Tēnā koe,
Ko Belinda Bryant tōku ingoa.
I understand that you are interested in engaging someone to work with you as a coach. In my experience the relationship or ‘chemistry’ between coach and counterparty is an important factor in the impact of these engagements. The other key factor is timing: is now the right time for you to invest in coaching?
To help you to ensure these two factors are in place I will share a little more about me below and we can explore the timing issue if/when we meet.
In 2004 I returned to New Zealand from Singapore, where I was working in an English law firm, 8 months pregnant and not sure what my future career might look like – but confident that parenting and corporate transactional law were unlikely to be a good fit. As so often happened, another door opened – two in fact:
- I was approached by an old colleague to join his coaching and consulting firm
- I saw an opportunity to establish a small manuka honey business – which I continue to run, albeit mostly
passively these days.
After several years of working as a coach and facilitator (and two more children) I took the opportunity to do some formal study in the area that had become my second career. I completed a post-graduate certificate in coaching and adult education through Victoria University and then qualified as a coach with the Neuroleadership Insitute. This was incredibly influential on my practice. I find the ‘brain’ paradigm – and what it tells us about how human beings actually operate regardless of how we might intend to operate – extremely useful to me and many of my clients.
As a coach, I enjoy working with people who sense an opportunity to do something different and better in ways that could profoundly impact their performance or their life. They may be facing a new challenge or have stepped into a new role. Some are feeling they have become stuck and want help navigating their way out of a ‘cul de sac’. Many people are simply so busy managing their day to day they can’t find the time or the head space to really think about what they want to achieve and how they are going to do it – and coaching enables them to create the space to do this important mahi.
I revel in society’s new found appreciation of the nuanced range of strengths and talents people have. But we still have a long way to go in helping each individual to use those talents to make their greatest contribution and achieve their highest possible levels of satisfaction. Helping with this – and seeing the magic that can happen when people do find the way and the confidence to really lean into their unique set of strengths – is what drives me. I note that sometimes a critical part of this is learning to effectively manage areas which are less innate so that they don’t hold you back.
My Whakapapa
I grew up on a sheep and beef farm in the North Waikato. It is only in my adulthood that I have come to appreciate how profoundly this has impacted my values. My father (who is continuing to actively farm at 80) literally gets out of bed every day motivated to feed people. He is also proud of the contribution what he produces makes to New Zealand’s ability to pay its way in the world. While his way of doing these two things are the subject of much debate, the importance of doing them is something I hold as a strong value. Helping strengthen and grow New Zealand Inc is a core purpose for me.
These days I live in Island Bay with my husband, three teenage children and dog. We love to have our friends and their friends in our home. Luckily my husband is a great chef and keeps a flourishing vegie garden (with me enjoying a role as sous chef/garden designer respectively). Family is very important to us so we will often have other whanau members staying too. As a family we relish getting away to New Zealand’s beautiful beaches and mountains – and we are making the most of this before our children disperse to start their own studies/careers away from home.
Should you wish to meet over a cup of coffee or on Teams as a part of finding the right coach for you, it would be lovely to meet.
Ngā mihi nui.
Kia ora.