The Adventure Mindset

August 4, 2025

Why you want a speaker who's been offshore, off-grid, and on an operating table

This year, I’ve done three things that might seem completely unrelated:Sailed across open ocean from New Zealand to Fiji.Shared a fine-dining experience with my family at Blue Duck Station, deep in New Zealand’s back country.Had my appendix out unexpectedly, and learned ...

Lessons from The Basin

March 5, 2025

Sometimes in life opportunities come along that simply need to be taken with both hands.

In February I was fortunate, as part of the Ocean Beach Country Cricket Club, to have the opportunity to play cricket at New Zealand’s “home of cricket”, The Basin Reserve, in Wellington.There’s a back story to that – perhaps for another time. Suffice it to say it ...

What gifts have you given, or been given?

November 20, 2024

What gifts have you given, or been given?

2024 has no doubt provided us all challenges and rewards – so far. Sometimes they come at us out of the blue. Other times we see them coming or, in the case of rewards, we work towards them. Recently I attended the opening of a new multi sports facility at a former sc...

Lucky 13!

July 12, 2024

Lucky 13!

Are you superstitious? I’m not. The investigation I’ve done into “why is 13 considered unlucky” essentially reveals that it’s not. Unless you think it is. Enough postulation.Why is "Lucky 13" the topic of this? “Toddy Talks” is 13. Woop woop.Here are 13 th...

What's in your CVA?

March 13, 2024

Recently I dropped my vehicle off for its warrant of fitness. A routine procedure. “Give me an hour and it’ll be done” the service manager said.Half an hour later my phone rang. “It’s failed” he said. “There’s a chip in your CVA”.“Where?” I said.“In y...

Context and Perspective

November 19, 2023

Have you noticed that if an opposing view is shared on an online platform it is more than likely to get a barrage of commentary along the lines of “how could you?” Or “get back in your box”.An opposing view doesn’t necessarily make it wrong. It is simply different ...

The book or the movie?

June 8, 2023

The Book or the movie?

Given the choice would you rather read the book or watch the movie? We all have our preference for the way we take in information. Some of us like the detail that a book provides while others prefer the more animated, perhaps highlights reel, version provided by the mov...

"Be there" and.................lose your phone

November 18, 2022

If the events of the past 2-3 years have done nothing else, they have reinforced how much we as humans crave interpersonal contact. When we were all locked down what did we crave? Being able to get out and see people. When there were limits on the size of gatherings that cou...

What gives you a sense of pride?

July 20, 2022

Doesn't it feel good when you do something you've been meaning to! It doesn't have to be a big thing either. It might be something as simple as tidying up your desk, making a call to someone you've had on your mind for a while or starting an exercise habit. It's ...

Three things...

February 2, 2022

Three things to focus on

1) “All of a sudden” it is February. 2) 10% of the year has passed. 3) What does the rest of the year hold? With so much uncertainty around us as the world copes with the pandemic perhaps it is important to find a few simple things to focus on. Things you can control. �...