‘I remember dad on the veranda crying’ – Bree Tomasel on how a rural childhood shaped her financial outlook - Money Talks

ZM drive time DJ, Celebrity Treasure Island host, author, social media influencer, and now a contestant on the new season of Taskmaster – trying to define what Bree Tomasel actually does for a living isn’t simple.

“In a nutshell, I talk sh*t for a living,” she tells rel="" title="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-money-talks-75256600/">Money Talks “I’m a sh*t talking hustler.”

Tomasel is only partly joking.

“I definitely would describe myself as a hustler in the way I’ll do anything and give everything a try.”

But while she takes a very modern multimedia approach to making a living, she says her financial style is conservative, shaped by her tough upbringing on a Queensland apple farm.

“I feel like a lot of people look at me and they think that I would be bad with money,” she says.

“Underneath it all, I am actually a really good saver.

“I grew up in a farming family where we had nothing, and I watched my parents, who are really good with money. I learned a lot from them. When you don’t have much, you have to be smart and good with your money. ”

Tomasel says her parents did their best to shelter her from the financial hardships of farming life.

“They did a really good job of that when we were kids. But there were certain things that I think they couldn’t hide.

“We’d have bad hailstorms in Queensland and this one particular hailstorm rolled through our farm. Within an hour, we’d lost 80% of our crop for that year.

“It literally is 80% of your whole income for an entire year, plus the damage that a storm like that can cause on a farm. And I just remember my dad on the veranda just crying.”

On this week’s Money Talks episode, Tomasel also talks about her career steps in radio and making the move to New Zealand. She talks about making money from social media content, making the leap into television and her excitement at being involved with Taskmaster.

Listen to the full episode to hear more from

Money Talks is a podcast run by the NZ Herald. It isn’t about personal finance and isn’t about economics – it’s just well-known New Zealanders talking about money and sharing some stories about the impact it’s had on their lives and how it has shaped them.

The series is hosted by Liam Dann, business editor-at-large for the Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.

Money Talks is available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.