Some days in retail are about beautiful clothes.
But at Annah Stretton, it has always been about something much more. In this episode of Stretton Unfiltered, Annah and Sami sit down with Angela Gilmour, who spent 17 years in their flagship Christchurch store, to take you inside the Annah Stretton retail experience. This is a brand built on the belief that clothing should be designed not just for a woman’s shape, but for her story. That what she wears can lift her up, restore confidence, and help her step back into her own light. But what truly sets this experience apart is the people behind it. Our retail teams are not there to simply sell clothes.
They are carefully chosen, developed, and empowered to deliver something far greater, an experience that meets women exactly where they are, and helps them see themselves again. Angela shares what really happens behind the fitting room curtain…
The quiet moments.
The turning points.
The transformations.
For business owners, this episode offers a powerful look at a retail model that prioritises connection over transaction, and shows how investing in exceptional sales teams can elevate an entire brand experience. Because when your people are exceptional, your retail becomes unforgettable. This conversation is a reminder that great retail is not just about product.
It is about purpose, people, and the courage to do it differently.

Some of the women who fall the hardest…are the ones holding everything together. From the outside, it can look like capability. Success. Control. But underneath, it can be pressure. Responsibility. And decisions made quietly, just to get through.
In this episode of Stretton Unfiltered, Nadene shares the story behind what happens when that pressure builds over time… and eventually gives way. Not all at once. Not dramatically.
But slowly. A business growing faster than the support around it. A refusal to ask for help. A belief that it can still be fixed. Until it can’t. What follows is a journey through the justice system, prison, and everything that comes after.
The reality of being seen differently. The weight of rebuilding.
And the quiet work of starting again. Because this is not a story about failure. It is about what happens when capable women carry too much, for too long…and what it takes to rebuild from there. Through RAW, this is something we see often. Not women defined by their worst moment. But women who choose, step by step, to move beyond it.

What does it really look like to love someone through chaos… and still find your way back to yourself?
In this episode of Stretton Unfiltered, we sit down with Nikki, her story will stay with you long after the conversation ends.
From a stable upbringing to a life shaped by low self-worth, abusive relationships, and years of fear, Nikki bravely shares what it was like to live inside a world that felt impossible to escape. We talk about the quiet realities so many women carry, staying when it hurts, protecting children while breaking inside, and the invisible weight of believing you’re not worthy of more.
Nikki opens up about life alongside Ben through prison, addiction, violence, and the turning point that changed everything. Not overnight, not easily, but through accountability, honesty, and the slow rebuild of two people choosing something different. This is a conversation about survival, about what it costs to stay and rebuilding yourself from nothing. It’s also about hope. About forgiveness. About the possibility of change, even when everything says otherwise. And most importantly, it’s a reminder that if you are in something hard, you are not alone. There is support. There are people who will stand beside you. Taking that first step is enough. If you’ve ever questioned your worth, stayed longer than you should have, or wondered if life can look different, this conversation is for you.

What does it take to create a business that people will go out of their way for, and keep coming back to? In this episode of Stretton Unfiltered, Annah sits down with Haley Bicknell, owner of Punnet, a rural café in Tamahere that has quietly become one of the Waikato’s most enduring and consistently busy destinations. Not because it follows the rules, but because it breaks them. From its beginnings on a strawberry farm to a multi-layered business employing 40 staff, Haley shares what it really takes to build something that lasts. This is a conversation grounded in the realities of running a high-volume, people-driven business, where growth doesn’t always feel like success, and where burnout can sit just beneath the surface.
Together, they unpack:
Why “being busy” doesn’t always mean being profitable
The power of defining a clear core purpose and actually living it
What it takes to scale a business while maintaining consistency
The hidden toll of customer-facing roles and leadership burnout
How stepping back, not pushing harder, can sometimes save a business
Why hiring well and building the right team changes everything
Haley also shares her experience of hitting breaking point, putting the business on the market, and ultimately choosing to rebuild it differently, with stronger systems, better support, and a renewed sense of purpose. For business owners and operators, this episode is a reminder that longevity isn’t about chasing growth. It’s about creating something people genuinely want to be part of, and building a team that can carry it with you. A thoughtful, honest conversation about business, resilience, and redefining what success actually looks like.