & a Traumatic Birth. ‘I’d Always Heard That Mothers Feel an Instant Rush of Love the Moment They Lay Their Eyes on Their Baby, But I Felt Nothing.’

For a decade Hayden Panettiere has dealt with cruel speculation around why she gave full custody over to her former partner and father of her daughter, Wladimir Klitschko. Now, Hayden has penned a memoir, detailing the traumatic birth of her daughter, the depths of the postpartum depression she experienced in the years that followed, and her battle with alcohol.

TW: Postpartum Depression, Alcoholism, Traumatic Birth

Hayden Panettiere has opened up about her traumatic birth experience and consequent battle with postpartum depression, which led to her giving up custody of her daughter.

The 36-year-old first revealed her harrowing journey into motherhood in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Speaking to CBS News’ Gayle King about her experience birthing her now 11-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shares with her former fiance Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, the actress revealed, “I had a really rough birth to the point where I almost didn’t make it through.

“And then the postpartum depression started. There I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl and this very fortunate life, and I could not for the life of me be happy.

“I was so depressed…

Keeping reading » » »

Feeling Exhausted? Just How Tired is Normal? Could You Be One of the 10% of Kiwi Women Who Have This Autoimmune Disease?

Is it just exhaustion, or is it Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis? An estimated 10% of women in New Zealand are suffering from the autoimmune illness which causes symptoms like unrelenting fatigue, unexplained weight gain, sensitivity to the cold, hair loss, joint stiffness, brain fog, dry skin, constipation and muscle aches. So, why are most women just being brushed off when they go to the doctor?

As a thirty or forty-something female, it’s become all too easy to believe that it’s completely normal to feel bone tired, all of the time.

Sometimes it seems as though everyone in my age group is feeling worn-out, run-down and not sleeping well. We all like the constant Instagram memes about needing coffee to survive and complain to each other about our various aches and pains, and the depths of our exhaustion. In the last couple of years it’d be easy to chalk it up as being perimenopause – which seems to be everywhere all of a sudden.

Years ago, I actually got to the point where I thought it was so perfectly normal to feel exhausted and had resigned myself to the fact that, well, perhaps everyone just feels a bit tired all the time and maybe I just wasn’t as robust at dealing with it.

Turns out, that wasn’t the case. I was only in my early thirties and so feeling perpetually tired, as I came to learn, wasn’t at all normal. Actually, I was chronically unwell, and unfortunately, I’m certainly not alone.

Eleven years ago, after nearly a whole year of feeling like my body was falling apart, I was diagnosed with an Autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Recently I’ve been shocked to discover that around 10% of the female population suffers from it…

Keeping reading » » »

‘F**k Around And Find Out’: Introducing FAFO Parenting And Its Appeal – And, Can You Get Burnout From Gentle Parenting?

Is FAFO parenting a new fad, or a useful long-term approach? And can you get burnout from gentle parenting?

Gina*, a 36-year-old from Auckland, has a ‘gentle parenting’ approach with her three-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. “My parents did the naughty-step, wooden-spoon parenting, which made me determined to do things differently.” Her husband feels the same.

Gentle parenting emphasises empathy, respect, and understanding toward children. Parents try to regulate their own emotions, help their children identify and manage their emotions, and lean into physical and emotional affection.

It’s important to Gina to validate her children’s feelings and give them options, so they can respond to situations in a way they can learn from. “For example, if my son has a playdate or is at kindy and melts down over another child using a toy, I might say, ‘I can tell you’re sad because you wanted that toy’ and offer choices like ‘why don’t you use that other toy’ or ‘what might you play with instead?’.” But she knows that saying ‘no’ is often needed.

However, recently Gina has been wondering if she’s being too permissive as a parent. If her daughter leaves a raincoat or lunchbox at home, Gina parachutes them into school. She does set boundaries but if her kids cross them – for instance, stealing chocolate and lying about it – she doesn’t always enforce consequences, such as no sweet treats for a month. “So they may feel they can get away with things.” Her kids are young, but she’s worrying about how to parent when they’re older.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’m doing it [parenting] right. Sometimes I think I’m too soft. And always trying to stay calm is exhausting.”

She’s interested in…

Keeping reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Midlife Crisis–ing in the End-times: Older millennials now have less money and more problems than every before. Basically, we’re in retrograde The Cut

2. Hot divorcee summer: get ready for big hats, hot sex and don’t-care energy The Guardian

3. The 3P Theory Proves the Messiness of Modern Dating Is Worth It The Everygirl

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora everyone,

Kelly here this week and I sincerely hope you’re well when you’re reading this - because it seems like half the country has been struck down with illness over the last week! Two thirds of Capsule have been off all week and it’s been crazy times, so fingers crossed you are fighting fit. To think we haven’t even got to winter yet!

Still, despite our decimated numbers we’ve managed to bring you some epic yarns, and reading actor Holly Shervey’s super-candid How Are You Today? chat, I’m in awe. To turn one of the worst moments in your life into a beautifully shot and told piece of telly is no mean feat, and Crackhead really is an incredible show that is well worth a watch. A little warning before you read Alice’s story though, if suicide, eating disorders or mental health in general are triggers for you, please tread with caution.

In the meantime, stock up on Viralex (I swear they work!?) and do your best to dodge the colds, flus and virus that seem to be swirling around right now. And not to sound like your mum, but if you haven’t booked in your flu shot… you know the drill.

Have a fabulous week!

‘The Shame Was the Worst Bit’ – How Are You Today, Holly Shervey? The ‘Crackhead’ Star Talks Mental Health, Psychiatric Units AND Her Brand New Baby

In the last few months Holly Shervey has birthed two incredible projects: her eight-year labour of love, Crackhead, the TV series she has created, written and starred in. Plus just three months ago – while Crackhead was about to hit TV screens – she literally gave birth to her first child, a little girl, Addie, with her husband, fellow actor Emmett Skilton (who is also the director of Crackhead).

TW: Suicide, eating disorders, mental health

When Holly Shervey was just six she lost her precious mum to bowel cancer. That completely harrowing and untethering event led her down an anxious path, which all came to a head when she was at university. Struggling with anxiety, disordered eating and suicide ideation, she thankfully managed to gather the strength to reach out for help.

That help came in the form of a stay at a psychiatric unit – an extremely difficult chapter in her life, which she’s now turned into a positive: the creation of a TV show which she hopes will help people understand what it’s like to go through these challenges, and to help those who are experiencing it first hand feel less alone.

And Crackhead appears to be doing just that – with a massive response in New Zealand since hitting Three Now, and now about to reach a wider audience after being picked up by HBO Max in Australia.

Here at Capsule we believe in having good mental health chats and as part of that, we like to check in with each other to see how we’re each doing – and we hope to encourage our readers to do the same. ‘How are you today?’ can be such a small question, but if we take a moment to really check in with ourselves and be honest in our reply – and, if we’re the one asking the question, be willing to really listen – it can lead to a much bigger conversation.

So, having said that, Holly, how are you today?

Keep reading »»»

The Divorce Diaries: “The 3 Warning Signs I Missed at Our Wedding That We Were Headed for Divorce”

There were three wedding red flags that popped up on Sally’s big day to her husband, Ben, that she now wishes she’d paid more attention to. The couple are now getting divorced, but the signs they were heading in that direction were there from the start, says Sally.

It was a slow unravelling in the end. A lot of arguments, a lot of resentment and some suspicion.

After five years of marriage (and more than a decade together) Sally and Ben called it quits last year.

“There was so much resentment, on both sides,” says Sally. “I felt like he was so absent – emotionally and physically. He wasn’t the father or husband I’d hoped he be – he was very selfish. He always put himself first. And, I suspected he was having an affair, but I guess I’ll never really know.”

But, this story isn’t about the sad ending of their marriage. There’s a lot to unpack there, but this story is about the start of their marriage, because Sally has been doing a lot of reflecting lately.

“I think that’s probably pretty typical,” she says. “You look back at what happened and look for the signs that this is where you were headed and what you overlooked and why.”

Because, Sally says, if she’s honest, she knew there were a few things that weren’t quite right in their relationship, even before they got married.

Keep reading »»»

The Capsule Chill-Out Club: Sexologist Morgan Penn on Anxiety, Stress and How She Chills the F*** Out (And Her Quick Hits of Calm You Can Copy)

Welcome to the Capsule Chill-Out Club – the place where we chat to well-known Kiwi gals about how they cope with high stress, high cortisol and anxiety… and how the chill the f*** out when everything is getting just a little too much! Brought to you by our pals at Shark Beauty to celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated CryoGlow Cooling + LED Face Mask – a wearable combo of LED light therapy and under-eye cooling that delivers clinically tested skin-firming and acne-reducing results – we’ll be delving deep into what we’re all doing to stay balanced, level and, well, chill! In this edition, our favourite sexologist and all-around good b*tch (literally – see here!) Morgan Penn, who has some *nifty* techniques to de-stress – and no, they’re not all what you’re thinking!

Capsule x Shark Beauty

Kia ora, Morgan! You’re a somatic sexologist – meaning you’re known for being super-connected to your body and what it needs. What instantly drops your shoulders and relaxes you?

For me, it’s always putting my feet in the ocean and feeling the sand squidge between my toes!

Can you tell us what your relationship with anxiety like right now because, we know, she’s a b*tch!

Hmm, how interesting and timely for me to reflect on right now! I’ve never been an anxious person, but I recently got a new puppy and my relaxed, ‘go with the flow’ way of life has come to a grinding halt! I’m anxious that he’s going to get attacked by another dog when we walk, I lie awake in bed at night and wonder if I’m being a good enough puppy mum to him, or if I should be doing more. It’s crazy!

Keep reading »»»

‘He’s Muscular, Six Feet Four, With Blue Eyes… And He Sure Can Wear a Kilt’ An Ode to Outlander’s Jamie Fraser as We Say Farewell

It’s time for ‘Obsessenachs’ to say goodbye (Slán in Gaelic) to Outlander’s leading man Jamie Fraser. Compared to him, how could any real-life man compete?

Nearly 12 years after time-travelling historical drama Outlander began, it’s about to end. On Saturday (May 16), the last episode of the eighth and final season will wrap up the against-the-odds love story between Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). It will be the 101^st episode – yes, really. (Does that mean I can say I’ve done 101 hours of research for this story?)

When Outlander began, Englishwoman Claire was on holiday with her husband Frank in Scotland after her time as a surgical army nurse during WWII. Observing a ritual performed by a group of druids at a circle of standing stones, she (accidentally of course) travels back in time, landing stranded in 1743. She marries Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser for practical reasons, then falls in love.

I watched Outlander in a somewhat weird way. While I was staying with my mother and stepfather, they were watching season three, so that’s when I started watching. Does anyone else remember how embarrassing it is to watch sex scenes with your parents? These sex scenes do not cut away early enough. At times I excused myself to ‘get a cup of tea’.

Keep reading »»»

Which Smart TV is Right For You? Your Guide to Choosing the Best Smart TV… Based off an Early 2000’s Cosmo-Style Quiz, Of Course!

We went to Sydney a few weeks ago with our Samsung pals, who just dropped their entire 2026 AI TV lineup – and there’s SO many different options for your next telly purchase. How to pick? Well, based on your fave TV watching habits, of course! Here’s our guide for how to choose the best Samsung TV for you and your household!

Look, buying a new TV used to be simple – you walked into Noel Leeming, pointed at the biggest one you could afford and you got on with your life. Those days are gone, darls – and sure, there’s more to understand about different TVs, but considering how much of your life you spend plonked in front of one? You deserve the BEST.

I was guided around a room seeing all of the different models, and I couldn’t believe the difference between models because I guess I’ve never really taken the time to compare them? (I’m also operating on a Samsung from 2008 which is still going strong, but perhaps doesn’t quite measure up to what technology can do nowadays!) So we’re doing this the old fashioned way and some would argue, the best way. Remember those Cosmo quizzes that told you what kind of girlfriend you were based on whether you preferred brunch or dinner?

Yeah, we’ve gone with the same energy here (write what you love, right?!) except instead of finding out you’re a ‘passionate but unpredictable Scorpio lover’, you’re going to find out which Samsung TV was made for the way you actually watch things.

Keep reading »»

1. Could a demotion be the best career move you could make? Here’s how to tell Stylist

2. Going To Therapy Doesn’t Heal The People Around You Unbothered

3. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ has a boyfriend problem The Washington Post

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mōrena! Happy Sunday!

Alice here this week, and I hope this little email finds you well! If you’re reading this on Sunday morning and celebrating Mother’s Day - Happy Freaking Mother’s Day to you! But, likewise, if you’re someone for whom Mother’s Day isn’t a particularly happy day, we see you and we’re sending you our love. I hope you’re still in bed, having some R&R.

If Mother’s Day is a difficult day for you, it might just help to know you’re certainly not alone.

On Friday I ran a poll on our Insta about how we’re all feeling about Mother’s Day, and - perhaps surprisingly?! - the LEAST number of votes went to ‘Love it! So much Joy!’. Here’s how the votes stacked up:

Love it! So much joy (13%)
Meh (36%)
It’s difficult - I feel grief/sadness (15%)
Honestly? All of the above? (36%)

Interesting, right?

I know Mother’s Day brings up some complicated feelings for many (putting my hand up here - my mum’s not well and while I feel excited for my kids to make me pancakes in bed - fingers crossed - there’s also a lot of grief involved). And I know SO many people who find it hard - whether it’s because your mum’s no longer with us, or maybe you have a difficult relationship, or you’re a solo mum, or you’re going through fertility hell or any of another billion reasons - whatever it is, we see you and we’re giving you a big hug. I hope whatever you’re doing, you’re being kind to yourself today.

It feels a particularly poignant week to be celebrating Mother’s Day for a couple of reasons - in our own Capsule world it’s also the week we celebrate our 6th birthday. Yip, the other child we birthed is now somehow SIX (they’d already be at school by now!?! It almost makes me feel teary thinking about a taking her photo with her big school bag heading off to for her first day!!). It feels absolutely wild that six years has passed already (but also, it feels like 7,327 years ago that we were just coming out of our first Covid-19 lockdown, making this thing. Hmm… now I suddenly feel like making banana bread!).

On behalf of Kel too, I just want to say THANK YOU. Thanks for reading our stories and clicking on the links and liking the posts and all that you do to support us. We feel so passionately - particularly in *this* world we’re living in - about telling the stories of Kiwi women and all the challenges we face, as well as the triumphs. These stories matter. Your support - whether it’s clicking on a link, or becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter (hint, hint! You can do that here:

Subscribe now

means we get to keep doing more of this. SO, THANK YOU.

The other reason I find the timing of Mother’s Day interesting, is because today is the last day of Perinatal Mental Health Week. It does feel fitting these two events fall together, as a reminder of sorts that motherhood is certainly no cake walk - the act of bringing a baby into this world can bring you face-to-face with the greatest challenges imaginable.

It’s an incredibly important week to acknowledge - and to learn more about. It’s a perfect example of writing about the stories that matter at Capsule. I love delving into ones like these, because I feel so passionately that we get information out and attention on anything to do with women’s health (particularly anything to do with women’s reproductive health or birth) - but they’re also the ones that leave me feeling absolutely bewildered and wild with rage.

Yes, Perinatal Mental Health provides challenges for women all over the world. But here in New Zealand our outcomes show that our mental health system is failing us.

Trigger warning - suicide / postpartum health (If you’re hapu, please be kind to yourself. You can head straight to the story here and scroll down to the very bottom, past the scary stuff and there’s lots of info about how to take care of your mental health during pregnancy/postpartum. Maybe get your partner or a trusted friend to read things through too, so they’ve got your back!)

I’m putting that warning up because the numbers aren’t great.

It’s estimated 12 to 18% of New Zealand mothers and 10% of fathers will develop depression, anxiety or other mental health issues during the perinatal period (that’s the timeframe from pregnancy through to the first year postpartum).

But here’s the worst bit. Te Tāhū Hauora – the Health Quality and Safety Commission – released a review in 2021 based on statistics gathered from 2006-2017 and discovered that a staggering 45% of all maternal deaths were due to suicide. Wāhine Māori are 3.35 times more likely to die by suicide during this time.

And this appears to be quite a distinctly New Zealand issue. The reported rate of maternal suicide here is five times higher per capita than that of the UK. And unfortunately - that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

If you can stomach it, please do give the story a read. The good news is, thanks to incredible women like Kirsty Maquire, who shared her experiences for our story and who made a submission to the select committee for a raft of proposed changes to the Mental Health Act, some changes are hopefully on the way. But, it’s an issue we need to be vocal about. Change must happen.

Again, thank you SO MUCH for reading and for caring. We love you!!

Talk again soon
xx

‘He Thought Maybe He’d Lost Both of Us…’ The Heart-Stopping Moment That Forever Changed Nadine Higgins and Her Husband – She Talks Motherhood, Future Planning and How to Alleviate Some of That Financial Stress We’re All Feeling Right Now

Nadine Higgins is a familiar friendly face to most Kiwis – a TV presenter, award-winning journalist, financial expert and now, ambassador for AA Life Insurance.

In the last few years since we spoke to Nadine, so much has changed for her. Against the odds she’s had two children as well as some heart-stopping moments that have made her and her husband have some hard, but necessary, conversations about the future. Here, Nadine talks to Capsule’s Alice Hampson about the absolutely wild ride that is motherhood, the dramatic birth of her son Ari, being in the ‘sandwich’ generation and how to alleviate some of that financial stress we’re all feeling during this cost-of-living crisis…

Capsule x AA Life Insurance

It might be a cliché but in the end, it really is the little moments in life that matter most.

Those little moments – the quick snapshots in time – also have the ability to profoundly alter your life. A moment, a thought, a realisation – it’s all it takes to make you see the world through a different lens.

For Nadine Higgins, life has thrown her a few of those moments.

If you’re familiar with lovely Nadine and her family, you’ll likely know the story behind her journey to motherhood – one that stretched for more than four years, through the heartbreak of IVF and miscarriages into an exploration of surrogacy. Nadine and her husband Dan shared their journey through the award-winning podcast, The Human Race, and ultimately their joy – and complete surprise – at discovering they were pregnant with a little boy, Frankie.

Then, just a year later, Nadine got the second surprise of her life when she discovered, quite against the odds, she was pregnant again.

While it was a joyous, life-changing moment, another more terrifying surprise was on the way.

Nearly two months before her due date, Nadine’s waters broke and their second little boy, Ari, was born quickly and in terrifying circumstances.

“Dan didn’t make it to the hospital in time for his birth, because he was born so furiously fast,” tells Nadine. “He walked into the delivery room to see Ari being resuscitated and me in a puddle of blood. I think he had this moment where all the blood left his body, and he thought…

Keeping reading » » »

‘My Anxiety Has Never Gone Down Since’ – Jazz Thornton on the Terror of Being Stalked, What She’s Learned and the New Law That Will Undoubtably Save Lives

In 2024, mental health advocate and content creator Jazz Thornton was terrorised by an obsessive stalker who flew 18,000km to get to her. She soon discovered there was little the police could do to help her, as stalking is currently not a crime in New Zealand (thankfully a new law comes into force at the end of this month, criminalising stalking behaviours). It’s a cause Jazz has become passionate about and this week a new doco-series, Stalked, hits our screens which sees Jazz share more about her experience, as well as those of other brave Kiwi women. Here, Jazz opens up to Capsule about the distressing experience which left her fearing for her life, and feeling extremely guilty for putting her friends at risk – a guilt she says she still carries today.

TW: Stalking, suicide

It doesn’t happen all that often anymore, but every now and then it seems the whole world can be stopped and united by watching the same crazy thing on the telly.

In 2020, that show was Tiger King (remember Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin?!) which we all wolfed down as we baked our banana bread and got our heads around using Zoom. In 2024 the show was Baby Reindeer – a confronting black comedy/thriller series based on real life events, where Richard Gadd’s character Donny has his life upended by an obsessive stalker.

The show was shocking and disturbing – and that’s exactly what Jazz Thornton thought of it when she binge-watched it with her flatmates.

But little did Jazz know, just two weeks…

Keeping reading » » »

Looking For Something to Binge Watch This Weekend? We’ve Got You Covered. Here’s 22 Shows For WHATEVER Mood You’re In

Okay, so maybe the weather is a bit gross where you are and you’re keen to stay on the couch - or, maybe for Mother’s Day you’ve been given the morning off to watch something in bed? But now you don’t know what to watch? Never fear! Here’s 22 shows you might just like:

You’re Looking For: A Female-Led Drama/Thriller With One HECK Of a Cast

We recommend: Imperfect Women

Like half of the country, it seems, I caught Covid again a few weeks ago and was looking for something to watch while I was cooped up in bed. I knew absolutely NOTHING about this show, but saw it come up on Apple TV - just the title, plus the three main actors: Elizabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara. This line-up!?!? I needed no further information - I was in.

To be honest, it’s premise is a little tired: a bunch of women who seem to be living picture-perfect lives, but - gasp - beneath the surface lie dark, messy secrets.

We’re introduced to the three main women who are best friends, or, as the voiceover says, they share “a kinship from deep in our souls” (there’s plenty of cringy writing, unfortunately). But, almost immediately we find ourselves in an interrogation room (very reminiscent of Big Little Lies) because one of the women has been murdered... and it seems there’s a lot to learn about what has really been going on in the lives of these three women.

Yes, this show should be better considering how glossy and big budgeted it is - and the caliber of the cast - but honestly, I'm still enjoying it. No, it's definitely no Big Little Lies, but it's still some good escapist fun.

Keeping reading » » »

Turn Your Camera Roll Into Something Special - Just Like We Did at Fujifilm House of Photography

Capsule x Fujifilm

We’ve all got them - hundreds (okay, thousands) of photos sitting in our phones, quietly gathering digital dust. Screenshots mixed in with sunsets, blurry attempts at capturing the cat doing something cute, that really good coffee from three months ago and of course, all of the kid pictures that just had to be taken at the time. They deserve better than languishing on our camera roll and now, there’s somewhere in Auckland that can help you do something about it.

We popped along to the newly opened Fujifilm House of Photography on William Pickering Drive and honestly had the best time. It’s the second-biggest Fujifilm House in the world, and it’s been designed as much more than a place to get photos printed - though you can absolutely do that too. Think of it as a creative playground for anyone who loves photography, whether you’re a seasoned pro or someone whose best work lives exclusively on Instagram Stories.

The Instax prints-on-demand station is dangerously fun (we may have gone slightly overboard), and the galleries are genuinely gorgeous - the kind of space that makes you want to slow down and really look at images. There are workshops planned for those who want to sharpen their skills, and a fully equipped professional studio available for hire if you’ve got bigger projects in mind.

But here’s what we loved most: it’s a place that celebrates the simple wonder of photography. Not the gear, not the specs - the actual creativity. The idea that those forgotten photos on your phone could become prints on your wall, gifts for someone you love, or just a reason to spend an afternoon being inspired.

If your camera roll has been nagging at you lately, this is your sign. Grab your phone, head to 2C William Pickering Drive, and turn that digital clutter into something worth holding onto.

Is Having a Baby One of the Most Dangerous Things You Can Do For Your Mental Health in NZ? We Take a Deep Dive Into the State of Perinatal Mental Health in NZ

TW: Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Psychosis, Depression, Anxiety, Suicide.

This week is Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week – and while there’s much work that needs to be done in talking more openly about this topic and getting rid of stigma, it seems, what’s most needed, is a massive increase in resources and funding in our healthcare sector. Alice Hampson takes a deep dive into what’s happening out there…

UPDATE: This story was originally published on May 8 2025. In the year since, the cogs of change are turning – albeit, very slowly. In the story below we spoke to Kristy Maguire, a Kiwi mum who went through a hellish experience during postpartum, which was made all the more traumatising when she was severely let down by the mental health system. Last year, the select committee heard submissions for a bill that will see reforms to the Mental Health Act to make much needed changes to the support and care offered to women – and men – suffering from perinatal mental health issues. Kristy bravely made a submission (you can watch it below). The bill is before the house and is awaiting it’s second reading.

Kristy has received feedback that her submission moved the committee to add in a clause in their list of recommended changes to not separate mums from babies unless absolutely necessary. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says…

Keeping reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. Can You Really Trust the Supplement You Bought on TikTok? The Cut

2. Nude awakening: Meet the young people embracing naturism Dazed

3. The Teen Shows That Defined The 2000s, Ranked Refinery29

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

Subscribe now

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora!

Kelly here this week and look, it’s been a fantastic week on my end because I think I’ve solved a problem I’ve had for months (well years probably, if I’m honest).

I hate exercise. I can’t think of anything worse than going to a gym, or pounding the footpath struggling through a run, and if you ever see me at Hyrox, you know pigs are not only flying, they’ve formed an air force.

I love sport. I don’t love what I deem to be ‘pointless’ exercise - no points to score, no tries to celebrate, no team to share the joy. But as such, my fitness - and sure, physical health - has suffered, especially when my chosen sport, netball, is in an off season.

I’ve also had two complete ACL replacements in my knees, so I’m paranoid I’ll do it again - paranoia which is justified because the second time I did it, it was because I slipped on a leaf during a netball game which honestly looked just as ridiculous as it sounds.

Apart from walks and hikes (which even then I prefer flat ones because you can’t tell me anyone actually ENJOYS walking up hills) I’ve felt like I’ve been flailing in the exercise department for a while and it’s been pissing me off because I know it’s affected my mental health.

So after trying a few things to no avail (with these knees, indoor netball is off the table!) I’ve finally stumbled on something that I have fallen in love with to the point of almost instant obsession.

She’s a pickleballer now, guys.

My mate Rach [left] and I after almost dying of exhaustion at Pickleball (which is why this photo is blurry as all hell!)

For the first time in years, I cannot WAIT to pull on my activewear and get sweaty and puffy and I’m genuinely almost in happy tears about it.

OK so pickleball. You might have heard people banging on about this recently and have no idea what it actually is - it’s basically tennis’s chill younger sibling with a smaller court, a wiffle ball, paddles instead of racquets and rules simple enough that you can pick them up in about five minutes. It’s weirdly addictive, absurdly social and the only sport where being a bit unhinged actually helps - no wonder why I love it.

You’re supposed to play doubles but I love the singles because it’s a bloody good runaround, but you’re in control of your pace, your level of stubborness and your appetite for risk.

Mostly though it’s just fun, and I think I’ve done more exercise in two weeks than I have in two months.

Long story short, it’s so great to find joy in something that for so long was such a problem area, and it’s nice to know that if you persist in trying new things, eventually one of them will stick.

I hope if you relate to this and you’ve been struggling with finding something fun in the exercise space, you might pick up a paddle and go for a hit.

Have a great week - see you on the pickleball court!?

The Average Kiwi Woman May Clock Up $49,000 in Unpaid Labour Each Year. Want To Know How Much YOUR Unpaid Labour is Worth?

Economist Leonora Risse’s unpaid labour calculator isn’t just showing us that our unpaid work deserves a dollar amount put on it – on average, about NZ$49,000 a year! How many more hours do women spend on unpaid labour than men do? Can you ‘measure a mother’s love’? And why is unpaid labour – which is, predominantly, women’s labour – not counted in countries’ economic measurements?

Want to know how much you’d get if you were paid for your unpaid labour? Australian economist Dr Leonora Risse talked to Capsule over Zoom about her unpaid labour calculator.

Work out your number here. Plug in how many hours a week you spend on household work (including cleaning, cooking, meal planning, and the mental load), childcare (including pick-ups, drop-offs, weeknights and weekends), caring for an elderly person, and volunteer work. Then, you reach a dollar amount for your unpaid labour per year (if you were paid for it, which you aren’t).

“Of course, it depends on your stage of life or situation,” Leonora says. For instance if you have a baby, an elderly parent, or a disabled family member.

The calculator is, frankly, a brilliant tool, because it’s quick and easy for people to use (it takes less than five minutes), immediately attaches a dollar value, and gets people talking.

Keep reading »»»

The Capsule Chill-Out Club: Broadcaster and Gossip Queen Sharyn Casey on Her Relationship with Anxiety, Overstimulation and How She Chills the F*** Out (And Her Quick Hits of Chill You Can Do Too)

Welcome to the Capsule Chill-Out Club – the place where we chat to well-known Kiwi gals about how they cope with high stress, high cortisol and anxiety… and how the chill the f*** out when everything is getting just a little too much! Brought to you by our pals at Shark Beauty to celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated CryoGlow Cooling + LED Face Mask – a wearable combo of LED light therapy and under-eye cooling that delivers clinically tested skin-firming and acne-reducing results – we’ll be delving deep into what we’re all doing to stay balanced, level and, well, chill!

In this edition, one of favourite broadcasters and local Lady Whistledown (we mean founder and host of pop culture podcast A Little Bit Extra) Sharyn Casey isn’t afraid to get candid about how she chills the f*** out in a highly-stimulating environment, and chats about her ongoing relationship with anxiety.

Capsule x Shark Beauty

Kia ora, Sharyn! You’ve been so open about your relationship with anxiety in the past – how are you going with it these days?
It’s much better than it used to be. I still take daily medication for it, but I would say my anxiety has improved since I stopped doing radio, as I’ve learned to slow down. Also, when I avoid alcohol, my anxiety is way better. It still rears its ugly head, but nowhere near as often.

Can you tell us when the last time you felt completely overwhelmed was, and what you did about it?
It’s usually when I’ve said yes to too many things and can’t see moments to rebalance my energy see-saw. Over the last year, I’ve learned that on those days or weeks I need to sit down and handwrite everything out by day. The satisfaction of ticking things off makes me feel calmer.

What instantly drops your shoulders and relaxes you?
I go to this place called OYF where you work out in a room that’s an infrared sauna. There’s something about it — as soon as I lie down on my mat, nothing matters for the next hour. I don’t know what it is, but there have been many times I’ve dozed off!

Keep reading »»»

We One-and-Done Mums Are Tired Of Being Told To Have Another Child IRL (And It’s Even Worse On Social Media)

When women are told they should have a second child, don’t expect them to justify their decision because, well, it’s no one else’s business and it can also be upsetting.

OPINION

“You should have another one.”

“You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“Your son needs a sibling. Otherwise he’ll be lonely.”

“Only children are spoiled.”

These are honestly things people said to me after they asked if (or even when) I was going to have a second child, and I said I was one and done.

I didn’t feel I could say ‘butt out’. I’d say: “Personal reasons.” “Health reasons.” “A difficult pregnancy.”

Would you believe that, even after hearing this, some people still tried to convince me?

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be much easier this time. It’ll be worth it!”

If someone pressed me further, I’d say that I’m close to my nieces and nephews. That I used to look after both my son and niece on Tuesdays when they were pre-schoolers. That I’m sure those bonds will endure throughout my life, and that afterwards I’m sure they’ll spend Christmases together.

What did I not say? I didn’t say that this question hurt because I would have liked a second child. (I’m one of four. I love babies.) I didn’t say that I developed extreme insomnia and severe anxiety when pregnant. I didn’t say that I simply couldn’t risk my health, because I’d gone through hell. I didn’t say that I owed the three people already living – my son, husband and myself – more than I owed anyone a second child.

Keep reading »»»

The Divorce Diaries: ‘He Lied About Having a Shellfish Allergy…”

It was a little white lie. But when Kate* heard her husband so easily tell it, she began to question everything in their marriage…

Kate and Gavin had been married for nearly 12 years – and most of those years had been pretty darned good.

“I sometimes look at it [our marriage] like a bell curve,” says Kate. “To be honest, the first few years weren’t our greatest. I’ve heard people say the first year can be the most difficult and it wasn’t great for us – maybe it’s the pressure? I don’t know. I got pregnant during the second year and it wasn’t a good pregnancy – or postpartum period – but then we came out of the haze and things got better. Our marriage got better and better, and then, it started slipping right back down in the final year or two.”

Kate was a bookkeeper and started up her own accounting business a couple of years before she married Gavin. She realised she could make a lot more money if she went out on her own – and have a bit more flexibility in her life.

“It was one of those things that felt terrifying at the time, but once I’d done it, it was like, ‘what was I waiting for? What was I afraid of?’ It was so easy,” she says. “I did struggle though during the pregnancy and when our daughter was little. I thought it would be the perfect job, like I could just cut back during those times – but then it was like, hell, if I give up these clients, am I going to be able to get them back? Those were all terrifying things to think about when you also have all those hormones surging.”

Keep reading »»»

The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide (Or For Anyone Who Deserves a Treat!)

Trying to figure out what to get the mum or mother figure in your life can be TRICKY, but we’ve done our best to round up an eclectic mix of Mother’s Day gifts for next Sunday!

P.S. If you’re shopping for a new mum, make sure you take a look at this list too.

Click here for the gift guide!

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. “I just love seeing her being endlessly demoted”: Emily Blunt on The Devil Wears Prada 2 Stylist

2. The Mansion, the Heiress, the Jewel Heist, and Me: A Bel-Air Fairytale Vanity Fair

3. ‘Yesteryear’ Answers the Question: Could Tradwives Survive the Reality They Shill Online? The Everygirl

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly and Sarah

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

Capsule’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Mõrena!

It’s Alice here this week, and - holy heck - is that the sun in the sky?! Right now, I’m looking out the windows on Anzac Day to the bush outside our house - the sky is blue and the trees are completely still… there’s not a puff of wind in the sky. After what feels like months of weather mayhem, this feels like such a blessing - and all for a long weekend, no less!

I hope wherever you are across the motu you’re getting to enjoy a slice of sunshine this weekend. Today, I’m having a bit of a reset to shake a chest cold away while my boys are out fishing. Anyone else having lurgies at the moment that just don’t seem to want to totally leave?!?! I’ve been soaking up some vitamin D - aaaand, catching up on some good telly. If you’re doing the same I’ve got a guide here of what’s good to watch. Right now I’m so obsessed with Paradise - a Disney+ show that until a couple of weeks ago I’d never heard of but it’s already into its second season and HECK IT IS GOOD.

My husband had seen a bit of it and recommended it, but he wouldn’t tell me what it’s about, because that might ruin it. And he’s right (no spoilers here!), because what it seems to be about in the first episode is a US Secret Service agent detailing the President, who enters the President’s bedroom one morning, only to find he has been murdered. But.. by the end of this episode you’ll discover that yes, that’s a little bit about what this show is about, but the premise is really something quite different entirely. Trust me, just give it a watch - or any of the other 22 recs!!

There’s also lots to read on Capsule this weekend - whether it’s Sarah Lang’s deep dive on ageism in the workplace, or exploring Mondegreens. Just what the heck is that? Apparently it’s the official name for mishearing song lyrics. We have a preschooler, so that’s 90% of what I hear him singing around our house, but I loved this story. Everyone has a good one - lots of readers sent in their own Mondegreens on Instagram on Friday and some of my favourites were:

• “Can’t find a pyramid” instead of “Can’t find a better man” in Pearl Jam’s Better Man.

• “Hold me closer Tony Danza” instead of “Hold me closer tiny dancer” in Elton John’s Tiny Dancer

• “First things first, amaryllis” instead of “first things first I’m the realist” in Iggy Azalea’s Fancy.

Probably my all time personal favourite Mondegreen was my friend at high school singing ‘Sasquatch, sasquatch, you’re a sasquatch,” when singing along to Tom Jones' Sex Bomb…

Anyhoo, enough from me - I hope you’re having a wonderful long weekend, and that you continue to do so!

(P.S. Happy wedding anniversary today to my Capsule co-founder and forever friend, Kelly! And, to my own husband for our anniversary tomorrow. Kelly and I have often confused people as to which is which, so it’s very fitting that we would end up getting married the same weekend, but a year apart!)

Talk again soon!

x

Humans Reach Their Cognitive Peak Between 55 – 60. So, Why Are Women Overlooked For Jobs From As Early as 45?!?

Jacqueline Freeman is a strong voice in a growing global conversation about ageism – and it’s something she has directly experienced…

There is a contradiction in today’s workforce that’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore. At the point that people reach peak judgement, experience and maturity professionally, many are being pushed aside because of their age. It’s unfair. And it makes no sense.

Aucklander Jacqueline Freeman has become one of the most visible global voices speaking to this issue. In just 11 months, her LinkedIn platform, #58andUnapologetic, has grown to more than 20,000 followers. It is, organically, now in the top 1% of all LinkedIn’s 1.2 billion accounts, and is in the top 0.1% on the subject of ageism. Across LinkedIn, television, print and digital media, her message has reached more than 7 million people.

The First Spark

Six years ago, after finding she was no longer being interviewed for roles that she was highly qualified for, Jacqueline stopped waiting and built her own path instead. She started her own business.

Through Lone Wolf Media, she now has a portfolio of advisory and contract work across multiple organisations.

As part of this, she’s General Manager of Communications at ThinkTV (which helps businesses optimise their TV advertising). For them, she worked on a campaign around how audiences are valued, and she challenged a long-held industry norm.

This norm was that many media plans are written for 25- to 54-year-olds. Her point was that it doesn’t make sense to ignore people 55 and over.

The data was clear. People aged 55 and over make up around 23% of the population and hold close to 60% of the country’s wealth, yet they’re consistently overlooked.

She wrote about that in a LinkedIn post. As part of the post, she wrote: “This is me. The person media forgot. Why? Because I’m not 25 to 54. Out of range. Out of sight…”

Keeping reading » » »

Looking For Something to Binge Watch This Long Weekend? We've Got You Covered. Here's 21 Shows For WHATEVER Mood You're In

Looking for a good new TV show to watch - or binge through - this long weekend? If you need some quality time with your couch and remote this weekend, we've got just the show for you, however you're feeling...

Yip, if you’re staying home this ANZAC long weekend because, well, have we seen how much the price of fuel is?! You’re in luck - there’s LOTS of great TV to binge and unwind with and really recharge those batteries!

Whether you’re in the mood for a good cry, something comforting, something gritty and dark, something to turn your brain off - or something else entirely, we’ve got eight suggestions that hopefully will hit the spot just right!

You’re looking for: A Gritty, Realistic Medical Drama

We recommend: The Pitt (new season!)

Okay, look, let’s get this out of the way straight away: this show is not for the faint-hearted. The action all takes place within a Pittsburgh Emergency Department (hence the pun of The Pitt) and within the first 20 minutes of the first episode you’ve already seen a degloved (is there a worse word?) leg, close-ups of quite confronting scalpel action, someone with burns to 80% of their body and more. The first ep is probably the worst in terms of gore, so if you make it through that, you shooooould be okay? Although, be warned, they do like to just suddenly present you with something quite gross (or bizarre) without any warning.

It stars Noah Wylie and it’s basically like a grittier, more realistic version of ER (what a show!). The biggest difference though is this show happens in realtime. Each season (we’re currently into the second!) is one shift at the ED, with each episode making up one hour of the shift (the episodes are each named for the time of day, so 7am, 8am etc).

It’s won a slew of awards because it’s one heck of a good watch, and the second season is neearly just as good.

Watch it on: NEON

You’re Looking For: A Female-Led Drama/Thriller With One HECK Of a Cast

We recommend: Imperfect Women

Like half of the country, it seems, I caught Covid again a few weeks ago and was looking for something to watch while I was cooped up in bed. I knew absolutely NOTHING about this show, but saw it come up on Apple TV - just the title, plus the three main actors: Elizabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara. This line-up!?!? I needed no further information - I was in.

To be honest, it’s premise is a little tired: a bunch of women who seem to be living picture-perfect lives, but - gasp - beneath the surface lie dark, messy secrets.

We’re introduced to the three main women who are best friends, or, as the voiceover says, they share “a kinship from deep in our souls” (there’s plenty of cringy writing, unfortunately). But, almost immediately we find ourselves in an interrogation room (very reminiscent of Big Little Lies) because one of the women has been murdered... and it seems there’s a lot to learn about what has really been going on in the lives of these three women…

Keeping reading » » »

Say What?! The Most Common Misheard Music Lyrics and What Mondegreens (The Official Name For Mishearing Them!) Reveal About Us

Ever misheard a lyric? Well, you may have found yourself a Mondegreen. Sarah Lang investigates…

A few weeks ago, a friend of 30 years sent me a link to an article which says “a person has been identified who has never heard the lyrics to a song correctly in their entire lifetime” and mentions their perpetual state of “cringing embarrassment”. This is a mondegreen: a word or phrase that results from mishearing and misinterpreting a song lyric.

I laughed so much that I spat out my tea. I’d never heard of the word mondegreen. Now I’ve done some research.

It turns out that autistic people and children are quite likely to hear mondegreens. But many neurotypical adults do, too. I had a feeling I’d created a mondegreen or two. Maybe more, given my friend sent me that article.

The term mondegreen was coined by writer Sylvia Wright in 1954, when she misheard a lyric in Scottish ballad ‘The Bonny Earl o’ Moray’. She thought ‘laid him on the green’ was ‘Lady Mondegreen’.

Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,

Oh, where hae ye been?

They hae slain the Earl Amurray,

And Lady Mondegreen

She thought Lady Mondegreen got slain too. In a humorous article called ‘The Death of Lady Mondegreen’ published in Harper’s, Wright imagines their doomed love story.

Here’s a more recent example. In Taylor Swift song ‘Blank Space,’ some people thought ‘got a long list of ex-lovers’ was ‘all the lonely Starbucks lovers’…

Keeping reading » » »

The Divorce Diaries: “My Husband Didn’t Tell Me He’d Had a Vasectomy Until A Year Into Trying For a Baby.”

Ashley* had always had a motto in life – ‘what will be, will be’. She was a fervent believer in karma and destiny – perhaps ever since her aunt presented her with a Magic 8 Ball for her seventh birthday.

She spent her twenties travelling the world, hopping from one place to the next on a whim, picking up temp jobs or working in bars to cover her costs. But as her 30^th birthday loomed, she felt the urge to come home – two friends were getting married and it seemed as though everyone was beginning to settle down. She was beginning to feel like if she didn’t make a move soon herself, she might miss the boat.

On the eve of her 30^th birthday her best friend booked them in for a session with a psychic. She examined Ashley’s hands, then closed her eyes and said she could see two little pink gumboots by a door – but it was all very faint. “If you want to have the option of a daughter, it’s there for you, but I’m not sure if you take this option,” she told her. “What about a husband?” Ashley asked. “Oh, I see that!” smiled the psychic.

And a year later, Matthew came into her life – or rather, she walked right into his when she delivered a report to his desk on one of her temping assignments. They’d kept in touch, and six months later he emailed to see if she wanted to apply for a permanent job at the company – but by this point she’d already landed a dream job. “How about I shout you a coffee to congratulate you on your new position then?” he wrote back. The coffee turned into lunch and drinks and then plans to meet the next night for dinner. By the end of the year Matthew had proposed on the beach during a romantic holiday.

“I remember – vividly – the morning after he asked me [to marry him], we had this…

Keeping reading » » »

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. The Deepfake Nudes Crisis in Schools Is Much Worse Than You Thought Wired

2. Why Celebrities Are Finally Talking Openly About Their AI Interests? Vanity Fair

3. ‘I’m Over Here Meal Prepping While He Spends $100 on Sushi’ When Couples Argue Over DoorDash Habits, Everyone Loses The Cut

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly, Sarah & Vivien

Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.

Capsule’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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What We’re Thinking About This Week…

Kia ora!

It’s Kelly here this week, coming to you from the tech support trenches.

If you’re a regular reader (first of all, THANK you) you’ll know that we’ve been working with Samsung for a while - they’ve made a few of our story series’ possible, and we have some awesome stuff coming up in the pipeline thanks to their support.

So, I’ve dabbled with a Samsung phone for a while, whilst still keeping my iPhone. But this week, I was finally, properly converted. I made the switch permanent. Goodbye, Apple.

After basically a lifetime on iOS - we’re talking since the iPhone 4, people, that’s over fifteen years of muscle memory, of knowing exactly where everything is with my eyes closed, of being firmly, smugly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem - I have crossed over. After reviewing it on Capsule with a loaner, I am now the owner of a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and I am, frankly, obsessed with it.

But here’s the thing nobody warned me about: changing your phone operating system in your mid-30s is not just a tech decision, it’s an identity crisis in fancy brick form.

Okay yes fine I’m being a little dramatic - in the world today, there are FAR bigger problems than my privledged phone switch. But genuinely, the switch has gone deeper than I expected. Your phone is basically your external brain at this point - it’s how you communicate, how you navigate, how you pay for things, how you doom-scroll at 11pm when you should be sleeping. When you change the entire operating system that runs all of that, it’s like someone rearranged your house overnight. Everything still works, it’s nicer, but you’re still confused as hell when you can’t find the tea bags.

There have been learning curves, obviously. I’ve been Googling things like “where are my screenshots Samsung” like someone who’s never touched a phone before. The settings menu is a different universe, and things are a little backwards.

But here’s what’s surprised me: I love it? Like, genuinely love it. The customisation is unreal, the camera is absolutely stunning, and there’s a freedom to Android that I didn’t know I was missing (if you use a lot of Google services like Drive, you’ll LOVE it).

I’ve also discovered I’m far from alone in making the switch. There’s been a growing wave of long-time iPhone users jumping ship lately, and the conversations online about it are fascinating - people describing it like leaving a relationship, and having a weird grief for an operating system, which sounds ridiculous until you’ve lived it. It’s hard once you’ve been sucked into an entire ecosystem and when a device has been glued to your hand for over a decade, the switch hits different. It’s not just about the phone. It’s about habit, identity, and how deeply these ecosystems embed themselves into who we are and how we move through the world (for better and for worse!).

I’ll be writing up a full deep-dive on the whole experience soon - the why, the how, the emotional rollercoaster of setting up a new phone - so keep your eyes peeled for that.

For now, if you see me squinting at my phone in public looking a bit lost, no you didn’t.

‘Women Must Be Exceptional Just To Be Seen As Equal’: How And Why We’re Paying The Prove-It-Again Tax

Even if you’ve never heard of it, you may have come up against the Prove-It-Again Tax, yet another gender bias in the workplace. What exactly is it and how can we escape its trap?

Sally*, who works at a technology company in Wellington, has often compared the meetings that she runs to the meetings run by her male colleague. “I’m far more prepared. I have a PowerPoint up on the screen which I tell people I’ll email to them later, so they can pay attention in the meeting rather than them needing to take lots of notes. I stick to the topic, stick to the most important points, and make sure meetings don’t go over time.”

“But when my colleague runs meetings, he only has a notepad, nothing on a screen, and often seems to ‘wing it’. Sometimes that means meetings go over time, sometimes it means he fails to hit the most important points.” And nope, he doesn’t have a PowerPoint to share afterwards.

“Also, people tend to interrupt me more than they interrupt him, or seem to doubt my capabilities despite me proving them. That really bothers me.

“When I landed a big contract, various people said ‘nice, you got lucky’ or words to that effect, rather than congratulating me for all the effort I’d put in, including staying late at work. I’ve never heard that said of a man who has landed a big contract.

“Also, I document work projects carefully, so the information is stored for future reference – like, if someone wants to pull up details as a template of sorts.”

She’d always thought that this was just best practice, but can now see it’s part of women needing to prove themselves over and over. “What the f**k is going wrong that this is happening in 2026? Wasn’t the patriarchy meant to be deconstructed by now?”

Keep reading »»»

“Rejection is Always Redirection” – How Are You Today, PJ Harding? The Radio Star on Slow Living, Mental Health and the Absolute MYTH That Is Work-Life Balance

Broadcaster, podcaster and self-proclaimed slow-living advocate Polly ‘PJ’ Harding has built a life that looks a lot like the one she used to dream about. Settled on a farm in Masterton with her husband BJ and their two little ones – four-year-old Charlie and one-year-old Frankie – PJ has traded the buzz of Melbourne breakfast radio for crisp country air and a pace that actually suits her. These days she’s co-hosting The Hit’s Drive show with Matty McLean from her rural hideaway, running her podcast Slow It Down, and doing her best to practise what she preaches. We sat down with PJ to talk about finding contentment after burnout, why the myth of work-life balance is setting women up to fail, building resilience through redundancy and grief, and how the simple things- good coffee, flowers, a glass of red and a cat who knows how to chill – really do turn out to be everything.

CAPSULE: Kia ora, PJ – so, how are you today?

PJ: I’m definitely feeling the busyness of the last few months. I literally took a couple of days off over the last week because I knew I’d hit that point of capacity. I do a podcast called Slow It Down, which is literally about finding peace in the chaos, so I figured if I can’t even listen to my own body when it’s telling me to slow down, what am I doing? I had enough annual leave and I was like, you know what, I’m actually just going to take some time to catch up. And I really needed it. Life has never been busier, but I honestly feel very content. Deeply content.What an incredible feeling!

PJ: It is. I had a friend ask me over the weekend if I was happy and enjoying life, and I said I’ve actually never been more content. I don’t feel like I’m looking for that next thing all the time. I’m so happy where I am for the first time in a while. It’s a cool place to be.

Keep reading »»»

The Love Diaries: ‘The Unbelievable Thing My Fiancé Told Me… 10 Days After He Proposed’

Marnie experienced the absolute dream proposal on the beach at sunset in Fiji – but unfortunately it’s what happened after the proposal that threw her for an absolute six. Just 10 days later, while she was still floating on cloud nine, her fiancé told her something that quickly had her plummeting right back down to earth…

It had been three-and-a-half years since Marnie and Tom had swiped right and formed an instant connection.

“It was quite crazy really,” says Marnie. “We lived on streets that ran parallel to each other – like a two minute walk from each other. There was a supermarket close by that we went to, a chemist and a little bar where we both liked to go. We must have crossed paths so many times.”

But after exchanging a few messages on Tinder they agreed to meet for a wine at the little bar around the corner.

“I didn’t tell Tom how close I lived, because I obviously didn’t want him to know in case he turned out to be a psycho,” says Marnie.

She told him she lived down the road on the third date at the little bar – their third date in as many days.

“It all happened pretty quickly,” says Marnie. “There just didn’t seem to be the games I’d felt with other guys I’d met on the apps – like it didn’t feel like he was dating around and talking to other people. It was like, we were dating and then very quickly he was my boyfriend – we didn’t have a conversation about it at any stage, it’s just how it was!”

Keep reading »»»

The Capsule Chill-Out Club: Style Guru Aki Curtis on Anxiety, Overwhelm and How She Chills the Hell Out Even in Hard Times (And Her Top Tips of Calm You Can Copy)

Capsule x Shark Beauty

Welcome to the Capsule Chill-Out Club – the place where we chat to well-known Kiwi gals about how they cope with high stress, high cortisol and anxiety… and how the chill the hell out when everything is getting just a little too much! Brought to you by our pals at Shark Beauty to celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated CryoGlow Cooling + LED Face Mask – a wearable combo of LED light therapy and under-eye cooling that delivers clinically tested skin-firming and acne-reducing results – we’ll be delving deep into what we’re all doing to stay balanced, level and, well, chill! Today we’re chatting to The Sleek Avenue founder and content creator Aki Curtis. A former advertising executive, Aki now shows off her *impeccable* taste in all things lifestyle on social media – but has also been outspoken about her fertility journey online. Now in her 40s, she’s determined to live life fabulously – and thanks to her resilience and experience, has a whole host of ways she keeps anxiety and overwhelm at bay.

Kia ora, Aki! We’re chatting all things anxiety – what’s your relationship with it like right now?

Well, I’ve gone through four years of IVF treatments and four losses – so anxiety can become a constant, largely because so much is out of my control. “Is it going to work?” “More bad news?” “Will I end up in the emergency room again?” can feel overwhelming. That said, I’ve learned to focus on the very few things I can control (eg: hubby will always be there for me) and that all helps ground me, allowing me to feel calmer and more grateful for what I do have.

That is so much for anyone to deal with – you’re amazing for handling that kind of stress as incredibly as you do. Overwhelm must be big sometimes then – of course, is completely normal (God, especially in this day and age!) . So when was the last time that you felt completely overwhelmed, and what did you do about it?

Keep reading »»»

Are We Just DONE With Dating Apps? Why Singles Are Preferring Their Pals Pitch Them to a Room Full of Strangers – Slide Deck Optional

Are dating apps well and truly over? Capsule writer Vivien Beduya explores the Date My Mate trend taking over cities globally, including right here in Auckland.

Gosh, I don’t miss dating apps.

The ghosting. The catfishing. The endless photos of men with fish (Is that still a thing? If so, why is it still a thing?!) The figuring out if someone is genuinely looking for a relationship or just wants a bump in their Instagram following. True story, by the way.

My single friends tell me it’s somehow gotten even worse. So I talked to Su-Ling Leong, owner of Solo Social Club, which runs singles events in Auckland. One of her event-goers matched online with a man who had a brilliant personality over chat. Then when they met IRL, nothing. Bland. No good chats. Turns out he’d been using ChatGPT to write all his messages. “[It] was like flirting with a robot,” says Su-Lin.

Which is exactly why a growing number of singles are ditching the apps and showing up to IRL events instead. There’s one trending globally right now and it’s not your standard speed dating night. It’s got a modern twist, and it involves a mate and a pitch deck.

Keep reading »»»

Getting Off with Viv Conway: How Do You Travel With a Sex Toy? What You Need to Know Before Flying With a Vibrator

Girls Get Off Co-Founder Viv Conway comes to you from the sex toy trenches in Getting Off, where no topic is off the table, no chat is taboo and everything is just a little unhinged. This week Viv walks you through how to confidently travel with your special little friend with no dramas - here are her tips for how to travel with a sex toy!

Warning: it’s adults-only chat ahead!

One of life’s most humbling experiences is standing barefoot in an airport security line praying to every good lord in the universe that your bag doesn’t get flagged - because you know full well that there’s a very spicy ‘lil surprise sitting inside it.

As someone who constantly travels with sex toys and always gets asked by friends or members of our community, “Should I put them in my carry-on or checked baggage?”, I’m basically an expert in advising how to travel with vibes.

We’re all in different stages of our vibrator journey. Some of us are loud and proud, others are like, ‘whoa, that’s a me and me only piece of information’ and look, both attituedes are completely valid.

Keep reading »»»

Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week’s best stories from the web:

1. 25 Years Later, Is Coachella Still Cool? Vanity Fair

2. Job search burnout is a real phenomenon – here’s how to prevent it Stylist

3. Review: I Read the Internet’s ‘It Girl’ Book of 2026—Here’s Are My Honest Thoughts The Everygirl

That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!

Have a good week!

x The Capsule Team: Alice, Kelly, Sarah & Vivien