Photos: Robert Trathen
At first glance, Nick Rado and his wife Sophie couldn’t be more different, but at the core of their happy marriage is their common desire to lift each other up.
Nick’s an energetic morning radio host on More FM Rodney, which he juggles with local and international stand-up gigs, as well as creating award-winning podcasts – along with fatherhood to two young children. While Sophie is a yoga teacher who prefers calm and routine in their family home.
“It’s quite an interesting combination,” Nick tells the Weekly from Sophie’s centre, Yoga House Orewa. “That dynamic of being a comic on the radio with what Sophie offers, which is very grounding, consistent and more spiritual. It’s the yin and yang.”
But, adds Sophie, 39, there are commonalities too. “Nick is my biggest coach. We all have moments where we need a confidence boost. Seeing what he does on stage, which is the most vulnerable thing you can do, and his trust in his offering, rubs off on me. I can show up, teach a yoga class, open a yoga studio and impart some spirituality.”
The pair met when Sophie attended a comedy night, where Nick was the emcee, for her brother’s birthday in 2011.
“As soon as he walked on stage, I had this feeling that he was my person,” she recalls. “Everyone was laughing – it was infectious. I contacted Nick the next day to ask, ‘When is your next show?’ because I thought I would have more courage the next time to ask him out.”
Nick was a writer on 7 Days and they messaged before meeting “for a rock’n’roll orange juice in the middle of the day”, Sophie says.
“I told him all the things I do and he shared all the amazing things that he’d been doing overseas – and we moved in together three months later.”
They married in 2014 and have two children – Beau, eight, and Billie, six – plus Teddy, the cavoodle. The family settled in Orewa, north of Auckland, in 2020, with Nick, 44, becoming the breakfast co-host earlier this year, around the time Sophie opened her yoga studio.
They hope the juxtaposition of their careers will inspire their children to follow their dreams.
“Growing up in Porirua, you got a job at the council or a trade,” Nick says. “I didn’t know stand-up comedy was a job – I just knew I wanted to tell jokes and make people laugh.”
Initially, that meant working in radio, which led to comedy and stand-up.
“When we met, I was doing late nights and early mornings. I was working and gigging and surviving on junk food,” explains Nick. “I saw how a healthy lifestyle was benefiting Soph and thought I might try that too.”
He started practising yoga and fully supported her dream of opening a studio.
“Soph has always inspired me to do different projects,” he tells. “And the biggest thing she has taught me is it’s not ‘the why’ – it’s the ‘why not?’
“It’s permission to fail, that half-time speech you need every day to get back out there.”
It’s a skill Sophie puts to good use, Nick points out.
“I can tell a great story, but I can’t see the possibilities – she can see the vision,” he enthuses. “I like to claim I’m a silent investor in the Yoga House, but Sophie has done an amazing job. She’s styled it and created a community, hired instructors, as well as planned and holds day retreats.”
Sophie repays the compliment. “I want Nick to know he can take opportunities too, because it’s important to keep exploring infinite possibilities.
“I used to perform in musical theatre overseas, so I understand the industry. When touring Europe, I did 42nd Street, Chicago and Guys and Dolls. I went to Nashville and did a stint on cruise ships.
“It was wonderful,” she says. “But it was very up and down, especially auditioning. Now I don’t need to worry that someone’s watching me and saying, ‘You’re too tall’ or, ‘Your hair is the wrong colour.’ I needed stability and that is what I get from yoga. I get so much joy from movement – it’s really holistic and brings me calm and inner peace.”
Nick, who was the warm-up act for Would I Lie to You? host Rob Brydon and Russell Howard among others, has a US comedy tour booked later this year.
“Why can’t we do these amazing things from this little place in the north of Auckland?” he asks. “I broke away from 7 Days and started my own podcasts, Sporting Rumble and Socrates Walks into a Bar, on Rova. They were passion projects that ended up winning awards.”
And he is also celebrating the success of a short film he made one afternoon in Rodne, Mission ImPossible. It’s about a motivational speaker who has lost his mojo and moves back home to live with his parents. It has been nominated for several major film festivals, including the Houston Comedy Festival and the Crystal Palace International Film Festival.
He shares, “It’s crazy how all these little passion projects and creativities come from Soph going, ‘You should totally do that.’ She is such a rock for me.”
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