Community Spirit Award 2025
The Moment That Humbled Me More Than The Award Itself
Receiving the PREKURE Community Spirit Award for 2025 was a true honour, and even now I am still taking it all in. What surprised me most though had nothing to do with standing on stage. It was the conversations that followed.
People came up to me afterwards, sent messages, and shared how the speech made them pause, reflect, or feel encouraged on their own journey. Hearing that touched me more deeply than the award itself.
One moment that really seemed to land was the lighthearted nod to Snoop Dogg’s iconic line I wanna thank me. We had recently used this during a Ko Wai Au - Who am I? group mentoring session as a playful but powerful reminder that acknowledging your own effort is not arrogance, it is accountability and self respect. So it felt right to model what I teach and weave it into the night.
With so many people asking about the speech, I decided to share it here in full.
Awards Night Speech
Thank you so much. It genuinely is an honour and a privilege to receive this award. Never in my life did I imagine I would be standing here tonight.
When I made the decision, as a middle aged woman, a wife and a mum of three, to return to study and refresh my skills, it was not an easy choice. With work, family, and a long list of voluntary roles, it felt like a huge commitment. But I am so grateful I chose to invest in myself. This journey has stretched me, grown me, and helped me become a more grounded and capable coach. Along the way I have met incredible people who have inspired me more than they might realise.
To the PREKURE faculty, thank you. Your leadership, direction, and belief in the future of health coaching have shaped so many of us. I am proud to stand here as a PREKURE Master Health Coach.
To my family, thank you for walking beside me through some of the most challenging years we have faced together. We held tight to each other and stayed steady, and I am deeply grateful for your love and support.
To my cohorts, you have been a gift. You have been cheerleaders, sounding boards, and steady companions through the highs and through the moments where I wondered how on earth I was going to keep going. Thank you for the companionship, laughter, the honesty, and the shared determination. To those who have become close friends, you know who you are, and I treasure you.
Lia, you are an incredible human and an amazing coach. Thank you for being a safe and steady place for me when I was navigating a difficult situation. Your presence, your listening, and your calm made more difference than you know. Keep trusting in your abilities and the way you show up for others. You have so much to offer and the coaching world is better because you are in it.
Lisa, your energy and your thoughtfulness are something special. Watching your growth over the past two years has been inspiring. Your willingness to challenge what does not sit right and your ability to bring real life experience into your coaching show the depth of who you are. And if it was not for you, I would never have met my now business partner, Aroha.
Aroha, what we have created together in Ko Wai Coaching Collective still amazes me. It is rare to find someone who shares the same passion for supporting and empowering health coaches. Through Ko Wai Coaching Collective we are building spaces that strengthen identity, deepen reflection, and help coaches grow into their most confident and capable selves. I cannot wait to see where we take Ko Wai in 2026.
And to finish, in one of our Ko Wai Au, Who Am I? Group mentoring sessions, we explored accountability and what it means to truly acknowledge your own effort. We ended with a speech from Snoop Dogg that captured it perfectly. I want to dedicate this to every single one of you who is on your own learning journey.
In the words of Snoop Dogg:
And last of all I wanna thank me
I wanna thank me for believing in me
I wanna thank me for doing all this hard work
I wanna thank me for having no days off
I wanna thank me for never quitting
I wanna thank me for always being a giver and trying to give more than I receive
I wanna thank me for trying to do more right than wrong
I wanna thank me for just being me at all times
And from me to you, believe in yourself and your abilities even on the days it feels hard. Reach out when you need to, there is always someone willing to walk beside you.
Thank you all for being part of this moment. I am excited for what comes next.
Ngā mihi nui
Closing Reflections
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Sharing it feels important because the moments that shape us are often the ones we least expect.
My hope is that something in these words reminds you to back yourself a little more, honour the work you put in, and keep showing up in ways that feel true for you.
I am incredibly grateful for the PREKURE community, for the support, and for everyone who reminded me on graduation night why this mahi matters so much. 💚
