Darren Kennedy: 'I like people to pull their weight and do what they are there to do'

Darren Kennedy. Picture Andres Poveda

My earliest ambition was to become a vet. I was always obsessed with animals and with nature. At one point I had about 20 animals in my care — dogs, cats, birds, fish, turtles, frogs, the works. My dad drew the line at a pet lamb.

After school I went to university to study International business and languages, spending my third year on Erasmus in Bordeaux which was a phenomenal time.

Darren Kennedy dives right in to movember.com

Achieving work-life balance can be very tricky, especially when you work for yourself and run your own business. The temptation can be to just keep working because you want to see projects come to fruition or you want to get things right, or perfect, but of course nothing's ever perfect and there's always room for change.

I'd like to make myself physically fit. I go to the gym four to five times a week in short sessions but I still get them in. Sea swimming is a big passion of mine. It’s amazing fo all-round mental and physical health. Getting into the fresh air and reconnecting with nature when you're in the sea gets you straight back to yourself in the present moment. I also enjoy Reformer Pilates.

One of the best pieces of advice I've received is ‘progress over perfection’ — to not get bogged down in getting something perfect because that will put you into paralysis — but rather, keep moving forward and you perfect things over time.

Darren Kennedy: Life is all about enjoying experiences over things

The biggest challenge in my life was coming to terms with my own sexuality. This presented huge difficulties from an emotional and mental health point of view. I went to a very dark place at one stage but thankfully I was able to deal with

The trait I most admire in other people is honesty.

I don't appreciate laziness in people. I like people to pull their weight and do what they are there to do. It goes back to honesty.

I have many faults! Like trying to get everything perfect and trying to cram too much into a day. Sometimes always trying to be ahead of myself, so I end up never being in the present moment.

If I could be reborn as someone else for a day, I would transport myself back in time and be reborn as Empress dowager Cixi of China. A fascinating woman who was kind of responsible for pushing China into developing for the 20th century against all the odds in a very male-dominated s ociety.

If money was no issue I probably wouldn't change much. I might holiday a bit more, but that's about it.

'I don't appreciate laziness in people.'

If I had the chance to work with anyone I’d love to work with Jennifer Lopez. I think she is amazing and just seems to get better with age. I’d love to know her secrets , and what’s in her wardrobe that keeps it all together.

Two of my favourite books ever are A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, who wrote The Kite Runner. It's absolutely magnificent; set in Afghanistan. And Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides which is about an intersex child growing up back in the early 1900s.

My biggest extravagances are holidays and eating out. That’s probably where I spend the bulk of my money.

Life is all about enjoying experiences over things.

• Darren Kennedy supports Movember’s latest campaign, Be a Man of More Words, to drive awareness and spark meaningful conversations around the topic of suicide. The campaign aims to encourage men to open up before they reach crisis point, whether concerned about themselves or someone else 

movember.com/suicideprevention