Start Afresh Life Coaching

14/09/2026

Great day

14/09/2026

Volunteering yesterday for Taranaki Women’s Refuge Pop-up-shop was fantastic, a big thank you to Piccolo Morso Bakery and Gelato lounge for providing a scrumptious morning tea. Great day hanging up the garments, lots of hands make light work, so proud to be a part of this event and to assist for an essential service in the Taranaki community.

10/09/2026

Having fun is really important for our mental health. This charcoal, pastel and pencil picture was my fun. Inspired by a 1st Nation’s Canadian artist and my love of our native environment. I loved the intensity and shapes of the spindly trees in Rotokare Nature Reserve near Eltham in Taranaki, home to birds, lizards and other nearly extinct species including the Stitch bird/Hehe, saddleback and North Island NZ Robin.

The next two weeks I am volunteering for the Taranaki Women’s Refuge Pop-up-shop to raise some crucial funds for a very important cause. We are into spring and looking towards warmer weather, so a great way to refresh your wardrobe, build your confidence and support a crucial community cause. Taking place at The Raceway, New Plymouth, 26th September until 4th October.

11/08/2026

Please support this vital cause.

The countdown is ON.. have you got your alarms set? ⏰🚨 Last year we sold out within 24 hours 😮‍💨

VIP tickets on sale THIS Wednesday 🥳

📸 Michelle Porter
💄 Bonnie Kahui Creative Photographer
💇🏼‍♀️ Kirsty Gavin
💃🏼 •HAYLEY•

10/08/2026

Here is hoping this week has got off to a great start.

I was part of a discussion yesterday on “happiness”. I am opening the discussion here because there is an importance in self refection here on what happiness means to each one of us before we can look at the difference between happiness and contentment.

Happy exploring this week and don’t hesitate to give me a call to continue the discussion.

The bird in the photo is a Royal Spoonbill/Kōtuku ngutupapa, and it’s bill is specially built for sifting through mud and silt for food. What amazes me is how the bill preens the beautiful white feathers. Happiness for me is watching and marvelling at how nature adapts to provide beauty. Happy self-reflecting.

05/08/2026

Mt Taranaki finally has snow and a few frosty starts but we are in winter. With the days finally getting longer, hopefully those who suffer from winter depression will start feeling brighter by now. Some fantastic sun rises have been lovely positive ways to start the day lately. And it is still important to give ourselves a break if we have a lazy day every now and again as rest can make us fresh to move forward in achieving our goals. Sometimes taking a break gives us space to find inspiration for new goals or lets us see a better path to our current goals. Finding things to laugh about, trips down memory lane, or taking up a new hobby can brighten our long winter cold days. Until next time.

27/05/2026

Its been a while since I have shared. Life can become temporarily hectic and short bursts of stress in our lives can sometimes awaken us and provide stimulation and learning experiences. That said, there is also an importance to take a moment to find balance and peace amongst the chaos. Taking time to reflect and remember to include the things that make us unique individuals. Loving the bees on my lavender bush today was my personal moment in the chaos. The colours, the scent and being able to provide crucial nectar for our pollinators.

25/03/2026

These Hydrangeas begin as white and as the flower matures turns into this beautiful aray of pinks. Nature is easily reflected in our personal journey and as a life coach it is my job to bring out your inner depth, confidence and unique qualities to conquer today’s challenges with purpose. And you don’t even have to leave the house, so book a zoom session to begin your journey to finding your own personal array of colours.

19/03/2026

It is so easy to get sucked up into the world horrors and the future financial worries of a deepening cost of living crisis. My thoughts go out to all who are suffering from these events.

I refuse to let myself become consumed by these depressing events. The photo below is where I take time to balance out life in nature. Shifting focus from one of worry to one of calmness and beauty helps us realise that there is still beauty around us. Nature in our back yard that doesn’t cost us a cent on petrol to appreciate.

Budgeting is key, yes, and there might not be enough money to go around, but we must look after our mental and physical health by finding something that brings calm into our crazy world. We can’t forget that nature is bigger than us, resilient as we need to be, and bringing a smile where everything else seems so out of our control.

Comment below on what brings calm to your lives. Until next time, stay safe and look after each other.

19/02/2026

It is ok to give oneself permission to step back from busy lives and do something different for a change. What stepping back can achieve is to shift attention away from continuously thinking, worrying and focus on something which entertains, challenges, and also brings satisfaction without looking at screens. Some people watch the latest media site programmes, and that’s ok too. This was my recent “time out” project.

Yes there seems to be a piece missing. Being human means we have biases and imperfections and as a life coach it is my job to avoid personal biases where possible in practice. I do that by making clients be the experts in their own lives.

What ever the project this week-end, have fun.