Summary
AI Grace
Anchen le Roux joins host, Bud Kraus, from Tauranga, New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and three children. Originally from Pretoria, South Africa, Anchen reflects on growing up during a historic period of political change, including the election of Nelson Mandela, whose presidential inauguration she attended as a singer. She describes her family’s journey from South Africa to Portugal in 2022 and eventually back to New Zealand, where they had previously lived from 2007 to 2010. Concerns about safety, limited opportunities for her children, and the desire for a different lifestyle influenced their decision to leave South Africa. Although she enjoyed living in Portugal, Anchen is happy to be back in New Zealand, appreciating its natural beauty, mild climate, and opportunities for her family.
Anchen’s professional journey combines technical expertise, creativity, and entrepreneurship. She studied business informatics and information technology in South Africa, developing a foundation in programming and software development. Early in her career, she imagined spending her entire professional life writing code, but eventually discovered that her interests leaned more toward design and creative problem-solving. Today, she operates Simply Digital Design, which focuses on WordPress and service-based websites, and Simply Digital Shops, specializing in Shopify and e-commerce. She explains that she enjoys both platforms and sees value in choosing the right technology for each project. Her career reflects a willingness to evolve, embrace new opportunities, and continually learn, sometimes making her work feel more like a hobby than a job.
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The conversation also explores Anchen’s childhood, education, and family life. She recalls attending an all-girls school in Pretoria, where her close friendship with a girl named Nadia helped her overcome her natural shyness. Her upbringing was somewhat unusual because her father managed a men’s university residence, giving her opportunities to interact with university students while still in school. She also shares memories of her grandparents, including a 96-year-old grandfather who preserved childhood audio recordings of her speaking German, a language she learned from another grandfather but no longer speaks. Anchen and her husband are raising three children, ages 22, 16, and 14. Their oldest daughter is studying zoology in New Zealand and considering a future in veterinary science, while her husband works as an electrician after previously operating his own electrical contracting business in South Africa.
A significant part of the discussion focuses on Anchen’s contributions to the WordPress community, particularly her work organizing WordCamps and the Page Builder Summit alongside Nathan Wrigley. She recalls organizing WordCamp Johannesburg, participating in WordCamp Europe, and helping select speakers for international events. She explains that the Page Builder Summit, scheduled for November 2–6, has evolved beyond its original focus on WordPress page-building tools to embrace a broader community of website creators working with different technologies, including Shopify. The event offers free registration, with sessions available for 48 hours and an optional paid upgrade for extended access. Bud and Anchen also reminisce about meeting at WordCamp Europe in Athens in 2023, where she helped him prepare for his presentation. Their exchange highlights the friendships, professional opportunities, and shared experiences that make the WordPress community meaningful to both of them.
When Bud asks Anchen to identify her superpower, she chooses bringing people together. Although she acknowledges her organizational abilities, she believes her real strength lies in recognizing people who have something valuable to contribute and creating opportunities for them to connect. Her approach to selecting conference speakers is largely intuitive, guided by a willingness to welcome people and give them a chance to share their knowledge. That philosophy has shaped her work with WordCamps and the Page Builder Summit, where she finds satisfaction in building relationships rather than simply organizing events. Before saying goodbye, she recommends Britta Just, a German friend living in Portugal who is involved with the Page Builder Summit, as a future podcast guest. The conversation ends with Bud attempting to pronounce the Afrikaans farewell “tot siens,” providing a humorous conclusion to an interview that reveals Anchen as a creative entrepreneur, devoted mother, and community builder whose greatest sa
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