We Need to Talk, with Toni Street: Melodie Robinson on the Black Ferns, Miss Canterbury and running

In making the transition out of high-performance sport, Melodie Robinson found a trainer and began running to help to cope with the stress of being a broadcaster. Photo / Dean Purcell

In this episode of We Need To Talk, Toni Street catches up with former Black Fern and TVNZ general manager of sports and events Melodie Robinson.

Robinson played 18 tests for women's rugby team the Black Ferns, winning two World Cups. But she didn't come from a particularly sporty background.

"I got into sport because I was actually good at it, and I used to play it all the time at school with my male mates. And I had an amazing PE teacher Mrs Tate who - hard as nails - but she saw some potential in me.

"I would put a lot of the credit down to her, down to my dad's love of rugby and knowing that I was a bit of a tomboy, and that I thought that the All Blacks were pretty cool and that I wanted to play rugby."

She spoke about how she played basketball and volleyball too. She tried netball but found the culture to be a bit "catty" and it wasn't right for her, instead finding the rugby scene much more exciting as they were setting their own team culture.

In making the transition out of high-performance sport, Robinson found a trainer and found running helpful to deal with the stress of being a broadcaster.

"I've realised - now that I'm old - that it is so important for my wellness. I need to run, I need to go and do stuff or I get huge anxiety and very agitated."

But she also spoke about not beating herself up if her plans to go for a run went awry or turned into simply walking the dog.

"I'm 48, I'm not a world-champion athlete any more, I just need to keep healthy for my children. That's the attitude."

Robinson also shared about being Miss Canterbury, and how it helped her later in life with her broadcasting.

"No I did not wish for world peace [in the Miss New Zealand pageant]. My question was about the Berlin Wall coming down. But they didn't care about the answers to be honest it was just about the looks in the end, so I was pretty gutted. And not surprised."

Listening to Robinson, Street noted the importance of mentors, being open to trying new things and always being able to change how you're balancing your life.

"Nothing is stuck in stone. You have the power to change things up if you know that something isn't quite working or isn't making you happy."

Listen to the episode here.

To listen to more episodes of We Need to Talk, click here.