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Sharesies Co-Founder (AND My Cousin!) - Sonya Williams DEBUNKS Stereotypes About Kiwis & Money

November 06, 202401:36:48
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Sonia Williams welcome to my podcast
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yeah thanks for having me this is so
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weird like um obviously it's a privilege
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to have you here because um you're an
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inspirational New Zealand businesswoman
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you know the um founder and CEO of uh
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sheries which is massive but also um
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your family it's true we are cousins um
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and I am co-founder and Co coo so work
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with other great people too but um
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that's cool yeah for sure f i I know
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that we'll get into the whole actually I
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I put on Instagram that you were coming
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and um uh I said you from shes and does
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anyone have any questions and I suppose
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this is the problem with assumption I
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ISM ches was um almost like a Netflix
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now in New Zealand where the brand
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recognition is so high that everyone
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would know what I'm talking about but a
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couple of people said oh can you know
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can you can you get her to explain sh's
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like what it is wow so maybe we'll start
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with that and we'll we'll get to the shy
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stuff later but before that we'll go
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back to Young
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Sonia my little cousin when you said
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that I was like I wonder what people
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have said no that's nice yeah no but so
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how yeah so like 10% of the population
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or something are on shies yeah we've got
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about um 700,000 investors on sheries
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and um so what it is is we call
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ourselves the wealth at um but it's
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where you can invest in um different
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investment options but really we're
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trying to remove the barriers that stand
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in the way of people um really thinking
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about their wealth and and building
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their wealth so um on the invest side
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you can invest in um a range of
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Investments with no minimum and we give
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you support and education to help you
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build your
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portfolio it's not the first time you've
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done that spill is it did it sound good
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it sounded like an elevator patch no
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it's um I mean it's just what you've
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done is just um gamechanging like I know
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the the Phrase game changer gets thrown
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around a lot but um like we're from we
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you know we're families we're from
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similar backgrounds but my dad was
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always an investor like Dad loved dad
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was always sort of anti property and
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into shares even after the 19887 Shar
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crash he was right into it but I never
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invested in in sheares until sheares
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came along because um it just seemed
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like to hard basket you need to find a
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broker you couldn't buy a portion of a
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share like you can do now like you know
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if you want to buy a share in like birsh
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he way or the video or something it's I
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don't know a th000 bucks say and now
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with shes you can just buy put a couple
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of bucks in and buy a portion of a sh
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it's it's mindblowing what you've
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done all thanks and it's true like it
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starts you kind of just start one day at
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a time but it's really you know um what
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you said there around not knowing how
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not being exposed to it like that's the
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same for me I didn't really know anyone
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that invested in shares my family didn't
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um so when you said your dad did it's
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like um even that's really cool exposure
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too and when we did our research um
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after we kind of started the business it
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was like maybe 20% of kiwi's had shares
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and of that you were most likely male
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over 60 and living in Oakland um but for
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everyone else um like I was definitely
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raised in like a family that was like
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anything about investing was about you
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know getting on the property later that
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was a lot of the advice I was given let
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let me guess worst house best street
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yeah that's it worst house
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yeah um and but it's that thing of going
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of wanting to get ahead but then
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realizing that the advice didn't suit
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today you know what that I mean we
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started sh um seven years ago and it was
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that um time of um it was the smashed
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avocado time I feel like everyone T you
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know no oh yeah Boomers Millennials
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that's what the headlines were all about
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and um but I had recently started
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working in a bank um after working in
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technology
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companies and I was learning so much
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about personal finance and things like
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that from just my colleagues General
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conversation that they were having so
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started getting interested in um
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investing messaged a few places I'd
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gotten shares actually from I used to
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work at zero and they gave all their
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teams shares as part of their package um
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but I didn't really know what that was
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or what that meant or it didn't really
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clock me as something that I was getting
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given or paid for that type of thing um
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but I did started me messaging some
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places um to try and invest and I call
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it like anti- marketing where um you can
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tell them was like don't want you as
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their customer cuz you're like you the
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don't Havey yeah yeah you're small fry
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so like it's like if um I asked my mom
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when dinner was ready when I was growing
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up she'd be like I'll just run around
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the house a few times you know just like
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you're getting told to um just be busy
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over there and then um try and forget
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about the fact that you wanted to invest
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in the first place um and so from that
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and then I guess that being the
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environment where people were looking
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for a way to get ahead um and then being
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from a technology background it was like
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imagine if we could just invest small
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amounts of money online in a really fun
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way almost like online shopping like
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everything you get access to has
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fundamentally changed because of where
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technology is I remember and this isn't
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even that long ago like but say me and
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my boyfriend wanted to go to the movies
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we used to drive to all the movies to
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just see what time a movie was on cuz we
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didn't have smartphones um whereas now
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you just look it up and you there's so
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much efficiency that kind of comes we
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fundamentally live life differently now
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some things are good about that some
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things aren't um but yeah so it's like
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there was actually no reason why it
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couldn't be more accessible or better
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those some of the barriers that stood in
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the way for people um so then after
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having that kind of idea started talking
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to some friends um and colleagues and
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that's when um through a bunch of
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different connections um ended up in a
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team um with six six of us from all a
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different range of backgrounds um who
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were all really committed to try and
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solve this problem which is how do we
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get more people um feeling empowered
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about their money and building their
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long term and giving access yeah it's um
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it's a phenomenal story but by the way
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I'm so [ __ ] proud of
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you like it's just incredible and and
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the fact that like the name [ __ ] I know
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you were quick to point out you it
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wasn't you and you alone um but the name
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was your idea and the the the you the
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seed of the idea was yours um and and
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you've gone done it you've done it
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that's amazing and still doing it like
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yeah oh yeah I feel like you yeah so say
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it still feels like really early days
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say it's a mountain see I I feel like
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you you've clocked it you're at the top
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of the mountain where would you say you
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are like base camp or yeah I'd say we're
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in the beginning for sure cuz like the
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mission and like it's probably an
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intergenerational one like ours is to
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create financial empowerment for
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everyone yeah and when you actually
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think about that and there's so much
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complexity to it and um you solve it in
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one aspect but then you just see the
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more you know the more opportunities to
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keep kind of working at that same
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problem but I think it's one that will
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keep us nerling for ages okay there's
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there there's so much to pick around at
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with the um the entrepreneurial stuff um
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yeah first of all let's go all the way
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back so how how what's our age Gap it's
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like 20 years what are you 30 I think
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I'm I'm uh maybe 36 36 okay so it's like
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okay so 15 years yeah so yeah we're from
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a massive family so your dad and my mom
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are siblings and they're two of 14 it's
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a massive family and then on my mom's
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side my mom's one of
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11 oh my God so I'm like I don't think I
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knew that like it's just huge just got
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cazes and you so yeah Auntie Jenny yeah
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and they're all from the hot ofo yeah
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yeah so what did your mom do when when
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we were growing up was she she worked in
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like an accounting firm a bank no a bank
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my mom she was a state home mom for
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years and then when I was a kid um she
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started working at a finance company
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okay and and she would have she probably
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would have been doing that and she did
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work at a bank actually yeah when she
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was um yep she worked at a bank all my
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aunties worked um all my all the aunties
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on my mom's side work at yeah I suppose
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the reason I asked that is because I'm
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I'm trying to figure out where this um
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entrepreneurial Spirit came from so dad
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Uncle Greg one of my faves um he what
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what did he do I was trying to think
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about this yesterday did he make um like
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a canvas horse blankets yeah he had a
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canvas business right so he was a sort
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of an entrepreneur like it was a like a
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home business but you know no sort of no
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sort of aspiration to scale up or
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anything just to yeah it his own
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business um and yeah it was in canvas
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manufacturing he did a bunch of stuff um
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lots of wicked projects I remember once
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um just anything out of canvas really
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like some cool shade sales always like I
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was talking to someone before I came
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here where it was like um your school
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holidays just like driving around and to
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go visit different jobs you know now
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there's a lot of pressure to
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entertain just used to go on drives so
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you're um yes you're the baby of the
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family the there's uh there's um Paul
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Yeah Anna Paul uh Anna Paul James and
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you yeah yeah were you unplanned I feel
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there's a big gap between I think I
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think I I I don't know I haven't asked
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conversation but it's like the common
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thing that we get asked when we save our
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siblings is like same mom same dad
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because there is quite a big age
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difference between like my older two
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siblings and then me and my younger
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brother or my older young older younger
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brother yeah I think your growing up I
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was definitely closer to like Paul and
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Anna to the proximity and age and stuff
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um but but I always remember you being
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being like just the cutest the cutest
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little kid cool and um and I used to um
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when I started working and got my first
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car um i' drive down to see your dad and
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had changed my oil and my oil filter
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he's a great man he was definitely very
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handy yeah and like one of those people
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that just solves you know it's like the
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pro like however the problem gets solved
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there's just a way of doing it like no
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matter it seemed like no matter what it
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was like I remember once I um locked my
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keys and I my um I had to go to let a
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sky person and at um one of my
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colleagues houses was like one of my
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first jobs and I pulled up and I like
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pulled up behind the sky person and then
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like left the lock the keys in my car by
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accident and they were just jammed in
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the driveway I was like what am I going
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to do and the sky person's like calling
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all the customers afterwards canceling
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it all um but Dad just came down and um
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opened the
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car so resourceful so resourceful um
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yeah how how is your dad so he had um
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yeah as I said 14 14 brothers and
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sisters in the family and um I'm not
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sure who in the family is going to
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listen to this podcast but Uncle Greg
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your mom will your mom listen yeah your
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mom will definely listen she's so
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supportive she listens to all of them
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but um I'd say Uncle Greg probably my
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favorite out of all the
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unles yeah yeah um and he he had a what
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did he have like a stroke or a brain
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aneurism yeah he had a brain aneurism
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and and a stroke actually yeah when I
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was when was that I think I think um
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early 2000s yeah to that I would have
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been 16 I think right yeah how was that
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what are your Recollections of that um
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definitely like I mean it's quite a I
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kind I sometimes yes I was part of it
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like it did happen to him you know and
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he is still around um which is so great
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because lots of people don't survive um
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that combination or or like a brain
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hemorrhage or a stroke as well so um but
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I mean it was hugely lifechanging for um
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at 16 being like um having such a a big
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change happen especially such a health
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issue because you got kind of pottering
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along and then um you can just see how
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quickly things can change yeah so that
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was it was quite big yeah because
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because I was an adult at the time I was
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getting on with my my own life so mom's
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like Oh Uncle Greg's had this thing and
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he's in the hospital and um I'd see him
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see him every couple of years or
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whatever um and he he he was still the
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same person but he wasn't the same
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person in a lot of ways like he needed
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enough had get tired easily needed every
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couple of hours and just like just his
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personality sort of DED a little bit so
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I just wondered what it was like when
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you're when it's your dad and you're
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there yeah I definitely like um he you
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know I feel um like I got lots of love
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for all my family um and you know but he
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taught me so much around like always so
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witty and um you know for people who
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have brain injuries that stuff can you
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know you're just not as um that stuff
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can be harder you know and does have
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ongoing things after the injury so he's
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quite different but I think you just
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have to well for me anyway I just um
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sort as like a different person you just
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get to know the new person yeah and um
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but yeah it felt like that was a change
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at the time for sure yeah still a bloody
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great person and a work sense of humor
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as well still very funny yeah absolutely
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so you um so not long after that you
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left school and you you you didn't go to
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university straight away you started
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working what were your what were your
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aspirations because Le's one of those
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places it' be very easy to get a job and
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then sort of you fall into the Le cycle
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and never leave yeah very easy to do
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that what what did you do out of school
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out of school so I think like
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um it probably you know not you like
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that's quite a big change to happen like
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when you're 60 I think I did lose a lot
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of motivation or just understanding my
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place what it what was it all about
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maybe that's a big question um at 16 but
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definitely know that I lost a lot of
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motivation around school and um def
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didn't see that as being just didn't
00:14:07
have much of an education pathway which
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I think for people who know me now I'm
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like one of the biggest nerds and like
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study so hard do lots of research always
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reading so to think that I wasn't good
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at school um like I didn't get
00:14:20
University entrance um CU I stopped
00:14:22
going to school one of my um I played
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lawn bows through high school um and my
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bows coach said like please just just
00:14:30
keep doing the work just keep getting
00:14:32
the credits and we arranged it so like I
00:14:34
could get my school work um I didn't
00:14:36
have to show up to the classes I could
00:14:38
do my school work and do the credits but
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I still was like maybe a few short at
00:14:42
the end of that process but I think I
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remember him really saying like just
00:14:45
keep your doors open you know you got to
00:14:47
keep your doors open for um wanting to
00:14:49
go to UNI or anything like that I think
00:14:51
I remember always wanting my own
00:14:53
business um I didn't know what that was
00:14:56
um and I definitely didn't feel the pull
00:15:00
of uni like there was a little bit of
00:15:02
fomo cuz my friends were so like they
00:15:04
felt like they really knew what they
00:15:05
wanted to do and um but there was it
00:15:08
seemed maybe more that was around going
00:15:10
to a university somewhere but um like
00:15:13
just go somewhere get a ba or like it
00:15:15
was more about the experience of
00:15:17
University um whereas I probably didn't
00:15:19
have that like I didn't I liked liven I
00:15:22
um yeah there's things about it that I
00:15:24
didn't really like but I did like it I
00:15:26
went in um so After High school um
00:15:30
wrapped up I spent some time on um one
00:15:32
of my uncle's Farms um in the tanaki
00:15:35
doing some Milking for a bit and then um
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my mom was like oh there's a job going
00:15:41
at the law firm here and so I applied
00:15:44
for that and I think um In My Memory she
00:15:47
like made me wear her her suit to the
00:15:49
interview which was just
00:15:52
like what were what what were you
00:15:55
thinking at the time just okay
00:15:59
protest I thought this was being a grown
00:16:01
up you know it's
00:16:03
like and I remember it feeling like that
00:16:06
analogy comes back to me all the time
00:16:07
when it's like when you feel like
00:16:09
something doesn't feel you you're like
00:16:11
no how can you make this you you know
00:16:12
you don't want it cuz I always think
00:16:14
like everyone else would have seen
00:16:16
that my God like 18-year-old looks
00:16:19
ridiculous um but I got the job um and
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so I worked at a law firm in Leen for a
00:16:26
few years and then um I did some travel
00:16:31
overseas and um Wanted to then decided
00:16:35
like I wanted to go overseas and my
00:16:36
sister Anna she was she had done an
00:16:38
accounting degree and was living
00:16:40
overseas at the time and I remember
00:16:42
thinking H if I want to go overseas I
00:16:44
should go get this degree and then I can
00:16:47
go live overseas so that was really the
00:16:49
Catalyst for going to UNI but I mean I
00:16:51
worked at a call center um before that
00:16:54
in Wellington worked as a debt collector
00:16:58
um for a bit at in a call center did a
00:17:01
bunch of different like call centery
00:17:02
type jobs but but so so deep down you
00:17:04
had this sort of drive and ambition but
00:17:06
you just weren't ready to sort of like I
00:17:09
really know what it was yeah um but I
00:17:12
definitely remember um wanting you know
00:17:15
when I thought of myself I really wanted
00:17:16
my own business I didn't maybe it's like
00:17:18
an issue with authority or
00:17:20
something
00:17:22
what which I think is genetic but yeah
00:17:26
um yeah that's defitely a Williams trait
00:17:28
um
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so why um why an Cy degree is that just
00:17:32
because you're because um Anna did that
00:17:33
your sister so yeah I think so right
00:17:36
yeah people influence people because it
00:17:39
would make sense that yeah yeah but if
00:17:40
if you knew like deep down in your soul
00:17:43
that you were destined to have a
00:17:43
business you'd think you'd you know get
00:17:45
a business degree or oh accounting's
00:17:47
great you definitely need accounting to
00:17:48
run any business but I probably wasn't
00:17:50
thinking like that at the time I did I
00:17:52
did some marketing papers as well um but
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again I reckon it's just naivity around
00:17:59
like if you told me when I was 16 that I
00:18:02
would end up in a tech
00:18:04
company um or have a career in
00:18:07
technology I just would not have
00:18:09
believed it
00:18:11
um largely because you know if you a I
00:18:15
didn't really know those subjects
00:18:16
existed like I was far more interested I
00:18:19
wasn't one of those people that like got
00:18:21
really interested in computers and how
00:18:22
to pull them apart and um it was more
00:18:25
like MSN Messenger or um the
00:18:28
communication aspects of technology that
00:18:30
really grasped me if anything like um
00:18:34
but I Reon it comes down to like if you
00:18:36
studied science in my worldview at that
00:18:38
time I probably thought you would have
00:18:40
been able to become a science teacher I
00:18:42
think it was just a naive I didn't see
00:18:45
what I I didn't know what I didn't see
00:18:47
you know and I wasn't really exposed to
00:18:49
much of that type of thinking or broader
00:18:51
stuff you know I wonder if um part of
00:18:54
that is like coming from a small town
00:18:55
you're just not necessarily aware of the
00:18:58
the you know the bigger options or you
00:18:59
just don't allow yourself to think as
00:19:01
big as what you should yeah maybe I
00:19:03
don't know well you just don't know
00:19:04
right you know your own world view um I
00:19:06
remember someone using this analogy of
00:19:08
like um goldfish under the water and but
00:19:12
if someone came and they're all happy
00:19:14
thinking they're under the water and
00:19:15
that's the world they know but then one
00:19:17
day someone picks up the
00:19:19
Goldfish and they can see around above
00:19:21
the water and then you get put back down
00:19:23
there's no way you're just going to go
00:19:24
chill and be a goldfish under the water
00:19:26
you're going to be like what did I see
00:19:30
what did I just see I thought this was
00:19:32
everything but this you know so I do
00:19:34
think um any time like now I I think
00:19:38
like how important a spark is like just
00:19:41
to see something or to be exposed and
00:19:44
something that's a catalyst for so much
00:19:45
and sometimes you might be like oh yeah
00:19:47
doesn't clock it but you don't know what
00:19:49
you don't know and you don't know what's
00:19:50
going to like really inspire you like
00:19:53
that yeah like sh's is your first
00:19:56
business venture and it's been you know
00:19:58
it's been wildly successful it's not
00:20:00
like you're one of these entrepreneurs
00:20:01
that you know had a crack at a 100
00:20:04
different things before cracking it like
00:20:05
it's amaz you're one from one I did work
00:20:09
in a lot of other businesses yeah yeah
00:20:12
I'm downplaying what lead you up there I
00:20:14
mean but like um yeah true I haven't
00:20:17
really thought about it like that but
00:20:18
yeah oh no it's it's crazy that's not an
00:20:21
insult by the way that's a massive
00:20:22
massive compliment like yeah you're the
00:20:24
architect of this incredible brand
00:20:27
that's um just been a game changer and
00:20:28
it's um yeah it's something to be
00:20:30
celebrated I I suppose you were so busy
00:20:32
you don't stop to think about how cool
00:20:34
you
00:20:35
are I think like I do think that there's
00:20:37
these real um kind of cool and like cool
00:20:42
moments where you're like this is great
00:20:43
because it's it's what youth you know
00:20:46
when we first started lots of it was
00:20:49
like um it's lots of culture change
00:20:52
you're just helping people see life a
00:20:54
little differently like there was just a
00:20:56
stereotype that kiwis were bad at saving
00:20:59
and
00:20:59
investing and the thing with stereotypes
00:21:02
is you start to believe them yourself
00:21:04
and you start to go I'm bad at saving
00:21:06
people aren't inherently bad at stuff
00:21:08
you just you know they might not have
00:21:09
had the right environment or the right
00:21:10
spark or whatever that got them
00:21:12
interested in it so um the worst is when
00:21:15
you start believing the the thing
00:21:16
yourself like what people telling you
00:21:18
you are and like um I just love it when
00:21:21
like there's been a few times when like
00:21:23
say my nieces and nephews or random
00:21:26
people you know tell me about how they
00:21:29
invest and how they think about it now
00:21:31
and um I remember a woman when I was in
00:21:33
Le actually that a woman said um she as
00:21:35
a grandmother takes her granddaughter
00:21:37
out and they go out for coffee like or
00:21:38
go out for like a hot chug or whatever
00:21:40
um once a week and talk about their
00:21:42
shares and you go that was just so cool
00:21:45
cuz I would never have imagined that and
00:21:46
I reckon um that those are the stories
00:21:50
that I'm like yes that's really cool
00:21:52
it's really powerful and um yeah another
00:21:54
one of your cousins my sister Charlotte
00:21:56
all of her kids are into it as well
00:21:59
said her son who loves the NBA like he's
00:22:01
got shares and Nike and gets very
00:22:04
disillusioned that is you know $10
00:22:06
investment only goes up to like $14 but
00:22:09
you know um it's just a really I think
00:22:12
um healthy conversation to be having cuz
00:22:14
new zealanders we're kind of like we're
00:22:16
kind of shy and awkward people anyway
00:22:18
and when it comes to money it's like
00:22:19
just another layer of you know
00:22:22
complexness something that we were just
00:22:24
weird about it's true and then you don't
00:22:26
hear like I used to hear them Market
00:22:28
updates on the radio you know probably
00:22:30
did they do it on
00:22:32
92. which was the radio station of my
00:22:35
childhood
00:22:36
um the um you know they just read out a
00:22:40
bunch of numbers and you go like there's
00:22:43
no spark in that you know for me anyway
00:22:45
I'm like I would have had to been
00:22:46
following that story for those numbers
00:22:48
to make sense but say I'm like trying to
00:22:49
get in on that story like the double
00:22:51
dutch you know waiting waiting to for
00:22:54
when you can kind of get in and start
00:22:55
jumping it's like um was that the stuff
00:22:59
that goes on behind those numbers is
00:23:00
what's what's interesting and it's like
00:23:03
people you know you think of it like I
00:23:04
wouldn't have ever you see a house and
00:23:06
you go yeah cool that's a house but you
00:23:08
know we go to work every day people are
00:23:10
going to work every day I flew to
00:23:12
Oakland today on an A New Zealand plane
00:23:14
like these things are all really
00:23:16
tangible and part of our every day so
00:23:17
when you see the numbers going up and
00:23:19
down around these companies it's like so
00:23:22
there's so much more story behind it
00:23:24
which helps it make it feel a bit more
00:23:25
tangible so um I love like I think those
00:23:28
stories are really interesting and I
00:23:30
really love the Curiosity that that
00:23:32
Peaks yeah you're so right that's a
00:23:34
really good analogy it's almost like
00:23:35
being at a party and there's like a
00:23:36
circle of people talking and you're
00:23:38
trying to get into that Circle and you
00:23:40
just can't cuz yeah on TV news they used
00:23:42
to talk about the footsy all the time I
00:23:43
didn't even know what the foot I still
00:23:46
don't know there's so many there's so
00:23:47
many um different like bits of jargon
00:23:50
and um an allergies and and things like
00:23:54
that so um yeah it's just helpful to be
00:23:56
like actually you can still talk like
00:23:59
you know what you're doing but it can
00:24:00
also be heard from everyone and it's
00:24:03
just about like breaking down different
00:24:04
things but yeah um I mean that's why
00:24:07
it's like even if someone like I
00:24:10
wouldn't say I was super into Finance or
00:24:11
or money or things like that but um it
00:24:15
is really interesting to me the stories
00:24:17
and all that part of it and I think
00:24:19
helping people get involved in that and
00:24:21
it's also really interesting to me what
00:24:23
um change it can make in people's lives
00:24:26
when they feel really in control of the
00:24:29
and cuz it's a lot to do with choices
00:24:31
and living the life that you want to
00:24:33
live and things like that yeah um yeah
00:24:36
that's cool we will get to the shy Stu
00:24:40
first of all um oh congratulations uh
00:24:42
you're you're a mom now you became a mom
00:24:44
in November 2022 um to uh baby meow yeah
00:24:49
so what what's my role there what am I
00:24:52
does
00:24:53
that I'm not an uncle a no no like a
00:24:56
second cousin is a big we just do like
00:24:59
cies or you know like it's just an
00:25:01
extension of like our relationship um
00:25:04
but I'm so much older than you I feel
00:25:05
like I should be an uncle you want to be
00:25:06
an uncle you can be an uncle you can be
00:25:08
an uncle um that's how's that working
00:25:10
out for
00:25:11
you it's such such a um huge change e
00:25:15
like um I think
00:25:20
um you know
00:25:22
like what do I want to say about that
00:25:25
like love having a daughter um and she's
00:25:28
such a joy like she is really amazing
00:25:30
and she's changed our lives in so many
00:25:32
ways and it's also like a really
00:25:34
humbling experience um I grew up in Liv
00:25:38
you know where um there's a huge High
00:25:40
teenage um pregnancy um right so like
00:25:45
you kind of grow up and your whole life
00:25:46
you're like trying not to get pregnant
00:25:48
you I agree I was talking to M about
00:25:51
this the other day it was like um yeah
00:25:52
when you're 16 17 18 it's like the you
00:25:55
think it's going to be the easiest thing
00:25:57
like yeah thing just like almost eye
00:25:59
contact with someone and you're going to
00:26:00
get them pregnant and then when you
00:26:01
become an adult you realize it's
00:26:02
actually way more complex than that it
00:26:04
is so true um so we did have a bit of a
00:26:06
journey um to getting um our daughter
00:26:10
and like part of it is like what that um
00:26:13
and so now feel on the other side of
00:26:15
that like so grateful to have her in our
00:26:16
lives and I think like what that
00:26:18
experience has shown to me is
00:26:20
like just how amazing um every moment
00:26:26
that it takes someone to end up and have
00:26:28
a baby like how many complex steps there
00:26:31
are involved in that whole process but
00:26:34
how the default is that that goes well
00:26:36
like it's just pure magic really like I
00:26:38
mean if there's scientists listening
00:26:39
they're like well it's science
00:26:41
but did you did you guys need um I we
00:26:44
did end up getting some support yeah
00:26:46
yeah um but yeah and I won't dig into
00:26:50
that too much but I think like for
00:26:52
anyone where there's um you know I know
00:26:55
there was lots of times when I'd listen
00:26:56
to stories and be like well I'd want to
00:26:58
be as a mom you know and um and so I
00:27:01
always make sure I like share that that
00:27:03
can be hard and that and acknowledge
00:27:04
that there's space there and I um I've
00:27:06
shared that there's the stories that
00:27:08
really helped me um through that and and
00:27:10
helped to see that there is a space for
00:27:13
like when it's hard because there can be
00:27:14
times when it is you know really hard
00:27:16
and um I know you know you ask people
00:27:19
you know do you want to have kids and um
00:27:21
lots of people are like oh yeah when
00:27:22
this timing but I think it just like
00:27:24
opened my eyes that it's really not
00:27:25
always up to you
00:27:28
um I think like family is really
00:27:31
important and like we're from a huge
00:27:32
family right like um I remember it was a
00:27:35
running joke for some of my friends like
00:27:37
would just be walking down the street
00:27:38
they're like is that your cousin is that
00:27:39
your
00:27:40
cousin and I'm like I think so like I
00:27:42
don't know all of them you
00:27:44
know yeah we are varing different um
00:27:47
relationships but um we've always really
00:27:50
been brought up to Value family and
00:27:52
being part of something so um I am
00:27:55
really stoked that I get to um extend
00:27:57
that um within our little family unit as
00:28:00
well it feels like a real privilege to
00:28:01
me yeah yeah that's cool um I'm glad you
00:28:04
had success with that as someone that's
00:28:05
um yeah been on that fertility treadmill
00:28:07
as well and you hear the statistics and
00:28:09
then um yeah J and I when we went
00:28:13
together we had numerous friends of I
00:28:14
I've sort of like blocked that corner of
00:28:16
my mind out now but um yeah with each
00:28:20
with each fail you almost get like a
00:28:22
gamblers mentality where you think this
00:28:24
has got to be the time like odds would
00:28:25
suggest but um it didn't work out for us
00:28:28
but I'm so pleased it worked out for you
00:28:30
yeah meanwhile going through all this
00:28:32
you're running this um half a billion
00:28:33
dollar company as well like it's a lot
00:28:36
to take on it's
00:28:39
hes
00:28:40
um yeah I don't know what to say about
00:28:43
it wasn't really a question no but I I
00:28:46
get what you're saying like there is
00:28:49
um yeah it can it can there's a lot to
00:28:52
juggle in there that's for sure and um
00:28:55
but like any you know and there's time
00:28:58
definitely when I'm like what you know
00:29:01
you can't do it all and I like the thing
00:29:03
I like to tell myself now is like when
00:29:04
you have to make a it's awesome to have
00:29:06
choice and to choose things in your life
00:29:09
like I choose to go to a job that I love
00:29:12
and to work with great people and to
00:29:14
build something that I think is really
00:29:15
special like I'm so stoked that my job
00:29:18
gives me that and that I'm able to do
00:29:20
that and then um I also get to choose to
00:29:22
like spend time um with my family and
00:29:25
make sure that's a really big part of my
00:29:26
life because it is that something like
00:29:28
really grounding to me and then whenever
00:29:30
it feels hard or the choices feel like
00:29:33
and I'm starting to get like negative on
00:29:34
the choices like I'm like God I've got
00:29:37
be in a 100 places at once I like um
00:29:39
just remind myself that like every time
00:29:42
you have to make a choice that's like
00:29:44
how you show up it's like every decision
00:29:46
you make is asserting yourself in the
00:29:49
world cuz you can try and do it all but
00:29:52
it's when it's really hard and you're
00:29:53
having to make trade-offs you're like
00:29:54
well who do who do I want to be you know
00:29:56
and it's like sometimes you have to say
00:29:58
no to stuff but I always think like
00:30:01
that's you when you're doing that and
00:30:03
you're having to say no you're just
00:30:05
showing up as who you are and you're
00:30:06
making like a values choice or you um
00:30:09
and I find that like as quite a
00:30:11
empowering way to think about it why
00:30:13
didn't you say no to the conference
00:30:14
today you just came from a conference
00:30:16
and you told I can't remember what it
00:30:17
was but it sound to me it sound like the
00:30:19
world's most boring you're on a panel
00:30:21
what's up for I was on a panel um yeah
00:30:24
it was the financial um Services
00:30:27
conference and I was on a panel about
00:30:29
you and I have very different
00:30:33
lives and again one of those ones that
00:30:35
probably if I thought hey would I be on
00:30:38
that
00:30:39
um uh you know these are rooms that I
00:30:43
think when we first started shies and
00:30:44
even now I get um where it's like when
00:30:47
you create something from the
00:30:49
outside sometimes um like I never saw
00:30:53
myself in that industry but we are in it
00:30:56
and we're in it and we're changing it
00:30:57
and we're part of it and we're
00:30:58
partnering with people in it and they're
00:31:01
actually you know like it's um so I
00:31:03
actually really like being in those
00:31:04
rooms now and um cuz I think a it's
00:31:08
really interesting and people are all
00:31:09
trying to do good stuff around helping
00:31:12
um shape financial services for Al and
00:31:16
make a real difference for people and um
00:31:18
then I like being in those rooms because
00:31:20
sometimes we share a different
00:31:21
perspective and um I think we're so
00:31:24
close to our customers and we're so
00:31:25
close to like how things might
00:31:28
um play out for people that I think like
00:31:31
there would have been a time when I
00:31:32
wanted nothing more than for people in
00:31:35
those rooms to have H that voice so it's
00:31:37
like it's also a real privilege to um be
00:31:40
in that representing our customers and
00:31:42
our team so um do you do you do you
00:31:45
still suffer um imposter syndrome at all
00:31:48
or not really um I definitely suffer
00:31:51
from like confidence issues I try not to
00:31:53
use um imposter syndrome I don't know
00:31:56
why cuz but it's like I attached to you
00:31:58
know it's like if you tell yourself
00:32:00
something enough you'll believe it but
00:32:02
it's like so I like to say like I'm you
00:32:04
know I might be having a bit of a low
00:32:06
confidence or something um that day and
00:32:09
definitely cuz it's like exam mentality
00:32:11
when you're like public speaking or
00:32:14
something you kind of go straight to
00:32:16
what's the question they're going to ask
00:32:17
that I don't know the answer to
00:32:20
but like but most of the time people
00:32:22
just want you know especially in those
00:32:24
settings like people want really good
00:32:26
conversation they're not going to ask
00:32:27
you the thing that you have like a
00:32:28
really [ __ ] answer about ask oh no no I
00:32:31
just wonder because like you these rooms
00:32:33
that you're going into you definitely
00:32:34
you you've got the chops like you
00:32:35
deserve to be there like you've proved
00:32:37
yourself but I just wonder if if there's
00:32:39
times where I don't
00:32:41
know I think all of us have those
00:32:43
moments we where you go back to being a
00:32:44
kid again so you're just like little
00:32:46
Sonia from Livin and you know like but
00:32:49
no you definitely do deserve to be in
00:32:51
these places where did that where did
00:32:53
that reframing thing come from you know
00:32:55
you talked about not you know not
00:32:57
calling it a poster syndrome and oh is
00:33:00
that from like a podcast or a book or
00:33:02
yeah I think that I definitely picked it
00:33:04
up from somewhere it could have been um
00:33:06
I've got like an amazing network of
00:33:08
women that I catch up with on a regular
00:33:11
basis and it could have come from there
00:33:13
I think one of them might have shared it
00:33:14
there or it could have come from a
00:33:15
podcast but I remember um I think there
00:33:17
was an article actually about it um
00:33:20
which we all read There was just around
00:33:22
like changing that um and because it's
00:33:26
not
00:33:28
you know that's often something that's
00:33:29
said or it's your problem but like
00:33:31
confidence is one thing and then like I
00:33:34
do think that when you hold a space or
00:33:35
you um that you should think about how
00:33:37
people belong in that space and how do
00:33:39
you create a sense of comfort like this
00:33:41
room is very
00:33:43
comfortable so you've created that yeah
00:33:46
it's the it's the AC candle and it
00:33:49
smells delightful so um what's the
00:33:51
what's the um the biggest surprise about
00:33:55
being a mom so far you think oh um
00:33:58
surprise biggest
00:34:00
surprise um definitely like the change
00:34:03
in everything like I I felt like I
00:34:05
wasn't you know I'd been around people
00:34:07
who had had kids before and um but I
00:34:10
just wasn't aware like how fundamentally
00:34:12
it would change your life and you're in
00:34:15
a new life and I think there is um this
00:34:18
thing around
00:34:20
like um I did have on you know the it's
00:34:23
the confidence it's like I went from
00:34:25
being at a job where where I go every
00:34:27
day feeling like I really had gotten
00:34:30
like I knew how to operate there and
00:34:32
then to be completely responsible for
00:34:34
someone and something and a job that
00:34:37
you've never done before actually just
00:34:39
like a comfort zone comfort zone being a
00:34:42
CEO to know and I remember someone said
00:34:45
to me like oh you'll find it real easy
00:34:46
and then I didn't I found it really hard
00:34:49
and um I was like oh but everyone finds
00:34:51
this easy and it turns out no one finds
00:34:53
it then again I was like why aren't I
00:34:56
finding this easy um everyone said theyd
00:34:58
find it easy or that I'd find it easy
00:35:00
but I did like find aspects of it really
00:35:03
difficult like is it changes your
00:35:05
relationship and um you know it just
00:35:08
changes so much like who you are in the
00:35:10
world and I think um you know coming
00:35:12
back to the identity thing um I was
00:35:16
still maybe because it had T you know i'
00:35:20
I'd almost tried to like make being a
00:35:22
mom not something that I attached to so
00:35:25
then when I was a mom and I had to be a
00:35:26
mom maybe bring the Imposter syndrome
00:35:28
even though I said I reframe that it's
00:35:30
kind of like going like um having the
00:35:33
confidence to claim that and be like I
00:35:35
am I think for a while it took me a
00:35:37
while to go yeah this is I'm a mom now
00:35:40
yeah awesome you are and are you
00:35:41
enjoying that role yeah it's great yeah
00:35:44
are you good at it I hope so I try
00:35:46
really hard
00:35:48
I I do try hard yeah um yeah so and so
00:35:53
you're back at work now we got lots of
00:35:55
great support yeah yeah well there's
00:35:56
that saying it takes a
00:35:58
um so your partner Ben is he is he
00:36:01
taking care of the home duties or you
00:36:02
have like yeah yeah he's largely doing
00:36:04
that and we also get some support um a
00:36:07
few days a week as well which is helpful
00:36:10
yes how did you guys meet we metet
00:36:12
through work but he's also from um Lin
00:36:15
well he's from white toy Beach oh
00:36:18
actually is he oh my God so he knows
00:36:21
that other uncle atie that live out
00:36:23
there
00:36:25
right Robin and John yeah yeah um so
00:36:30
yeah he's from the yeah our family for
00:36:32
anyone list our family owns the horor
00:36:34
fina there's Williams everywhere some of
00:36:37
them have different names but we're all
00:36:39
over the place I wow white literally
00:36:42
nobody's from Whitey Beach I know your
00:36:44
brother was living there for a while
00:36:45
though wasn't he yeah yeah and my mom
00:36:47
was there yeah amazing did you know each
00:36:49
other were you like like childhood
00:36:50
sweets no I think um he knew one of our
00:36:53
cousins or a few of our cousins from the
00:36:54
beach um and um but he was a little bit
00:36:58
older than me so we didn't cross over at
00:37:00
school or anything but we met um at when
00:37:04
I was studying and this was probably
00:37:06
that the job that changed my career was
00:37:08
I got a like a just an assistant job or
00:37:11
associate job like an office job at um a
00:37:14
web design company he was working there
00:37:16
and we met through there um cuz I work
00:37:18
parttime there while I was at Uni cuz
00:37:21
he's like um a designer an artist yeah
00:37:23
did he come up with the the pineapple um
00:37:26
he came up with fruit the fruit the
00:37:28
fruit and then it evolved into the
00:37:31
pineapple yeah pineapple the um the
00:37:33
she's logo all right let's get into some
00:37:35
Shey stuff okay um oh okay now one last
00:37:38
one before we move on to that What's um
00:37:40
what do you think was harder first year
00:37:41
of business or first year of parenting
00:37:43
first year of parenting really
00:37:47
yeah like I would like the bit the like
00:37:50
the side of the business that you were
00:37:52
doing like the magnitude of that and
00:37:54
we'll get to all this there must there
00:37:56
were like so many hurdles and so many
00:37:58
obstacles to overcome parenting surely
00:38:01
you know those obstacles are going to
00:38:02
come you know you're going to be you
00:38:04
know a awake through the night and you
00:38:07
yeah it's just hard I don't know yeah I
00:38:09
just found it really hard and it is hard
00:38:12
and hard in different ways I guess like
00:38:14
I reckon like
00:38:17
um you can like think and work through
00:38:20
any problem
00:38:22
oh maybe that applies to being a mom as
00:38:24
well but like I found that fish year of
00:38:27
business really
00:38:29
exciting
00:38:31
yeah thanks for that it's refreshingly
00:38:33
honest yeah no no no it's cool that's
00:38:36
interesting it's um it's just hard for
00:38:39
different reasons yeah yeah yeah but a
00:38:41
lot of people probably wouldn't want to
00:38:42
admit that you know how you were saying
00:38:43
no you know how you were saying before
00:38:44
like everyone said oh it's easy you'll
00:38:46
be natural whatever and I think um yeah
00:38:49
a lot of women who become are lucky
00:38:51
enough to become Ms probably feel really
00:38:52
bummed out because they're like you
00:38:53
everyone said it was going to be this
00:38:54
and that's not and I suppose everyone's
00:38:56
um joury on in that front is different
00:38:59
yeah yeah yeah so I found this photo and
00:39:01
they say a picture paints a thousand
00:39:03
words yeah what is that what is
00:39:07
that that is our founding team yeah
00:39:12
people who probably at this point we'
00:39:14
maybe been working together for
00:39:17
like two or three months um and now
00:39:22
they're probably some of the most
00:39:24
important relationships I've got in my
00:39:26
life
00:39:27
does does the guy turn it around so I
00:39:29
can see it the guy second to right does
00:39:31
he used to wear mozimo mozimo hodies I
00:39:33
think he
00:39:34
does he probably looks exactly the same
00:39:37
M yeah um he probably still wears yeah
00:39:40
he's wearing shorts I don't think I've
00:39:41
ever like I've probably seen him in
00:39:42
Pence like three times so is that like
00:39:44
one of the one of the original Shear's
00:39:47
like promo shots or whatever you want to
00:39:49
call it like I think this was for um a
00:39:51
media story someone came and took this
00:39:54
like maybe it's for like d post or
00:39:55
something yeah yeah I found it on old
00:39:57
stuff article yeah that could be it yeah
00:39:59
and um they just said Oh Come and stand
00:40:02
in this Alleyway and look you know like
00:40:04
you're doing something special which we
00:40:07
were um and but probably didn't know at
00:40:11
that point how big it was going to
00:40:12
become I think we were always um really
00:40:16
ambitious um but there was no way you
00:40:18
could you would have I mean everyone
00:40:19
that has like a startup has Ambitions
00:40:21
right but there's no it must have ex by
00:40:24
by now today like it must have exceeded
00:40:25
expectations back then sure
00:40:28
or no I think um yes in some ways and no
00:40:32
in others like a um I mean we're like
00:40:36
I'm definitely stoked with where it's at
00:40:39
and like it's great because lots of
00:40:40
people as you say have ideas they have
00:40:43
all the things um but it's like it all
00:40:45
needs to come together to
00:40:48
um to become what it is but I think you
00:40:51
know it's like this group of people like
00:40:53
so smart so and you kind of go like at
00:40:56
this time when we were like raising
00:41:00
money for shares and um trying to get
00:41:03
people to believe in that ambition or
00:41:05
their aspiration that we have like lots
00:41:07
of people had problems with it being six
00:41:10
of us and they're like Well because most
00:41:11
businesses fall apart because there's
00:41:14
relationship issues you know and stuff
00:41:16
like that but I think like maybe that's
00:41:17
the difference between like being a team
00:41:19
from day one where I think Partnerships
00:41:22
can break down because they can be like
00:41:24
my way your way blah blah blah and I
00:41:27
only know it this way you know for
00:41:29
example but it's like the way that this
00:41:31
team operates like we got to set in
00:41:33
place real teamwork principles like we
00:41:35
did our
00:41:35
values um of how we wanted to work
00:41:38
together we spent time doing that stuff
00:41:40
of like what we were building so um I
00:41:42
have so much respect for all of these
00:41:45
people like some of the
00:41:46
smartest um most ambitious and like now
00:41:49
we've been through so much together like
00:41:51
ups and downs and um like people used to
00:41:55
say like Leon always tells the story
00:41:56
like people used to say um you know for
00:41:59
us it was like wacka all like you can't
00:42:01
something bad might happen but it's very
00:42:02
rare to get all of us down at
00:42:06
once the thing with with um you with
00:42:08
business with if you got two people
00:42:10
someone might go it's just too hard and
00:42:12
then the whole thing could end up
00:42:13
falling over but with sex yeah yeah and
00:42:16
like we might come back and be like oh
00:42:17
that was so tough and then people who wi
00:42:19
at that meeting being like Oh but
00:42:20
something good happened over here you
00:42:22
know and um and just people see the joy
00:42:25
in different things and people see the
00:42:27
easy in different things and the hard in
00:42:29
different things and just it just so
00:42:31
happens like um you know I don't like I
00:42:35
don't I it wasn't like planned hard out
00:42:38
how we all came together um yeah okay
00:42:41
well let's yeah let's get into let's get
00:42:43
into that story so um yes so so you and
00:42:47
your partner being um you're going out
00:42:49
for dinner this was the smash era yeah
00:42:52
and you you we that dinner was going to
00:42:54
cost 50 bucks and you were like after I
00:42:55
there was there was something we could
00:42:56
do with the 50 bucks
00:42:57
and that's sort of how the idea of shes
00:42:59
came about yeah and you came up with the
00:43:02
name
00:43:03
shees but see a lot of people have a
00:43:05
good idea but then you realize just the
00:43:07
work that's going to go into it or the
00:43:09
problems you're going to encounter going
00:43:10
into it so how do you go from having
00:43:11
this idea which is a great idea um to
00:43:14
actually making it happen yeah what
00:43:16
happens next and then yeah someone made
00:43:19
a joke it's like do the most so you can
00:43:21
do the least it's like oh it's so hard
00:43:22
to invest oh why don't you just like
00:43:24
make this company
00:43:27
it's like it's on the one hand you that
00:43:29
does seem but it's like I'm going to
00:43:30
have to go to work anyway so it's
00:43:33
like might as well um work on something
00:43:35
really interesting yeah so yeah so so
00:43:38
you who's Brooke Brooke she is here and
00:43:42
she's one of the three and co-founders
00:43:44
as well how it all came about was um I
00:43:47
told Ben about the idea and he said um
00:43:49
he encouraged me to talk to more people
00:43:51
about it and um why just to make sure it
00:43:55
was a good idea or just um I think no it
00:43:59
was like we need like cuz it's just like
00:44:02
the different set of skills and um I
00:44:04
then got introduced to someone at
00:44:07
Leighton and I worked on projects
00:44:09
together at Q bank and um someone said
00:44:12
oh Leon knows about investing go you
00:44:13
should cheat to him and we were already
00:44:15
working on stuff together so I said oh
00:44:17
can you know should we can I talk to you
00:44:19
about investing and he had a club he
00:44:21
started an investing Club when he was 18
00:44:24
I think with like 13 of his friends and
00:44:26
family where they all put put away $50 a
00:44:28
week and um they started investing in
00:44:32
different things I heard this like hers
00:44:34
of cash yeah he's from har so it was
00:44:36
like the first investment very similar
00:44:37
to where it's like very typical to
00:44:39
invest in a cow or cow invest in what
00:44:42
you know yeah yeah um and that's kind of
00:44:44
grown over time and then um I think
00:44:47
simultaneously him and Brooke um who are
00:44:51
now married but at the time um they were
00:44:54
dating
00:44:55
um more seriously in dating probably in
00:44:59
a serious relationship um and Brooke I
00:45:03
had heard about Brooke and that
00:45:06
um she had built her career at KI bank
00:45:09
and then went to zero and I'd almost
00:45:10
done the opposite Built My Career at
00:45:12
zero and then went to Kiwi bank and so
00:45:14
everyone was like oh you know Brooke you
00:45:16
know Brooke you know but I didn't know
00:45:17
Brooke and and they were like oh you
00:45:21
guys you guys would get along I can't
00:45:22
believe you don't know each other and
00:45:24
then um we'd met maybe a few times um
00:45:28
and Leon said I reckon Brooke would love
00:45:29
to work on this too and um and then and
00:45:33
she's amazing they like as I said
00:45:35
everyone else I'm pretty gushy now but
00:45:37
um like then Martin and um Leighton were
00:45:41
in a brass band together and Richard and
00:45:44
Martin were in a tech consultancy
00:45:46
together and so um Leighton you know
00:45:49
said I think they always wanted to do
00:45:51
something they always wanted to build a
00:45:53
business and so there was real momentum
00:45:55
around wanting to have your own business
00:45:56
and and I had like thrown around a lot
00:45:58
of ideas and tried to get stuff going um
00:46:02
but it hadn't really become anything and
00:46:05
so um just ideas at that point but not
00:46:08
nothing where you kind like I'm actually
00:46:09
going to put some more effort in here um
00:46:12
and like Richard and Martin had done you
00:46:15
know similar work they were often built
00:46:17
like bought in to support startups to
00:46:19
like scale their Tech infrastructure and
00:46:23
um had such good
00:46:25
reputations and um
00:46:27
um so the fact that you know everyone
00:46:31
was kind of keen to do something
00:46:34
everyone's really like impact driven and
00:46:36
Purpose Driven and um it just so
00:46:39
happened that there was a real kind of
00:46:41
nice crossover of things that we really
00:46:43
valued but also real like difference and
00:46:45
discipline so um lots of people were
00:46:48
like left to just get on with it or um
00:46:51
you know together like everyone was
00:46:53
really um contributing something so
00:46:55
different right so
00:46:58
yeah like but I mean I I was trying to
00:47:00
avoid saying that because it's like so
00:47:01
much of it as crossover cuz you are all
00:47:04
in each other stuff yeah but I suppose
00:47:06
you need the power of sex that means you
00:47:08
can get sex as much stuff done you know
00:47:10
you're both working on the same project
00:47:11
right yeah so um there was like a lot of
00:47:14
collaboration but there's like a real
00:47:16
respect of each other and each other's
00:47:18
skill sets I guess and what everyone
00:47:20
brings to the table but um you know now
00:47:24
like it really taught me the power of
00:47:26
teamwork and everything and like you
00:47:29
talk about people having great ideas and
00:47:30
not getting off the ground and I think
00:47:33
um the first thing I would say is like
00:47:36
just start talking to people about it
00:47:38
and um cuz people bring their own
00:47:40
momentum to something and um if you
00:47:44
can't get people excited about your idea
00:47:47
then you're probably not going to get
00:47:48
customers excited about your idea you
00:47:51
know it's like actually it's um if
00:47:54
people aren't going to work on it and
00:47:55
see the power I'm working on it and they
00:47:57
don't see the value in working on it
00:47:59
then it's going to be a far harder sell
00:48:00
to get
00:48:01
people um sometimes it's good that not a
00:48:04
ideas come to the
00:48:06
light is there anyone else out there
00:48:08
that could be listening to this that
00:48:10
could have been like the seventh founder
00:48:11
or the eighth founder anyone that you
00:48:13
invited in early on and that they
00:48:15
weren't into it we had so much support
00:48:18
um and have done so yes like we're the
00:48:20
founding team but there's like been so
00:48:22
many people um that have contributed and
00:48:25
shes wouldn't be what it is today
00:48:27
without them so yeah definitely there's
00:48:29
people that aren't in the photo you know
00:48:31
that were there and um helping us um
00:48:35
yeah so did did you did you all have to
00:48:37
like put in some money initially like
00:48:39
how did you like how did you how did you
00:48:41
get off the ground you know on like day
00:48:43
one yeah we um didn't we worked on it um
00:48:49
and so day one we were we like doing a
00:48:52
little bit of stuff parttime but we did
00:48:54
into an accelerator program there was
00:48:56
one running um and I think kiwi bank and
00:49:00
zero had both sponsored it so when we
00:49:02
said that we had been accepted into this
00:49:05
um program they ended up just saying the
00:49:08
program is for 3 months and how about
00:49:10
instead of resigning you guys um this
00:49:12
was Brook Laden and I how about you guys
00:49:15
um just take leave like take extended
00:49:18
leave and then if it doesn't work out
00:49:19
you can come back and oh that's so
00:49:21
generous so generous it's amazing it's
00:49:24
really really cool wow but it also put a
00:49:26
time period it was like this thing needs
00:49:27
to show legs in 3 months cuz that's our
00:49:30
decision- making point you can't you you
00:49:33
can't do anything in 3 months you you
00:49:35
can build a whole business we did yeah
00:49:39
wow yeah it just the whole the whole
00:49:42
thing and again like from the
00:49:45
perspective of where we're sitting now
00:49:46
like it's you can sort of reverse
00:49:47
engineer what you what you've done but
00:49:49
I'm imagine you three sitting in this
00:49:51
office room I just don't know where you
00:49:53
even start you know the whole thing it
00:49:56
just seems daunting like such a daunting
00:49:59
like it's it's phenomenal I'm an a of
00:50:01
what you guys have done it's incredible
00:50:03
I think it's like um maybe it's called
00:50:05
like strategy and action you just start
00:50:07
doing
00:50:09
stuff One Foot In Front of the other and
00:50:12
and then the plan reveals itself yeah CU
00:50:15
you before this you you researched hard
00:50:17
you spoke to like thousands of people
00:50:19
yeah um yeah I mean it's a good idea
00:50:22
there's no doubt about it but like was
00:50:23
there resistance from um you know people
00:50:26
that had strangle hold over the sort of
00:50:28
like stock Brokers for example and no
00:50:30
cuz they weren't serving this audience
00:50:33
yeah but you think they'd want to
00:50:33
protect what they had and but you but at
00:50:36
that stage it was like we were serving
00:50:39
people who weren't being served yeah
00:50:42
like that's changing now
00:50:46
um
00:50:49
but I don't I think um people were
00:50:53
actually really like had lots of advice
00:50:56
for us people were really open with us I
00:50:59
think they didn't necessarily see us
00:51:01
competing um with
00:51:03
them yeah you've done so well are you
00:51:07
familiar with um like Napoleon Hill no
00:51:10
Napoleon Hill he's like um he was like a
00:51:13
like a finance writer from probably like
00:51:14
a hundred years ago his his big book is
00:51:16
one called Think and Grow Rich and I
00:51:18
wondered if you've heard of him because
00:51:19
he's got a thing um which he talks about
00:51:20
called The Mastermind group and it's
00:51:22
basically you know how everyone would
00:51:24
say six Founders is too much he sort of
00:51:26
says opposite like get get your
00:51:27
Mastermind group together um which it
00:51:29
sounds like you guys have accidentally
00:51:31
sort of done yeah yeah and I think like
00:51:36
um I think it's true for like now maybe
00:51:40
like um if I think of like something
00:51:42
I've changed like through this
00:51:43
experience is really
00:51:45
like how important it is how other
00:51:47
people are just so important in your
00:51:49
life and so um impactful and you go yeah
00:51:52
it's like there's no way it would be
00:51:53
what it is without the team and also now
00:51:55
the team that has grown and um everyone
00:51:59
contributes something so hard like to
00:52:00
the business and um especially the size
00:52:03
that is you can't be across everything
00:52:05
and so you've got these amazing people
00:52:07
with great ideas there's probably lots
00:52:08
of little groups like that um throughout
00:52:11
the business now and then there's also
00:52:13
people like outside of the business that
00:52:15
help you know help me out personally or
00:52:17
help um the group out but yeah I think
00:52:21
maybe I thought being independent was
00:52:23
really important um how do you mean just
00:52:27
like I always thought that was a value
00:52:28
you know I do think it's important to be
00:52:29
independent but um I think now um this
00:52:35
whole experience has like crystallized
00:52:36
the importance of like sharing an
00:52:38
experience with others and that's way
00:52:40
more fun isn't it so much more fun and
00:52:43
yeah there stuff you know it's like
00:52:46
um like high trust really high trust so
00:52:49
like maybe that's it maybe like learn to
00:52:51
trust other people but it's so you got
00:52:53
to just like go all in you know we
00:52:55
already are so
00:52:57
anyway oh my god um got must have been
00:53:01
terrifying early on though was there um
00:53:04
cuz you hear about companies um I've
00:53:06
just been just finished reading the
00:53:07
audio book called um that will never
00:53:09
happen I think it's called it's the
00:53:10
Netflix story from one of the founders
00:53:12
of Netflix and early on like they they
00:53:14
weren't making any money there was one
00:53:15
year they lost like 50 million same
00:53:17
about Uber you you hear about Uber I
00:53:19
don't think Uber's ever made a profit
00:53:20
yet were you guys like like were you
00:53:22
making money from day one or no did you
00:53:25
lose money in those early years Y and so
00:53:28
um but how much how much you you losing
00:53:29
in those early years I won't go into um
00:53:32
specifics but yeah you are investing um
00:53:36
into a future you're building an asset
00:53:38
that you will continue to sell you're
00:53:39
doing you're doing that cuz you're
00:53:40
confident it's going to work and it's
00:53:42
going to yeah
00:53:44
yeah that's so such a scary mindset to
00:53:46
get into that because it sort of goes
00:53:47
against everything that
00:53:49
you you sort of instinctively think I
00:53:52
guess yeah I think um but it is just
00:53:55
about
00:53:57
saying that
00:54:00
um it is and it isn't I'm trying to
00:54:02
think of an analogy but I don't have one
00:54:04
popping into my mind um off the bat but
00:54:07
it really is like you're creating
00:54:08
something you've got to invest in it
00:54:10
today and people you know we did raise
00:54:12
money um and people invested in helping
00:54:16
us kind of get that off the ground and
00:54:17
build that into something and then um it
00:54:20
has allowed us to really build stuff
00:54:22
that we wouldn't have like otherwise
00:54:24
we'd just be waiting you know and um
00:54:27
whereas we we did you know create value
00:54:30
and we do um that grows all the
00:54:33
time you have in those early years you
00:54:35
have like massive moments of self-doubt
00:54:37
or like that kept you awake at night or
00:54:39
not
00:54:43
really I can't think of any there
00:54:45
probably
00:54:46
is probably is but I probably get more
00:54:49
nervous about like something like this
00:54:51
or um like a public speaking thing then
00:54:55
showing up and doing the job job cuz you
00:54:57
just do it you just do or you work with
00:55:00
people amazing and and our obstacles you
00:55:02
just face them as they present
00:55:04
themselves yeah so how many staff now
00:55:07
how many staff at she has this um we've
00:55:08
got over
00:55:09
160 do you know most people's names yeah
00:55:12
do you yeah do you yeah do you actually
00:55:15
yeah you don't have your own elevator to
00:55:17
the top
00:55:18
floor you got your own bathroom right
00:55:20
elevator's always broken actually so you
00:55:22
do get lots of time together it wow um
00:55:26
yeah I suppose when it's your day to-day
00:55:27
you don't sort of think about it but um
00:55:29
yeah do you have moments where where you
00:55:31
walk in and you look around and you see
00:55:32
all the people and and think you know
00:55:34
I've been responsible for creating jobs
00:55:36
for this many people and I've you know
00:55:38
oh yeah definitely and I think that's
00:55:40
the thing like there's lots of like what
00:55:43
I thought it would be like and I think
00:55:46
um maybe it's a it comes back to like
00:55:49
that thing of going actually when you're
00:55:51
creating something with people you get a
00:55:53
chance to create it how you want it to
00:55:55
be and yes could be like you know what
00:55:58
did I think what I what did I think it
00:56:00
would look like to walk into a you know
00:56:02
like maybe like the like I don't know
00:56:05
why about the devil we PR you know like
00:56:07
walking in like did I think that being a
00:56:08
boss would be like that you know and I'm
00:56:10
like is it not like that briskly walking
00:56:12
in someone's reading your messages I
00:56:15
don't know why um that popped into my
00:56:18
mind maybe it was a meme on my Instagram
00:56:19
today or something but it's like
00:56:21
actually you get to create no one tells
00:56:24
you what you know like if you like you
00:56:27
just get a chance to really create it
00:56:29
how you want it and I I would hope that
00:56:32
um like anyone would describe us as
00:56:33
being like really accessible like I feel
00:56:37
like we've got really good connections
00:56:38
across the business we are in the
00:56:41
business we work on around the place we
00:56:44
get involved with everyone like I don't
00:56:46
I don't think that's our style that type
00:56:48
of leadership and um I think it's better
00:56:50
for shies like we have context to learn
00:56:53
and context to
00:56:54
share and like I learn a lot from
00:56:57
everyone that we work with um because
00:57:00
they see things day to day that I'm just
00:57:02
not a part of and they have different
00:57:04
expertise but at the same time like I
00:57:05
might have context from where I've hung
00:57:07
out for that day that I can then come
00:57:08
back in so um I think that yeah like
00:57:14
it's like we do know everyone's names
00:57:17
because I think that's just the style
00:57:20
yeah I'm shocking with names this would
00:57:21
be my worst nightmare being
00:57:24
you like the scary thing for you like
00:57:26
it's so many people and you know that
00:57:28
everyone there knows your name sometimes
00:57:30
they don't some I think like if they're
00:57:33
new they do if they don't they're
00:57:35
pretending they don't surely but there's
00:57:37
so much pressure for you to know their
00:57:39
names as well otherwise you know you
00:57:40
seem rude or whatever yeah um so how
00:57:44
does the how does the 3o thing work so
00:57:46
there's three CEOs yeah yeah so how how
00:57:50
does how does that work in terms of like
00:57:52
yeah how do you split the the you know
00:57:54
you might each have different sort of
00:57:55
job descriptions or no um we it's less
00:58:00
ordered or structured as people might
00:58:02
believe it is um and it's probably not a
00:58:05
model that could work for everyone or
00:58:07
every business um but it is I think by
00:58:10
the dynamic of how our business was
00:58:11
formed and how it came together it's
00:58:13
like we've been working so closely
00:58:15
together for so long now um and it was
00:58:19
origin like Brooke was the original CEO
00:58:21
um and that was largely because at the
00:58:24
time we needed to be raising capital and
00:58:26
um that was largely her responsibility
00:58:29
it was um speaking to investors and
00:58:32
raising capital for sheries and that
00:58:35
Naturally Fit within the CEO role at
00:58:37
that time and then I think it was after
00:58:38
she'd come back from having um
00:58:42
babies uh that I think it was like
00:58:45
actually later I started you know we
00:58:47
would run the business while she was on
00:58:49
Parental leave and then um I was like
00:58:52
actually should we just formalize that
00:58:53
it's the three of us that actually
00:58:55
sharing the CEO role and how it works is
00:58:59
um we have different direct reports and
00:59:02
they're not kind of um what's the word
00:59:05
it's like it's not like one of us you
00:59:07
know we have specific um Industries or
00:59:10
you know what what am I trying to say
00:59:12
it's like um like it's not like someone
00:59:14
has the legal team or the product team
00:59:16
or the marketing team uh we tried to
00:59:18
purposefully make it so it's not like
00:59:20
you end up owning owning an area of the
00:59:24
business um it's like any one of us
00:59:27
should be able to have anyone report to
00:59:29
us and it's not about our own like
00:59:31
knowledge or stuff like that it's about
00:59:34
just us being able to share leadership
00:59:35
across the business so um like at the
00:59:37
moment I um don't have direct
00:59:40
reports um because I'm like focused on
00:59:42
more project stuff or and I've just come
00:59:44
back from Australia I've spent some time
00:59:46
over there building our you know
00:59:48
business over there and
00:59:51
um but we we lots of our decisions are
00:59:55
actually made by our leadership team so
00:59:57
we really share lots of context we get
00:59:59
quite engaged to make sure like things
01:00:01
are off on the right track and going
01:00:04
well lots of it is like being a sounding
01:00:06
board for the people who are making the
01:00:07
decision and at that point you don't
01:00:09
need us all to agree we don't all we
01:00:11
don't all agree and that would be a
01:00:12
nightmare if we had to sit there and
01:00:14
like try and agree and for anyone that
01:00:16
knows us we like yes we're very similar
01:00:18
in lots of ways but we're like also very
01:00:20
different and I think that's like
01:00:21
something to be celebrated um yeah so so
01:00:23
how do you what happen is it like a
01:00:25
majority thing or no like I think um
01:00:28
most of the time we're able to come to
01:00:29
some kind of consensus if we really
01:00:31
can't it's like a usually we sleep on it
01:00:34
if it's an irreversible decision or it's
01:00:37
like if it needs to be made now it's
01:00:38
like he like the person who cares the
01:00:42
most um and kind of default to that but
01:00:46
lar like I can't think of many times
01:00:48
when it's ever come to like a stand
01:00:50
still usually what happens is you come
01:00:53
the next day being so convinced by the
01:00:55
person
01:00:56
but they've also come back convinced so
01:00:58
you're now on Switched sides you know
01:01:00
like a give and take and compromise yeah
01:01:03
that's cool yeah I mean you guys are
01:01:06
disruptors like what you've done with
01:01:08
the app and what your business is all
01:01:10
about is disrupting and it's makes sense
01:01:12
that you've taken that disruption sort
01:01:14
of thing into into the you the founder
01:01:16
model and now the CEO model it's like
01:01:19
you're not following anyone else's path
01:01:21
and I think that's really powerful
01:01:23
there's lots as well like when I hear
01:01:24
from people that they say like oh it's
01:01:25
really lonely you know like I do think
01:01:27
um like that's not an emotion I felt in
01:01:31
my experience with jersies you know you
01:01:34
want to be Lely it's in the name you
01:01:38
know but like um I think we we've got
01:01:42
like so much respect for each other and
01:01:44
I think that's and a real clear set of
01:01:47
values but yeah also very different like
01:01:50
I I think um yeah we all bring something
01:01:53
different to the table which is lovely
01:01:55
as well so you so you you own a
01:01:57
percentage of the company mhm do you say
01:01:59
how much or no no so you own a
01:02:02
percentage of the company so that's um
01:02:03
you're you're a very wealthy woman um on
01:02:06
paper on paper yeah yeah 100% And then
01:02:09
you get a salary as the the 3o yeah yeah
01:02:13
how cool yeah that's so awesome it is I
01:02:17
think it's cool um like talking about
01:02:19
that goldfish you know and like coming
01:02:21
from Le or things that I didn't know
01:02:22
were possible um like I think just
01:02:26
things
01:02:27
like you know getting exposed working at
01:02:30
zero early on there and seeing what
01:02:32
could be made like what companies could
01:02:34
be built from Wellington and like that
01:02:36
was Global when I well it was going
01:02:38
global when I started there and I mean
01:02:41
there's actually so much cool stuff that
01:02:43
comes out of New Zealand and um
01:02:46
sometimes it's just those things that
01:02:47
plant a seed of what's possible and then
01:02:52
um yeah yeah I don't know if this is
01:02:55
something you think about about it I
01:02:56
suspect it's probably not where did you
01:02:58
go to school did you go to Wu oroa horo
01:03:01
so you like right now there could there
01:03:04
could be some young girls sitting in
01:03:05
sitting in school um and you've sort of
01:03:08
made her realize that even though you're
01:03:09
at a high school in Lin you know you you
01:03:11
know you can do
01:03:12
anything yeah yeah like it's it's it's
01:03:16
like yeah I mean when you were at school
01:03:19
the most famous thing from L was
01:03:20
probably RJ's lior Carlo sper Carlo sper
01:03:25
yeah yeah so it's like oh actually I
01:03:28
turned on um the uh par Olympics last
01:03:31
night and the woman that was on the the
01:03:34
one of the equestrians was um from Le
01:03:36
and we went to school together um but
01:03:38
there's good people there is good people
01:03:40
who and I are I'm pretty sure like
01:03:42
Michelle aort I was speaking oh the
01:03:45
comedian yeah I'm pretty sure she's from
01:03:47
Lin you know there's because I always I
01:03:50
really try to B up Len when I'm speaking
01:03:52
somewhere cuz I think it gets such a bad
01:03:54
rap um who from who's liveing a bad
01:03:57
R is that a
01:04:01
joke no I don't think Lin's on anyone's
01:04:04
radar like I think Hamilton gets a bad
01:04:07
rep lein no one's even thinking about
01:04:10
lvin maybe you're just too sensitive to
01:04:12
live in well I like I care deeply about
01:04:16
that place I think it's great yeah so do
01:04:18
I so it's I think you got to be exposed
01:04:21
like I think um it's nice to be exposed
01:04:24
to to different things
01:04:26
um see what's possible yeah for sure
01:04:29
what's been the hardest day at work so
01:04:30
far has it been like a standout day oh
01:04:34
you you know how people people like to
01:04:35
you know it's a bit of a cliche and it's
01:04:37
it's not not true most of the time but
01:04:39
people talk about Blood Sweat and Tears
01:04:41
yeah yeah have there been some days that
01:04:43
have just felt impossibly difficult
01:04:45
or yeah yeah definitely yeah yeah but I
01:04:48
like nothing no one particular one
01:04:50
Springs to mind we've definitely had
01:04:52
hard times like I mean the whole Co
01:04:55
situation and that was you know really
01:04:58
hard and huge as an employer you know
01:05:01
you kind of oh yeah you know that really
01:05:03
threw up so much about um making sure
01:05:07
you're looking after people yeah like it
01:05:08
really did change the whole work
01:05:09
environment all of a sudden you got
01:05:11
people working from home and you're just
01:05:13
trying to support people but you're not
01:05:14
all together you know like I did I
01:05:16
thought at that time was really interest
01:05:19
there's been so many challenges and you
01:05:21
just because you go like there's no
01:05:23
training for this you know that I think
01:05:25
it's the the moments maybe that stick
01:05:27
out to me are like moments
01:05:30
where you're like oh this is I have to
01:05:33
make this there's no one out you know
01:05:35
other than our team and we do have a
01:05:38
great great board as well that are like
01:05:39
really handson and um involved in the
01:05:42
business so I guess I feel like we've
01:05:44
got lots of support but I think um yeah
01:05:46
there's definitely hard moments and hard
01:05:49
things but you um yeah you have to grow
01:05:52
up pretty quickly I'm guessing you've
01:05:53
had to have some very difficult
01:05:54
conversations and
01:05:56
um you know don't you know maybe let
01:05:58
some people go that you didn't
01:05:59
necessarily want to along the way and
01:06:01
things like that and um I'm very good at
01:06:04
procrastinating big decisions like that
01:06:06
in my personal life I I can't imagine
01:06:08
like you're doing things like this on a
01:06:09
daily
01:06:10
basis yeah um you just get does it get
01:06:14
easier you get better at it at having
01:06:16
tough conversations and making tough
01:06:17
decisions I think it's maybe it's like
01:06:20
that um I feel like maybe it's a lateen
01:06:22
quote that like that whole um clarity is
01:06:25
kindness as well so it's like if you
01:06:27
know something you know I think you can
01:06:30
what I don't even think of a particular
01:06:32
example in my head but I think it's like
01:06:33
just with anything um there can be this
01:06:36
situation but there's always a human
01:06:38
across from you or like I think it's
01:06:41
just like how you connect with that
01:06:43
person or whatever that situation is
01:06:45
there's so many different situations
01:06:47
that that can show up with but I think
01:06:50
um there's like it it should always show
01:06:52
respect and the humanity of it you know
01:06:54
should always come first
01:06:56
yeah um so I think like I think
01:06:58
culturally I think we really lead in
01:07:00
that way um yeah is it a good place to
01:07:03
work yeah well we just we did just win
01:07:05
employer of the year at the um
01:07:08
Wellington gold Awards last week um
01:07:11
humble break humble break it own it
01:07:14
that's cool why why did you win um
01:07:16
because of a lot of our U processes and
01:07:19
and things and how how we operate our
01:07:21
team um so I think we've got an amazing
01:07:24
like people experience team but also
01:07:26
everyone at sher's contributes to sh
01:07:28
being a great place I think um it's
01:07:32
definitely like and I've worked some
01:07:33
great places as well and I know you know
01:07:35
I'm really biased but I do think um we
01:07:38
try really hard at the things that we
01:07:40
think really matter like
01:07:42
um you know making it like being a good
01:07:45
place flexible working helping people do
01:07:47
their best
01:07:48
work um working on cool problems having
01:07:52
the tools you
01:07:53
need like just all the things that you
01:07:55
think yeah are they sort of like the key
01:07:57
the key tenants of um shees you think we
01:08:00
do have values do you what are do you
01:08:02
know what they are off the top of your
01:08:03
head of course how many are there
01:08:04
there's three three are you yeah love
01:08:06
threes
01:08:08
um
01:08:10
see um uh one is Chase remarkable and
01:08:15
that's about um you know setting the new
01:08:18
Benchmark it's like and the word the
01:08:20
kind of we always say the the clu is in
01:08:22
the word Chase it's not B remarkable
01:08:24
it's not some somewhere get or arrive to
01:08:26
it's a constant thing you should always
01:08:28
feel like the bit is just that little
01:08:31
bit Out Of Reach and um stretch that
01:08:34
little bit further and that's um about
01:08:36
setting a new Benchmark for like our
01:08:38
customers for the industry it's about we
01:08:41
used to um when we were smaller if we
01:08:43
released a new product we used to count
01:08:44
how many people positively remarked on
01:08:47
it um because you can take takes you now
01:08:50
you you go through it's really easy to
01:08:51
send a gripe to somewhere and you're
01:08:54
really motivated to send a gripe
01:08:56
but to actually go out of your way to
01:08:57
send a really positive message like
01:08:59
that's very true people just don't do
01:09:01
that until unless it's been really
01:09:03
remarkable so I think that's something
01:09:04
to really um cherish the other one is in
01:09:07
it together and um how we really show
01:09:10
the value of the team and work together
01:09:11
and have each other's back and things
01:09:13
like that and the other one is always
01:09:15
care and that's about caring for each
01:09:17
other yourself and um your customers um
01:09:21
but also like hearing about the details
01:09:23
it's like showing care what you do um so
01:09:27
those are our three who came up with him
01:09:29
was that a collaborative we all did
01:09:30
actually the founders and then it's kind
01:09:32
of evolved over time um but they're
01:09:34
still the
01:09:35
same but that was when we decided what
01:09:38
kind of workplace we wanted to be a part
01:09:39
of or be a part of creating um because
01:09:42
we've got a really strong why and we've
01:09:44
got our what you know and then the how
01:09:47
um so think that's some that can either
01:09:50
happen by accident or by Design it's
01:09:53
funny it's really got to yeah going back
01:09:54
to the Netflix book that I was telling
01:09:56
you about that I've just listened to so
01:09:57
the the um one of the two founders of
01:09:59
Netflix you know he talked about um your
01:10:02
culture at Netflix and he said it's easy
01:10:04
to have like posters on the wall or
01:10:05
slogans on the wall but it's really got
01:10:06
to come from the behavior of um of the
01:10:09
management and go down so I suppose if
01:10:11
the sex of you are coming up with those
01:10:13
three rules and you're living by them
01:10:14
and following them um then the staff
01:10:17
just hopefully follow take the Le and
01:10:20
like push it you know and you that's the
01:10:23
thing that um everyone bring something
01:10:26
to sheries and um I think that's where
01:10:29
values are important because they kind
01:10:31
of solidify you and what you what what
01:10:35
um what you're trying to achieve and
01:10:37
then people do really rally around
01:10:39
those and for you personally Career
01:10:42
Success and Financial Security has it
01:10:44
changed
01:10:45
you or and if so
01:10:48
how is it must have given you more
01:10:51
confidence like yeah I think um if I
01:10:53
talk like maybe always thought
01:10:55
and put myself in like an underdog I
01:10:58
think it was like coming from Le you
01:10:59
know like I always felt like I didn't
01:11:01
quite belong in places or always felt
01:11:03
like
01:11:05
um yeah like Underdog was probably a
01:11:07
word you know that I used um and now
01:11:12
like I think it's I still carried that
01:11:14
feeling for a while but now as you say
01:11:17
it's like um that was an important thing
01:11:20
to recognize that it is so different
01:11:21
it's like you're actually different now
01:11:23
and I still kind of struggle connecting
01:11:25
with that identity um but I still very
01:11:29
very much like think I'm the same person
01:11:32
but just like different choices that I'm
01:11:34
able to make and um I mean you grow up a
01:11:37
lot in those years don't you like
01:11:39
um and I yeah learn stuff from everyone
01:11:43
around me every day what what about
01:11:45
people around you do you think it's
01:11:46
changed have you noticed a change in
01:11:48
people around
01:11:49
you not not a whole lot no we love to
01:11:52
laugh we love to work hard
01:11:55
and have an impact yeah yeah and I think
01:11:59
um you we go away together once a year
01:12:01
the the group and um partners and stuff
01:12:03
as well like Shar his private
01:12:07
jet not at all um and those always just
01:12:10
really lowkey H you know they they still
01:12:12
the same hang you know like um we just
01:12:16
love spending time together and um or
01:12:19
think it's important to as well like
01:12:20
once a year our families and stuff get
01:12:22
together and stay connected to what
01:12:25
we're creating and um no I don't think
01:12:29
it like it probably
01:12:32
has
01:12:34
yeah yeah I suppose you don't even
01:12:36
notice that
01:12:38
um um do you know that you know the
01:12:40
actor Tiffany hadish yeah yeah so I I
01:12:43
heard her on a podcast and she was
01:12:44
talking about um she's talking about
01:12:46
money and after she got her first big
01:12:47
movie role um one of her old friends
01:12:49
came to and said oh can I borrow some
01:12:50
money and and Tiffany was was thinking
01:12:52
it was going to be 50 bucks or 100 bucks
01:12:54
like they've always loaned each other
01:12:55
and her friend was like
01:12:57
12,000 and so Tiffany was stunned and
01:13:00
she loaned her the money and she said
01:13:01
since then she's had a a thing with
01:13:03
friends and if they ask you for money
01:13:05
she's like okay I will lend you the
01:13:08
money but I will say once I lend you the
01:13:10
money our friendship's never going to be
01:13:12
the same again and you have until my
01:13:14
next birthday to pay me back and if that
01:13:16
doesn't happen then we just can't be
01:13:17
friends anymore so I just think like um
01:13:19
I suppose I'm going where I'm going with
01:13:21
that is you with Financial Security it
01:13:23
does sometimes change the people people
01:13:25
around you and I don't know if it's like
01:13:26
a a tall poppy thing or an attitudinal
01:13:29
thing I just wondered like if you've
01:13:31
noticed that at all yeah no I haven't
01:13:33
and I mean I'm someone who like keeps a
01:13:35
pretty tight circle like I don't um
01:13:38
mostly spend my time with like my family
01:13:40
and um so if you go still like still
01:13:43
like really close to my siblings we hang
01:13:45
out a lot um but if you all go to our
01:13:49
mes for dinner and drinks um do do your
01:13:52
brothers and sister all like sit there
01:13:54
at the end
01:13:56
and I think like there's moments that I
01:13:59
um no I don't think it's played into it
01:14:01
like I don't think we've really talked
01:14:02
about it
01:14:04
um but
01:14:06
yeah it's like it's in a company you
01:14:08
know it's not um yeah in my bank account
01:14:12
you know so how old she is is now seven
01:14:14
years seven seven years okay seven years
01:14:16
from now um where do you see yourself
01:14:19
professionally and personally yeah seven
01:14:21
years from now definitely um that we
01:14:27
still um creating Financial Empowerment
01:14:30
um with
01:14:31
chers would like love to see sh's
01:14:33
continuing to grow and develop
01:14:37
um what it needs to to like really
01:14:39
create that financial empowerment for
01:14:41
people like we do think it's the place
01:14:43
that you come to really grow wealth and
01:14:44
that we help people realize that and um
01:14:48
you know we've developed these other
01:14:49
products and it's just about like how do
01:14:51
you integrate that more into people's
01:14:52
lives um and with the people in their
01:14:54
Liv Liv so still think there's so much
01:14:57
change that needs to happen in um the
01:15:00
financial services space but see so C is
01:15:03
being really big um and solving more of
01:15:06
those problems for people um continuing
01:15:09
to grow into
01:15:10
Australia um and then you know we have
01:15:13
this thing that if we're still you know
01:15:14
s years is a long time away um and if
01:15:18
I'm still useful to sheres and and I'm
01:15:21
still enjoying it then I could be there
01:15:23
I don't have any
01:15:25
desire to like leave it at this point
01:15:27
but again like business has changed so
01:15:28
much and just might not be a fit at some
01:15:31
point so I'm like open to that too
01:15:33
you're still very young eh um I I had um
01:15:36
Anna Mo on the podcast a few weeks ago
01:15:38
so she and she she sort of talked about
01:15:40
um zuru as being um a mountain that she
01:15:43
climbed and she wants to climb more
01:15:45
Mountains that's the analogy she uses
01:15:47
for you it's just she as is right now
01:15:50
yeah I think there's definitely like
01:15:52
other things yeah what is it um
01:15:56
there was definitely a point where I
01:15:57
felt like it was a big part of my
01:15:58
identity and um I think that was healthy
01:16:02
to remove myself and try to
01:16:05
um you know separate that a bit and see
01:16:09
you know develop who you are in the
01:16:11
world and outside of always being
01:16:15
um like tied up into one thing cuz it's
01:16:18
all of our thing and it's also lots of
01:16:20
other people's thing now too and um I
01:16:23
heard someone um
01:16:25
describe writing the highs and lows like
01:16:27
if you connect yourself so C so tightly
01:16:30
to something that you will then feel
01:16:32
those highs and lows but you don't
01:16:33
always have control over those so
01:16:36
um yeah what is that I love making cool
01:16:39
stuff that has an impact with cool
01:16:42
people you know I like that like that
01:16:45
just guides if I think like that's I'm
01:16:48
not actually you know I'm complicated as
01:16:50
we all are but like you know if I sum it
01:16:53
up like what do I love and what do I get
01:16:54
a kick out of like professionally it's
01:16:56
that and those are the ingredients and
01:16:58
so if those are there then those are
01:17:00
there and then um personally I love to
01:17:02
laugh and I have like a I notice that
01:17:07
every day I'm not laughing enough
01:17:09
today you do you you do have a I've
01:17:12
listened to just about every podcast
01:17:14
you've been on in anticipation for this
01:17:15
you do have a real easy laugh a real
01:17:18
easy laugh um and it's it's really cool
01:17:20
yeah it's been quite of serious today I
01:17:23
think that's good though it's been
01:17:24
really interesting to pick your brains
01:17:26
yeah has it been too serious have we
01:17:27
been too serious it's been quite serious
01:17:30
I
01:17:31
thought we want more laughes um um I
01:17:35
thought you might have asked me about
01:17:37
running oh we we were going to go for a
01:17:41
run um where was it last weekend last
01:17:44
weekend but some something came up yeah
01:17:45
you're back running again yes well I've
01:17:47
never really run and I think this is um
01:17:51
you know being here today or like being
01:17:52
asked to come on it's huge because I
01:17:55
have followed the podcast you know long
01:17:57
time listener first time caller um but
01:18:01
have listened to the podcast from the
01:18:03
earliest day like I remember listening
01:18:05
to the hype episode which was like a
01:18:06
minute long where you were just like
01:18:08
hyping what the podcast was going to be
01:18:09
about God how do you have time like the
01:18:12
last three three years I've been doing
01:18:14
this podcast like you've been running
01:18:15
this big business you you know um dealt
01:18:18
with you fertility stuff you've had a
01:18:20
baby how do you have time to listen to
01:18:22
like junky podcasts like this it's not
01:18:24
junky
01:18:25
it's amazing and I did think um it was a
01:18:28
real Catalyst for like helping me like
01:18:32
start running cuz I've never been a
01:18:33
runner like I'll give it a spt like I'll
01:18:35
give like maybe two or three months and
01:18:37
then I fall off the weon um but there
01:18:39
was this whole thing about cuz it was
01:18:40
called Runners only and it and I was
01:18:43
just like look I'm going to put this on
01:18:45
and go for a run every time it's on and
01:18:48
um I did and then I got so into it and I
01:18:51
think like what happened is like because
01:18:53
I was listening to this thing that was
01:18:54
about Runners and for runners I like
01:18:57
took that identity whereas like before I
01:19:00
never really I I thought I had to like a
01:19:03
runner was a thing that you were and it
01:19:06
was like well I'm not that yet and I
01:19:08
never kind of put in the work to get it
01:19:09
but um I think you've even shared the
01:19:11
line like if you run you're a runner or
01:19:13
absolutely yeah yeah yeah I I hate that
01:19:16
people say oh I'm not a I'm not I'm not
01:19:18
a runner like you or I'm not this it's
01:19:20
not about speed it's not about distance
01:19:21
it's not about anything yeah and um so I
01:19:25
like kept at it largely because I just
01:19:26
felt like I was in this community of
01:19:28
Runners but really it was just like
01:19:30
listening to your podcast and then
01:19:31
listening to people talk about running
01:19:33
and I got way more into running and um
01:19:36
you know the podcast has changed so much
01:19:37
now but it's like it's so unique and
01:19:40
that um the stories that you tell of
01:19:43
people and um you know I I like it feels
01:19:46
like a real honor to be here because I
01:19:47
know the people you interview I know the
01:19:49
stories that you tell you know it's like
01:19:51
it's really special and I think um
01:19:55
like one you know like I think I say
01:19:57
like I try really hard or I'm a bit of a
01:19:59
try hard I Tred to like reclaim that
01:20:01
word yeah it's a bad R it does get a bad
01:20:05
R cuz I had to give a talk back in Liv
01:20:07
and I was like really nervous about it
01:20:08
and I was like why are you nervous and I
01:20:10
was like it's because I think someone's
01:20:11
going to stand up and say oh you're try
01:20:13
hard and then I was like you know cuz
01:20:15
you play your fears out and um I was
01:20:18
like Hey that wouldn't even be that bad
01:20:19
it's like what does that even mean like
01:20:20
you try hard it's like I actually love
01:20:22
that yeah it's a good thing and um
01:20:25
I think in a space like the people you
01:20:27
profile and the way that you profile
01:20:28
them I think um it's it's celebrating a
01:20:32
success in a way that was celebrating
01:20:34
life and stories of new zealanders in a
01:20:37
really proud way I think that's really
01:20:38
special well I'm I'm so proud of you not
01:20:41
not not just because we're family but
01:20:42
yeah I mean you're just a great New
01:20:44
Zealander and you've done um you've done
01:20:45
really well um yeah yeah part part of
01:20:48
the aspect of your story that I love is
01:20:50
the fact that you're from you know this
01:20:51
this small shitty little town in New
01:20:53
Zealand and you've done this amazing
01:20:54
thing
01:20:55
um it's great L's actually
01:20:58
great do you want to be do you want to
01:21:01
get into politics and be like the Horan
01:21:03
or like r or something or the mirr is
01:21:06
that what you're angling for posters
01:21:08
like like um I don't know it's a like
01:21:12
it's just a really I think
01:21:15
places yeah it's just nice to feel
01:21:17
positive about what you from oh know I
01:21:19
feel I feel yeah I was born on L and we
01:21:23
we moved to Hastings and then to paly
01:21:25
North but um um yeah I've got a massive
01:21:28
connection to living like um at n and
01:21:30
Grandad's place you know your dad's
01:21:32
parents and my mom's parents um we had
01:21:35
Christmas day there and I used to get so
01:21:36
excited about it because they'd be like
01:21:38
God I don't know maybe 50 cousins
01:21:40
running around like it was just a
01:21:41
massive event it was so cool it's true
01:21:44
yeah so cool um yeah oh back to yeah
01:21:47
back to the running thing like the one
01:21:49
big thing that I get out of it and um I
01:21:52
say this to other people like just the
01:21:54
the mental Clarity and the mental health
01:21:55
benefits um is that a big thing for you
01:21:58
totally yeah and I think
01:22:01
um it's it's a real mood changer in so
01:22:04
many ways and I think it's like
01:22:06
something like this is the longest stunt
01:22:07
I've ever stuck with running and um I
01:22:10
reckon it's like a huge part to do with
01:22:12
the podcast because it like taught me to
01:22:14
make it social or it made me made me
01:22:16
realize like connecting in with
01:22:18
something was what like claiming the
01:22:20
identity and we do that like with shares
01:22:23
users as well it's like if you invest
01:22:24
you're an investor you know like claim
01:22:26
it like that's all part of what helps
01:22:29
stick you inide you know keep you at it
01:22:31
cuz this beginning of anything is always
01:22:33
really hard and like running um it
01:22:36
doesn't actually get easier I've now
01:22:38
learned it doesn't no but you you know
01:22:42
you you just adapt and you have an
01:22:43
ability to do more yeah but it's always
01:22:46
like challenging in some way and like
01:22:48
you might feel different and like things
01:22:49
that might have like it's always a a
01:22:53
challenge and I think there's something
01:22:55
nice about um yeah I think it's just so
01:22:58
great you get to get out see different
01:22:59
things now it's like a social thing for
01:23:01
me I get to catch up with people um and
01:23:04
yeah like I reached out to you and your
01:23:05
mom cuz it was like and in ockland know
01:23:08
you guys are runnner you know it's like
01:23:10
a nice way to connect with people and go
01:23:13
yeah actually yeah it's really social
01:23:14
and you yeah you don't have to um yeah
01:23:17
you can you can go slowly so it's a
01:23:18
conversational pace and turn it into a
01:23:20
social thing yeah do you when you go oh
01:23:22
hey by the way it's worth pointing out
01:23:24
um
01:23:25
we just heed up this Podcast chat
01:23:26
through DMs on Instagram you didn't make
01:23:28
me go have you got a PA or an assistant
01:23:31
I do have some help w i I didn't have to
01:23:34
go through your assistant or anything if
01:23:35
I was you I would have like put me onto
01:23:36
the assistant that would have been a
01:23:39
flex you're so
01:23:42
humble um well we're a family and
01:23:46
um but what a power play um and as I say
01:23:50
like I'm like genuinely love the podcast
01:23:53
so I think like it feels really cool to
01:23:54
be here and um yeah I think oh the
01:23:58
running thing one other thing I'll say
01:24:00
about it is it's like so much of life is
01:24:02
hard and you don't choose it to be hard
01:24:04
like unexpectedly hard stuff just pops
01:24:06
up all the time and then it's kind of
01:24:07
nice like what I find with running is
01:24:09
cuz it CU I do find it hard it's like
01:24:11
it's nice to choose to do something
01:24:13
that's hard and then you get used to
01:24:15
dealing with hard things so then when
01:24:16
they pop up randomly you're actually
01:24:19
more equipped to deal with it 100% 100%
01:24:23
yeah there's a slogan I really like it
01:24:24
says um it goes something like hard hard
01:24:26
Choice Easy Life Easy Choice hard life
01:24:29
um yeah and running definitely fits into
01:24:31
that category I've got a couple of um I
01:24:34
was going to say like um sort of easy
01:24:35
questions to finish with but maybe they
01:24:37
not be they may not be easy um are you
01:24:41
proud of
01:24:42
yourself y y yeah yeah you should be I
01:24:47
like asking that one because um yeah a
01:24:49
lot of people find it a real challenge
01:24:50
new zealanders I think in particular
01:24:51
find it like a difficult question to
01:24:53
answer because it almost seems like um
01:24:55
it comes with a bit of I don't know like
01:24:57
stigma or embarrassment to say you're
01:24:59
proud of yourself yeah I do think like
01:25:01
because as I said I've just like come
01:25:02
back from Australia and one thing I did
01:25:04
notice while I was over there is like
01:25:06
that kiwis do have some real baggage
01:25:08
associated with success or something
01:25:10
good happening to you like I think we
01:25:12
have a real strong like the success we
01:25:14
really celebrate or the good things we
01:25:15
really celebrate is where we see that
01:25:17
someone's put in lots of work or um we
01:25:21
really love those ones but it's like if
01:25:24
some if something happens to someone and
01:25:25
it's just like an easy one we don't tend
01:25:27
to celebrate that as much whereas it's
01:25:30
like it's the same you know like I don't
01:25:32
know why it's like I think we really
01:25:34
glamorize the
01:25:36
um the hard path to being happy or being
01:25:40
successful being all those things and um
01:25:44
so I do like there is a complex
01:25:45
relationship there but I think at the
01:25:47
end of the day do I act in a way and
01:25:49
show up for the people in my life how I
01:25:51
want to yeah I try really hard to do
01:25:53
that and I'm really proud of it have you
01:25:55
encountered um much in the way of like
01:25:57
tall poppy
01:25:59
syndrome
01:26:01
um I don't know not really I think in
01:26:04
little ways
01:26:06
probably like but not a an event that
01:26:09
sticks out maybe more myself or or
01:26:12
something like that yeah what what would
01:26:14
you say your best and worst habits
01:26:18
are if Ben was here what would he say
01:26:21
just in worst
01:26:23
habits um
01:26:25
um best and worst best is that I do
01:26:29
laugh a lot and I like to laugh and I
01:26:31
can habit of laughing is good um laugh
01:26:34
it is it is great and it makes the
01:26:36
person you're talking to it makes them
01:26:37
feel great
01:26:38
and it's good laughing is powerful I
01:26:41
like to um I just get a kick out of it
01:26:44
yeah so I like think that's a habit I
01:26:46
try to um keep it uh worst habits I
01:26:51
don't know Ben would probably say heaps
01:26:52
of stuff
01:26:55
what what would he say like are you like
01:26:57
are you too hard on yourself at times uh
01:27:00
yeah yeah y probably okay well that's a
01:27:04
bad habit isn't it that's true well I
01:27:06
don't know I suppose it's a I suppose
01:27:08
it's like a double-edged sword in a way
01:27:10
isn't it yeah yeah but what and what
01:27:12
about your in a voice is your in a voice
01:27:14
quite nice no I'd say it's ways negative
01:27:17
um quite [ __ ] the amount of people I've
01:27:19
had on the podcast that say that like
01:27:20
real high performance people like michaa
01:27:22
blide from the sevens
01:27:27
um yeah but but you catch yourself when
01:27:30
you're not being kind to yourself and
01:27:31
you got to re redirecting it yeah yeah
01:27:34
try to yeah but it's like like I think
01:27:37
like anything it's a constant work on
01:27:40
and I think like um and I think it is
01:27:43
for everyone I really do yeah yeah what
01:27:47
about um mistakes or
01:27:49
regrets nothing Springs to mind that's
01:27:53
great yeah I tend to have a no regrets
01:27:55
policy I like like um yeah it's just
01:27:59
like a
01:28:01
um I think like it always regrets you
01:28:04
always it always feels shitty to do
01:28:06
something that feels like it clashes
01:28:07
with your values or something so now if
01:28:10
I'm ever on the fence about something
01:28:11
I'm like what are you what would you do
01:28:13
you know cuz you can get caught up in
01:28:15
the shs or the this and the that and
01:28:17
you're like actually what would make me
01:28:18
feel really proud to look at myself in
01:28:20
the eyes at the end of the day and I
01:28:22
tend to just make those decisions more
01:28:23
often yeah do do you have any like um
01:28:26
like pillars when it comes to values or
01:28:28
is it just be a good person I think
01:28:30
Integrity like doing your actions and
01:28:32
your behavior you know what you say and
01:28:34
your behaviors should try and match up
01:28:35
as much as
01:28:38
possible and um and then I think fun is
01:28:42
a real value and try to like look for
01:28:44
the the good or the Joy or the
01:28:46
light-heartedness um and then yeah like
01:28:51
working with others teamwork being a
01:28:52
good person for with in other people you
01:28:55
know with other people um what else oh
01:29:00
like trying hard you you can't really um
01:29:03
either pick the
01:29:05
outcome or you're not always in control
01:29:07
of that but I think
01:29:08
like I like to when I show up try to
01:29:12
give it my all like I I feel like I do
01:29:16
really try hard you know yeah I I I say
01:29:19
to people like if if you if you try hard
01:29:21
like if you legitimately try your
01:29:22
hardest at anything you you may not
01:29:24
always win or be the best but you will
01:29:26
be surprised at how far it takes you
01:29:28
yeah you will be like really surprised
01:29:30
do you think they um they really good
01:29:31
values to set um were you guys you were
01:29:34
you religious we're a very religious
01:29:36
family were you very religious family we
01:29:38
weren't raised relig did you not go to
01:29:40
church every Sunday no um no we didn't
01:29:45
yeah but did you yeah yeah until I was
01:29:47
old enough to make my own
01:29:48
decisions um but I like I look back now
01:29:51
and it's um you I I describe myself as a
01:29:54
is now but the um like the Catholic
01:29:56
values for the most part they're pretty
01:29:58
good sort of values or cornerstones to
01:29:59
have um but I think you can have those
01:30:01
without being necessarily Affiliated to
01:30:04
a certain religion yeah yeah I think um
01:30:07
what did I I read um where I listened to
01:30:10
a podcast it was a guy talking about
01:30:12
happiness it was on like one of Oprah's
01:30:13
ones um I think she's written a book
01:30:15
with him or something and it was like
01:30:17
what makes people what are the keys to
01:30:18
happiness um always love reading
01:30:20
something like
01:30:21
that who it like J sh or
01:30:24
um but one of the ones one of them was
01:30:27
like about being around things that make
01:30:29
you feel small like and that's where
01:30:31
like say religion or for some people
01:30:33
it's n like for me it's like nature or
01:30:35
being part of something that's bigger
01:30:38
than you um and helping yourself like
01:30:40
see that and I think that edit is really
01:30:42
important like it doesn't that's not
01:30:44
religion for me but personally but um
01:30:48
that's like I like being in awe of
01:30:49
something or feeling part of something
01:30:51
bigger I think that's a really like
01:30:54
something that just grounds you a bit
01:30:55
more yeah absolutely what's last one
01:30:58
what would your definition of success
01:31:04
be I
01:31:06
think having a positive impact and that
01:31:09
can be like in the small or in the big
01:31:12
like I'm I am aware like through shies
01:31:15
we have been able to impact people in a
01:31:17
really big way to really like and if we
01:31:20
keep ated and keep doing more around
01:31:22
that like that can be
01:31:24
something that could change people
01:31:27
intergenerationally you know like
01:31:29
changing the way people feel about money
01:31:31
people feel about wealth the choices
01:31:33
they can make that's huge and um and if
01:31:38
that's I get to do that through this
01:31:39
channel like that's amazing and that's
01:31:41
really cool that would be successful for
01:31:43
me um but at the same time it can be in
01:31:47
the small things like I as I said like
01:31:50
just want to be a good sort to the
01:31:51
people in my life to show up for my
01:31:54
friends for my family to try really hard
01:31:56
and what I do I think it's can also be
01:31:59
the success and the act of it not just
01:32:01
the outcome of it I think on your Lissa
01:32:03
Carrington one um podcast she talked
01:32:06
about it needs to be about more than the
01:32:09
middle and I do think I think you got to
01:32:12
like well for me personally I need to
01:32:14
decouple my personal success from an
01:32:17
outcome although I am like people that
01:32:19
know me really I'm really competitive
01:32:21
I'm really like like I'm all those
01:32:24
things I know at the same time to be
01:32:27
fair like you you you don't like create
01:32:29
what you've been a part of creating and
01:32:31
have the success you've had without
01:32:33
being competitive and driven and
01:32:35
hardworking and all those things you
01:32:36
just it just doesn't happen yeah yeah
01:32:38
and like my mom you know she has been a
01:32:42
huge influence on my life and she um you
01:32:44
know really taught me about like growth
01:32:47
mind she coached me like from such a
01:32:49
young age it was always like can't do
01:32:51
what's made to do you know like she's
01:32:53
played a huge role in um you know
01:32:55
helping me the way I you know like so I
01:32:59
think that's also part of it it's like
01:33:02
um it's just also recognizing yourself
01:33:04
like the bits of other people in you and
01:33:06
like that is I think that's really nice
01:33:10
yeah I I actually heard you say that in
01:33:11
another podcast um talking about Auntie
01:33:13
Jenning um saying um you thought it was
01:33:16
her quate but it was a Henry Ford one if
01:33:18
you think you can or you think you can't
01:33:20
you're probably right um but that's I
01:33:22
suppose she was your but she was my
01:33:24
auntie so I never I never experienced
01:33:26
the you the quotes lady growing up she
01:33:28
was just the most um yeah kind and and
01:33:31
lovely Auntie you could ever hope to
01:33:32
have and she like coached all all my
01:33:34
sport you know all right through and
01:33:37
like now I F think like that's the voice
01:33:40
and even just like the voice of where
01:33:41
your brain goes it's like um I realize
01:33:44
now like it's so powerful to go like if
01:33:46
you're in a hard situation it's not that
01:33:47
you're not going to get out of it it's
01:33:49
just that um you haven't found the right
01:33:51
path yet out and I think that's a
01:33:53
different you know it's like it's nice
01:33:54
to know and I Reon like she just taught
01:33:56
me so much of that out of like um I'm so
01:33:59
grateful for that and I um I think it's
01:34:04
you know hugely shaping I'm just going
01:34:07
like there's a way through here or um
01:34:11
yeah God they must be so
01:34:13
proud I'm I I'm I'm so proud I think the
01:34:16
last time I saw you was probably at um
01:34:18
ad and Anna's Funeral that was pre-
01:34:20
shies um yeah that's annoying that yeah
01:34:24
that you people like Nana who she was a
01:34:26
huge influence in our lives she never
01:34:28
got to see any of this yeah I think
01:34:33
um I
01:34:35
mean for family like family and like
01:34:38
coming from such a big family it's like
01:34:40
there's a real Legacy in that though way
01:34:42
like I do think um it's not always like
01:34:44
there's a I'm a big fan of the musical
01:34:46
Hamilton and um love not the town not I
01:34:50
do love the town too love rip rip all
01:34:53
the towns a handful have you been to the
01:34:55
Hamilton Gardens yeah wonderful the big
01:34:58
giant door what is Ambassador for towns
01:35:02
that get a really bad R um to Sonia's
01:35:06
coming for you um but um there's this
01:35:10
nice line that um Legacy is planting
01:35:12
seeds in a garden you won't get to see
01:35:15
and I think of that I think that's quite
01:35:17
you just that's what that question
01:35:18
triggered to me it's like it's not often
01:35:21
um you don't always have to be around to
01:35:23
experience it but it's like your legacy
01:35:25
is felt and all the things that you
01:35:27
create while you're
01:35:28
here jeez you're wise aren't
01:35:31
you so wise well that was from
01:35:34
Hamilton the
01:35:36
musical s that wasn't me okay you're not
01:35:40
claiming it like your mom with the Henry
01:35:42
is it you know yeah um I didn't like I
01:35:45
think I like to
01:35:48
seek edit you know like I listen to the
01:35:50
podcast I listen to lots of you know I
01:35:53
think I like to like soak up as much
01:35:54
wisdom from others as well yeah hey well
01:35:57
thanks for coming on the podcast today
01:35:59
yeah thanks for having me it's it's
01:36:00
really really cool to reconnect bloody
01:36:03
um yeah before we finish is there
01:36:05
anything that anything that we haven't
01:36:06
touched upon that you wanted to touch
01:36:08
upon did we miss anything I mean I feel
01:36:12
like we've gone around the place yeah
01:36:16
nothing nothing Springs
01:36:17
to there's always a p to there's always
01:36:21
a p to Sonia Williams um co-found of
01:36:24
sheries and 3o of sheries and my cousin
01:36:29
thank you so much for coming on the
01:36:30
podcast yeah thanks for having me

Podspun Insights

In this episode, Sonia Williams, co-founder and CEO of the groundbreaking investment platform sheries, joins the podcast for a candid and heartfelt conversation. The episode kicks off with a delightful family connection, as the host and Sonia discover their shared roots, setting a warm and inviting tone. As they dive into the world of sheries, Sonia explains how the platform is revolutionizing the investment landscape in New Zealand by making investing accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial background. The discussion touches on the barriers that often prevent people from investing and how sheries is dismantling those obstacles with a user-friendly approach.

Listeners are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at Sonia's journey, from her early days growing up in a large family to her experiences in the tech and finance sectors. She shares her personal challenges, including the complexities of motherhood and the pressures of running a half-billion-dollar company. The conversation flows seamlessly, with moments of humor and reflection as Sonia discusses the importance of teamwork, the power of community, and the value of being open about struggles, particularly in the context of parenting and entrepreneurship.

Throughout the episode, Sonia's passion for financial empowerment shines through, as she emphasizes the significance of changing the narrative around money in New Zealand. The duo also explores the impact of societal expectations and the often unspoken pressures that come with success. With a mix of lighthearted banter and profound insights, this episode is a celebration of resilience, ambition, and the importance of supporting one another in both personal and professional journeys.

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 95
    Best concept / idea
  • 90
    Most inspiring
  • 90
    Best overall
  • 90
    Most creative

Episode Highlights

  • Sonia Williams: Inspirational Businesswoman
    Sonia shares her journey as the founder and CEO of sheries, aiming to empower investors.
    “It's not the first time you've done that spill, is it?”
    @ 01m 48s
    November 06, 2024
  • Family Ties and Entrepreneurial Spirit
    Sonia reflects on her family's influence on her entrepreneurial journey and the importance of exposure.
    “You just have to keep your doors open for wanting to go to UNI or anything like that.”
    @ 14m 47s
    November 06, 2024
  • The Goldfish Analogy
    Seeing beyond your current reality can spark inspiration and change.
    “What did I just see? I thought this was everything!”
    @ 19m 26s
    November 06, 2024
  • The Journey to Motherhood
    Becoming a mom is a humbling experience that changes everything.
    “I felt like I wasn't aware how fundamentally it would change your life.”
    @ 34m 12s
    November 06, 2024
  • Parenting vs. Business
    The speaker reflects on the challenges of parenting compared to the first year of business.
    “First year of parenting really.”
    @ 37m 43s
    November 06, 2024
  • The Power of Teamwork
    The speaker discusses the importance of collaboration and teamwork in building a business.
    “It really taught me the power of teamwork.”
    @ 47m 24s
    November 06, 2024
  • Creating Your Own Path
    You have the power to create your own journey and define your success.
    “You get to create; no one tells you what you know.”
    @ 56m 21s
    November 06, 2024
  • Employer of the Year
    The company won Employer of the Year at the Wellington Gold Awards, showcasing its commitment to a positive work environment.
    “We just won employer of the year at the Wellington Gold Awards last week.”
    @ 01h 07m 05s
    November 06, 2024
  • The Importance of Team Values
    The founders emphasize the significance of shared values in shaping workplace culture.
    “We’ve got a really strong why and we’ve got our what you know and then the how.”
    @ 01h 09m 42s
    November 06, 2024
  • The Power of Running
    Running has become a social activity that helps with mental clarity and health.
    “It's nice to choose to do something that's hard.”
    @ 01h 24m 13s
    November 06, 2024
  • Defining Success
    Success is about having a positive impact, both big and small.
    “I think having a positive impact can change people intergenerationally.”
    @ 01h 31m 06s
    November 06, 2024
  • Legacy and Influence
    Discussing the importance of legacy and its lasting impact on future generations.
    “Legacy is planting seeds in a garden you won’t get to see.”
    @ 01h 35m 12s
    November 06, 2024

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Investing Insights01:30
  • Goldfish Analogy19:26
  • Motherhood Journey34:12
  • Sharing Experiences52:36
  • Creating Connections56:27
  • Community of Runners1:19:28
  • Choosing Hardship1:24:13
  • Defining Success1:31:06

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