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Kākāpō - Making work better

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Kākāpō - Making work better

Work is a big part of our lives. It should be as enjoyable and fulfilling as it can be. Kākāpō is about making this real for as many organisations as possible.

Make work better | Better leaders | Better teams | Better individuals I'm here to Make. Work. Better! While KPIs and operational goals may vary for each business, the common drive we all share is the pursuit of "better." We strive for better collaboration, better focus, better performance, better wellbeing... the list goes on! My role is to empower your leaders, teams, and individuals to 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁

𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝑑𝑜 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 by designing and delivering world-class workshops and training programmes. Together, we can create a workplace that 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲. One of the reasons I love this job is witnessing teams thrive through connection and collaboration. When work is purposeful, enjoyable, and fulfilling, the difference in performance is remarkable. Working with me means you are getting expert advice on emotional intelligence, leadership and behavioural change. I have over 20 years of experience in developing people and know what it takes to make sustainable change. One thing that makes me different from other consultants is my approach to learning. With a qualification in pedagogy (the theory and practice of learning), I understand the importance of adapting and tailoring my facilitation approach to meet the needs of each person or team I work with. If you’d like to find out how I can help your organisation, contact me via my website 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗸𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝗰𝗼.𝗻𝘇 or feel free to send me a message. Here is one of my favourite client reviews:

"𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 150 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝'𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩.” Nick Dixon, Heritage NZ

People often wonder if workplace development is still trust falls and motivational posters… thankfully the answer is no! (well, in my work at least)

Just as the business environment has changed since the 1990s, so has the science of psychology and human development. I continuously adapt my teachings in line with the evolving nature of the workplace & the latest findings on leadership, well-being and performance.

16/06/2026

The August programme is now filling. If you’ve been wanting to level up your leadership, don’t miss this chance! Only a small number of places remain!

Registration link is in the comments.

03/06/2026

One framework I keep coming back to when organisations are going through change is 𝐃𝐫. 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤'𝐬 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐅 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥.

I like it because it's not complicated. And right now, simple and practical matters.

It centres on five social needs that shape how people experience change at work. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬. 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

When any of these feel threatened, people get stressed. They resist. They disengage. Sometimes they leave.

And the hard part about organisational change is that it tends to threaten all five at the same time.

So people are quietly sitting with questions like: "𝐷𝑜 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒?" "𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛?" "𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘?" "𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡?" "𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑦?"

Most of the time they won't say this out loud. But it's there.

What I find useful about this model is that it helps me extend some grace to people who are struggling with change.

The resistance usually isn't about the strategy. It's about how the change is making someone feel, often in ways they can't even put into words themselves.

And for me, that's where the real work of leadership begins.

Curious how effective your leadership is? Take the free leadership assessment. Link is in the comments below.

29/05/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.

Harvard Business Review points to the same patterns repeatedly: resistance from employees, leadership that doesn't show up, and communication that falls flat. After years of working with organisations through change, I can tell you, none of this surprises me.

When I ask leaders what the hardest part of their job is, the answer is almost always the same: "𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆."

And yet, most change programmes are built around processes, systems, and strategy. The human experience is an afterthought, if it's considered at all.

Here's the thing though. People aren't spreadsheets.

Even when a change is genuinely positive, it can feel destabilising. A restructure. New technology. A shift in leadership. A role that looks different than it did six months ago. These aren't just operational adjustments. They disrupt people's sense of stability, identity, and trust.

The rug gets pulled. And no amount of slide decks or emails from the CEO fixes that on its own.

This is why I want leaders to know that how they show up during change matters as much as, if not more than, the change itself.
People can tolerate a lot of uncertainty. What they struggle to tolerate is feeling unseen in the middle of it.

They don't need a perfect plan. They need to feel like someone is actually with them through it.

That's the work of 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑.

Curious how effective your leadership is? Take the free leadership assessment. Link is in the comments below.

28/04/2026

🆂🅾🅻🅳 🅾🆄🆃 🅰🅶🅰🅸🅽.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 continues to resonate with leaders across the region, and this really stacks up with the feedback we receive about how transformational the programme is.

We’re grateful for every organisation and leader choosing to invest in deeper, more conscious leadership.

And if you missed this round, our next cohort begins in August! Comment below to go on the waitlist.

09/04/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬.
It stays.
In the way a team communicates.
In how people understand each other.
In how relationships grow stronger.
In the confidence people begin to carry.

And one of the most heartening outcomes?
Seeing a team member grow into someone who now has courageous conversations, speaks up, and leads in meetings.

That is the kind of change that matters.
Not just a good session.
Not just kind feedback.
But something a team actually carries into everyday work.

We loved working with Olivia and the Clutha District Council to “Boost” her team’s performance!

31/03/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞.

They get promoted… and expected to figure it out.

That deer in the headlights moment?

More common than we think.

Before launching The Emerging Leader, we asked new leaders what they were worried about:

“𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝐼 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑠?”

“𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝐼 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔?”

“𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠?”

Leadership isn’t something you should have to survive.

It’s something you can be prepared for.

💬 What was hardest for you in your first leadership role?

17/03/2026

✨𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭?

The people you meet along the way.

In our current Conscious Leader programme, we’ve brought together leaders from private business, local government, non-profits, and council-owned organisations.

On the surface, it’s about developing leadership skills.

But something interesting happens every time.

Many participants tell me the biggest surprise isn’t just the learning content, it’s what they learn from each other.

💡 Hearing how someone in a completely different sector approaches a challenge…

Navigates a difficult decision…

Or sparks innovation in their team…

It can open your thinking in ways you didn’t expect.

Those “aha” moments often come from someone else’s story, perspective, or experience.

That’s one of the reasons I love cohort learning.

Leadership isn’t just about frameworks or tools.

It’s also about perspective.

Connection.

And the conversations that shift how we see things.

This group is currently being facilitated by our brilliant facilitator Amanda Milne, pictured below, right, alongside our wonderful colleague Brigitta Baker, who, funnily enough, I first met through a Conscious Leader programme too.

Proof that the learning doesn’t just happen in the room, sometimes it changes who you meet along the way.

❓ I’m curious:

When was the last time someone from a completely different industry changed the way you thought about a challenge?

👇 I’d love to hear your story.

05/02/2026

🚨 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 🚨

The February 2026 cohort of The Conscious Leader is officially full, with some people having to go on our waitlist!

That’s another group of inspiring, courageous, emotionally intelligent leaders coming to an organisation near you!

Thanks to everyone who has registered, we’re looking forward to meeting you soon. 💚

Missed February?June is next.

📩 Email [email protected] to join the waitlist.

09/01/2026

✨ 𝐊𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧. ✨

As we step into a new year of growth, leadership, and possibility, we’re revisiting one of our proudest milestones. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫.

May I present… our first group of alumni from 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫! 🤩🎉🎖️
These wonderful participants brought their brains, their hearts, and their aspirations to our first Emerging Leader training.

Two days of learning, korero, teamwork and my special surprise activities 😉😆 were spent:

🟢 Investigating self-leadership
🟢 Developing a leadership mindset
🟢 Navigating the peer-to-leader transition
🟢 Exploring the keys to giving and receiving feedback
🟢 Building influence through relationships

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 was born from a number of our clients asking for something to help aspiring leaders be better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of leadership, 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 they get that “deer in the headlights” moment of their first official leadership role!

👏 It’s so important in these uncertain times to invest in your leadership pipeline. These fantastic people are now heading back to their organisation to make even more of an impact! I wish them courage and curiosity!

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑. That mahi continues to carry forward in 2026, shaping the next chapter of Kākāpō’s work and the leaders it serves.

19/12/2025

🎉🎄 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐚̄𝐤𝐚̄𝐩𝐨̄ & 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬! 🎄🎉

Six years ago, I launched Kākāpō with a simple but bold dream:
to create world-class leadership training that is impactful, human, and genuinely enjoyable.

At the heart of our mahi is this belief:
✨ We grow best when we feel safe, connected, and supported to learn and evolve.

That growth shows up as:

❇️ Greater self-awareness
❇️ Stronger emotional intelligence
❇️ Growing confidence and capability
❇️ Practical, usable skills
❇️ Deeper connection
❇️ Courageous, people-centred leadership

I’m incredibly proud that together, we’ve developed five outstanding programmes that meet people where they are and support growth at every level of an organisation:

• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 – Building intentional, purposeful, inspiring leaders
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 – Self-leadership, mindset, and readiness to lead
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 – Fearless feedback and courageous communication
• 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐓 – Connected, collaborative, high-performing teams
• 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏 – Well-being, resilience, and sustainable performance

I’m deeply grateful for our amazing flock and our clients who believe that investing in people truly matters. 🪷 Thank you for trusting us with your growth.

Signing off for 2025,
Sarah xx

Address

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