I participated in Sophie K’s workshop series, which began in November. The first step was to look back over the 2025 year and see what memories came up. As I started remembering all of the things I could remember, I felt a certain sense of pride. So whilst this is published for your enjoyment, its original intention was to really consider what a fantastic year it has been. I’ve learned to hold my intentions tightly and my expectations loosely – because even when things go sideways, they tend to go somewhere worth being. Enjoy!
January: Where collaboration beats competition
We hit the ground running within my BNI network. I organised a ‘Big Breakfast’ for my own group, joining with another large group – over 100 business people with 30 seconds to pitch yourself. The energy was amazing. The wisdom I was trying to instil into my own situation was collaboration over competition. Even if someone provided exactly the same service I did, there was still benefit in talking and sharing – problems, strategies, knowledge… always learning, and who better than with someone who knows your industry!
It was the beginning of moving from fixed mindset to growth mindset, to abundance mindset. There is enough business for everyone, and there might even be more if you join forces.
February: Taking the stage (and rink)
I was travelling to Tauranga on a regular basis to coach precision roller skating teams there, plus I was coaching a few individuals and an Auckland team. Three nights a week in Auckland for my own training and coaching – it seems a lot, but I’m not a fan of the gym. So this is where I let out stress, kept myself fit and found more community.
The first competition of the season was in Rotorua – and given I’d decided it was my last year competing (planned retirement), I wanted to make the most of every opportunity.
Oh my goodness, my first paid speaking gig! I was flown to and accommodated in Nelson (what a beautiful place!), and paid for my time. I was so excited and again so nervous about providing value.
I was presenting our work for the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand. We’d created a brand persona for them and was showing their members how to utilise the content being produced without duplicating it.
My team and I joined Gilligan Sheppard at their annual conference at Narrows Landing. We were able to participate with their culture and future strategies which are very exciting pieces of work.
March: Not everything lands (and that’s okay)
I was engaged in talks to join a Board – it didn’t eventuate, but to be recommended for that kind of a position filled me with gratitude. What an honour and what an exciting opportunity!
The Young Enterprise Scheme was in full swing, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time coaching and advising some amazing entrepreneurial teenagers. Look out world, if you thought information was becoming overwhelming, imagine the thought leaders coming through in the next generation!
I was involved in a marketing group trying to launch a collective called ‘hands off marketing’. Whilst it was fun and had some amazing brains in the mix, it didn’t follow through. I include it in my year because not all things come to fruition and that’s okay.
The power of borrowed wisdom
I had the pleasure of meeting regularly with some… well, I guess you could call them coaches. Joshna Mistry CEO of Gilligan Sheppard has been helping me this year with understanding business better. Arran Boote is a known rainmaker who has been helping me think differently about my market and my products/services for those markets. Bill Bain has been helping me with the culture of my team at MasterJack. Miranda Knapton has been helping me understand my impact in the networking and business worlds, especially with the Director Consultants that I mentor for BNI.
I am so grateful for those who freely donate their time, wisdom and ears – because who doesn’t need a sounding board. Doubting yourself, allowing incorrect criticism to affect you, even failing and getting back up again, require trained skills to adapt, stay focussed and even positive. And if you don’t deal with it in the moment, well, it can bite you in the arse.
April: When stress becomes your secret weapon
Ah yes, the month that has three short weeks in it where everything goes crazy. Guess what I did? Squeezed in more!
A trip to Christchurch for the BNI Senior Leadership Team upgrades (learning and sharing) and wooing some possible clients there – another beautiful city – so green!
Land back in Auckland, quick change, and off to a stadium to compete and qualify for Nationals in Artistic Roller Skating. Just made it in time and after earning the gold, wondered if dealing with a different stress (arriving on time rather than performing in front of people) was the secret to doing so well?
MasterJack was a sponsor of the New Zealand Social Media Forum, affectionately known as NZ SOMO. I’d had the pleasure of facilitating a panel discussion, and was able to share how to use AI to create content plans for your business.
The first goal for 2025 was to increase the profile of MasterJack, and taking wisdom from those before me, knew that meant I had to be the face of it. I don’t like having my photo taken let alone speaking in front of a room of people. This was a real push for me.
I began with a feeling that I needed to make sure that everyone in the room, no matter their level of understanding in marketing, would walk away with something valuable. A high goal to achieve, and I can’t be sure if I was successful or not. There was of course great encouragement from my own team who attended, and some compliments from delegates in the breaks that followed, but how to be sure you hit 100% achievement of the goal? I couldn’t.
May: Stages, committees, and rooms full of leaders
The Business and Professional Women in New Zealand network conference took place at the Novotel in Ellerslie, and I found myself with another opportunity to be on the stage and sharing about using AI in marketing. It was a network I didn’t even know existed, but what amazing work they do – especially around politics and speaking up for women in New Zealand. I learned so much from my fellow speakers and always enjoy the kind of thinkings you have to dwell on to form your own opinion – the stretch is enjoyable.
Now the National Conference for BNI is fast approaching, so there’s plenty of preparation going on behind the scenes. Venue visits, food choices, entertainment, awards, speakers – being on a conference committee is fun. What I did like about it was the cadence of the meetings. Because we were meeting weekly, if you hadn’t completed whatever your task was for that week, it was noticeable. It gave me insights into people and their businesses – just because it’s a voluntary role doesn’t mean your business profile is hidden. And man are there some amazing people in BNI!
I also have a group of skaters who meet socially – we call it the ‘Quarterly Board Meeting’. We’ve done coloured cocktail nights, karaoke, and a night out at In Bed By 10pm. There’s something powerful about being in a room where people just get what you’re dealing with, what you’re thinking about, what you’re planning. To feel seen and to see others – that’s what relationship is all about.
We enjoyed supporting our client, the New Zealand Shareholders Association with their awards – the first being the Beacon Awards – they recognise individuals or teams in New Zealand business for exceptional leadership, strong governance, respect for shareholders, corporate social responsibility, and ethical standards, highlighting those who provide clear direction and champion fair outcomes. Imagine being in a room of that quality of business leaders!
We also sponsored a networking evening for the New Zealand Nepal Chamber of Commerce. A lovely bunch of people who want to see their business leaders achieving and feeling supported to do so.
We’re almost halfway through the year and I already feel amazed at what’s been achieved!
Another skating competition to prepare for the big ones, this one was in Palmerston North and I was able to better the score from the last one. I was also fundraising to be able to go to National and International competitions for this, my final season. I ran a quiz night and am so grateful to those who attended and supported. It can be embarrassing as an adult to have to fundraise, but due to circumstances (a story I can tell you another time), needs must.
At the end of July I flew to Blenheim to compete at my last New Zealand competition, the New Zealand Championships – it was bittersweet, but I also knew it was the right decision.
July: Golds, goodbyes, and walking on alone
Still in Blenheim (Nationals run for a whole week) and won two New Zealand titles (two golds) and one 4th place. My skaters and teams also did amazing, as many climbed onto the podium. Tears, gifts, photos and plenty of memories made.
Home for one sleep, then off to Melbourne for the Australian Championships. Looking back, it was one of the hardest things I had to do… no, no, not so little sleep, lots of physical stress and travel… nope. Walking on by myself in the opening ceremony. But it wasn’t just a walk, o no. Each state has chosen a piece of music and choreographed their way onto the floor – including props. Tell me, what does one person do in that situation? Well, I chose ‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC as my walk-on song, because for me, I was back in my silver fern black tracksuit. I strutted my stuff and was cheered on by the whole stadium.
Of course, while I’m away for all of this, I am fortunate to have my team running the show. Kelly and Rachel were able to successfully hold the fort. You can’t do great things without great people.
It was here. We’d been planning for over a year, and the BNI NZ Inaugural (inaugural means first time – I had to Google it myself) Conference. The first day was for Directors to do some learning, and with the help of Monique Bradley, I presented some… stuff. Turns out one of my items is gaining traction and spreading around the country, perhaps even internationally.
The next morning was a timestamp of when ‘value’ changed. I was setting up my exhibitor’s stand and another exhibitor walked in – Di Foster. We shared, confessed we were both speaking and nervous and the why behind it. Mine was wanting to ensure everyone got something valuable. She kinda giggled at me and said that’s a bit impossible. A bit more back and forth and I walked away realising that even if I help just one person, it would still be worth it. What a game changer.
I did my 15 minutes and every time I changed a slide, I swear about 40 phones went up in the air to take a photo. So as I was speaking, I had the glorious realisation in real time that there was definitely more than one person getting value.
We began working with two more amazing and new clients. One was launching a new product where we got to be involved in the naming process, and one was launching a new website for an accounting firm – an international one. The thing was, even though they had an international network, they needed a uniquely Kiwi voice – a project we all thoroughly enjoyed working on.
As a Marketing Association member, I got to attend a few of their events. One was with speaker Thomas Barta – here are a couple of points that have stayed with me:
- What explains business impact? 49.8% is leadership and skills, 50.2% is bravery.
- Want to grow? Assess regularly, what’s one thing you could do better?
The last week of August I headed off to Brisbane for my last roller skating competition before official retirement. Three events and the first two I earned 4th place in each. One more event to go and, well, that story is too long for here, you can read the post on Facebook ‘Miss Skate’.
What the post doesn’t tell you (spoiler alert), is that I achieved gold with a concussion, whiplash, damaged knee cartilage, a bit of internal bleeding and what turned out to be five fractured ribs. My overall lesson from this experience is that much of what I’ve lived through – both physically and mentally – got me to a place where I can tap into a very powerful skill where the brain can be more powerful than the body.
Another highlight was meeting a stranger in the line at Dracula’s. We asked to be seated with each other and thoroughly enjoyed the night together. You can make friends wherever you choose to.
September: Choosing your circle
There are many ways of saying it:
- If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.
- Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.
- You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
- Your vibe attracts your tribe.
The thing is, if you’re not intentional about who’s around you, you’ll end up with whatever has just ‘happened’. With this in mind, I started being intentional. Being a high achiever has its pros and cons, but when you meet another high achiever, who thinks and acts the same way as you, it actually feels like a safe space. There are two women who I now do regular monthly lunches with (and one’s a foodie, so she chooses the café, and I’m loving the journey so far).
The work was coming in thick and fast, but months ago, Rachel had booked in a month off to go to Europe. She would probably say it wasn’t long enough, and I was thinking ‘never again’! Nah, not true. Team happiness is the most important thing at MasterJack – because they make clients happy.
October: Holding the fort (and it’s Ah-dee-dahs, not Uh-DEE-dus)
Two weeks after Rachel returned, Kelly’s holiday began. A month in Japan and the work was still coming in! We had agreed on all the holidays in advance, beginning of the year when it was a bit quieter. It was a juggle, but you know what, I’d do it again. Travel and disconnecting is so good for the soul!
Our intern Divisha began with us, only a couple of hours a week, but enough to create some socials and get some experience onto her CV.
The Marketing Association ran their Brand Summit, which is where I fell in love with the Adidas story. And for the record, it’s Adi-das, not ah-dee-das – his name was Adi Dassler.
November: Workshops, wisdom, and a 95-year-old legend
I ran the first AI Marketing Workshop for MasterJack, and it went really well. I learned some presentation lessons and got some great feedback from the attendees. We’ll be doing this one regularly and are looking at transforming it into an online one so that it can be global.
Proudly attended my grandmother’s 95th birthday. I love chatting with her and finding out stories from her past. An amazing woman from whom I think I get my humour from.
Also did some upskilling in BNI with another Senior Leadership Team training day in Christchurch (and made the most of some networking whilst there), and in my role as a roller skating coach attended a two-day seminar with the intention of helping my skaters achieve their goals.
December: Here we are
We kicked off the month at the NZSA Journalism Awards. MasterJack gets to do the slideshows for these. They had a new category this year, so some additions to the crowd. I silently fan-girled about Mike McRoberts.
And now, here we are. In amongst the Christmas celebrations, end-of-year parties, and preparing for an improved year in 2026.
My lessons from 2025
- Your tribe affects your personal and business growth – choose them carefully.
- Collaboration beats competition. There’s enough business for everyone, and joining forces often creates more.
- Not everything comes to fruition – and that’s okay. Some projects don’t land. Include them in your story anyway; they’re still part of the journey.
- Value doesn’t mean 100%. If you help just one person, it’s still worth it.
- You can’t do great things without great people. Build a team you trust to hold the fort.
- Team happiness comes first. Happy teams make happy clients. Prioritise their wellbeing – including proper holidays.
- The mind can be more powerful than the body. What you’ve lived through – physically and mentally – builds resilience you can tap into when it matters.
- Bravery explains half of business impact. Leadership and skills matter, but so does courage.
- You can make friends wherever you choose to. Stay open. The best connections happen in unexpected queues.
- Invest in sounding boards. Coaches, mentors, and wise ears help you adapt, stay focused, and get back up when you fall.