NEW ZEALAND WOMEN IN FOCUS

LET’S GO WAHINE

By Clare Erasmus

Kimberley Coleman is an extraordinary woman who is changing lives in remarkable ways. Christchurch’s very own Kimberley has used her life experiences and humanitarian heart to light up the lives of many women, touching their lives with hope and helping them find their inspiration. Meeting Kimberley for the first time leaves a lasting impression of a woman who loves life, is happy and wants to change the world. Likewise, meeting those around her and those who work for her delivers the same message.

Kimberley’s effervescent personality is contagious. Despite being a successful business owner of Lady Lady Studio and Academy, she is aware of challenges that face others and is keen to empower and inspire them. Describing herself as a surfer, skier, business owner, mother of two children, Bella (13) and Kobe (11) and wife to Liam, she has a passion for making things happen. Her desire to action this passion, through her empathetic heart, has its roots in her life in her early twenties. Kimberley was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 16. She is indebted to her life-changing doctor in Sydney. Kimberley Coleman is now taking New Zealand by storm with her Let’s Go Wahine initiative.

Kimberley shares,

“Throughout my life, I have needed a lot of help to survive. My doctor in Sydney gave me the chance to live a life. Once I was well enough, I made it my mission to live a life of purpose and to help and inspire as many people as I could. I wanted to encourage others to never give up and follow their dreams; to work hard towards their goals. Interestingly, after I had recovered from Crohn’s disease, I had a freak accident when I was living in Fiji that taught me the ‘never give up’ lesson again. I was stabbed in the foot by a stingray, and I thought I was going to die. I was helped by so many people, both at the time and after, that led to my survival. Unfortunately, I needed two hip replacements due to the poison from the barb being in my system. Still, once again, kindness and compassion from surgeons and specialists helped me receive incredible hip replacements and I can live a very physical and fulfilling life.”

Kimberley Coleman

Let’s Go Wahine

For a long time, Kimberley was interested in creating a programme for women unsure where they were heading in life. Having the personal experience in her early twenties, she was able to identify with this deeply. She explained that when she was so unwell with Crohn’s, she was reliant on the benefit. She could relate to how hard it was to break that cycle and connect with everyday people in the working force. With this manifestation close to her heart, her ideas came into fruition when the Ministry of Social Development approached her.

“It was pretty awesome to be approached by the Ministry of Social Development, to have a chat about me developing a mentoring programme for women. This chat started with the suggestion of me teaching eyelash extensions to women on the dole. I soon realised the Ministry wanted me to teach more than just lashes; they wanted me to create a course that was basically ‘life school’ to help people on the benefit get jobs. This was everything I had dreamed of. After a few deep conversations about goals, life and luck, Liam (my husband) and I decided to take on the task of creating a programme to inspire and motivate young women.”

The Let’s Go Wahine programme creates opportunities for Kimberley to engage with people on the benefit who find it hard to get out of the system and into the working world with confidence. Let’s Go Wahine is where the magic happens. Kimberely provides experiences where individuals can feel valued and find their strengths. The programme begins with socially empowering events such as dancing, surfing, yoga and meditation. While these initial experiences are done in social groups, the experiences ignite the self-confidence of each member through self-discovery. Kimberley recognises that the people she works with each have something special within. She is the catalyst for them discovering what their passion is. Honest conversations occur between Kimberley and her team; they take personality tests and engage in peer feedback. Kimberley explains,

“We took the group surfing, a solo activity sport but also made more fun when done with friends. The girls bonded over wetsuit struggles, carrying large boards along the beach and getting taken out by big waves. They all helped each other and cheered one another on, and very quickly, personality types started shining through. We also did a dance class and a yoga session, where the girls got to move freely and without worrying about what the outside world thought. While partaking in these activities that were definitely out of their comfort zone, as well as a lot of chat and discussions about their life, morals, values, goals and dreams, their personality traits and their individual strengths became clear.”

The realisation of strengths for each of the women was empowering. Moreover, it was a great start for the women to find what could come next for them:

‘many of the girls were unaware of the powerful strengths that they had. Strengths, such as compassion and leadership, emerged and this was empowering’.

Some of these women have found themselves in their dream jobs - jobs that once seemed out of their reach. These experiences are self-perpetuating and pay forward for others. When others in similar positions notice the success of these Let’s Go Wahine women, they too will be inspired and encouraged.

Kimberely Coleman is an empathetic humanitarian who cares to share her time, passion and commitment to show others their strengths. At eYs Magazine, we acknowledge Kimberley as the leader in the work she does. At her core, she aims to initiate and embrace challenge and change to enable others to lead improved lives.

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim." -– Nora Ephron

*Wahine – is the Maori word for Women

Clare Erasmus - Author

eYs Magazine - Media Editor, New Zealand