Michelle coined a new phrase and had a lot of fun putting together this talk about 'bothering' and what it takes to be a botherer.

Michelle thinks bothering matters a great deal. Our human world was built for bothering. Where would we be if it were not for the botherers of this world?!

Lucikly, bothering is learnable.

Click here to watch her 2018 TEDx talk on YouTube.
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Teenaa koutou katoa
Ko Pirongia te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Ingarangi toku turangawaewae, engari e noho ana ahau kei Kirikiriroa
Ko Beren raua ko Willis Howie aku tamariki
Ko Shawn Howie toku hoa taane
Ko Michelle Howie toku ingoa
Teenaa koutou, teenaa koutou, teenaa koutou katoa
 
Welcome to my website.
Pirongia is my mountain and the Waikato is my river. I am from England, but now call Hamilton, New Zealand my home. I share my life with my two sons Beren and Willis and my husband Shawn. My name is Michelle Howie (which I think you must know by now) and you are in the right place to read a bit about me and what I do.

I have been based in Hamilton since 2006. I started my working life at 15 in Banstead, England. Every Saturday, I swept the cut hair on the floor of a barber shop and fetched the lunches for the Italian family that owned the shop. A bit random, but all roles and careers since then have fitted the 'random' category very nicely!

I became a high school teacher of French at the age of 25 and so began my love affair with teaching and learning. Travel in Africa one summer led me to cross paths with a pretty cool Kiwi fella called Shawn and so I ended up in New Zealand.

Through the years and the many random jobs, I have been consistently drawn to common threads.
- why do people behave the way they do?
- how do you evolve through your life? Why don't I feel the same way any more?
- why are some people living, working and performing so 'naturally' and others are struggling?
- how do organisations and communities 'work'? How does the structure, the environment, the leadership make a difference?

In 2011 I became a mother and in doing so I became more tuned in to my life and experience as a woman. I was fortunate to be cared for by some strong women in those years - and I walked alongside them like a sponge, soaking up their words. My fascinations now also include:
- women
- leadership (with a big L and a little l - not just the senior kind, mostly the everyday kind)
- community and giving back to balance the abundance of life in a fair and just way
- the art of conversation

I never really planned to be self employed, but that's the way it's turned out. I began consulting in 2015 and have gathered skills across a broad range of clients and situations since then. 

Launching a grassroots youth facility, leading an ERO review, designing birth education classes, project managing a large HR restructure and drafting Trust policy and process are some examples of the work I have been a part of, or led, over the many years since that barber shop in Banstead.

I believe in bringing our full selves into the community in which we live. Over the years I have held a number of voluntary community roles. I have been a part of the Waikato Women's Fund since March 2018 and very much enjoy chairing the committee as we work to grow a Fund, make grants and celebrate women and girls.

I have a Bachelors degree in French, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (the UK teaching qualification) and am a PRINCE2 certified Project Manager. My coaching work is informed by the Three Principles and guided by the writings and insights of people such as Parker J Palmer and Sydney Banks. I am a member of the New Zealand Association for Training and Development (NZATD).

Follow my blog to learn more about my life and work...

I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to find me on Facebook and LinkedIn or drop me an email. When you're ready, you can book a meeting with me here.