It’s a new year and a new Jeremy. After a rough 2014 he decided to shift his focus from constant worry about what other people were thinking to what really matters - looking after himself, both mentally and physically. The new Jeremy is having fun, feeling calm - and his surfing is all the better for it. 2015 just might be one of Jeremy’s best.

So it's a new year and it's so good to see Jeremy looking sharp and looking happy and smiling. What's going on?

The last few years I wasn't really happy and I think in life I finally understand that when you're not happy, negative things happen. Now I'm finally back on track, I changed a few things in life - the training part and the nutrition part. I lost 8 kilos last year in a few months just from eating better. Also I've been spending a lot of time doing yoga. I think for a guy like me that can be a strong character, I think I needed that.

In free surf, I feel like I've been surfing better than ever, so now I just want to surf in heats without thinking a million things and no matter what the result is, I'm definitely more happy, so now let's see what the future brings but I'm definitely a better Jeremy this year. [laughs]

It's very interesting to hear you talk about nutrition.

I was always the biggest eater of shit. All my life, I was never careful about that stuff, even though when I was younger and being on the same team with guys like Kelly Slater I was lucky enough to have him tell me a lot of things about nutrition. So now I finally get that nutrition is really important, not only physically but mentally too.

You didn't make your first round but you are looking sharp and surfing good and feeling good and on the ball. What were you feeling in the heat?

I felt good in the heat. I had one good wave and I just needed a second one but nowadays every heat is so hard and if you want to win a heat you're going to have to get two good waves. At the end, I sat for the rest of the heat and waited for a good wave to come, but it didn't come. I wasn't frustrated, I was happy about my performance. I was really excited to surf in that heat because I wanted to show the difference in my surfing. I wanted to show a different Jeremy this year. Even though I lost, I think I'm showing a lot more motivation and a lot more aggression - in a good way [laughs].

It's almost like you're a rookie again, I feel because you've got the lowest seeding you've ever earned since you started on tour. Does it feel like less pressure because you are more free and you have less to prove?

I don't feel like a rookie because I've been around for so long. The last few years I've been thinking so much about everything - I was thinking about what people would think about my surfing, I was thinking about other people always judging me, but I wasn't really thinking about impressing myself. This year I want to impress myself. I want to surf and at the end of the wave I want to think 'yeah that was sick'.

A quick question about your roommate, he's the rookie.

Wiggolly is the rookie - finally. I was expecting him to get on the world tour a long time ago really. We grew up together and he's one of my best friends and I know his talent. I know if he got on the world tour, he would blow minds away and I think he did that in the first heat against Medina. His backside was the best that day. People are going to freak out about his talent this year, in small waves, in big waves.

So potentially he's going to be your roommate for the rest of this season.

Yeah, for sure. Since we've been kids we've been dreaming about that and I've been on tour for so long every year I've been telling him, 'Qualify, man, I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you'. And now he's finally done it except he qualified earlier than me last year. He was sure to qualify and I wasn't so I was like 'Are you kidding? You're going to qualify and I'm going to fall off the tour? That's not right!’ So I'm glad at the end of the year I gave it an extra push and qualified somehow. I think I can help him with experience as I've been around for a long time.