..an ability to bring insight to the conversation, highlighting connections and possibilities that had passed me by, really opened doors for me
... helping me find a work-life balance, confidence in my decision making, dulling the self sabotage, teaching me ways of thinking, helping me articulate my thoughts and emotions... the list could go on forever! I am a completely different person, for the better. Why can't I give you more than 5 stars?!
... Rhonda served as a bridge between worlds, reflecting on past endeavours and using the momentum gained from those exercises to plan and become excited about the future. For others I know she is something entirely different, fluid and adaptable depending on what the client requires or where they are in their personal business narrative.
... (I can) navigate complex and sometimes uncomfortable conversations
... Rhonda challenges me, and this encourages me to alter my mindset and to approach situations from a deeper place
...I'm more resilient and more adaptable to a changing work environment. I'm less stressed, more productive, and feel like I'm making a positive impact in the workplace
...professional and innate skills to help people correct the difficulties we all share in understanding ourselves, trusting others, communicating successfully, honouring our potential and feeling authentic and confident.
...I left every session with a game plan and an idea of how I want to be with what was ahead of me
...professional and innate skills to help people correct the difficulties we all share in understanding ourselves, trusting others, communicating successfully, honouring our potential and feeling authentic and confident.
...I leave feeling armed and confident to deal with the issue that we had been discussing during our time together.
... (I have) grown as an individual, can manage difficult situations and focus on the bigger picture.
I walked away with so much inner strength. That strength opened me up to a whole new me that I never thought I could access. I dropped my walls that I struggled to get over and even when they popped back up, I felt safe sitting with Rhonda and letting her in. I’m no longer rowing my waka alone
...acute listening skills to really hear what is going on for someone, and an intelligent yet down-to-earth summation
... (I can) navigate complex and sometimes uncomfortable conversations
...Rhonda is a great listener, and when you are with her, her number one priority is you!
... she was able to speak to me from a place of deep understanding despite my lived experiences feeling very specific to [me]. I always felt accountable for making progress but never like I was out of my depth. Rhonda’s support and direction had a way of making the unknown feel familiar.
Testimonials from Executive and Personal Coaching
"... a HUGE weight off my shoulders"
"Rhonda is AMAZING.
She has made such a difference to my mindset regarding past experiences I've struggled with for 10 years, and every single time - without failure - I walk out of our sessions with a HUGE weight off my shoulders.
I cannot recommend Rhonda enough - I strongly believe everyone needs her. Even if it's just to get more clarity around how your own mind works.
Highly, highly recommend Our Minds Matter :)" - Molly, Waikato
"... game plan of how I wanted to be with what was ahead of me"
"When I began my journey with Rhonda, I was at a crossroads in my career. I needed support to get clear on my choices, and to work through my fears, hopes and dreams.
Rhonda was absolutely incredible during this phase, a pillar of support and empathy. I felt safe because she “got me” and was intuitive in understanding context in complex situations. I left every session with a game plan and an idea of how I wanted to be with what was ahead of me.
Rhonda empowered me with practical tools, diagrams, visualisations and meditations that I continue to use. She is a coaching master!
I found Rhonda’s coaching so beneficial, I asked her to facilitate a team session on navigating stress and anxiety – and she didn’t disappoint. The feedback from the team was amazing, and the team dynamic shifted after her workshop.
Look no further for a life-changing coaching experience, Rhonda will know exactly what you need!" - Tania Pointon, Waikato
"... navigate complex and sometimes uncomfortable conversations"
The goal of my sessions with Rhonda is to get the most out of my current job role, and set myself up to capitalise on future opportunities when they arise.
The three things that I value most from our interactions are her depth of experience in finance and management roles (we speak the same language), her ability to make me step back and think about how my colleagues might see the world, and how to navigate complex and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
As a result of our regular sessions, I've been more resilient and more adaptable to a changing work environment. I'm less stressed, more productive, and feel like I'm making a positive impact in the workplace. I hope you can benefit from working with Rhonda as much as I have. - Mitch, Auckland
"... grow as an individual, manage difficult situations and focus on the bigger picture"
"I started working with Rhonda around two years ago.
She has helped me so much both personally and professionally over this time.
As a young new business owner her knowledge and experience has been invaluable in guiding me through the various challenges that have presented during this journey. Rhonda has provided me with the skills and tools to grow as an individual, manage difficult situations and focus on the bigger picture. I will always value Rhonda’s wisdom and advice. Thanks for everything Rhonda 😊 - Alyse, Christchurch
"...courage to make and even embrace change and to move forward"
"For the past 6 months I've had the privilege of being coached by Rhonda. As a transformational coach Rhonda doesn't make decisions for me. Instead she enables me to look at my life through a different lens.
Rhonda allows me to tell my story and then by weaving in curious and challenging questions we get to the real issue. What I really like is that at times she challenges me, and this encourages me to alter my mindset and to approach situations from a deeper place. Sometimes the shift in my mindset is subtle and others it is quite monumental.
Rhonda's coaching has enabled me to change my attitude about myself and my business. I now have the courage to make and even embrace change and to move forward by making choices that serve me well.
I truly look forward to our sessions, her natural humour, authenticity and real connection allows me to be vulnerable. Thank you Rhonda" - Hazel, coach and business owner, Wellington
"...shine a light into my blind spots, revealing my blockers"
"I was stuck in a rut and struggling with old habits that were not doing my mental health any good. I felt like I was just going through the motions. Rhonda guided me in reconnecting with workability. She helped me shine a light into my blind spots, revealing my blockers so that I could dismantle them. I now feel free to live meaningfully and purposefully" - Janina, Wellington
"Rhonda provided outstanding sessions of guidance and insight to help me better navigate the personal challenges I'm faced with. Her persona was relaxing, calming, and engaging. She uses a questioning style that draws the answers from within, yet backs up with fantastic case studies and theory. I would gladly recommend Rhonda to anyone in need!" – Antony Sproull, Queenstown
"My coaching experience with Rhonda was excellent. Her strengths are genuine compassion, acute listening skills to really hear what is going on for someone, and an intelligent yet down-to-earth summation of the challenges and blocks followed up by practical, easy to do solutions. I would book another session with Rhonda or recommend her in a heartbeat as a quality investment in keeping the machine that is you as healthy as possible:)" - Christine Wallace, South Island
"I suggested that one of my colleagues spend some time with Rhonda after identifying that something from her past was holding her back from being her best self. After only a couple of sessions it was clear to see the difference in her that Rhonda was contributing to. The team member is also very appreciative that she had the opportunity to spend time with Rhonda, and acknowledges the learnings and personal growth that she obtained during that time. From a manager’s perspective my team member is now happier, more relaxed, more confident in herself, more resilient and overall a more engaged team member." - Leanne Salisbury, Waikato
"I completed eight mindfulness / communication coaching and mentoring sessions with Rhonda. I found it incredibly beneficial from a personal and professional perspective. It helped me understand my own and other’s feelings / emotions, while developing a toolbox to manage the same. Rhonda was very personable and flexible to adjust the content to meet my needs. I highly recommend" - Mark, banker, Waikato
"... be alive to your present and re-energised for your future"
"A lot of what is inside us can seem bonkers to share aloud. Sometimes we need another to help us make sense of ourselves - at times of change, loss, fear and uncertainty for example. Rhonda Parry is that person.
She has both the professional and innate skills to help people correct the difficulties we all share in understanding ourselves, trusting others, communicating successfully, honouring our potential and feeling authentic and confident.
Knowing Rhonda for the better part of a decade, I continue to admire the commitment she has made to helping people understand their "emotional operating system". Her warmth and energy, her thoughtful reflection, her generous listening with a gentle enquiry that helps us explore our 'de-railers' - however elusive.
Rhonda's skills help you to be alive to your present and re-energised for your future." - Siobhan, executive, Auckland
"I have spent about 12 months working with Rhonda. Firstly one on one, and then also in a group setting. I feel extremely grateful on both a professional and personal level to have been able to learn, absorb and grow during this time with her. Rhonda is a great listener, and when you are with her, her number one priority is you! She gives more than what she needs to, and I always feel uplifted after spending time with her, or even when she’s sent me a text to check up on me during a difficult time!
Rhonda has a vast knowledge bank of resources, theories, practical exercises that she willingly shares at the most appropriate time. This always enabled me to leave her feeling armed and confident to deal with the issue that we had been discussing during our time together." - Leanne Salisbury, Waikato
"Rhonda is an incredibly positive, intuitive person and it comes through in her coaching style. Her compassion and ability to connect with people combined with her infectious energy, created a sense of safety for me as a client and propelled me forward. Rhonda's ability to bring insight to the conversation, highlighting connections and possibilities that had passed me by, really opened doors for me. Thank you so much Rhonda". - Nicola R, health advisor, Auckland
"Rhonda is an insightful and experienced coach. All time with Rhonda is valuable; her perspectives are relatable, accurate and succinct. Rhonda is generous with her knowledge and experience along with being perfect at engendering how others perceive your own actions, enabling one to develop themselves - the perfect coach in my view" - Brent Nielsen, Executive Officer, Age Concern Hamilton
Testimonials from Living Life on Purpose With Purpose Workshops
"... I finish this weekend understanding vulnerability and I feel empowered by it. I feel privileged and fortunate to have been part of this and grateful for the tools that I know are going to make a significant positive impact on my life. Rhonda, what an amazing result from what I can only imagine has been a marathon of work, a 5-star experience." - participant March 2020
"This was a gathering of people to discuss and learn how to be mindful, how to understand tolerance of others and self-approval. It was peaceful, safe, nurturing, enriching and empowering. Rhonda, you have a great talent for allowing the sharing of stories and bringing people back to focus. Clearly a seasoned and skilled presenter. Articulate and passionate."
"The mix of discussion, theory and practical exercises was beautifully balanced. The weekend allowed for structure, variety, pleasure and free time for discussion and personal growth with the group. Just beautiful." - participant March 2020
"I feel like I have an understanding of why I act in a certain way and through knowledge and small thought change and habits (good ones) I can be a better wife, mum, colleague. The workbook is brilliant due to the amount of things you are learning in a short time."
"100% believe I now have an understanding of concepts, I now want to work deeper on the gaps eg authenticity, assertiveness, habit changes, science of self care, self-compassion, how to ditch criticism." - participant March 2020
"This workshop was a powerhouse of tools and skills and knowledge to assist me realise my dreams and break problems and reactions into bite size manageable chunks. It was grounded, practical and filled with useful skills for life. The workbook is a great resource to flick to. I really loved your ability to cover so much information in a short space of time and so clearly and include everyone’s input and stories too! You give so much of yourself over the weekend, with apparent ease. Overall it was magnificent." - participant March 2020
Testimonials from Corporate Workshops
"We brought Rhonda in to do some resilience sessions with our team as we're very committed to looking after our team's mental health. Little did we know we'd be putting what we had learnt to good use very quickly in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The team thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to these sessions and participated enthusiastically thanks in no small way to Rhonda's empathetic and engaging personality. She brought calm and clarity to a work environment which can be pretty stressful and chaotic at times and we had some really great meaningful discussions with the team. She certainly gave us lots of food for thought. We loved working with her and got so much out of her sessions that some of our team have continued to see her on a personal coaching basis. I highly recommend Rhonda's services". - Del Hart - Managing Director, Sentinel Homes ‑ Hamilton & Waikato
"Before completing the Mindfulness ABC course, I thought that I was already mindful. I quickly realised that I was good at understanding the emotions but did not have the awareness or tools to deal with them correctly. This course gave me plenty of tools, time and support to practice mindfulness. Understanding that “you” are the one that controls “your mind” and that having control of your mind can have positive effects on all aspects of your wellbeing was eye opening." - Jack Clayton, GM Waikato Institute Leadership & Sport Studies.
And some courageous honesty from a workshop participant, Kath:
"To be honest I was a little hesitant at the beginning but by the end of our sessions together I am so grateful to you for allowing me to STOP and reflect on so many important life moments that should take priority.
You presented the mindfulness sessions with such passion and enthusiasm; it made the learning easy.
I found the conversations on generous listening, letting go of the stories, catching my thoughts, letting the balloon float away and the importance of awareness resonated the most with me and what I need to give more attention to in my daily, very hectic life.
I especially liked the use of acronyms to help me remember some of the very important strategies I have since tried to include in my everyday life especially with teenagers in the house.
I refer to the journal on days that I know I need to be more mindful and I love reading all the quotes, reminders and activities that help me to be more present and aware.
I always feel so much better after I have stopped and used some of the many mindfulness tools learnt during your sessions.
Thank you, Rhonda, for the mindfulness experience you shared with us at WILSS. A lifelong tool to help enhance and improve my everyday life in so many ways" - Kath Dobson, Waikato Leadership & Sport Studies
Stainless Design CFO
We had the pleasure of working with Rhonda on a Building Resilience Programme for our Leadership Team. Rhonda took the time to understand our business and our culture, before designing and delivering a Programme that was tailored to our objectives. Rhonda is extremely passionate and is very skilled at presenting information and connecting with people to ensure it is interesting and fun.
It was fantastic to see the way that our team engaged in the sessions and based on the feedback, we have already sparked some behaviours and changes that will make a positive difference.
We look forward to continuing the journey with Rhonda and bringing more of our team through the programme, as well as exploring other opportunities for personal development.
Sport Waikato CEO
Rhonda didn’t take long to understand our organisation and it’s specific needs. She worked well with our staff to provide an open, honest and trusting forum for feedback to help form our organisation’s draft wellness framework.
Rhonda’s excellent ‘people experience’ showed through in her ability to bring our new organisational value to life and unpack the importance of understanding and dealing with resilience in the workplace.
Rhonda worked with our Leadership Team to facilitate and draw out our thoughts as to how we can improve our employee experience. This involved some critical conversations, challenging moments and ultimately clearly defined direction.
From Kia Puawai client: Justice Department Participant
At the beginning of the day it was great as it allowed me to incorporate some learnings in the workplace. I could see the value in improving wellbeing and appreciated the opportunity to participate. Amazing topics , some were just so simple and yet so very helpful. A great learning environment with other colleagues.
The programme has helped me learn to now sweat the small stuff and how to prioritise what is good for me and my wellbeing, which brushes off on those around me. Absolutely essential to my work life now.
Rhonda is a greater presenter, very knowledgeable, and I don't want to miss any presentation! She has motivated me to take my wellbeing seriously and I have taken on another programme.
Kia Puawai client: Cambridge Community House CEO
At Cambridge Community House we highly valued the Kia Puawai sessions that Rhonda delivered. They were highly engaging and hit the spot. So often as workers for a charity delivering social and family services we let our own wellbeing slide as we strive to help and support others.
These sessions allowed our team and volunteers to focus on themselves for the full 45 minutes and self-reflect on many different topics over the 13 weeks. For many of us these sessions acted as a reminder that self-care is important and to put it back to the top of our to-do lists. With many of our team working with client situations of hardship or family violence for example, this can take an emotional toll on their wellbeing and taking this time to refocus is extremely helpful to them.
The sessions were delightfully delivered too, by a very skilled and engaging facilitator, who kept us all on track and yet gave enough slack to allow us to follow our own pathway relevant to us personally and as an organisation.
Thanks again for the wonderful sessions!
Kia Puawai client : Child Matters CEO
The Child Matters team spent a day with Rhonda, Kia Puawai trainer. Rhonda spent time prior to the training consulting with our organisation to ensure the training was tailored and beneficial for our team. The day enabled our team to spend intentional time learning, discussing, and reflecting on stress management, resilience, work life balance and other important elements of self care. The unanimous feedback from our team was that the day was a valuable tool to facilitate new learning and refresh proven concepts to assist with wellbeing. Rhonda was able to bring her knowledge and authenticity to lead a thoughtful and enjoyable day.
The Child Matters team members are resilient individuals. However there were benefits to having an external facilitator, such as:
- allowing discussion with the whole team at once, including management
- bringing another dynamic and facilitate open discussion and reflection, that would have been difficult for an internal trainer to achieve
As well as being informative, the day was also an enjoyable team building exercise.
Kia Puawai client: Aspire
Rhonda was easy to listen to, excited about what she shares and gave us excellent advice. I really enjoyed attending certain aspects of the programme. I have shared at home and at work, we remind each other of parts of the programme. I hope it continues, thank you Rhonda!
This experience should be something every work place undertakes. Great team building which in turn creates a happy and productive environment. What you say and how you say things can impact positively or negatively, using the more negative impact in a more constructive and beneficial way improves work and personal life. I have gained more confidence from the experience. Rhonda knows her subjects well and presents in a way everyone understood and could fully participate.
I have really enjoyed the sessions and feel they have had a positive impact on me as a person. All topics are so relevant to women today and the teamwork has been great as it developed over time. Great feedback from the Aspire team and so beneficial for people's health and wellbeing.
Other Organisations for whom I've worked as a Speaker or Facilitator include:
BUILDING & RETAIL
Sentinel Homes
Signature Homes
Annah S
Watch Dog Security Rotorua
CORPORATE
Harkness Henry
McCaw Lewis
Ebbett Holden
Stainless Steel Design
TOURISM
Tourism Industry Aotearoa
Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
NZ Airports
PUBLIC SERVICE
National Advocacy Trust
Auckland DHB
Jigsaw North
Hamilton Multicultural Society
EDUCATION
Wintec
Tamahere Model Country School
Sacred Heart Girls College
He Puawai (teenage mum school at Fraser High)
SURPRISE!
Reclaim Another Women (‘RAW”) - Working with ex-prisoners and recidivous offenders inside
Distinction Hotel - while under quarantine, for security, defence force, staff
My mission is to help you lead yourself from the inside out .
Using world class cutting edge coaching methodologies (I know, big call!), and the science backed principles of mindfulness, neuroscience and positive psychology.
So that you navigate a deliberate life with ease and confidence, upgrade your human experience and unlock your human potential!
