Interests

Roots – a bit about me
Growing up in the great ‘bush capital’ was a great way to get into the outdoors from a young age. I was born and raised in Canberra, Australia and my Australian family tree traces back to 1860, to South Australia.

Challenges
I love challenges. My most rewarding challenges have been:

• Completing a full Ironman Triathlon
  I am not an athletic person by any stretch, but through a bit of hard work, planning and motivation – was able to complete a full Ironman. It was a ‘purifying’ experience that I would recommend to anyone. Click here for my blog on tips from an Ironman novice, and here for my lessons learned the hard way.
• Coding and publishing two apps, and achieving 100k downloads. Entire budget? $25.
  Over weekends across several months, I built and published two simple mobile applications (see YodaLabs). I was while I was assessing the feasibility of pursuing a  startup. Through the process, I learned the power of crowdsourcing, opensource tools and the value of time.
• Publishing a book – Open Data 101
  While traveling in 2016 I consolidated notes from hundreds of articles I had read. Seven months later I had drafted Open Data 101. I now I have a deeper appreciation for the process of book publishing! Contact me at julian at opendataconnect.com.
• Trekking, climbing and other backpacking challenges
  I have tackled several 5000m+ Volcanoes, completed various multi-day hikes (including Patagonia, Santa Cruz, and Quilatoa) across North, Central and South America and North India. I have also managed to see all contiguous states of the USA. I love this type of travel and plan to do much more in the future.
• Teaching Yoga in the amazon, the andes and the caribbean
  While traveling in 2016 I had the privilege to teach Yoga to other travelers from over 30 different countries in exotic locations ranging from the top of a floating cargo boat in the Amazon, to the peaks of the Andes, and the warm beaches of the Caribbean.