About
The Veuve Cliquot of leadership development meets the salt and vinegar chips of keeping it real.
WHO I WORK WITH
Individual leaders
You deserve to love what you do, feel confident and be sizzlingly successful.
I work with executives, managers, senior and emerging leaders who want to LEAD BETTER.
I'll work you hard and cheer you on, with grit, heart and a heap of laughs along the way.
Leadership teams
Whether you need to turn a group of rockstar individuals into a rockstar team or help with collaboration, communication and even conflicting better, I’m your girl.
The complexity of team performance spins my tyres, and that momentum unleashes a powerful brand of success for you.
HERE’S THE ELEVATOR PITCH MY FRIEND
I’m a strategic leadership coach, facilitator, keynote speaker, and consultant. I coach individual leaders to become rockstar leaders, and work with leadership teams to lift their game. Life is way too short to be mediocre, so why would you aim for anything less than being a freaking legend?
"Trust me when I say – Belinda knows her $#!t. Not afraid to call a spade a spade and with an impressive history supporting a broad range of professionals, including some very successful senior executives – there’s not much Belinda can’t help with.”
- Julie McMurray, Head of Human Resources, Dual Asia Pacific
WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU WORK WITH ME?
SAMPLE A FEW NUGGETS OF MY LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
The funny thing about leadership coaching is your epiphanies could well happen in the shower.
I love it when exciting things happen when I’m in the room with you, but often the big transformational moments happen between coaching sessions. Leaders often tell me, “I was shaving / cooking / running / thinking about what we talked about, and I realised this amazing thing.”
As a result, I get to support you through the spectacular aftermath where you put your epiphany into action. Which is where we all need help.
Success starts before you get in the water
When I represented New Zealand in flyfishing, I learned a total game changer. Catching fish doesn’t happen when the fly lands in the water, it starts in the backcast, and even before that, with how you get in the water, and how you set yourself up.
Leadership is the same. Success is in how you set yourself up, whether it’s investing in leadership development, the hours of prep and practice before you give an important talk, or simply getting a good night's sleep. Prepare like a pro.
So over the BS that if you’re not hurting, you’re not working
There’s an expression, it's just another cold, dark night on Everest. Well, it’s just another long, hard day at work. Why not revel in it and recognise, yes, work is tough, so let's celebrate the challenge. Join my crusade to put joy into leadership and relish the satisfaction of a big job well done.
Not a fan of the word should
If there’s a standard way to handle a situation, chances are, I’ll say to you, “Do you want to do an experiment?” instead.
If you catch yourself saying ‘I should be doing this’, it’s a pretty good sign that you probably shouldn’t.
Know the rulebook well enough to rip it up
The world is changing at a breakneck pace. The way you led two years ago isn’t the way to lead now, and best practice isn’t always the answer.
I’ve a vast array of tried and tested tools and frameworks, I’m constantly upgrading how I work to meet changing demands, and I never take a one-size-fits-all all approach. Sometimes the best way to evolve is to rebel.
“I met Belinda at a networking event and was totally grabbed by her presence, dynamism, insight, and kindness. She totally had me when she said that she could back a trailer better than anyone she'd ever met! My mentoring with her was a revelation. She's savvy and skilful, made me laugh out loud and then think very hard.”
- Claire Feeney, The Sustainability Strategist
HOW I BECAME A LEADERSHIP EXPERT
After a career in finance and international competitive fishing, I became a high-performance coach and leadership strategist. Expert in the neuroscience of success, I give few f**ks about corporate bluster.
Growing up on a farm in Hawkes Bay, I’m as comfortable sitting at a boardroom table as I am having tequila shots off the back of a ute at your local A&P show. I’ve raised two amazing humans, I’m posh - not prudish, have a close relationship with my boat, and live to give mediocrity the bird.
I came to coaching through being coached
When I was in the New Zealand fly fishing team my results were all over the place, so I got a mental strength coach, and got so into the power of coaching, I trained as a coach myself.
I spent seven years studying with the International Coach Federation and Coaching and Mentoring International, learning how to coach individuals and teams. One of the great things about becoming a coach is you’re coached yourself continuously, so I’ve also learned by working with some of the world’s best coaches over the years.
Today, I’ve been coaching for over 9 years, racking up thousands of coaching hours, and working with hundreds of leaders globally. I’ve coached on every continent apart from Antarctica – and I’ll crack that bad boy one day.
My superpower may be backing a trailer, but I’ve got the qualifications too
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology. University of Canterbury
Associate Certified Coach - International Coach Federation
EffectiveDirector - Governance New Zealand
Emotional Intelligence Assessor - Six Seconds
Dare to Lead (trained) - Brene Brown, Dare to Lead
Advanced Team Coaching Practitioner- Coaching and Mentoring International
Brain-Based Coaching and Results Coaching Systems - NeuroLeadership Institute
NeuroLinguistic Programming - Influencing Now
“Belinda is my absolute go-to for people who want to up their performance, get real about their $#!t, and become better, higher performing humans and organisations. If your leadership needs a kick in the ass or a boost to their emotional intelligence, she's the one.”
- Miraka Davies, Director, The School of unProfessional Writing
TIME TO KISS MEDIOCRE LEADERSHIP GOODBYE
From global leadership programmes for multinationals to facilitating strategic planning sessions for scrappy startups, lifting leaders is my jam. If your leaders need a boost, I’m here for you.
Call me: 0064 (0)21 898 091
Email me: belinda@belindathomasinc.com