https://www.empoweryounz.co.nz/

EmpowerYou., Christchurch (2026)

16/09/2026

What if changing one leader could change the way an entire leadership team works together?

That’s one of the biggest game changers I’ve seen with DiSC.

It often starts with a principal completing the DiSC assessment.

They become more aware of their own workplace behaviours - how they communicate, make decisions, respond under pressure and interact with others.

And then something really powerful happens …

They start making small adjustments to the way they work.

But the real impact comes when they say:

“I want my senior leadership team to experience this too.”

Now we have a whole new level of insight.

We can compare each leader’s DiSC data, understand where their natural styles align, identify potential friction points, and explore how they can adapt to work more effectively together.

It moves the conversation from:

“Why do they do things that way?”

to:
“Now I understand how they work — and how I can work more effectively with them.”

That’s when DiSC becomes more than an individual development tool.

It becomes a way to strengthen an entire leadership team.

And when leaders understand themselves and each other better, imagine the impact that can have on the people they lead.

How powerful would it be if your leadership team had that level of understanding?

14/09/2026

Complacency rarely arrives with a bang.

It creeps in.

A process isn't followed.

A standard slips.

Something that once mattered becomes “good enough.”

And because the organisation is still functioning, nobody notices.

Until the bar has quietly dropped.

I see this often in schools.

And eventually, it shows up where it matters most: student outcomes.

Last week, I was coaching a principal who had just returned from sabbatical.

The school had kept running.

But several of the processes and expectations he'd established hadn't.

His first reaction was frustration.

Understandable.

But the more important question wasn't:

“Why didn't they do what they were supposed to do?”

It was:

“Why did the system depend on me being there?”

That changed everything.

We started looking at how to make expectations clearer - and accountability less dependent on the principal's presence.

One idea was simple indicators around teacher planning.

Not another compliance checklist.

Not more paperwork.

Just a regular way of asking:

Are our standards holding?
Where is the bar slipping?
What needs attention before it becomes a problem?

Because if standards disappear when the leader leaves the building, they aren't really embedded.

They're being held together by the leader.

Good leadership isn't being everywhere.
It's building a system that maintains the standard when you're not.

School leaders: how do you know your standards are holding when you're not there to see them?

09/09/2026

What if having someone in your corner could change the way you experience principalship?

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is seeing the impact of intentional, ongoing coaching.

Kate McClelland and I have worked together for six years through different stages of her principalship.

I really value the trust she has placed in me along the way.

Her words below capture what I hope EmpowerYou provides for school leaders.

A safe space to think.

To reflect.

07/09/2026

Sometimes, it’s the simple weekends that stay with you.

It was great to head south for a long weekend and spend some proper time with Mum and Dad.

On Father’s Day, we took Lyall’s E-Type out for a run into the country.

Dad’s a great storyteller, and as we drove through places he’d lived and spent time over his 80+ years, he had plenty of stories to share.

Some I’d heard before.

Others were new.

We spent an awesome hour driving, chatting, listening and catching up.

No agenda. No distractions. Just time together.

It also reminded me that while work is important, it’s easy to get caught up in it and forget to make time for the people who matter most.

The emails can wait.

The meetings can wait.

Family time is really important.

A good reminder.

02/09/2026

School Leadership can be incredibly lonely.

Even when you spend every day surrounded by hundreds of people.

· Students.
· Staff
· Whānau
· Community

You can still finish the day feeling like there’s no one you can be completely honest with.

And I think we need to talk about that more.

Because leadership loneliness isn’t about a lack of people around you.

It’s about a lack of people you can put the guard down with.

As a primary principal, there are things you simply can’t process with your team.

The difficult conversation with a staff member.

The performance issue you’re managing.

The decision you know is right for your school - but know won’t be popular.

The change you’re leading that you already know will create resistance.

The weight of supporting everyone else’s well-being while quietly managing your own.

And sometimes, the hardest part is having to look like you've got it all together.

The higher the level of responsibility, the smaller your circle of people who truly understand what you’re carrying can become.

And when there’s nowhere to put the hard stuff, it has a way of showing up.
→ Stress
→ Decision fatigue
→ Self-doubt
→ Emotional exhaustion
→ Losing perspective
→ Wondering how long you can keep doing this

But leadership loneliness doesn’t have to become leadership burnout.

You were never meant to carry the whole school on your shoulders alone.

Strong leaders build places where they can be honest.

That might be:
• A trusted network of other principals who get it.
• A coach or mentor who provides confidentiality, challenge and perspective.
• Relationships where you can talk about more than the operational demands of the role.
• A life outside school that reminds you that you are more than your job title.
• Asking for support before you reach breaking point.

Seeking support isn't a sign that you can't handle leadership.

Sometimes, it's exactly what enables you to keep leading well.

If you're a primary principal, where do you go when you need somewhere to put down the weight of leadership for a while?

31/08/2026

You don’t have to lead alone.

Being a primary school principal means navigating complexity every single day — people, priorities, pressure, and decisions that rarely come with easy answers!

Sometimes, the most powerful step is reaching out for support.

Coaching provides a confidential space to pause, think differently, build clarity, and strengthen your leadership.

Seeking support isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a commitment to leading well.

What could change if you gave yourself permission to ask for help?

26/08/2026

I spent years as a Primary School Principal.

I know what it's like to be the person everyone looks to — and to have no one to turn to yourself.

That's why I do what I do now.

One principal I coached recently was dealing with real tension in their relationship with their Board Chair.

It was knocking their confidence, and every interaction felt harder than the last.

We worked through it together, challenged some assumptions, and got clear on what they could actually influence.

A month later, they told me the relationship had turned around. More confidence, less tension, better conversations.

That's the kind of shift I rate being part of.

If you're a principal carrying more than people realise, swipe through - slide 5 has the full story, and slide 6 has an open, no-pressure offer if it's ever useful.

24/08/2026

Let me reintroduce myself in 2026! Time to share some facts you might not know about me.

◼ I'm based in Christchurch, New Zealand and run my business, EmpowerYou.

◼ By the age of 7, I'd learnt to play guitar and sing — taught by an awesome Catholic nun who was never in a hurry to push me out the door, so I missed quite a few maths classes along the way!

◼ I spent 27 years in education, starting as a Primary School Teacher in 1994 and working my way up to Principal in 2011.

◼ My first "big job" was becoming a principal — and the biggest lesson from that season was the value of having a great external coach in your corner. Just knowing someone's there, without becoming too reliant on them, makes a huge difference. Principalship can be a lonely gig.

◼ One of my favourite memories to look back on is taking my guitar on my OE and busking on Quay St in Galway, Ireland.

◼ My favourite food is corned beef and mustard sauce. My least favourite? Anything offal — steak and kidney pie, liver, tripe, you name it, I'm out.

◼ The person who's had the biggest impact on my career was my coach when I was a principal, Pete Bradley. Pete had been a principal himself, so he understood the complexities of the role in a way few others could. He always had time for me, and I'll always be grateful for what he did for my career. Sadly, Pete passed away in 2021 — I still miss him and the impact he had on my life.

◼ After 11 years as a principal, leading two schools (the second a brand-new foundation school built after the Christchurch earthquakes, in an area where the land was more stable), I resigned in 2020 following two health setbacks — open-heart surgery, followed by a bowel disease diagnosis. Thankfully it wasn't cancer, but I needed time to get my health back on track. During that recovery, I realised it was time for a change, and decided to keep pursuing my real purpose — growing other people — by becoming a leadership coach. These days, I coach Primary School Principals through the exact challenges I used to face myself.

◼ I'm the youngest of two. My older sister and I fought plenty when we were kids, but she's become one of my biggest heroes.

◼ Funny bit of irony: for years I told stressed-out principals to slow down and look after themselves — turns out I had to learn that lesson the hard way myself before I could really live it.

◼ My guilty pleasure is a serious sweet tooth — I check the dessert menu before the mains. My dream meal scenario? A whole table of desserts to choose from, pavlova included.

That's it from me. What’s a fun fact about you that people might not know?

Principals — what's the one thing about the job nobody warns you about?

Drop it in the comments below, and here's to creating genuine connections here on FB.

19/08/2026

Most people think DiSC is about discovering your own profile.

The real magic happens when an entire leadership team starts understanding each other differently.

Since becoming a DiSC trainer in 2023, I've used it with dozens of school principals I coach. It usually starts with self-awareness: a principal seeing their strengths, blind spots, and the impact their natural style has on others.

That's valuable. But it's not the part I find most impactful.

The real shift happens when a principal brings their leadership team into the process. That's when the data stops being an individual profile and becomes a shared language for:

* How we communicate
* How we respond under pressure
* What energises us - and what frustrates us
* What we each need from others
* How our differences can strengthen the team, or quietly work against it

This year I’ve been working with Brian Price, Principal of Swannanoa School, and his team, Phillipa and Megan. As a relatively new team, they leaned into the process fully, using both individual and collective insights to get intentional about how they lead together.

I watched them move from:

"We get along fine."

to:

"We understand what each of us brings, what we need from each other, and how we lead better together."

That's the difference between self-awareness and team awareness. Between working well together and working intentionally together.

DiSC isn't about putting people in boxes. It's about giving leaders a clearer view of themselves and one another so they can communicate, collaborate, and lead with greater precision.

So here's the question worth sitting with:

What might change on your leadership team if everyone understood what each person brings to it?

17/08/2026

One of the best things I did as a principal was to regularly engage with a coach.

At first, I thought I didn’t really need one.

I’d be OK.

I could figure things out myself.

Then I met Pete Bradley.

Pete was a retired principal who understood what it was really like to run a school.

The relentless pace.

The complexity.

And, at times, the loneliness.

I remember Pete sitting in my office, completely relaxed and present.

No checklist.

No tick boxes.

No “10 steps to better leadership.”

Just honest conversations.

He would ask questions that helped me unravel some of the complexities I was dealing with and see things more clearly.

And when he left, I often found myself thinking:

“I’ve got this.”

Pete also cared deeply about my well-being.

He was always in my corner, supporting me and believing in my ability.

I often think about the impact Pete had on my career.

In many ways, he influenced the coach I became.

I wanted to create for other principals what Pete had created for me:

A trusted space to think.

To reflect.

To be challenged.

And to know that someone was in your corner.

Pete passed away in 2021, but his legacy remains.

And perhaps the biggest lesson I took from working with him is this:

You don’t have to lead alone.

Educational leadership has become increasingly complex.

Principals are dealing with enormous demands, often with very little space to step back and think.

Having someone you trust to regularly tap into isn’t a sign that you can’t cope.

It’s a recognition that leadership is better when you don’t have to carry everything on your own.

That’s certainly what the principals I work with tell me.

So, who is in your corner?

EmpowerYou.

16/09/2026

14/09/2026

09/09/2026

07/09/2026

02/09/2026

31/08/2026

26/08/2026

24/08/2026

19/08/2026

17/08/2026

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