A little about me

Born and bred in the High Country of the South Island I am someone who values the importance of family, an active mind and body and seeking adventures in the outdoors that become lasting memories.

I have a strong belief that we are all capable of more than we think and am passionate about the infinite capacity of growth in all of us.

I have travelled extensively, lived in New Zealand, Australia and China and now reside in Bannockburn, Central Otago with my husband and three children.

I get lit up by people and their stories. I am fascinated by the power of our minds. I get frustrated by the many ‘band-aid’ approaches to wellbeing I see being sold as a quick fix.

I am an ever recovering perfectionist and a huge advocate for enjoying all of life ‘in moderation’. I adore a long black with the sun on my back, not in my face. I’m always blimmin early, even when I try to be late and my happiest place is in the hills on foot. Those close to me would say my greatest strength is my ‘zest’ for life and my weakness is my attention to detail about things that (possibly) don’t matter and my need to ‘always’ address any elephant in the room.

I am who I am, and have what I have to offer, in part due to my own personal challenges. I suffered from bulimia in my late teens/early 20’s and can now proudly talk about how it was part of my story but is not part of who I am. I know what it’s like to hide and no one even know how hidden you are. I remember thinking something was wrong with my brain as I would succumb to overwhelmingly strong addictive type desires only to 10 minutes later hate myself and promise I would never do it again. I can recall putting my hand around my wrist to check its size, this was my way of monitoring how in control I was. Ironically it never changed! I was so incredibly aware of what this was doing to my body, I was in the middle of studying Anatomy and Physiology for goodness sake, yet knowledge alone couldn’t shake the cycle. If I was to change, I became certain that I had to start with going inward. I was lucky, by some stroke of luck I started getting really interested in the mind, specifically the mind/body connection and this planted a seed which would, in time, help me to not only combat bulimia but move me into this world of coaching.

Later on in life, fully recovered from bulimia I was yet again challenged and made to put into practice the skills I now know to be vital to mental resilience. We experienced six painful, lonely and very sad miscarriages to get our beautiful family. A horrific experience but it helped solidify this idea that whilst we might not be able to control what is inherently uncontrollable (the world and it’s events), we can have control over our response. It’s not always easy. It takes time, it takes getting uncomfortable and asking hard questions, it takes deep curiosity.  

I know exactly what it’s like to feel anxious, cornered and to be in a place you don’t want to be. I know what it feels like to feel like your not succeeding or living to your highest potential. I know what it feels like to wake up with a sense of dread and lose your sparkle.

I wholeheartedly also know that there is freedom for all of us on the other side of that feeling if we are brave enough to look within and use our mind in a way that works for us instead of against us.

It is why I do what I do.