Co-founder, Director and Business consultant at Nomad8.
Who or what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a vet. But I didn’t want to go to Palmerston North for 4 years so I switched to Med School instead. But then I didn’t get into med school so I became a scientist.
What is your professional background?
After getting my PhD in science I switched to take a little job creating an online database of science and technology resources for schools. This was in the early days of the internet and it was all very exciting. So I stayed on to create websites for clients and ended up working in the internet agency world. I was part of the early days of the web agency industry in NZ, when there was a lot of money and very little knowledge sloshing around the dingy streets of Wellington.
I had a web agency called Spunk, (which we had to have a second 'serious' name for because our Govt clients couldn’t handle it) and then sold it to a corporate. I hated the corporate life - it’s good to know what you don’t want to do! So I moved to Amsterdam and worked in a digital agency there for 5 years. When I came back to NZ I was swept into the world of content creation - TV production, online video, interactive and creative projects. And now I’m consulting - helping businesses to be and do Agile, and cope with the disruptive world we live in.
When do you feel the most creative or inspired?
When I can help creative people do their best work.
When are you happiest?
At home, at the beach.
What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Don't sweat the small stuff... "it's just a fucking website!"
What is your most treasured possession?
I don't really have one!
What is the most important thing life has taught you thus far?
As you get older, you give fewer fucks. Getting older is okay - look for the good stuff.
Actually there’s a second most important thing. Don’t worry about the destination too much, but make sure you enjoy the journey.
What is your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in your industry?
Do your best work, do it often. If you're not happy, leave.
What is your big project or goal for the future?
To do something new.
Who or what is inspiring you at the moment?
I just finished doing Seth Godin’s altMBA and it was AMAZING. The alumni community I’m now part of is mind-blowingly inspiring on a daily basis.
What do you continually ask yourself?
What’s good enough? Could this be better? Should this be better? What’s for dinner?
Who do you collaborate with best?
People who are smart, passionate and aligned with the same goals as me/the project/the task.
Who has challenged you to be better than you once were?
My partner - constantly (in a good way). The altMBA - recently - overwhelmingly.
How does courage manifest in your work?
Difficult conversations, truth-telling. Also the people in the content creation community are courageous - they follow their passion, believe in their stories and I’m constantly in awe of their courage to do this.
When has mentorship played a role in your life?
I have had mentors, and I’ve been a mentor. Off and on for many years now. Most recently in a more structured way through OMG Tech, but usually informally through developing relationships with people I meet who I want to learn from, or who want to learn from me.
Interestingly the thing to give thought to now is more about sponsorship - who do you support, give a leg-up to, promote, recommend, in their work or life? It’s a bit more active and purposeful than mentorship. I think we do a lot of that instinctively but I recently learned it was a thing. So there you go.