JAYNE KIELY The courage to begin again

Location Location Location NZ host Jayne Kiely has built three lives and three careers - all defined by hard work, heart and a refusal to give up.

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Back in August, Jayne Kiely stood in a room crowded with women and gave a speech.

In the run-up, she was so nervous, she could barely speak at all. But up on stage, Jayne found her voice and soon people were cheering and clapping.

She told the audience at the Women to Watch event how she had completely changed the direction of her life at the age of 50.

“And here’s the wild part,” she finished. “At 61, I’m more successful than I’ve ever been. Not in spite of my age - because of it.”

It was an inspiring message to hear from a woman who knows what she’s talking about. Jayne’s superpower is starting over. From elite athlete, to TV star and now a high-achieving real estate agent, in every chapter of her life, she has tackled something new and done well at it. But the truth is, it hasn’t been easy. There have been setbacks and self-doubt. Times when she has feared failure. Lows as well as highs.

“I’m certainly not perfect,” she says as we sit in her light-filled home in the seaside Auckland suburb of St Heliers. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way as I think everyone does. But you’ve just got to own them, learn and move on.”

Moving on from sport was inevitable. As a track and field athlete representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games, there was always going to be a time limit to her career. So Jayne transitioned to television. With her big smile, warm personality and girl-next-door vibe, she was soon hosting hit shows like Mitre 10 Dream Home and eventually commentating at the Olympics. And she absolutely loved it all.

Then, at 46, Jayne’s phone stopped ringing and the work dried up. “That was a tough time,” she recalls. “It all happened quite quickly. One day I was flavour of the month and the next no one wanted me.”