About me

I hope this page gives you some insights into what it’s like to work with me. I intend to build the information up over time, so let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions for what to include.

Me at a glance:

• Grew up in Canterbury, New Zealand.
• Now live in Sydney, Australia with my husband and our dog. 🏳️‍🌈
• Joined GitLab as a manager on the technical writing team in October 2024.
• Relax in the evening by reading. I’m slowly making my way through some long fantasy series.
• Watch more TV than I should. 😅
• Enjoy traveling and try to take one big trip each year, along with several visits back to New Zealand to see family and friends.
• Love baking and experimenting with recipes. Citrus > Chocolate.
• Rotate through various interests like piano, tennis, manga, and more.
• Worked as an engineer before moving into technical writing.

Sebastian (a.k.a. Seb, Sebby):

Seb is a sleepy little guy. You’ll often find him snoozing in the chair behind me while I work.

✍️ Working style

I dislike too much context switching, so I try to group similar activities where possible (meetings, focus time, etc.). I prefer deep work in the mornings, so I aim to schedule meetings in the afternoon.

If you need something done, explain the context for the work so I know what we’re trying to achieve rather than just the task you need me to do. I’ll most likely be taking notes and asking a whole bunch of questions to ensure I understand.

For new projects, I prefer to have the context explained, a chance to investigate myself, and a brief discussion to check my understanding. That can happen sync or async. I might need to sleep on an idea to give myself time to think it through. I use planning and structure to understand fuzzy areas and move projects forward.

🕰️ Availability

I typically start my days at 8am and aim to finish by 4-4:30pm. I’m happy to take late meetings to crossover with European time zones but try to group them into one evening a week.

If you see a good time on my calendar during my working hours, please schedule a meeting (no need to ask first).

I enjoy social calls in small groups and 1:1 conversations, so feel free to book time for a coffee chat. I’m also keen to meet people in person, so let me know if you’re ever passing through Sydney.

🎙️ Communication

I check Slack and emails throughout the day but might not reply instantly. I prefer Slack or GitLab To-Do’s over email. I do not have Slack or work email on my phone, so I will not respond to pings unless on my work laptop.

I view feedback as a gift and value direct and constructive feedback close to the event that triggers it.