It was 11.08pm. Something was off.

I got to the bathroom just in time. I prayed that would be it.

It was day 3 of our Bali trip we had planned for months. 

We had been at the Waterbom Park in Kuta and had chicken tacos for lunch.

A quick vomit and an upset tummy I can deal with. 

Even Bali Belly—I would have loved to have just had that. 

But we got so rocked by these tacos that I spent the next week bed ridden, in and out of sanity.

To make things even worse, my mum had been travelling with us to help the family, and she went down too.

Hooked up to IV drips. On our deathbeds in Kuta. We barely recovered by the end of the trip.

Towards the end of it, lying in that bed, I asked myself.

How can I make this one of the best things that ever happened to me?

A habit I had been trying to kick for a while was alcohol. It wasn’t serving me anymore and I had bigger dreams to chase.

Over those two weeks, there were no beers or margaritas. I focused entirely on how I could get back on my feet and be the healthiest I've ever been.

It was the spark I needed. 

Over the next few months, we went to Canada. I completely rewired my relationship with alcohol. I haven't touched it since (coming up to eight months).

Zone Defense

Our third girl arrived in late 2025.

It’s the same effort as the first two, but it feels completely different.

When you have two kids, you're playing man-to-man defense. You match up and you guard your person.

When a third child arrives, you make the permanent switch to zone. 

With the first two, it felt like a scramble just to keep the score close. This time I'm enjoying every second of the same chaos, because I know it will be our last.

But the bigger lesson she brought was responsibility.

In my 20s, my goals were mostly about me. The title. The money. The debauchery.

Then you bring people into your circle that you're responsible for. Newborns, partners, parents, employees, nephews... I'm sure you have some in your life.

They raise your floor. They help you focus. They push you to get better.

The pressure is a privilege.

Realizing You're the Grown-Up

The end of the year was a celebration with our company offsite in BGC outside of Manila.

One of the team members pulled me aside and said how impactful that recent conversation was for his career.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

It's a funny thing when you’re starting out. You don't know much. 

You make mistakes and get bits of feedback. But they land heavy on you as they're coming from adults who are far more experienced. Looking back, those small bits really shaped my career and development.

Then slowly, you start knowing things. Eventually, you're managing people.

And you realize you're now the grown-up!

People see you as that, even if you don't see it yourself. You think you're just giving them direction.

I realised that now it was the weight of my words that were having the impact.  It was now me who had the opportunity to change people's careers with those small interactions.

Man, it happens fast.

2025 was our first year back in Australia. It was a year I realised the real weight of the roles we play as we get older—whether as a business owner, a father, or a mentor.

None of it went to plan. The hospital bed, the zone defense, the conversation I didn't even remember having.

Those are the best lessons.

Uninvited, unannounced, and hit you in ways you never expected.