I started life back in 1972 as the daughter of a musician and aircraft engineer who met on a blind date and soon started their life together in Christchurch, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

My childhood was spent moving around (13 times in 11 years) different military towns/cities in New Zealand, UK and USA. From a young age, I always loved connecting with people and bringing them together, for me all the moves were exciting and even though I was shy, I got plenty of practice at meeting new people and learnt to spot those that did not fit in and soon helped them connect with others.

I was a peer support leader at high school and when it came time to choose my university degree, I knew it had to be with people, so I picked Human Resources and Business - because my family always wanted to go into business together. 

My first job after graduation was to help set up and operate the Gift Shop and Office at the newly formed Ohakea Wing of the RNZAF Museum.  I got the job because I had a business degree - but the true learning started when I had to figure out how to set up a float for the cash register in the shop - we didn’t learn that sort of thing in my degree! I soon worked it out and absolutely loved my job of choosing amazing aviation gifts for the shop, managing a team of volunteers and serving people that were on holiday and as enthusiastic about aeroplanes as I was. Early on in this job, I attended a KiwiHost customer service course and that furthered my passion for providing great service to people.

After a few years, I decided that I should get a job in HR to use my degree - so I took a role as HR Officer/Payroll clerk at a plumbing company. This is where I learnt that details were not exactly my thing - the role turned out to be mostly payroll, which to me was terribly confusing and involved many sleepless nights worrying about getting it right for 80 people while the Payroll Manager went on annual leave soon after I started.  

From here I was very excited to join the then Healthy Living franchise with my parents - and my journey managing people continued, this time in the world of natural health retail. I started as manager of the new store in The Plaza in Palmerston North and over the next 18 years my tasks included managing each one of our eventually five stores, doing all the recruiting and marketing - including organising and running events - building relationships with our suppliers and generally handling all the ‘people things’ about the businesses. 

We grew from one store in Palmerston North to five plus a management company spread between the Manawatū, Kāpiti, Lower Hutt and Wellington regions. This work taught me so many things about how people tick, how to get the best people on board working with a very limited budget, how to keep them happy and connected to each other. I also somehow managed to find time to learn to dance and spent many a happy evening and weekend spinning around a dance floor with my then partner in various ballroom and latin competitions in New Zealand and Australia. 

All good things must end, and I finally plucked up the courage to leave the family business and try something new. I chose to work with the Horowhenua Learning Centre (HLC) up in Levin. They were growing and needed a Marketing/Student Recruitment person. A whole new world opened up for me, making a real difference to young people by helping them get an education when they had been let down by so many things and people in their life before.

The role was a new one and I really made it my own. Along with promoting all things HLC to anyone that would listen, I took on the challenge of keeping people enrolled in the courses by being the link between the worlds of MSD and StudyLink, and I connected students with hardship grants, social workers and mentors. I realised that I was privileged to have a family that stood by me and encouraged me to succeed and that not everyone has that in life. I watched young (and not so young) people go on their own learning journey while enrolled with HLC. Every year the graduation ceremony was so special and satisfying to watch them walk onto that stage and accept their certificate - for some it was the very first time they had succeeded academically.

By 2022, I was missing managing people, so I accepted my dream job - back in the world of retail management, but this time it was in my favourite realm - that of books. It was this role that allowed me to see that I really wanted to make a difference to help people better connect with themselves and others in my own unique way - it was time to start my own practice. 

Studio Brio was born in March 2023. Brio is Italian for performing with passion. I always wished I was Italian and totally believe in showing up to my life and living each day with all the passion in the world. I am so passionate about people better understanding themselves and others, and I believe that if we don’t write the story of our lives, then someone else will do it for us.  

I have put together my experiences into a unique package for each group or individual I am working with. I use a combination of skills, tools and intuition to help each person develop their own skills to live the best life they can. I meet them where they are at right now, help them understand their unique personality, their strengths and challenges, I help them connect with their values and their passions, help them overcome their own barriers to success and ultimately help them along the journey of their life.

I am a certified Behavioural Consultant, hold an advanced certificate in Advanced Behavioural Analysis, and am currently soon to complete my NZ Certificate in Adult and Tertiary Teaching Level 5. Most importantly I am kind, down to earth and intuitive in my approach to life.

I can work individually or in a group setting. Please contact me on hello@studiobrio.nz or call 021 301 757 to discuss options. I look forward to working with you.