Jay Jay Feeney has been surprised by a lot of things in her new life.
She's surprised by how much she likes her new hometown of Christchurch despite the cold, how comfortable she feels in her new job at More FM and how well she's doing after a tumultuous few years.
"A year ago, I would not have been able to cope at all," says Feeney.
"A lot has changed in the last year, but I sort of did each thing one step at a time."
Those steps included leaving The Edge's breakfast show after a 23 year reign, and ending her 18 year relationship with husband and co-host, Dominic Harvey.
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"I left Dom, I left The Edge... [but] I feel like I'm still in a relationship with Dom, we just don't live together and aren't intimate!" Feeney says.
Her ex still calls her every day and pops into her Auckland apartment to leave her flowers and open the blinds.
"He's always been romantic and thoughtful. I think for both of us, maybe it's hard to let go, because we do love each other so much," she says.
"I'm lucky, I haven't lost him."
Feeney says accepting her new role on More FM's drive show with iconic Kiwi broadcaster Jason Gunn was "terrifying", despite her wealth of experience in front of the mic.
"I just had all these insecurities. Was I going be any good? I didn't know whether Jase liked me, or if the boss liked me."
Now several weeks in, it's so far, so good - despite her new responsibilities as anchor of the show, something she hasn't done in over 20 years.
"The boss thinks I've got it down-pat, so that's sweet," she says.
Feeney is struck by how positive her outlook is these days, a marked difference from October 2016, when her battle with mental illness meant she took an un-planned month off work.
"I'm just so on top of my depression. I'm not feeling down in the dumps at all, which is something I'm totally surprised by."
The solution was a change in mind-set, she says - and a determination to get out of her comfort zone.
"I told myself 'You know what? I'm sick of feeling like this, I'm sick of feeling like shit'."
Her number one goal is to be happy, and while she's in a good place at the moment, her new life is still a work in progress.
"I still don't have huge self-confidence - that's all part of the mental illness, I suppose," says Feeney.
"It keeps me grounded though; I don't want to be a big-head."
Being newly single in a new city means a few less friends and a few more nights at home curled up in front of the TV alone, but a slightly slower pace of life suits Feeney, for now.
In her spare time, she's been tuning in to Dancing With The Stars NZ, where last season she competed and nearly made it to the top three. She said she was nervous to watch the first episode, recalling how all-consuming the experience can be.
This time around, she's happy to support her pick from the side-lines; her former dance partner Enrique Johns and fellow broadcaster Shavaughn Ruakere.
As for what's next - Feeney says she doesn't care where she lives or works as long as she's happy, and that remains her number one goal.
"I'm in the pilot's seat!" she says about her new role, and it appears the same applies to her new life in Christchurch.
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