Last night, we enjoyed a Japanese onsen (hot springs) at Hotel Indigo in Hakone. This area has been a popular onsen destination since the Nara Period (710–794), drawing travellers, monks, samurai - and now us 🙈 - for its therapeutic waters.

Fun fact: Japan has over 27,000 natural hot springs, making it one of the most geothermal-rich countries in the world!

We found this tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant (Yokohama abura soba in Tokyo) - seats a max of 8 people - with authentic Japanese food. It was absolutely delicious.

The magnificent Mount Fuji (3,776m) - Japan's tallest mountain. Though it last erupted in 1708, it is still classified as an active volcano.

We were lucky to enjoy clear skies two days in a row!

I launched the "Timeline" while on holiday in Japan.
Here's why: A Return to Old-School Blogging

I went for a scenic run around the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo - a 5-kilometre loop encircling the grounds. The path follows the palace's moat, offering views of historic stone walls and traditional bridges. So good!

Everything feels small in Tokyo - apartment blocks, windows, balconies, even doors. It's so tiny that in some places, I don't quite fit!

Culture is shaped by the people within it. Sometimes, one person is all it takes to spark positive change.

An employee who offers genuine encouragement, lends a hand to solve a problem or suggests small but meaningful improvements can transform a team's energy - one action at a time.

This is the quiet yet powerful force of influence.

Amplify their voices.
Support them.
Elevate them.

Let their impact ripple further.

Silos.

Break them whenever you see them.

Silos keep teams from seeing the whole market picture.

Silos risk losing sight of the customer, prioritising internal goals and creating a fragmented experience.

Silos slow everything down - teams hold onto information, delaying solutions.

Silos leave teams blind to risks outside their scope.

Expertise vs open-mindedness.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone's perspective is genuinely the best approach or if they're just anchored in familiar thinking. What if they don't even know what “awesome” could look like?

On the other hand, knowing when to hold your ground versus when to let things go can be even trickier. What if I don't know what “awesome” feels like and am just comfortable with my usual approach?

Define who's making the call before a debate starts.

That person takes in everyone's input but in the end they own the final decision.

It cuts down on endless debates and helps the team align around a single direction - even if not everyone agrees at first.

Marathon done! ✅

What an incredible experience. Running across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and soaking in the amazing views was unforgettable. The support along the course was fantastic, with spectators holding up funny signs like "Don't be shit" that kept me laughing.

I finished in 5h 10m - not the fastest, but my goal was to finish, so I didn't push too hard.

My plan was to stay in Zone 2 for the first 15km, then stick to Zone 3 as long as possible and I managed to do just that. I hit a couple of cramps in the second half but powered through with cramp shots (disgusting, but they work).

Everything went smoothly, from pacing to nutrition, so I'm really happy with it.

Next year, now that I know what to expect, I'll be ready to push harder! 💪

A short post about unstoppable teams.

All teams will face this moment sooner or later.

Torpedoes hit and chaos erupts. This feels like the end.

You see those who freeze and are lost in analysis or despair. Others grab buckets, extinguish fires and patch the holes. Those who can't handle the shitstorm often leave or, worse, switch off - but the team that stays learns.

Each crisis builds resilience and over time, the screams fade, the paralysis lessens and the team grows steady.

One day, the torpedo hits again but nobody panics. Everyone acts, shoulders the load and trusts each other to hold the line.

That's the moment you know your team is unstoppable.

Protecting Discovery: A Playbook for Product Managers

Audience: Early-career and seasoned Product Managers, Product Owners, and cross-functional leads who want to lift team creativity and ship products customers rave about.

Why Rushing to Solutions Backfires

• Solution-first thinking kills curiosity. The instant you pitch a fix, the room defaults to critique rather than exploration.
• Creativity needs slack. When discovery is compressed, edge cases, fresh perspectives, and customer nuance vanish.
• Ownership drives quality. Teams fight for ideas they helped shape; they resist ideas handed down.

Common Scenarios Where Discovery Gets Short-Circuited

The Discovery-First Framework

1. Frame the Problem, Not the Fix

• Clarify the friction: user pain, market gap, or workflow snag.
• Share constraints: budget, timeline, regulatory, tech stack.
• State the desired outcome: measurable impact or customer behaviour change.

2. Hold the Space

• Use open prompts:
• “Where does this break for users?”
• “What edge cases worry you?”
• Embrace silence - ideas bloom in the gap.
• Capture themes, not verdicts.

3. Invite Diverse Voices

• Engineers for feasibility checks.
• Designers for journey mapping.
• Sales/Support for frontline insights.
• Reference models like Atlassian's Team Playbook “Discovery Play” for facilitation.

4. Convert Insights into Experiments

• Draft thin-slice prototypes or assumption tests.
• Prioritise by risk vs. learning value.
• Track outcomes in a shared dashboard (e.g. Productboard, Jira).

5. Guard the Vision, Not the Path

• Keep goals visible: OKRs, North-Star metric.
• Let the team iterate on execution details.
• Step in only to re-align on purpose, not on pixel placement.

Quick Reference: Discovery-Boosting Questions

• “What's the riskiest assumption here?”
• “If we had unlimited time, what would we explore first?”
• “How might a power user break this?”
• “Which customer quote captures the pain best?”