A former opera singer meets a former newscaster...and our story begins!
Following our hearts, and not conventional wisdom, Maaike (the opera singer) and I (the television journalist) both found ourselves living in New Zealand: it was our partner’s job opportunities that led us here! New Zealand is home for her husband, who’s a Kiwi, and a new horizon for mine, an American. He, like me, couldn't resist an overseas adventure - for ourselves and our teenaged sons.
In my teens, my parents moved to the Middle East and I ended up living in England. As it happens, Maaike’s family, too, had traveled the world - even living in the same city as mine - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Because of our parent’s peripatetic backgrounds, we both look at life as more an adventure to experience rather than a proscribed set of rules to follow and boxes to tick.
Following our hearts, and not conventional wisdom, Maaike (the opera singer) and I (the television journalist) both found ourselves living in New Zealand: it was our partner’s job opportunities that led us here! New Zealand is home for her husband, who’s a Kiwi, and a new horizon for mine, an American. He, like me, couldn't resist an overseas adventure - for ourselves and our teenaged sons.
In my teens, my parents moved to the Middle East and I ended up living in England. As it happens, Maaike’s family, too, had traveled the world - even living in the same city as mine - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Because of our parent’s peripatetic backgrounds, we both look at life as more an adventure to experience rather than a proscribed set of rules to follow and boxes to tick.
This philosophy’s given us the freedom to create and re-create our lives, and to a certain extent, ourselves. However, we’ve also learned that no matter what changes on the outside, you remain you - with your strengths and weaknesses. What lies at your core, layered with what you’ve learned and experienced, is what makes you human and unique.
I met Maaike when I joined the local choir she was directing. A community choir, for fun only, no auditions required. That was a relief, as I hadn’t really sung in a decade! Though I knew she was a trained opera singer, I quickly learned how much more there is to Maaike. She just radiated at the front of the room, guiding us with intelligence, enthusiasm, charisma, talent, empathy... The list of adjectives could ramble on, but I’ll stop there. She is magnetic.
When she and I started talking, she learned about my background in television journalism. I’ve done every on and off-camera job except shoot my own video. Equally comfortable stomping around rural areas as covering inner-city crime, I learned I could communicate with farmers as well as politicians, and coax ordinary people to open up and feel comfortable telling their extraordinary stories. I discovered how much I loved working so closely with people - far more than any thrill I ever got from appearing on tv.
Maaike and I soon realised that we shared complementary personalities. We’ve both led independent lives and become comfortable working in professions that examined us as if we were under a microscope. We are working mothers who have learned how best to try and achieve balance. Focused but relaxed, we enjoy working at my kitchen table, taking breaks to walk our dogs through the Botanic Garden.
Our decision to co-found Personal Branz developed organically. Once Maaike suggested we explore working together, one thing after another just fell into place. Beyond our professional experience we discovered that courses we’d taken, information we’d collected, our own life lessons all slotted neatly into a category called “personal branding”. Once we started sharing our vision, a business mentor volunteered to help us, and a graphic artist friend offered her services. Our company started taking shape as if it had a life force of its own.
