An author of 18 books (to date), I love passing it forward and helping others find their words and have them land on the blank page!
I was born early in my life and, since then, have been an avid student of life and all who sail in her. I started with some business qualifications:
Bachelor of Business Studies
Associate Chartered Accountant
Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries
Associate of the Institute of Managers
Then some teaching qualifications:
Certificate in Adult Teaching
Certificate in Adult Education
Certificate IV in Teaching and Assessment
Then some personal/spiritual development inquiry, including:
Counselling training as a hospice volunteer
Grief Counselling
Breakthrough program
Landmark Forum
Transactional Analysis
A Course in Miracles
And time with indigenous elders:
A Hopi Elder from Sedona
A Sangorna in South Africa
Several Kaumatua in New Zealand
An Aboriginal elder near Alice Springs
I was in the Guinness Book of Records as the shyest person on the planet and, at 40 years old, decided to expunge that huge fear of people from my life. I didn’t need to be limited by it any more. I went to the local polytechnic and asked if they needed an accounting teacher. I was already terrified, fronting up to strangers, and the receptionist laughed at me. I shrivelled up and turned around to slither out.
“No, no sir, I wasn’t laughing at you,” she assured me. “It was just that our accounting teacher was fired yesterday and I was just placing an advert in the paper for a replacement.”
The Academic Director happened to be passing at that moment and he invited me into his office for a little chat. A week later I was teaching, with no training or supervision. I was petrified for the next six months but was determined to dissolve this oppressive shyness. It finally went and I have been teaching accounting and business subjects in New Zealand, Australia and England at polytechnics, universities and as a corporate trainer and business coach.
I also ran my own personal development course – Free To Be Me – in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia and it took me some time to realise that I learn most when I’m teaching.
Around my 40th year, also, I started publishing other people’s books and then writing and publishing my own. A number of my original books were published, sold and never heard of again. Therefore, the ones here are not all that I have written but they are the ones I am most proud of.
I know you’ll enjoy them … all of them!
almost 7 years ago
