1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Leadership is not positional. If you have influence over anyone, in any context then you are a leader and this carries huge responsibility to continously be self aware of your impact on others.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I love the Maori concept of 'mana' where this privilege is bestowed on you by those who feel you are worthy. Leadership is not an entitlement, it is a privilege that is earned and re-earned on a daily basis. My first leadership role was leading 30 group fitness instructors at a prominent gym in Dunedin, New Zealand. Of all of my leadership experiences perhaps the one which has been the most impactful was being asked to lead the disability stream on the diversity council at Australia's largest telco. It showed how far we still have to go to create a truly empathetic and inclusive world where we are all seen for the value we can contribute and are provided the opportunity to do so.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

The most profound change you will ever make to structuring your work and your life will be to move to managing your energy, not your time.
Before saying 'yes' to anything I ask myself two simple questions:
1. Will this be energising or depleting?
2. Is it important or unimportant?

You deserve a life that is filled with people, experiences and thoughts that are energising and important. BUT it doesn't happen by magic, you must be present to the decisions you're making, get off autopilot and take full responsibility for your life.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

The #1 determinant of leadership success is positive relational energy - the energy exchanged between people that helps uplift, enthuse, and renew them. Based on this I work with great leaders who want to leave people more well than they found them in five ways: 1. More mentally well and intellectually sharp 2. More self-confident and connected to purpose 3. More emotionally intelligent and inclusive 4. More creative and innovative 5. More proactively focused on value creation

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The Living Leader by Penny Ferguson taught me how developing a profound understanding of responsibility was the key to creating more leaders.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

The most powerful leadership behaviour is how you choose to lead yourself. To leave people more well, you most role model this first.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

One conversation I often have with leaders is that "they hire brains not biceps" and so creating a psychosocially safe workplace is not just a 'nice-to-have' it's essential driver of business performance and a legal obligation.

When we operate from the perspective that other aspects of wellbeing are in service to our mental wellbeing and understand the prevention = performance we'll create workplaces where people can really thrive.