Winning Performance is 15 today! And 7-year-old me is so chuffed, given she vowed and declared she’d have her own business helping people someday.

Because I love what I do so much, it’s easy to assume the path here was straightforward. On the contrary, I think my journey demonstrates the power of iterating.

Initially, I wanted to be an entrepreneur, so sold products on commission at the school gate. Realising I liked helping more than selling, I investigated becoming a psychologist.

At university, I figured there was no need to limit myself so did Psychology, Marketing, Operations Management and Information Systems. Acutely aware of my lack of real-world experience, I turned down a PhD scholarship and academic teaching position in Operations Management and went to live overseas.

I worked on mergers and acquisitions for a while with a boutique investment bank, but ultimately couldn’t reconcile the ethics. Perhaps as an overcorrection, I went to work with high-needs foster children.

Impressed with the work I was doing; the principal psychologist took me under her wing and helped me through the arduous psychologist registration process. And after seeing me work in all sorts of roles and industries, she challenged me to consider how I might combine my commercial acumen and psychological expertise.

I thought consulting would be a good match, but never quite found my fit. So, in 2008 when businesses were hunkering down and cutting costs, I left my job and started Winning Performance.

Some would say the timing was terrible, but I thought organisations would need to re-evaluate things, thereby creating opportunity. While business started off slow, clients would generally tell others about me so I never had to do any “selling”.

I look back at the type of work I used to do and even that has changed a lot. A great by-product of co-creating fit-for-purpose solutions that meet your clients’ needs and focusing on value over profit is that your business evolves as your clients do.

These days, you’ll find me facilitating organisational strategy, sense-checking important hires and promotions, unlocking team potential, mediating conflicts and developing exceptional leaders. And while circumstances – like the GFC, Covid or even having a third baby as the breadwinner – have thoroughly tested me at times, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.

Having said that, I’ve still got a few decades left to write! And while I don’t know exactly how my journey will unfold, I do know it’ll continue to involve helping people, living my values and trying to do good in the world.

Cheers and thank you to my husband, children, loved ones and clients for your continued support!