Talk Time: Episode 005 – Roxy Stoltz

7,777 words, 41 minutes read time.

Editor’s Note

In our 5th Talk Time episode, Roxy brings empathy.

🇵🇰 Roman Urdu Version

Roxy Stoltz ka Talk Time interview, Roman Urdu mein bhi parhein.

👋 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Let’s start by getting to know you. This section covers your background, current work, interests, and the experiences that have shaped your journey.

Please introduce yourself.

Hi! I’m Roxy from Cape Town, South Africa. I’m a wife, mom to four wonderfully chaotic kids, and a Support Wizard at Gravity Wiz.

What’s your hometown, and where do you currently live?

I live in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. We have mountains, beaches, incredible food, and weather that can somehow give you all four seasons in a single day.

What do you do professionally?

I’m a Support Wizard at Gravity Wiz, where I help customers build everything from straightforward forms to incredibly advanced workflows with Gravity Forms and Gravity Perks. One of the things I love most about my job is that no two days are ever the same. One day I might be helping someone build a complex booking system, the next I could be reproducing a bug, testing a developer’s fix, writing documentation, or investigating an issue that only happens under a very specific set of circumstances. Support is basically detective work… and I absolutely love a good mystery. What makes it even better is the team I get to work with. Everyone genuinely cares about building great products and looking after our customers, and that’s something I value enormously.

What is your educational background?

My career definitely didn’t begin in tech. Before WordPress, I spent almost 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and another two years as a kindergarten principal. Looking back, I don’t think I realized at the time how valuable those years would become. Teaching young children teaches you patience, empathy, and how to explain complicated ideas in simple ways, skills that have become some of my greatest strengths in customer support. I’ve always believed that helping someone understand something is far more rewarding than simply giving them the answer. Looking back now, I suppose I’ve always loved helping people. WordPress just gave me a new classroom.

What are you working on these days?

These days I’m focused on helping Gravity Wiz customers build better solutions with Gravity Forms. Whether it’s troubleshooting a tricky issue, investigating a bug, testing new functionality, improving documentation, or simply helping someone discover a better way to build their workflow, every day brings something different. One of my favorite things about working at Gravity Wiz is seeing just how creative our customers are. People are constantly building things that make me stop and think, “I never would have imagined using Gravity Forms like that.” It’s inspiring to be part of a team that’s so passionate about empowering people to build amazing things

What achievement are you most proud of?

Honestly, it’s the journey itself. I didn’t study computer science. I simply stayed curious. One question led to building websites. Building websites led to running businesses. Running businesses led to contributing to open source. Open source led to Automattic. Automattic led to Gravity Wiz.💜 When I stop and look back, I’m incredibly proud of how far curiosity has taken me. If you’d told the kindergarten teacher version of me that one day I’d be contributing to WooCommerce, helping customers around the world, and collaborating with some incredibly talented people in WordPress, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside WordPress?

Family comes first. With four kids, life is never boring, and I love spending time together whenever we can. We particularly love winding down with a family Uno night- who knew a deck of cards could cause such chaos between siblings? I’m too afraid to introduce them to Monopoly. 😂 When I’m not with them, you’ll usually find me and hubby watching a Harlan Coben limited series together (they are brilliant).

What motivates you in life?

Helping people. Whether I was teaching children, supporting WooCommerce merchants, or helping Gravity Wiz customers today, the part I’ve always loved most is helping someone go from “I’m completely stuck” to “I get it now!” There’s something incredibly rewarding about knowing you’ve made someone’s day just a little easier.

What is something the WordPress community doesn’t know about you?

Most people know me from support tickets and GitHub, but before WordPress, I spent almost 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and another two years as a kindergarten principal. Looking back, it probably prepared me better for technical support than I ever imagined. Patience, communication, staying calm when everything seems to be on fire… those skills transfer surprisingly well! Another fun fact: I have a completely irrational fear of bones in meat or fish. It’s not the meat itself – it’s the thought of unexpectedly finding a bone. So while I’ll happily eat sushi or prawns, you’ll never catch me ordering fish on the bone.

How would your friends describe you?

I think they’d say I’m curious, dependable, and probably just a little bit stubborn when there’s a problem to solve. I’m the person who says, “Just give me five minutes…” …and then reappears an hour later having either solved the problem or discovered three other fascinating things along the way. Thankfully, my family has learned that if I disappear down a rabbit hole, I’ll eventually emerge with either an answer or a very enthusiastic story to tell.

🔍 DISCOVERING WORDPRESS

Every contributor has a beginning. Share how you first discovered WordPress, what attracted you to it, and how your journey started.

How did you first discover WordPress?

It all started with curiosity. My husband was already working in tech, so I’d constantly ask him questions about what he was working on. Instead of just answering, he’d explain why things worked the way they did. Eventually I decided to stop asking and start building. I created my own WooCommerce store in 2016, and that hands-on experience taught me more than any course ever could. Every mistake became a lesson, every bug became a puzzle, and every success made me want to learn more.

What was your first WordPress project?

My very first serious WordPress project was building my own WooCommerce clothing store. Like most first projects, it wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. It taught me everything from themes and plugins to payments, shipping, customer experience, and what happens when you accidentally break your own website five minutes before customers start shopping! That store eventually grew into a successful business that I sold, and it gave me the confidence to build another one. Looking back, those stores taught me lessons I still use every day when helping customers.

What attracted you to WordPress?

Freedom. The fact that you could take an idea, build it, customise it, and make it your own without needing a huge development team fascinated me. The more I learned, the more I realized that WordPress wasn’t just software, it was an incredibly generous community of people building things together and sharing what they learned. That’s something that still inspires me today.

Who helped you when you were getting started?

Without question, my husband. He never sat me down for formal lessons or tried to teach me everything at once. Instead, he’d answer my endless stream of questions, explain concepts in a way that made sense, and encourage me to figure things out for myself. Looking back, he didn’t just introduce me to WordPress, he taught me how to learn. The wider WordPress community also deserves a huge thank you. Documentation, blog posts, forums, and countless generous people all played a part in helping me grow.

What was the biggest challenge in your early days?

Learning to be comfortable not knowing the answer. When you’re new, it’s easy to feel like everyone else knows more than you do. Eventually I realized that even the most experienced developers are constantly learning, and that changed everything. Once I stopped worrying about knowing all the answers and focused on asking better questions, I grew much faster.

When did you realize WordPress would become part of your career?

Probably somewhere between building my second WooCommerce store and spending my evenings answering questions in the WordPress.org forums. That’s when it stopped feeling like a hobby and started feeling like something I genuinely wanted to do every day. Joining Automattic confirmed it, and joining Gravity Wiz reinforced it. I found a career where I get to solve problems, keep learning, and help people every single day.

What was your first contribution to WordPress?

My first contributions weren’t code, they were people. I started answering questions in the WordPress and WooCommerce support forums because I genuinely enjoyed helping others. Over time, that grew into supporting WordPress.com and WooCommerce at Automattic, contributing code to WooCommerce repositories, and today helping customers every day at Gravity Wiz. I think contribution comes in many forms, and every one of them matters.

What skills did WordPress help you develop?

More than anything, communication and problem-solving. WordPress taught me how to think analytically, troubleshoot methodically, and explain technical concepts in ways that make sense to different people. Ironically, many of those skills were rooted in my years as a teacher, they just found a new home in technology.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t wait until you feel ready. You probably never will. Build something. Break it. Fix it. Ask questions. Repeat. Also, don’t ever be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” It’s how we learn. I’ve always loved the modern proverb: “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” While the original source is unknown – the sentiment has always resonated with me.

What keeps you interested in WordPress today?

The people, the technology changes, and the plugins evolve. But the community has always remained the heart of WordPress. There is still something incredibly satisfying about helping someone build something they didn’t think was possible. That’s one of the reasons I love working at Gravity Wiz – we get to see those moments every single day. After all these years, I’m still asking, “How does that work?”… and I’m still just as excited to find the answer.

< /> CONTRIBUTION JOURNEY

Contributions are at the heart of the WordPress project. Tell us about your contribution, experiences, motivations, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned along the way.

What does open source mean to you?

To me, open source is people helping people. Yes, it’s about writing code, fixing bugs, and building software, but it’s also about sharing knowledge, answering questions, improving documentation, testing new features, and making it easier for the next person. I’ve always believed that knowledge grows when it’s shared, and I think the WordPress community embodies that beautifully. One of the things I love most is that someone can ask a question today, learn from the answer, and a few years later be the person answering someone else’s question. That’s pretty special.

How did you get involved in contributing?

It happened quite naturally. After building and running my own WooCommerce stores, I started spending more time in the WordPress and WooCommerce support forums. I remembered how much I had relied on the community while I was learning, so answering questions felt like the natural way to give something back.

What was your first contribution experience like?

A little intimidating… and incredibly rewarding. When you’re new, you sometimes wonder whether you’re knowledgeable enough to help someone else. And I don’t know if it’s just me, but in the beginning, I’d re-read my drafted reply over and over again, before actually hitting send.😂 Then one day you answer a question, the person replies, “That worked, thank you!”, and you realize you actually made a difference. That feeling never really goes away. It was a reminder that you don’t have to know everything to contribute, you just have to be willing to help.

Which contribution are you most proud of?

There are two that immediately come to mind. The first is contributing to the WordPress and WooCommerce support forums. Helping someone solve a problem and seeing them succeed is still one of the most rewarding parts of my career. The second was having one of my pull requests accepted into WooCommerce Core. Seeing code you contributed become part of a project used by millions of people is a surreal feeling.

Which teams or projects have you contributed to?

Most of my contributions have been within the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem. I’ve contributed through the WordPress.org and WooCommerce support forums, and WooCommerce repositories on GitHub.

What motivates you to contribute?

Gratitude. I learned WordPress because countless people shared their knowledge freely. Writing tutorials, answering forum questions, building plugins, creating documentation, and taking the time to help complete strangers. Contributing feels like my way of saying “thank you” to the community that helped shape my career.

What have you gained from contributing?

More than I ever expected. Of course I’ve learned technical skills, but I’ve also built friendships, gained confidence, and had opportunities I never imagined I’d have. If I hadn’t started contributing, I honestly don’t think I would be where I am today. Contribution opened doors that I didn’t even know existed.

What challenges have you faced as a contributor?

Probably the same challenge many people face – imposter syndrome. It’s easy to assume everyone else knows more than you do. Eventually I realized something important: even the people I looked up to were still learning every day. That was incredibly reassuring. Nobody knows everything in WordPress, and that’s one of the things I love most about it.

What contribution would you like to make in the future?

I’d love to contribute more to documentation, mentoring, and making WordPress feel less intimidating for newcomers. Because of my background in teaching, I genuinely enjoy helping people understand concepts rather than simply giving them answers. If I can help someone feel confident enough to make their own first contribution, that’s a contribution I’m incredibly proud of too.

How has contribution changed your career?

I honestly don’t think I’d be where I am today without it. Contributing introduced me to people across the WordPress community, strengthened my technical skills, and gave me opportunities I never expected. It also shaped the way I approach support. I’ve always tried to approach every customer interaction with the same mindset I had when answering forum questions: be helpful, be patient, and leave the person feeling more confident than when they arrived.

Why should others contribute?

Because contribution isn’t just code. Some folks write plugins, some fix bugs, some answer support questions, some improve documentation, some test new features, some get involved in WordCamp, and some simply encourage others. Every one of those contributions matters. If you’re waiting until you feel “qualified enough,” don’t. Start where you are, help where you can, and you’ll be surprised how much you grow along the way.

🗓️ COMMUNITY & EVENTS

The WordPress community is built by people. We’d love to hear about your experiences with meetups, WordCamps, community building, and the connections you’ve made.

What does the WordPress community mean to you?

The WordPress community is one of the biggest reasons I’m still here. It’s a community built on generosity. Folks freely share ideas, solve problems together, celebrate each other’s successes, and genuinely want to see others grow. I’ve made friends, found mentors, learned countless lessons, and built a career because of this community. For me, it’s much more than software. It’s people.

What was your first WordCamp experience?

Sadly – I haven’t attended any WordCamp (yet!). Working remotely from South Africa and raising four kids has made travel a little more challenging over the years. It’s definitely on my bucket list, though!

What makes a great community event?

The people. A great community event isn’t about the venue or the schedule – it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, whether they’re a seasoned developer or installing WordPress for the very first time. The best communities are the ones that make people feel like they belong.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from the community?

That asking questions is a strength, not a weakness. Every expert was once a beginner. The people who grow the fastest are usually the ones who aren’t afraid to ask for help, admit when they don’t know something, and stay curious enough to keep learning.

Who in the community inspires you?

I’m lucky enough to work alongside some incredibly talented people at Gravity Wiz every day, and they inspire me constantly. Watching the team tackle complex problems with so much creativity, humility, and genuine care for customers has made me a better support engineer. More broadly, I’m inspired by everyone who quietly contributes behind the scenes – whether they’re fixing bugs, reviewing pull requests, improving documentation, or answering questions in the forums. Those contributions may not always be visible, but they’re what keep open source thriving.

What would you like to improve in the community?

I’d love to see even more people realise that they don’t have to be developers to contribute. The WordPress community needs writers, designers, testers, translators, support specialists, event organisers, educators, and so many other skills. The more diverse our contributions, the stronger our community becomes.

What advice do you have for new community members?

Don’t be intimidated. Nobody expects you to know everything. Ask questions, join conversations, and help where you can. Remember that contribution isn’t measured by the size of what you do, it starts the moment you decide to help someone else.

What keeps you involved?

The people. Helping someone solve a problem never gets old. Neither does learning something new. WordPress continues to evolve, and so do the people building it. Being part of that journey, and knowing that I can play even a small role in helping someone else succeed, is what keeps me coming back.

📈 WORK & PRODUCTIVITY

How do you approach your work and manage your day? This section explores your work habits, productivity, tools, and professional insights.

What does a typical workday look like?

One of my favourite things about working at Gravity Wiz is that there really isn’t a “typical” day. One morning I might be helping a customer build a complex Gravity Forms workflow. Later that day I could be writing an article, improving documentation, writing a code snippet, or investigating an issue that only appears under a very specific set of circumstances. I love that variety because it keeps me learning. One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Gravity Wiz is how collaborative the team is. If a customer uncovers an interesting edge case, it often sparks conversations with developers, ideas for improving documentation, or even discussions about future product enhancements. Support is basically detective work…and I absolutely love a good mystery.

Where do you usually work from?

I work remotely from home in Cape Town. One of the things I appreciate most about remote work is the flexibility it gives me. With four kids, life is wonderfully unpredictable, so being able to build a career I love while still being present for my family is something I never take for granted. My office is also home to a healthy collection of coffee mugs, decorated notebooks, and far too many browser tabs.😂

Morning person or night owl?

Definitely a morning person. I love getting started early while everything is still quiet. My brain seems happiest with a fresh cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes up.

What helps you stay productive?

Breaking big problems into smaller ones. When you’re working in support, it’s easy to become overwhelmed if you look at everything at once. Instead, I focus on understanding one piece of the puzzle at a time. Once you isolate the problem, the solution usually starts revealing itself. I’ve also learned that writing things down is surprisingly powerful. A notebook, a whiteboard, or even explaining the problem out loud often helps me see something I’d missed.

How do you handle stress?

Coffee first. Then perspective. Support can be fast-paced, and sometimes you spend hours investigating an issue only to discover the culprit was a single checkbox tucked away in a settings page. I’ve learned that stepping away for ten minutes is often more productive than staring at the same screen for another hour. Some of my best debugging breakthroughs have happened while making coffee, taking a walk, or spending a little time with my family before coming back with fresh eyes.

How do you avoid burnout?

I’ve learned that curiosity is energizing, but rest is productive too. Earlier in my career, I felt like I always needed to be learning, building, or solving something. These days, I’m much better at recognizing when it’s time to close the laptop and be present with my family. Ironically, taking a proper break often makes me much better at solving problems when I come back.

What tools can you not live without?

Besides WordPress? Probably GitHub, LocalWP, Claude AI, ShareX, Sublime Text and Notion.

What does success mean to you today?

Earlier in my career, success probably meant building businesses or reaching the next milestone. Today, it’s much simpler. Success is helping someone who arrived frustrated leave feeling confident. It’s seeing a customer reply with, “That solved it!”. It’s knowing I played a small part in helping someone build something they’re proud of. Working somewhere like Gravity Wiz, where customer experience genuinely comes first, makes those moments happen every single day.

What is the best career advice you received?

Never stop asking questions. You don’t learn by pretending you know everything – you learn by being willing to say, “I don’t understand… yet.” That one little word – yet – changes everything. It’s the difference between giving up and deciding you’re still learning.

What work habit has helped you most?

Communication. Before WordPress, I spent almost ten years teaching kindergarten and another two as a kindergarten principal. Teaching young children taught me that if you can’t explain something simply, you probably don’t understand it well enough yourself. I still carry that lesson into every customer conversation today.

🤖 AI & THE FUTURE

Explore how AI is changing the way we work, learn, and contribute

How has AI changed the way you work?

AI has become like having another engineer sitting beside me. It doesn’t replace thinking – it accelerates it. I’ll use it to bounce ideas around, explore different approaches, explain concepts from another angle, or help me investigate a problem more efficiently. The real skill isn’t asking AI for answers, it’s knowing when the answer doesn’t quite look right.

What AI tool do you use most often today?

Claude AI, without question. It’s become part of my daily workflow. I use it to brainstorm ideas, refine support replies and articles, explore code, or help me better understand a customer issue when it isn’t immediately clear. Other times I’m simply asking it to challenge my thinking or suggest an approach I may not have considered. It’s less about replacing my work and more about helping me think more clearly.

What’s the most useful thing AI has helped you do?

Speed up investigation. Support often involves looking at a problem from several different angles. AI helps me consider possibilities I may not have thought of immediately, summarise complex information, or quickly compare different approaches before I begin testing them myself. It doesn’t replace the investigation – it helps me start it from a stronger position.

What excites you most about AI?

Its potential to make learning more accessible. Whether you’re a beginner trying to understand your first hook or an experienced developer exploring a new API, having an intelligent assistant available instantly is incredibly empowering. Used well, AI lowers the barrier to learning. I think that’s exciting.

What concerns you most about AI?

People becoming too comfortable accepting answers without understanding them. AI is incredibly helpful, but it’s also incredibly confident. Sometimes it’s confidently wrong. The real value comes from combining AI with experience, curiosity, testing, and critical thinking. I don’t think those skills are becoming less important. I think they’re becoming even more valuable.

How do you think AI will impact WordPress over the next five years?

I think it’ll remove a lot of repetitive work. Content creation, accessibility improvements, documentation, testing, customer support, and development workflows will all become faster. But I don’t think AI replaces community. WordPress has always been built by people helping people. I don’t see that changing.

Has AI changed the way you create content, code, or support customers?

Absolutely! It helps me organize my thoughts, polish documentation, brainstorm ideas, investigate technical problems, and occasionally spot things I might have overlooked. The important thing is that every response still gets reviewed. AI is part of my workflow, not the final decision-maker.

What skill do you think will become more important in the AI era?

Critical thinking. AI can generate answers in seconds, but it doesn’t understand your customer’s environment, goals, or the bigger picture. The people who’ll get the most out of AI won’t necessarily be the ones writing the smartest prompts, they’ll be the ones who can ask the right questions, test assumptions, verify the results, and know when something doesn’t add up. That’s where experience still matters.

If AI could completely automate one task for you, what would it be?

I genuinely enjoy troubleshooting, investigating bugs, and helping customers solve problems, so I wouldn’t want AI to take that away. But if it could handle the repetitive administrative tasks – summarizing long conversations, organizing information, or gathering the details needed to start an investigation, I certainly wouldn’t complain. Better yet, I’d love if it could automatically identify similar or existing open bug reports or pull requests related to a customer’s issue, saving me from manually searching through previous tickets or issue trackers to see whether it’s already a known problem. That would save countless hours and help me connect the dots much faster.

What advice would you give WordPress professionals adapting to AI?

Don’t see AI as competition. See it as a teammate. Use it to learn. explore, and challenge your thinking. But never stop being curious. Technology will keep changing. Curiosity is the skill that keeps you growing.

🚀 ENTREPRENEURSHIP & LEADERSHIP

Explore the ideas, risks, and lessons behind building products, businesses, teams, and communities.

Have you ever started a business, product, or side project?

Yes! Before working in WordPress professionally, I built and ran two WooCommerce clothing stores. Like many entrepreneurs, I wore every hat imaginable – building the websites, managing products, handling customer support, marketing, and everything in between. I eventually sold both businesses, but they taught me lessons I still use every day in my career. Running your own business gives you a completely different perspective on the challenges your customers face, and I think it’s made me a far more empathetic support engineer.

What inspired you to build it?

Curiosity and a willingness to see if I could. Once I’d discovered WordPress and WooCommerce, I wanted to build something real rather than just follow tutorials. Starting an online clothing store felt like the perfect way to learn because every challenge forced me to understand another part of the platform. It wasn’t just about selling clothes, it was about learning by doing.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from entrepreneurship?

Customers don’t care how clever your website is. They care that it works. Running my own stores taught me just how frustrating it can be when something breaks, an order doesn’t go through, or you’re trying to solve a technical problem while also running a business. That experience has stayed with me throughout my support career. Whenever I’m helping a customer today, I try to remember what it felt like to be on the other side of the screen.

What was your biggest business mistake, and what did it teach you?

Trying to figure everything out by myself. Early on, I thought asking for help meant I wasn’t capable enough. Eventually, I realised the opposite was true. The fastest way to grow is to ask questions, learn from people who’ve been there before, and never let pride get in the way of progress. It’s a lesson that’s helped shaped my entire career.

What advice would you give someone launching their first WordPress product or business?

Start before you feel ready. You’ll learn far more by building something imperfect than by waiting for the perfect moment. Listen to your customers, stay curious, and remember that solving real problems will always be more valuable than chasing the latest trend.

Do you prefer building products, managing teams, or creating communities?

If I had to choose, I’d say creating communities through helping people. Whether it was teaching, answering questions in the forums, or helping Gravity Wiz customers today, I’ve always found the most fulfilment in sharing knowledge and seeing someone gain confidence. There’s something incredibly rewarding about helping people succeed.

What is a failure or setback that taught you an important lesson?

For a long time, I underestimated myself. Because I didn’t come from a traditional technical background, I often questioned whether I belonged in the WordPress space at all. Looking back, I spent far too much time worrying about what I didn’t know instead of appreciating everything I was learning. Eventually I realized that nobody starts as an expert. Curiosity, a willingness to ask questions, and consistently showing up matter far more than having the “perfect” background. That’s a lesson I’ve carried with me throughout my career.

If you were starting from scratch, what would you do differently?

Honestly… not much. Every detour, mistake, and challenge has led me to where I am today. If anything, I’d trust myself a little sooner and worry less about whether I was “qualified enough.” Curiosity has always been my greatest strength, I just didn’t realize it at the time.

What opportunity in the WordPress ecosystem excites you most right now?

I think we’re entering an exciting era where AI and WordPress will complement each other rather than compete. Used thoughtfully, AI can remove repetitive work and make it easier for people to build, learn, and solve problems. That means we get to spend more time on the parts that require creativity, empathy, and human connection, and I don’t think those qualities are going anywhere.

What’s one thing every entrepreneur should learn early?

You don’t have to know everything. Some of the most successful people I’ve met are simply really good at asking questions, listening, and learning. Confidence isn’t having all the answers. It’s being willing to find them.

Who are you mentoring or helping today?

Most of my mentoring happens naturally through support. Every support ticket is an opportunity to help someone understand not just what to do, but why it works. If a customer leaves with more confidence than they had when they arrived, I consider that a win.

🍽️ FOOD & DRINKS

Now for the fun part! Share your favorite foods, drinks, food memories, and the meals that bring you comfort, joy, or inspiration.

What is your favorite food?

Sushi. Without question. If sushi is on the menu, there’s a very good chance that’s what I’m ordering. Although a warm Thai Green Curry on a cold winters day is a very close second.

What is your favorite drink?

A good chai latte. It’s one of those drinks that somehow makes even the busiest day feel a little calmer.

Tea or coffee?

I’d have to go with coffee. ☕ There’s something comforting about starting the day with a cup of coffee before diving into support tickets. It’s become part of the ritual.

What food reminds you of childhood?

Oh, Mac and cheese for sure! It’s one of those meals that instantly takes me back to being a kid. Simple, comforting, and guaranteed to make a bad day feel a little better.

What is your comfort food?

Probably… mac and cheese. Apparently some childhood favorites never really leave us. Although cheesecake deserves an honorable mention.

What is your favorite breakfast?

Hmm.. I’m not big on breakfast but if I had to choose, I’d go with Avocado on sour dough.

What is the best meal you’ve ever had?

It’s not a single meal – it’s a Christmas meal where I’m surrounded by friends and family. For me, the best meals aren’t necessarily the fanciest, they’re the ones shared with people I love.

What do you usually eat while working?

If I’m completely honest…I get so focused on what I’m doing that I sometimes forget to eat until someone reminds me. When I do snack while working, it’s usually something quick and easy that doesn’t require taking my eyes off of what I’m doing – like an Apple. 🍎

What is your favorite snack?

Sunflower seeds are such a power snack for me!

What local dish should visitors try?

A traditional South African braai (lamb chops, beef steaks, and chicken pieces). It’s more than just a meal – it’s an experience. Good food, great company, and usually plenty of stories being shared around the fire. If you ever visit South Africa, it should definitely be on your list.

🔥 COOKING & KITCHEN

Whether you’re an experienced cook or just enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, we’d love to learn about your cooking experiences, favorite dishes, and kitchen stories.

Do you cook?

Let’s just say… our family is very fortunate that my husband loves cooking. He’s definitely the chef in our house, and everyone benefits from that arrangement!

What was the first thing you learned to cook?

Mac and cheese. Which, coincidentally, is also where my culinary confidence peaked. 😂

What dish can you cook perfectly?

I’d like to say something impressive…but honestly, I’m probably better at troubleshooting WordPress than cooking dinner. So let’s stick with mac and cheese.

Who taught you to cook?

A combination of family, trial and error, and YouTube. Mostly trial and error.

What is your signature dish?

If my family answered this question, they’d probably say: “Ordering takeaway.” Thankfully, my husband more than makes up for it.

What food would you like to learn to cook?

Pretty much anything beyond mac and cheese! I’d especially love to learn how to make really good homemade sushi, although I suspect I’d end up eating half the ingredients before they ever made it onto the plate.

What ingredient do you always keep at home?

Cheese. With four kids in the house, I genuinely don’t know how we can run out of almost everything else… but somehow there’s always cheese.

If a team of WPKitchen visited your home, what would you serve?

Probably a proper South African braai (lamb chops, beef steaks, and chicken pieces). Plenty of good conversation, and enough food to make sure nobody left hungry.

What is the most challenging dish you have ever cooked?

Honestly? Anything that isn’t mac and cheese. Cooking has taught me one thing: I’m much more comfortable debugging PHP than following a complicated recipe.😂

What meal would best represent your personality and why?

I’d probably say a braai, because it’s all about bringing people together. Everyone contributes something, conversations flow naturally, and by the end of the day you’ve shared far more than just a meal. That feels a lot like the WordPress community to me.

🏡 FAMILY, HOME & TRADITIONS

Discover the people, traditions, and memories that helped shape your journey.

Who has had the biggest influence on your life outside of WordPress?

Without a doubt, my husband. He worked as a Support Engineer for years, and whenever I got curious about something he was working on, he’d patiently explain it to me instead of just giving me the answer. Those conversations sparked an interest in WordPress that completely changed the direction of my life.

What is a family tradition you cherish?

Family movie nights. With four kids, life can get wonderfully busy, so I really value those evenings when we all pile onto the couch with snacks, blankets, and a movie everyone (eventually) agrees on. Those are the moments I know I’ll remember years from now.

How do you balance family life with your work and community involvement?

Some days better than others! Working remotely has been an incredible blessing because it allows me to build a career I genuinely love while still being present for my family. I’ve also learned that balance doesn’t mean every day is perfectly equal. Some days work needs more of me, and other days my family does.

What’s a lesson from a parent, partner, grandparent, or family member that still guides you today?

My husband taught me something without ever actually saying the words: Curiosity is worth encouraging. Whenever I asked him how something worked, he never made me feel like I was asking a silly question. Instead, he’d explain it, encourage me to dig deeper, and often leave me with something new to explore. That shaped not only how I learned, but also how I try to help others today. No one should ever feel embarrassed for wanting to learn.

Who is the best cook in your family?

My husband. This isn’t even a competition. The rest of us are just lucky enough to benefit from his talent!😂

What meal brings your family together most often?

Pizza night. With four kids, everyone has their own favorite toppings, which somehow turns ordering pizza into a full family discussion. It’s chaotic… but it’s our kind of chaos.

What does “home” mean to you?

Home isn’t a place. It’s the people. As long as my husband and our four kids are there…I’m home.❤️

😋 WORDPRESS & FOOD

Tell us about the meals, drinks, and food experiences connected to your WordPress journey.

What do you usually drink while contributing?

Water. Lots of it. I’m one of those people who always has a bottle of water on my desk. That said, there’s almost always a mug of coffee within arm’s reach too. Water keeps me going. Coffee keeps me smiling.

What food would you serve at a global WordPress gathering?

It’s going to sound repetitive, but I’m going to have to say a South African braai. It’s interactive, relaxed, and naturally brings people together. That feels like the perfect fit for the WordPress community.

If you could have lunch with a contributor, who would it be?

Matt Mullenweg. Not because I have a list of questions prepared, but because I’d love to hear the stories behind the early days of WordPress, the decisions that shaped the project, and how he thinks about its future. I imagine the conversation would be fascinating.

What food reminds you of WordPress events?

Muffins. I know this is going to sound oddly specific, but every time I see photos from WordCamps around the world, someone seems to be holding a muffin. 😄 At this point, I’ve started associating them with the WordPress community just as much as name badges, booths, and stickers. Hopefully I’ll get to enjoy one at a WordCamp myself someday.

If contribution had a flavor, what would it taste like?

I’d say a good curry. Everyone brings different ingredients, different ideas, and different perspectives. On their own they’re all good. Together they become something far better than any single ingredient could be. That’s exactly how I see open source.

😄 FUN & REFLECTION

A collection of lighthearted and thought-provoking questions designed to reveal more about your personality, perspectives, and interests beyond WordPress.

Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?

Can I plead the fifth? 🤣 I know it’s controversial, but I firmly believe pizza should make you happy, not the internet. If pineapple is your thing, go for it. If not, there’s more for someone else!🍍🍕

Sweet or savory?

I’m definitely more of a savory person, but if there’s cheesecake involved, my self-control suddenly goes on annual leave.

What food do you love that surprises people?

Chicken nuggets. People always assume I’m joking when I ask if they’re definitely boneless. I have a completely irrational fear of bones in meat and fish. If there’s even a chance I’ll find one unexpectedly, I’ll usually order something else. It’s completely irrational…and I’m perfectly aware of it!😄

What food do most people love but you don’t?

Anything with bones. I know it’s completely irrational, but if I have to start navigating bones while I’m eating, my appetite disappears almost instantly. It’s not the meat – It’s the surprise.😂

What hidden talent do you have?

Singing. I’ve been singing since I was five years old and spent years in singing schools. Will I be winning any singing competitions? Probably not. Will I happily sing along to just about any song in the car? Absolutely.😄

What makes you laugh?

My kids. They’re unintentionally some of the funniest people I know. One minute they’re asking deep questions about life…the next they’re arguing over whose turn it is to press the microwave button. Life with four kids guarantees there’s never a dull moment.😂

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

The ability to instantly understand how anything works. Whether it’s a piece of code, a complex system, or why the Wi-Fi always decides to misbehave five minutes before an important meeting. Curiosity has always been my superpower. Having instant answers would just speed things up a little.

What is something on your bucket list?

Attending a WordCamp (preferably in Paris near the Eiffel Tower would be great!) I’ve met so many incredible people through WordPress over the years, and I’d love the opportunity to meet more of the community in person. (And finally find out if the famous WordCamp muffins really are as common as they seem.)😄

What life lesson took you the longest to learn?

That you don’t have to know everything to belong. For a long time, I thought I needed to prove I was “technical enough” before I deserved a seat at the table. Eventually I realized that nobody knows everything. The people I admire most are usually the ones who are still asking questions, still learning, and still willing to say, “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out.” That lesson changed the way I approach both my career and my life.

What are you grateful for today?

First and foremost, my husband and our four incredible kids. They’re my biggest supporters, my biggest motivation, and the reason I work so hard every day. No matter what happens at work, they’re the ones who keep me grounded and remind me what really matters. I’m also incredibly grateful for the teachers, mentors, and colleagues who invested in me along the way. Every one of them helped shape the person I am today. The WordPress community welcomed someone who didn’t come from a traditional technical background and showed me that curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to learn can open doors you never imagined. And I’m especially grateful to be part of the team at Gravity Wiz. I genuinely get to work alongside some of the smartest, kindest, and most supportive people I’ve ever met. They challenge me, encourage me, and inspire me to keep learning every single day, and I couldn’t ask for a better team. Looking back, I realize there has always been one constant throughout my career. Whether I was standing in front of a kindergarten classroom or helping someone solve a technical problem through WordPress, I’ve always found the greatest joy in helping people learn, grow, and succeed. I’ve always loved helping people. WordPress just gave me a new classroom.

🥄 ONE MORE BITE

Go beyond the questions and share the little things that make your story uniquely yours. These optional photos, memories, recommendations, and personal details add character, warmth, and a personal touch to your Talk Time interview.

☕ Favorite Mug: Share a photo of your favorite tea cup, coffee mug, or drinking glass.

🖥️ Workspace: Share a photo of your workspace.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Photo If you’re comfortable, feel free to share a family photo or a photo with your partner, children, parents, or loved ones. This helps readers get to know the people who support your journey beyond WordPress.

🌍 Favorite Place: Share a photo of a place that inspires you.

✍️ Handwriting Sample: Besides your signature /autograph, write a short sentence by hand: “WordPress brings people together.”

💬 Favorite Quote: Share a quote that inspires you.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. unknown

💫 BEYOND THE QUESTIONS

Every Talk Time interview includes five personal elements that make it different from traditional interviews. These simple details help readers connect with the person behind the WordPress profile and add a uniquely WPKitchen touch to every story.

📸 A fresh selfie or photo for the interview *: A fresh photo helps make your Talk Time feature more personal and memorable.

🍽️ Current Meal or Drink: Please share a photo of a meal, snack, tea, coffee, or drink you are currently enjoying. What are you having today?

🏠 Kitchen Photo: Please share a photo of your kitchen or cooking space. Tell us a little about this space.

A Message for WPKitchen

Thank you for taking the time to tell the stories behind the people in the WordPress community.

We often know each other through support tickets, GitHub contributions, forum replies, or plugin names, but it’s the people behind those contributions who make this community so special.

It was a privilege to reflect on my own journey, and I’m honored to be part of this project. I can’t wait to read the stories of many more amazing people in our community

Guestbook Autograph

Until Our Next Tasty Conversation

Roxy’s story reminds us that you don’t need a traditional path to make a meaningful contribution. Sometimes, curiosity is enough to open a door, and helping one person can be the beginning of something much bigger.

From answering questions and contributing to open source to supporting customers and encouraging newcomers, Roxy shows us that knowledge becomes even more valuable when it is shared. Her journey is a beautiful reminder that you don’t have to know everything to belong, you just have to stay curious and be willing to help.

Thank you, Roxy, for sharing your story with Talk Time and reminding us that sometimes the best way to make an impact is simply to help someone say, “I get it now.”