Yeah.

And then yeah, when I was yachting, I'd been yachting for six years, and one of my friends was like, "Oh, they make a show about what we do.

You wanna be on, like you wanna work on TV, you should go for it." And I was like, "Yes, absolutely." So I went onto the show and didn't understand what it was.

I'm a small-town New Zealand girl, I didn't even like, I didn't understand the, how big the network was or how big the show was.

But any advice for anyone that might be overthinking something that wants to kind of move past that? Or just a piece of life advice you'll leave us with before you head about the rest of your day?

That's a really good question.

Let me think about that.

Do you know what actually the best advice is, which I wish more people took on board, and I have, I, like, learnt, I embrace this so much after reading that Eckhart Tolle book, is to stop reacting and stop, like, thinking that everything has to do with you.

Any hints that you can share with us as to how she factors into the season?

season?Oh, I can't say too much because I'll give away the reason.

Um, but what I can say is that she flew a very...

She flew all the way from Australia, uh, for t- literally, like two or three days, and it was just so special seeing her 'cause it was such a full circle moment, you know?

... no.

No, because the thing is, what Jen was...

She is a competent stew, and she's not a bad person.

She just had a really terrible attitude and energy.

Do you think there's any merit to that?

No, I don't think there's any merit to that.

I think like, honestly, the, the Joe and Nathan thing, it all started when Joe and Nathan were like best, best, best friends, and then Nathan started seeing Gail.

And Joe, I, like to my eyes watching it, it was like as soon as Nathan started date- dating Gail, Joe hated Gail, got really funny.

And so I think he just hated losing the bromance, and ever since then-

[laughs]

There's not much more to it They don't have much in common anymore really- No ... is I guess what it is.

Yeah.

I'm curious to know, with a process like this, what have you learned about yourself and reflected on being part of the series?

You know, what I've realized, which I'm so proud of myself for, is I've realized that I'm a very capable person and that if I just throw myself in the deep end and just trust my brain and my body to know how to respond, it's going to perform and it's going to do what it needs to do.

It's not always going to be easy.

Yeah.

season when I was chief stew the season one of down under um it was so difficult like I used to wake up every night drip swimming in my own sweat because I was so stressed and then every season's gotten easier and easier um but you know even if it's hard at first I just really trust myself to step up and know what to do

Are you the most comfortable you've been on the show?

Very, very much so.

Like I always say now, it was, it used to be hard.

Yeah.

Like, it's very hard work, but I know how to be a chief stew.

It's just like the back of my hand now.

Like, I kinda just run, like, a very well-oiled machine.

Um, and this season especially, having three stews for the first time, it just made, like, I, it got, it was the first season where I would see the guests walking down the dock, and I would get so happy.

'Cause I'm like, "Yes, I love my work when I've got enough people." Um, and now that I'm just so used to it, I could really just enjoy every step.

Yeah

... are like and see what they do.

[laughs]

...

the, the executives from the network and I was like, "Is this show, like, a big show or something?" And they're like, "Yes, Aesha.

It's like, on, you know, it's on Bravo.

It's on one of the biggest networks." And it k- and even then, though, I don't think I really quite understood it, 'cause, you know, I'm a small-town Kiwi girl.

Um, and then, and so I didn't, because I didn't understand it at all or the opportunity it could bring, I didn't think ahead in any way.

And so I kinda just did season four, then went off and did my own thing, la, la, la.

Yeah

Why is that?

Favorite season ever, favorite season of all time.

I think it was a mix of things.

I think the casting was absolutely incredible.

So every single person that was on there was really interesting and fun and brought such good storyline.

I think there was a really great mix of drama, but truncated by hilarious moments.

There was so much humor dotted throughout.

Do they watch reality TV?

I guess, what was the, what was the reason behind the switch in, in your, in your words, go- going back to your original show?

I wanted to go back because the Med is where I came from.

You know, when I first went yachting with my sister, we flew to Antibes.

That's where we were.

I was based there for most of my 20s, um, going between boats.

And for my whole yachting career, I would do, you know, go between France and Italy and Spain and whatever and just do that Milk Run, um, we call it.

And so I remember when I walked, when I walked onto the boat with Sandy in the Mediterranean, this energy, I just felt this energy, and I was like, "This is where I'm meant to be.

Talk to me a little bit about that and what your experience was in that regard.

the happiest

happiestSo cool Wait, what did he tell you? I am very lucky What did he tell you about the ring? Like, how did, did he just- Um, like right as he put it on He was like, "This, this is what this means." Yeah, yeah.

Which I, so I was already emotional, and then that just made me- Oh ...

even more emotional.

It was amazing.

I just, I wouldn't even know how to, I would be dizzy.

I know.

[laughs]