The SailGP season got underway last week, but the Black Foils didn't start out as well as they'd hoped.

A collision with the Swiss boat in the opening race has left them with significant boat damage and in negative points ahead of the Auckland event in under three weeks.

Black Foils strategist Liv Mackay says the boat is getting repaired ahead of the event, and the team should be back on the water in time.

"It was definitely a pretty shocking situation and definitely something that you don't take lightly - as in, the risk and everything out there. But the season is long, we've definitely been in these similar situations before, so it's not a notch off the goal."

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Pati Umaga was once given ultimatum by his father to become a either a church minister or a lawyer - and instead launched a career in music that changed his life.

He found success as the bass player of the Holiday Makers, but he was left tetraplegic after a fall.

He suffered years of hardship but eventually re-found his purpose as an advocate for the disabled community through his music - and he's turned his story into a stage show called A Music Portrait of a Disabled Samoan.

Oscar Kightley has assisted in writing the show, and Nathaniel Lees has directed it - and the pair are looking forward to sharing this story with Kiwi viewers.

"It's really great, I'm working on my friend's show about his life story and it's really interesting and it's so cool to be able to put it on a stage."

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Workhorse by Caroline Palmer. This is set in a Vogue magazine-like environment, where Clodagh (Clo) Harmon is trying to make her way up the ladder, but struggles because she doesn’t have the pedigree, monied background and social confidence of her colleagues - she’s a workhorse, not a showhorse. It’s been compared in a lot of places to a combination of The Devil Wears Prada and The Talented Mister Ripley - as Clo makes more and more bad decisions and is prepared to do almost anything to get ahead.

Not My Type by E.Jean Carroll. This is the woman who sued Donald Trump for sexual assault in the changing room of a New York department store, and then went on to sue him for defamation. It’s the story of the trials, from her point of view - the clothes she wore to make certain statements, her observations of the defendant and his lawyers, the way the court cases evolved –-all told in an acerbic, witty, hilarious, insightful and incredibly entertaining way. She’s 82 now and hasn’t received a cent of the two settlements which she was awarded but she’s retained her dignity, her sense of humour and an ability to write a brilliant account of what and how it happened. I was riveted.

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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 25 January 2026, search crews are into their fourth day of the recovery operation at Mount Maunganui, head of the police search team Senior Constable Barry Shepherd shares insights into the complex search.

Kiwi Samoan screen legends Nathaniel Lees and Oscar Kightley are bringing the inspiring story of Pati Umaga to life on stage, they join Francesca to talk about Pati and why the project is so special to them.

Black Foils strategist Liv Mackay on what it was like on the Sail GP boat when it collided with the Swiss team in Perth last week, and will their boat be ready for the Auckland event in three weeks.

Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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There's a new trend emerging in the world of travel, and experts say it could help people recharge like never before.

'Skillcations' are designed to help people learn new skills while on vacation, allowing them to return to work feeling motivated without sacrificing relaxation time.

BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explained the trend further, and opened up about her experiences with learning to surf at Bondi Beach and learning to tango in Buenos Aires.

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This week on The Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and host of the Prosperity Project podcast, Nadine Higgins, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

It's been a bad week for the North Island, following the days of extreme weather. How have we felt about this week's events? How has the disaster impacted us?

Many communities, and regions in the North Island are impacted - the Coromandel, Great Barrier is a mess, Northland, the East Coast. These weather events are becoming more common - do we need to change our approach to weather warnings in New Zealand?

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Everyone wants to make sure they're making an informed choice when it comes to staying healthy, and marketing experts know how to utilise that demand to their advantage.

Marketing significantly impacts supplement choices by creating demand through increased advertising exposure, which directly correlates to higher consumption rates.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further.

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What does it mean to be 'cool'?

While the word can feel slippery and subjective, a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that people around the world largely agree on what makes someone cool - and the answer transcends culture, language and borders.

According to the research, people deemed cool consistently share six personality traits, whether they live in the US, China, South Africa or Turkey. The findings suggest that modern media and global culture may have standardized the meaning of cool far more than we realize.

The study draws on psychology experiments conducted between 2018 and 2022 with nearly 6,000 adults across 13 countries. Participants were asked to think of someone they considered 'cool,' 'not cool,' 'good,' or 'not good,' and then rate that person’s personality traits and values.

By comparing these ratings, researchers were able to identify what separates cool people from those who are merely good, or uncool.

Despite wide cultural differences, the results were strikingly consistent. Cool people were seen as more extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. In other words, they were perceived as outgoing, pleasure-seeking, confident, independent and willing to take risks.

The idea of cool emerged from small, rebellious subcultures including Black jazz musicians in the 1940s and the beatnik movement of the 1950s before spreading more widely. As creativity, innovation and change have become more valued in modern society, coolness has taken on a larger role.

The researchers also found an important distinction between being cool and being good. While some traits overlap, good people were viewed very differently. They were more likely to be described as conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, conscientious and calm, qualities associated with stability, morality and cooperation.

In other words, coolness isn’t necessarily about being kind or ethical. It’s about standing out, questioning conventions and projecting independence and influence.

Researchers say the findings could help explain how social hierarchies form and how cultural norms change. Cool people, they argue, often occupy influential positions because they are seen as innovators and persuaders people capable of shifting attitudes and behaviours.

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