I've known Ali Mau for 13 years. We first met when I started working as a producer on Q+A at TVNZ, and she was the host of Fair Go.

She took me under her wing, taught me how to do piece-to-cameras, and has been a mentor and dear friend ever since.

Like many others, I did not know about the abuse she had suffered as a child until I read her book.

It is confronting and brave, and by the end, it hit me in both the gut and the heart.

But what it - and this interview with Ali - shows is a strength beyond words.

We also explore her career, her passions, and an incredible story about her competing at Horse of the Year.

*Warning: this episode discusses sexual abuse