My Story
Like many of us, there have been chapters in my life that have challenged me, made me pause and encouraged me to look at things differently. For me, one of those chapters became the beginning of something that would change the direction of my life and work.
In 2017, I began exploring personal development through an online programme with Mastin Kipp. What started as a desire to better understand myself gradually became a genuine fascination with the mind - our thoughts, beliefs, behaviours and the patterns that can shape the way we experience life. The more I explored, the more curious I became.
I travelled to Los Angeles to attend a personal development seminar with Mastin Kipp (which turned into a year long course), and somewhere in that experience I had a lightbulb moment; I wish I had known some of this when I was younger. I began thinking about my daughter and the girls growing up around us. What if we could introduce some of these ideas and tools much earlier in life? That was where the idea for a card game was born. It wasn't something I immediately took to market. It was an idea that stayed with me, evolved over time and became a treasured project that my daughter and I developed together. Eventually, it became the Finding 7 card game; a fun and accessible way to introduce ideas around self-awareness, personal development and possibility. From Finding 7 to Hero Minds
In 2020, I developed my first Hero Minds workshop for girls, drawing on some of the concepts from Finding 7. The response was incredibly encouraging. The girls wanted to come back and I knew I had found something that would support the girls on their journey and I was really passionate about supporting them. As the workshops evolved, so did I.
In 2022, I became a qualified NLP Practitioner and Life Coach, adding new tools and perspectives to the knowledge I was already developing through my personal development journey. I have continued to deepen my knowledge through further personal development and Trauma-Informed training.
Working with girls showed me the impact these conversations could have: seeing someone recognise a strength they hadn't noticed, challenge a belief, become more aware of a pattern or simply begin trusting themselves a little more. That naturally led to working with women too.
As the work continued to evolve, I developed the Hero Minds Wheel — a framework exploring seven powerful aspects of ourselves and how they influence the way we think, feel, respond and show up in life.
I love those moments when something shifts or when a woman/girl sees a pattern she hadn't noticed before.
When she recognises a strength she didn't realise she had.
When she begins trusting herself a little more.
Those moments are what keep me curious, passionate and creating.
The experience behind the work
My work is grounded in more than 30 years across education, training, sales, business and mentoring, beginning with my PGCE in Education and a career that has taken me through many different chapters. From eight years with Andrew Collinge, UK progressing from Style Director to Deputy Training Manager, to working as an External Training Consultant and later establishing my own consultancy business, each chapter has added another layer to what I do today.
After moving to New Zealand in 2004, I became Training Manager for a private training academy in Wellington, followed by roles in sales and with international brands including Procter & Gamble. I've even spent five years flipping houses — another chapter following my passion, that taught me a great deal about transformation, potential, decision-making and seeing what something new & different can become.
Looking back, I can see how every chapter has contributed something to the work I do today. But ultimately, it is the people I work with that continue to shape and inspire me. Creating spaces where women and girls can explore, gain insight, strengthen self-trust and discover what becomes possible when they see things differently is what I am truly passionate about.
