More FM’s very own Simon Barnett sat down for a rare, raw, and unfiltered chat about his journey with his career, family, and navigating grief.
Simon, who lost his wife Jodie in 2023, revealed on the ‘Between Two Beers’ podcast that he “has managed to laugh again,” crediting his return to More FM for bringing “some of that light and laughter back”.
Reflecting on his time in talkback radio, Barnett admitted, “I never saw myself as a good host on talkback."
"I found that challenging, where I was at in my life," he added. "I loved my co-host, James Daniels. But at that point, my mental health sucked.”
The decision to return to music radio has been a turning point, he explained. “I needed to find some joy, and (thought) maybe it could be More FM, and it has been.”
“I am so thankful for that team and that show.”
Simon lit up when speaking about his early days of parenting, from making his kids beat him in a game of tennis before they could get a phone, to deliberately taking them everywhere, including the dump, just for time together.
“Everywhere I went, I tried to take my kids with me. It wasn’t about providing them with a razzmatazz time - it was just being with them,” he said.
Now older, his daughters are what he describes as the definition of success. “When I was younger, I would’ve said being famous, being on TV, and having a nice house were the meaning of success.”
“If you ask me now, when we sit around and pray and I see the mothers they are becoming, when I see that, Jodi and I have been a success.”
“The girls have taught me and continue to teach me so much,” he said.
Despite the joy his children bring him, Simon admits the last few years navigating grief haven't been easy: “The loneliness is crippling; it’s something I’m still working through.”
“I don't know if I find anything fulfilling yet - it will come," he said.
Looking ahead, Simon said he would like to work alongside the Brain Cancer Foundation.
“I just want to make a real difference for good.”
When asked about what happiness means to him, Simon explained, “Happiness is something you can find in multiple things. You can find it in golf, work. Innate joy is something that’s much harder to find.”
And for him, joy was Jodi.
“If you are privileged enough to meet someone like I met - like Jodi - there is nothing in this world that could be better than that.”
“I would give everything up to have Jodi back in a heartbeat. I could go to a campground in Nelson with her, with nothing, and I’d be happy for the rest of my life.”
Simon also touched on his favourite moments from his career, revealing he had to “leave town” during the infamous Tom Cruise prank, and how he finally got his chance to be on ‘What Now’, which kick-started his broadcasting career.
You can hear the full interview on the Between Two Beers podcast, available on rova.
