Janelle's Personal Bio

My story is much life the Ugly Duckling with years of hating my body and suffering low self esteem whilst trying to fit in, yet never feeling like I ever did. Years of eating and food issues, depression, fertility issues, miscarriage losses, low libido, a suicide attempt and a lingering theme of unconfidence, despite being a high achiever and a fabulous mother of 6, I now choose love for my body and love for myself, and I have learned that I have all the answers, if only I get still and listen. From superwoman to a super woman, from loathing my body to now loving it, from body disgust to body trust and from listening to external sources to now trusting my own internal resources, I live life in a very different, and more empowering way. I don't live life in the drama of change and transition. I help people calmly appreciate the changes that are occurring in their lives. Everything is possible!

I live simply, love walking, enjoy baking, thrive on creating family events and I love to dance, move and groove in my body . I enjoy an easy life...no longer tempted to be in the busy lane of life. My greatest joy is spending quality time with people - inspiring them to feel and be great and to really step up into who they really are. My kids are very important to me. I love, and am proud of each and every one of them as they are each self assured and confident in doing what they do best, and being the sort of person they like to be. Travel is one of my key enjoyments in life - not because of the tripping around, so much as sharing the cultural, social and language aspect of people living in different communities and societies. I am resourceful - often creating lots out of nothing. I help people do the same. Manifesting comes, I believe, from being generous and grateful. This comes naturally to me. I am a connector at heart and love bringing people together for a common cause.

Professional bio

Presenters Platform with Paulus Romijn (confidence in presenting especially in front of a camera)
On the Talento Talent Agency's books for TV ads and voice-overs - have done several ads to date
Presentation and Platform Skills with Christopher Howard
Breakthrough to Success and Performance Revolution Leadership programme
Joanna Martin's online Shift Speaker Training
Sally Anderson Stepping Out Coaching programme
Diploma of Occupational Therapy
BA (Languages) and Post Graduate Diploma of Language Teaching
RSA Cambridge Certificate TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language)
Aquarian Healing
NZ First Light Flower essences
Natural Fertility (Francesca Naish)
Post Abortion Healing (PATHS)
Celebrant studies (AUT)
Other short courses and workshops – particularly in personal and spiritual development

Over the years, I have worked in Occupational Therapy, teaching, counselling and group facilitation roles – predominantly focusing on women’s health, well-being, self empowerment, quality information and educational resources and personal and spiritual growth.

I worked in Psychiatry at Auckland Hospital particularly in the acute area and also with the eating disorders team. At the Bethany Centre in Auckland I worked in a counselling role and ran the residential life-skills programme for young pregnant women and facilitated groups for prospective adoptive parents. I have also taught in Community Education with a variety of cultures and have balanced this with a very busy family life.

In 2004 I founded and created Vital Peace and since then I have predominantly worked with women in a coaching and healing capacity, facilitating group work and workshops and I was also the leader of a small, but lovely Vital Peace community – supporting other health and wellness professionals in a personal and professional capacity. Since 2004 some of the resources and workshops I have created include:

Feminine identity – discovering and loving the real woman in me
Still blossoming – allowing your true essence to bloom –personal and spiritual development
Stillness and Simplicity – simplicity in a complex world
From Motherhood to Loverhood / Intimacy starts with “I”
The Confidence Club
Passionate Juicy Living series

I have also written for online magazines, networking groups and other publications including Her Business and Family Health Diary. Click here for my articles that are part of the Confident Me series plus other articles and poems.

2009 was a year of marking new lines in the sand – both personally and professionally, hence my rebranding under Janelle – the essence of being yourself. This has been my own professional “marker” of stepping up as leader, speaker and confidence coach and writer which has grown out of me continuing to re-define and refine myself and my life.

During 2010, I began public speaking particularly within the health, wellness, fitness, creative arts and beauty fields, but also supporting business people who I had coached previously. I also facilitated a very successful Confidence Club - with participants experiencing huge shifts in their confidence. My Reinvent Yourself fundraiser for my New York marathon charity CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust was a winning event in 2011.

2012 was about my stepping up more in my speaking, MC work and event management as well as introducing a Passionate Juicy Living series to my repertoire in 2013, which has already been one of awaiting new platforms from which I can make a bigger impact.

Defining the wealth of who I am and how I can help you

My key strengths are my creativity, intuitive abilities, and resourcefulness, my “let’s make it happen attitude” and the honesty and integrity that I bring with my own self-awareness – allowing others permission to open up, enquire into their lives and to make life-enhancing changes. Known for my enthusiasm and inspiring nature, my approach is a lot of fun, very personal and compassionate, yet highly challenging!
I am a visionary and a leader. I tend to lead rather than to follow and see the big picture as well as the individual steps.
I am a “zagger” rather than a “zigger”. I don’t typically fit the “norm”. In fact I have felt largely displaced all of my life but now feel at ease with “being myself”. My “place” now is supporting people to challenge the “status quo”, helping them define themselves and their individual path and supporting them walk that path.
I am a solution finder rather than a problem solver. I am highly creative, an ideas person extraordinaire and have a quick-thinking mind. I often see different perspectives on a situation and help people find “out of the square” solutions.
I love questions and the art of enquiry. I help people really dig deep by asking the questions that will help them get to the core and find their own answers to their “problems”. I work in a self-reflective way with people, rather than in a prescriptive way.
I like forward momentum. My expertise and ongoing commitment is to people who are serious about addressing “the hard stuff” and who want to get real and honest about their situation and who are willing to make changes and take new action. This is in contrast to someone who lacks commitment, has more investment playing “victim” and who finds excuses for not “moving on”.
I enjoy simplicity. From years of busy-ness, playing superwoman to the extreme and “suffering” the costs of that, I now choose a simple, quieter life doing things I enjoy doing - filling my soul with experiences that make me laugh and cry and having people in my life who see me in my greatness and inspire me to be great.
I am a down-to-earth and intuitive woman. A very grounded, practical, hard-working and intelligent Virgo, I am also very intuitive and enjoy a relationship with “Spirit” – this relationship being a very beautiful and unique part of the way that I work with people.
I am a hurdler of obstacles. My determined streak has given me the ability to jump the hurdles of my life with relative determination, courage, calmness and finesse and I help others do the same.
I am very resourceful, versatile and adaptable. My skills lie in determining individual or collective needs and creating the environment and resources, both material and personal, which will best support the desired outcome. I comfortably fit into many different situations with a variety of people.
I am a connector of people. I believe when people share connection and a common belief and intention, everything is possible and change can happen on a grand scale. Building and providing strong communities that support people holistically is an important foundation for people to grow, develop and shine.
I speak my mind and demand the best of myself and others. This has placed me in a very open firing range for attack because these qualities can be misinterpreted as “judgemental and critical”. I choose however to see people’s potential, to help them do things to the best of their ability and to see expansive possibilities rather than a more limited view of life.