Owning It

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞?

According to Stats NZ, the unemployment rate for 15–24-year-olds rose from 13.1% to 15.2% in the year to September 2025.

Yet, my eldest son walked into a fast-food restaurant last week and was offered a job within a day. A few days later, a retail pharmacy called inviting him for an interview for a Christmas casual role.

So… what’s going on here? Are there jobs for teens or not?

Here’s what happened.

For nearly six months, my son had been applying for part-time roles online — with hardly any response.

But a week and a half ago, he decided to do it the old-fashioned way — printed CVs in hand, walking into stores and asking, “Do you have any Christmas casual or part-time roles?”

Most people told him to apply online. Some took his CV and set it aside.

But when he walked into one fast-food restaurant, the regional manager happened to be there. She chatted with my son, took his CV, scheduled an interview the next day — and offered him the job the day after that.

The lesson?

When you apply online, you’re just one of hundreds (if not thousands) of files in a system.

But when you walk in confidently, introduce yourself, and show initiative — you stand out. You might just meet someone who can make a decision on the spot.

So to young people out there:

👉 Be bold.
👉 Show up.
👉 Sometimes, the “old-school” way is still the best way.

Parents, sound familiar?
👀 7am wake up
🥣 Breakfast
🚗 School drop-off
🚦 Traffic + full workday
⌛ Miss pickup (kids = grumpy + hangry)
🍽️ Dinner no one likes
😡 Argument
🛏️ Flop on bed at 9pm
🚿 Quick shower
💻 More work
😩 Collapse... still no me time

Parental overwhelm often leads to parental guilt.

Many families today are stretched thin — both parents working, juggling schedules, covering rising costs, and doing their best just to keep up with mortgages and basic necessities. In the rush, we often miss the very moments that matter most in our children’s lives.

And when we miss those moments, guilt sets in. We feel like terrible parents. That guilt can lead to avoidance, and avoidance only creates more guilt. A cycle that’s exhausting, discouraging, and hard to break.

What would it look like to reimagine our schedules — even if it meant managing with less — so we could create more space for our children and break the cycle of guilt?

Do you think it’s possible?

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 15 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐎𝐰𝐧 (𝐌𝐈𝐎𝐌𝐎), 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 "𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭"!

Yvonne Godfrey laid the foundation with a life-changing programme that equipped teenagers with the essential life skills to truly “make it on their own.” In 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic—she passed the baton to me.

Together, over the last 15 years, MIOMO has impacted more than 700 young people and their families, leaving a lasting, positive mark that continues to grow.

Our “why” has always been the same: to equip and empower young people to take ownership of their lives, and to support parents with the skills to guide them. That hasn’t changed. But in recent years, we’ve heard feedback such as:

- “We don’t want our young people to be alone.”
- “Our culture values collective interdependence, not independence.”
- “Faith teaches our young people to rely on God, not themselves.”
- “I struggle to pronounce your organisation’s name.”

None of these reflect what MIOMO was ever meant to communicate.

At the start of this year, I sensed it was time for a shift—a nudge into a new era. The mission remains the same, but the name and identity will evolve, carrying the work forward with fresh clarity and the same heart.

So here’s to taking ownership of our lives, our future, and our destiny. We are OwningIt!

* 𝑷𝑶𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑬𝑷𝑰𝑺𝑶𝑫𝑬 𝑺𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 *

𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.

But how do you know what the right thing actually is?

Should you go to university just because all your friends are going? Or
should you skip it entirely? Take that job overseas—or stay close to home?

Be in a relationship—or focus on yourself for now?

These questions don’t come with easy answers. And following the crowd
doesn’t always lead to what’s best for you.

In this episode, I’m sharing a timeless principle that changed the way I make decisions—and how I learned to choose what’s right for me, not just what’s expected.

Listen on Spotify - Link in comments

𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬.

But they don’t come naturally to most of us — they certainly didn’t for me.

Over 20 years ago, when I started working, I dreaded feedback. It felt like criticism, and I resisted it. But over time, I realized something powerful: feedback is a gift. When someone takes the time to offer you thoughtful input, it usually means they care.

Once I started leaning into feedback, I became more attuned to how I was showing up — my tone, my presence, the energy in the room (social temperature, not the thermostat!). I began to "sense" situations better and avoid missteps more often than not.

Then, a few years ago, I heard a podcast guest say, "𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓."

That line stopped me in my tracks — because it’s absolutely true.

In leadership especially, self-awareness becomes essential. As you rise in seniority, the feedback loop gets quieter. Fewer people will tell you the unfiltered truth. That’s not cynicism — it’s just how power dynamics work.

Without self-awareness, leaders can be the last to know what’s really going on in their teams or culture — often when it’s already too late.

Let’s be clear: 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔.

It’s about being intentional, reflective, and receptive — not overly critical or defensive. It also means resisting the urge to respond immediately, especially when feedback doesn’t align with our expectations.

When paired with 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, self-awareness becomes even more powerful.

Curiosity, when rooted in humility, creates space for others to speak up, contribute, and feel respected. It tells your team: “𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

And that kind of leadership? That’s magnetic.



What do you think of this?

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐃𝐎

As part of Budget 2025, the government will tighten benefit eligibility for 18- and 19-year-olds. From 2027, nearly 9,000 young people will no longer qualify for unemployment support — shifting the financial responsibility back to parents unless the young person is working or studying.

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 — 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 — 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆?

After years of working closely with young adults, teaching them essential life skills — identity, purpose, emotional intelligence, communication, motivation — I’ve seen a clear gap between what’s taught in schools and what’s actually needed to thrive in the real world.

Many assume “life skills” means cooking, changing a tyre, or gardening — things that can be learnt in 30 seconds on TikTok. But the deeper, more transformative life skills are about who you are, why you do what you do, and how you connect and contribute in society.

Unfortunately, these skills are often viewed as a “nice to have”:

- Not part of the curriculum, so schools deprioritize them.
- Not immediately measurable, so parents overlook them.
- Not urgent — until it’s too late.

But here’s the reality:
- A student with top grades who can’t hold a conversation? Struggles to get hired.

- An athlete with accolades but no internal drive? Struggles with long-term direction.

- A teen who's never been taught to navigate conflict or failure? Struggles with resilience.

Parents will invest thousands in music lessons, sports, or overseas trips — but hesitate to invest in coaching that prepares our young people for life.

This might sound self-serving — but it’s not about me. It’s about asking the hard question:

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦?

Let’s start having that conversation.

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝑨𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒂! 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑𝒔://𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒐𝒉𝒊.𝒐𝒓𝒈.𝒏𝒛/

𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦

I did a post last year and it blew up (well, it got over 20 comments)! The most amazing thing was that the comments all came from teens!

The post asked - "If you could tell an adult about what teenagers are like, or dispel a myth, or answer back to statements like "young people are just lazy, addicted to their screens, not motivated". What would you say."

I summarised the comments into 10 themes.

What do you think? What stood out for you?

Feel free to download a FREE Ebook I wrote as a result of this post : https://lnkd.in/gE9q6TpZ

Saying "No" is kind.
Saying "No" is hard.
Saying "No" makes your "Yes" mean something.

Say "No"...

If you don’t believe in something—so you don’t mislead others.

If you’re too busy—so you don’t have to cancel at the last minute.

If you’re unsure how to do something—so you can learn before committing.

If you’re not interested—so you don’t waste anyone’s time.

Learning to say "No" with integrity and clarity helps set expectations and builds trust. It’s not about shutting doors—it’s about being intentional with your commitments.