The first-ever husband and wife to each appear on the show, and they’re both ex-NZ SAS

Dr Alia Bojilova was Lead Psychologist for the NZ SAS – and is married to Jamie Pennell, a previous Between Two Beers guest who was awarded NZ’s second-highest military honour – The Gallantry Star.

Her story is just as epic as Jamies!

In 2013, she was kidnapped by Syrian rebels while working as a United Nations military observer and told they were going to make a “bad movie” with her in it.

She joins us this week to share how she negotiated their release, her PhD research into resilience, her journey to becoming a world-renowned author and expert on the subject working with some of the biggest names, companies and athletes in the world.

But that’s just where she is today!

We also cover the incredible back story of how she arrived in New Zealand from Bulgaria at the age of 17 not speaking a word of English and how she used cartoons to help her master the language. Then just five years later she found herself in the military eventually working her way up to the NZ SAS.

This was such an epic chat, and Alia’s story, her insight and the way she holds herself – will blow you away.

Best Laugh: Seamus embarrassingly thinking Alia’s husband Jamie might swing into action like Liam Neeson in Taken to secure her release.

Best Insight: The presence of mind she kept during the hostage situation to analyse the circumstances.

Biggest Surprise: Alia only learned to speak English at the age of 17 and progressed to lead psychologist for the NZ SAS just five years later!

We're also proud to have Dr. Alia Bojilova on the books of B2B Speakers, so if you’d like her to share her story at your function or event, flick us a message by going to B2Bspeakers.co.nz

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