PYO (Pick Your Own...nose) (Ages 2–10) 

What Happened: Nose-picking, sticky fingers, zero shame.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes you have to dig deep—metaphorically and literally.

That Awkward Stage (Ages 10–18)

What Happened: Awkward crushes, Myspace, Facebook, terrible fashion choices, Failed football career, more awkward rejections. Also lost my father.

Lesson Learned: Early rejection toughens you up for future heartbreaks and boardroom showdowns.

About that startup life (Ages ~18–26)

What Happened: Went to uni, partied, met awesome people, joined MVF and did a bunch of cool stuff. Met my wife - she's the best!

Lesson Learned: Work hard, play hard - sometimes you party, sometimes you pivot. Also make the most of these years, they go by fast!

Growth stage (Ages ~26–35)

What Happened: Put on my big boy pants, grew big revenues and teams at MVF, then jumped ship to a US growth equity firm (Three Ships). Got married, moved house and had a baby - all in the middle of a global pandemic. 

Lesson Learned: Scaling businesses is one thing; scaling a family is another. Both require patience, vision, and a knack for handling meltdowns.

The Best is yet to come?(Ages ~36 & Beyond)

What Might Happen: Continue to level up professionally without losing the joy of family time; continue to build brilliant teams, invest and advise amazing businesses, build things and maybe even run a sub-3 hour marathon!

Lesson Learned: The best chapters often come after you think you’ve seen it all—stay curious, stay humble, and keep growing.