Show Notes
“Everything is designed. And if it’s broken, we can redesign it.”
From being told he wouldn’t succeed academically to spending the last decade redesigning how the world drinks water, Jayden’s story is one of curiosity, conviction, and quiet defiance. After launching one of the world’s first compostable coffee capsules while still at university, Jayden went on to tackle a far bigger problem: the global plastic bottle crisis.
In this conversation, Jayden shares how a single insight about design changed how he sees the world, why values matter more than capital, and what he learned the hard way about choosing investors, partners, and long-term thinking. He reflects on building plant-based, microplastic-free reusable bottles, creating circular systems that go far beyond products, and why joy, curiosity, and integrity matter just as much as impact.
About Jayden
Jayden has spent the last 10 years focused on solving the plastic problem. He is the founder of anew, whose current solution disrupts the bottled water industry by offering FREE WATER when you buy an anew plant-based, reusable bottle. The bottles are microplastic-free, dishwasher safe, and designed as a true alternative to single-use plastic. Jayden’s work challenges the idea that harmful systems are inevitable and proves that better design can lead to better outcomes for people and the planet.
Jayden shares insights on:
• Building circular systems that create unexpected positive outcomes • Why everything is designed and how broken systems can be fixed • Solving the plastic bottle problem through design, not guilt • Managing pressure, burnout, and long-term resilience • Lessons from walking away from a founder journey • Choosing joy while doing hard, meaningful work • The real cost of misaligned values in business • Scaling purpose-led businesses globally • Why money is cheap but integrity isn’t
Timestamps:
(0:00) Everything is designed (1:20) Values, money, and long-term thinking (4:10) Being told to leave school and finding his own path (7:25) Discovering the coffee capsule problem (10:40) Redesigning waste through nature (14:20) Why plastic bottles are fundamentally broken (18:05) Composting, circular systems, and unintended impact (22:30) Scaling solutions beyond New Zealand (26:50) Walking away, protecting equity, and hard lessons (30:40) Values, sacrifice, and choosing alignment (34:10) Mental health, resilience, and founder pressure (37:10) Joy, purpose, and final reflections
Learn more about Jayden and his work
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydenklinac/ • Website: https://www.chooseanew.com
Learn more about Azoora and her work
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azooraali/ • Website: https://www.accountingandtax.co.nz/
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