What's the best vacation you've ever been on and why?

"I spent six weeks surfing in Nicaragua a few years ago. Surfed three times a day, ate great food and hung out with incredible people."

What do you do professionally?

"I am one of the co-creators of Badger, waging war on small talk."

What is a previous job that you have done that surprises people?

"I once had a summer job changing all of the traffic light bulbs in Dunedin whilst at University."

What is the biggest life lesson you have learned?

"Forgetting about comparing yourself to others and to focus on doing the things you care about. Everything else is just noise."

What is the one place you feel most at peace?

"Central Otago, somewhere around Wanaka or the Maniototo plains."

What's the best bit about what you do?

"If we aren't inspired by what we are doing, we only have ourselves to blame and get about changing it."

What is your favourite thing about yourself?

"That I am still very much a kid at heart."

What's the best gift you've ever received and why?

"Probably my coffee thermos. I love coffee and I use it at work, when I surf, and everywhere I go."

What advice would you give to your 18 self if you got to do it all again?

"Write down the type of person you want to be and why. Keep that image as a reference point when making decisions and how you interact with people in the world."

What's your favourite way to unwind after a long day?

"Probably cooking a yummy dinner and listening to a good audiobook."

Describe your perfect Sunday.

"A surf at Maori Bay, followed by coffee and a pastry at the Muriwai Deli with a book. Failing that, a hike or a trail run in the bush with some mates."

If you were to write a book, what would it be about?

"It would probably be about my meandering travels around the world and the funny people you meet along the way."

What is your favourite way to relax?

"I'm definitely an active relaxer and may well have been a dog in a former life, so at a beach surfing, throwing a frisbee and the like."

What's the most challenging part of your job?

"Keeping focused on what will have the biggest impact on our customers and not getting distracted with all the things we "could" do."

What is your favourite non-work topic to talk about?

"I love hearing other people's ideas or quirky things they like to do. Prefer to listen than talk, surprisingly."

What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't had the chance to yet?

"I would love to learn how to grow a vegetable garden that can sustain me."

What is your favourite activity to do with friends?

"I may have been a dog in a former life, so anything that involves getting outside, on a bike ride, at a beach, in the mountains."

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

"My older brother, Mike."

If you could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?

"Japanese hands down. I never seem to tire of it."

What is the most inspiring book you've ever read?

"Endurance, hands down! This is the story of Ernest Shackleton's voyage to cross Antarctica on foot. Hard to believe it is real!"

What's the most beautiful place you've ever visited?

"The Dolomites in Italy are right up there or deep in the Milford Track in Fiordland is pretty remarkable."

What's the most memorable concert or event you've attended?

"I randomly saw a Maggie Rodgers perform for her first time at Glastonbury. Didn't know much of her but she cried a lot, and it was moving!"

What's your favourite quote or saying?

"Keep on keeping on"

Where is your dream vacation right now?

"I would love to go to Japan to eat, ski and explore or perhaps a surf trip to the Maldives."

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt in the last year?

"Breath-work. How to use your breath as a tool to calm the mind."

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

"Fat Freddies Drop - Based on a True Story"

What would be your dream job if money didn’t matter?

"It would probably be running something like Outward Bound. We are fortunate to live where we live, and I would love more kids that experience the outdoors"

What is one thing you're looking forward to in the next year?

"I've been dreaming of a trip to Japan and it is feeling like it has to happen soon."

What led you to pursue your current career?

"Even with every privilege under the sun, it took me ten years of trial and error to find startups were my passion. I want to reduce the luck factor for others."

If you could live in any time period, which would you choose and why?

"Probably the late 50s or 60s. The music looked amazing and I feel like I am a bit of an old man trapped in the wrong error."

What is your craziest travel story?

"I've been within 50m of getting struck by lightning in Colombia, whilst trying to hunt out a very remote bungy jump. Not the smartest adventure."

What is the craziest thing you've ever done for fun?

"I've rock climbed the Chief in Squamish Canada. I'm certainly no climber, so it was at the extreme end of my limits."

What's the most meaningful item you own and why?

"I probably would have said my surfboard, however I snapped it clean in half a couple of months ago. I'm not overly material."

What is one thing you wish you could change about the world?

"I wish we could redesign our cities to be more bike and pedestrian-focused, alongside housing that creates more community interactions."

What's one thing that you're currently working on that excites you?

"We are working on a way to reward the helpful folks that give their time to support others in their career."

What is one thing you are working on you are struggling with?

"Pricing! A lot of what we have done to date has been to learn. We now need to figure out the right value for it."

What is the biggest professional lesson you have learned?

"Don't forget your manners. We are all busy, however, there is no excuse to respond to people and say thanks when necessary."

What is your favourite season of the year?

"Late summer in NZ!"

What is one thing on your bucket list you want to tick off?

"I want to get barrelled somewhere in Mexico or see the Northern Lights."

What's one thing you wish more people knew about your profession?

"Startup founders are not always as delusional as they might sound sometimes. Underneath the conviction, there is self-awareness and humility."

If you were a vegetable, what would you be and why?

"A yam for no other reason that I love they way they look and a roast yam down well is up there with one of the best foods you can eat."

Who would you most like to see speak live?

"Jimmy Chin or Yvonne Chonnard"