Photos: Amalia Osborne
‘Welcome to my life,” grins Sky Sport presenter Rikki Swannell, gesturing to the eight or so notebooks full of various notes and goals spread out in front of her.
“This one is my women’s rugby 15’s commentary notebook. This one is ‘goals and inspiration’ – there’ll be some interesting things in that one! Then, this one is my interview notebook, this is my seven-aside book, this one is for life phrases…”
On it goes as she lists all the facets of her fast-paced life that she organises by a carefully-curated notebook system, and that’s not including the Post-it notes she has stuck around her cosy Auckland home with inspirational quotes, reminders and phrases.
Considering how much the talented broadcaster has on her plate right now, it’s easy to see why such organisation is needed, as Rikki has just returned from Paris covering the Olympic Games.
The 43-year-old remembers when she started out in sport journalism, her biggest goal was to make it to one Olympics. She has now attended her sixth, commentating for the Olympic Broadcasting Network and Sky Sport.
“The women’s sport side has changed and is still changing,” she says. “Twenty years ago, I never would have had the courage to stick my hand up and fight for more coverage for the Black Ferns in the newsroom. As a young female journalist, you put your head down and did your job. Now it’s so different and I feel thrilled at how much has changed – but there’s so much to go.”
Rikki herself has transformed beyond recognition from the slightly shy girl who first entered the Radio Sport newsroom in 2003. After making history in 2018 as the first female Super Rugby play-by-play commentator, she has worked at most media outlets in New Zealand. But it’s only been in the last few years that Rikki has become comfortable with her place in the industry.
“You find your voice as you get a bit older,” she reflects. “Some of the stuff I’ve done – ‘the first woman to do this, the first woman to do that’ – it’s never sat comfortably with me because it’s pushed me out further on a ledge.
“I used to read the comments on social media and scroll through the threads, but now I just don’t care. There’s a quote I have written on a Post-it somewhere around here that says, ‘They only tackle you if you’ve got the ball’ and man, it’s true. I definitely don’t engage as much as I used to, which has been great.
“I feel like now I’m in my forties, I have far more freedom and clarity. But then there’s all this talk that all this confidence goes when you hit menopause, so it’s like, ‘What, you get 10 years of confidence? That’s the window?’ I hope that doesn’t happen.”
While Rikki is the picture of organisation and mental fortitude, she does admit that for her, the whole concept of work-life balance right now is non-existent. But should we even be trying to have it in the first place?
“We talk too much about striving for balance,” she says. “The reality is that not every element in your life will be in sync at the same time. There are so many things you can’t plan for, like when you get sick or your car breaks down.
“I think the most important thing is just finding time for yourself and I’m really good at that.”
Living a delightfully independent life certainly helps in that area.
“It’s probably the beauty of living by myself and not having to worry about a partner or kids,” she says. “I’m quite neat and I love my space – I’d probably be very hard to live with!
“But as neat and organised as I am, I’m actually quite go-with-the-flow on other things. I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
“Don’t compare yourself, whether in this industry or as a woman, because people will pit you against each other anyway.
“I’m financially independent – I bought a house by myself. You’re told that by the time you get to 30, you should be married and having kids. That’s all just noise.
“I know me the best… and life, right now, is just amazing. I hate the hashtag humbled, blessed, grateful sort of stuff, but I am so grateful for what I have.”
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