Help more people, Help more people

If you could do anything what would you do?

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:05:19 GMT

If you could do anything what would you do?

I'd paint and write EVERY day. One of my life goals is to create a life where I have a sustainable income from my creativity and was able to help others achieve their projects.

I've set a few goals around that. One was to expand my creative practice to more than murals. Two and a half years ago I started a "Friday night Painting Practice", we'd get takeaway for dinner and at 6.30pm I'd start painting from a photo I'd taken.

30 months later I have a series of paintings called ' Otautahi, a New Perspective ' of my home, Christchurch (and surrounds).

I didn't over think it, I just took photos of places that inspired me (usually architectural elements or interesting landscapes) and kept painting until I felt 'finished' usually sometime after midnight.

During this time I also had a 'creative buddy'✨. We shared what we were both working on and had individual goals for how often we would create a finished piece. This was really helpful, particularly when life got off track (and it did!) because there was always someone there inspiring me to pick up the brush again when I was feeling lost creatively.

Late last year, when I was thinking about 2026, I knew I wanted to include more income from my art practice. I had been to The Christchurch Art Show every year since 2020 and always loved the idea of entering - so late one night I bit the bullet and submitted examples of my work. I was beyond delighted when I was accepted as an exhibiting artist a few weeks later!!

The show is on May 1-3, five weeks away, so I'm busy framing, getting my work photographed and adding the ability to purchase prints on my website. It's a big investment, and it's all very exciting!

Over the past decade I've worked to slowly incorporate elements of my favourite past time into my business (first murals and now fine art) and I'm hopeful that this is another step in the right direction toward achieve my life goals.

#creative #practice #otautahianewperspective #career #businessdevelopment

What does the ultimate holiday look like?

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:14:55 GMT

And what if you've been on the edge of burnout?

Heidi, my middle daughter, was selected for Team New Zealand in Roller Derby again this year. As a parent body in Christchurch, we fundraised $24,000 for our 6 players to attend the Junior Roller Derby World Cup , in Brisbane this weekend.

This event has brought us to Queensland - the perfect location for a holiday!

With the girls staying at their dads for the 2 weeks we're here, I had the unique opportunity to take a proper, much needed break.

In preparation for the time off, my Wealth Coach Stacey Adams helped me consider what the ultimate break would look like, and how I would get the rest my mind and body needed.

This year I've learned that freedom and connection make me feel good, and create energy, so I hired a car and connected with friends and family.

Over the last 7 days I've travelled throughout the south of Brisbane, to the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg, I've had fancy dinners out, seen a school production, shared many cups of tea and had baby cuddles.

All together it's been glorious. A busy, fun and satisfying way to reconnect with some of my oldest friends and share in their lives for a moment. My cup is full ��✨

The next 3 days will be super exciting - seeing Heidi and the team compete, and joining all the other families at the World Cup event in Beenleigh.

At this half way point, I've taken a day to reflect. I’ve loved the moments between seeing people, while driving or upon waking. Where I feel a stirring, a feeling of excitement about the future. I can hear whispers of ideas, of dreams, and a renewed desire for growth.

After almost a year of hard slog, of putting one foot in front of the other day after day, both at work and at home, I had hoped this would happen.

Over the next 7 days, I’ve created more solid opportunities for quiet, and for reflection, to actively think about my hopes for the future, to confirm my current decisions - or perhaps, to make changes. Who knows?

What I do know, is that I'll head home next Friday feeling fresh, energised and excited about the second half of 2025.

For me that really is the ultimate holiday.

Do something everyday that scares you? Good idea ... or not?

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Tue, 20 May 2025 10:56:51 GMT

Do something everyday that scares you?

Good idea .. or not?

Today, together with Leanne Wickham , I hosted an event for a new community group called Novel Ideas . The event was attended by a 4 times New York best selling ghost writer, 4 published authors, 2 book printers, 3 book coaches and 3 aspiring writers - all together a brilliant bunch of creatives, making for a very fun and successful event!

If you've known me for longer than 4 years an event like this will be no big surprise. However 3.5 years ago I came down with Chronic Fatigue, and my world completely changed.

My ability to do 'extra' and burn the midnight oil disappeared, even normal household jobs became a struggle at times, along with debilitating pain to this day.

Mid-to-late last year I suddenly realised that with the focus on healing and inactivity, I'd become a bit shy and actually afraid of meeting new people - highly unusual for me - the former social butterfly.

Being a bit of a self help junkie I decided it was time to solve this 'problem'. I spent until Christmas meeting up with old friends who I hadn't seen in a while (sometimes years!) - this grew my confidence that people did still 'like me' and would make the time to meet up.

At the start of this year I organised a few coffee dates with inspiring creatives who I had connected with and followed on social media over the years - again fantastic to meet talented but still familiar people and share energy.

Finally today, an event with quite a few complete strangers, and me (half) in the lead ... and guess what? It was totally fine. Nervous at first, but I really enjoyed myself!

I loved meeting and chatting with everyone AND I walked away with buzzing, with more energy flow than I'd felt in over a year.

So next time you're feeling flat or low in energy - try doing something that scares you - I highly recommend it!

Magic tools for happy student leaders

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 21:03:46 GMT

Happy empowered student leaders makes for success

Students are undoubtedly more connected than most. They understand the power of the internet and they often have incredibly strong bonds with friends and peers.

Just like with the rest of us, it’s confidence and lack of awareness that can cause roadblocks. Understanding that leadership means sharing the task with others, not ‘doing’ the task (all by yourself) is the key to success and avoids the risk of burnout.

Empowering student leaders to realise their abilities, and develop these strengths now, develops valuable skills for future success. Knowing that everything you do, even tasks allocated to you, are a choice helps relieve stress and enable students to stay well.

Basically put, the combination of project management skills and the ability to be open to connecting with others means that almost any task is possible.

When we learn to look for the ‘gifts’ in ourselves, and those we’re working with, we reduce stress and increase efficiency, which immediately increases enjoyment – and isn’t that what it’s all about?

I want to see more happy, successful student leaders creating magic within their schools and communities.

That’s why I wrote ‘ Creating Connected Communities ’ a book for everyone, it’s light and easy to read, with relatable stories and practical tools and worksheets.

This book is must for the school library, it will inspire the PTA, event, sports or fundraising committees and makes a valuable resource for senior homerooms.

My goal is to help more people, help more people , so if you are keen to support student leaders utilise the power of connection, please consider sharing this post.

I've created a FREE downloadable student leader project plan worksheet , here, please share it with anyone who might benefit.

I was honoured to be asked to speak about the value of connection for student leaders at the Thrive for Live , Changemakers Conference 2024 last week.

Speaking to 150 new student leaders from high schools across Canterbury, I was lucky enough to present between a host of inspiring and motivational speakers, covering topics like wellbeing, imposter syndrome, head, heart and hand leadership, harnessing your personality traits and more.

I need to say thanks for everyone else at Changemakers2024 :

- Victoria Gray from The University of Waikato - MC
- Jo Mathieson , Coach - Imposter Syndrome

- Nadine Hickman - Thriving Leadership begins with Thriving wellbeing.
- Prajesh Chhanabhai - Leadership from a Head, Heart, Hands and Feet perspective.

- KeyNote speaker Melissa Benge - Irelands Managing Director

Main Sponsor Irelands also sponsored 13 students to have a full Leadership coaching package - wow!

Positive Living with Chronic Fatigue

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 18:16:43 GMT

Creating a full and happy life with Chronic Fatigue.

I have moderate chronic fatigue (some people call it long covid), and many people confess to me that they suspect they do too.

So, what does it actually look like? For me, when its well-managed, it really doesn’t mean much at all. I look and act like anyone else.

It’s when there’s external factors at play that things go awry.

It first affected me about 3 years ago, before covid. In the ten years prior, I’d experienced a seriously ill partner, earthquakes, a marriage breakup, and subsequent unhealthy relationship, plus two major surgeries. This was on top of raising three children, running my own business and working in the community.

You can see how it started.

At the beginning it all felt fairly dire. There were two episodes which left me in hospital, but subsequent tests uncovered nothing ‘wrong’. I was told to ‘rest’ and ‘sit still’ and, out of fear, I listened. It took 3 months of being off work, almost completely (4 hours per week) until I started feeling able to rejoin the ‘real world’ again.

For a high functioning workaholic with an active social life, this was a serious shock to the system, to say the least. Add in massive amounts of pain throughout my body and the inability to do more than cook a meal for the kids in any one day, left me wondering if I wasn’t actually dying.

With my physical abilities so hugely impacted, I mentally started considering a career change. I LOVE my job and I love interacting with people, so this plunged my self confidence hugely and only added to the fear of the unknown.

Over the following 6 months, with the help of a flatmate friend, amazing children and a new partner I healed myself back to being able to work 20-30 hours per week. I could function fairly normally, although nothing like my pre-fatigue self. I shut my business down to 20% capacity and got a ‘real’ job. I also pretty much stopped being social (covid and shutdowns helped massively).

I attribute two things to my success, in breaking through the initial crippling fatigue – the book The Body Keeps The Score , by Bessel van der Kolk and working with Ben, my occupational therapist from TBI Health . Ben and I had both just read the book and were inspired by the message, and examples for application.

My personal view on this syndrome is that it’s driven by fear and stress.

Fear of the unexplained pain, fear of the future (if the pain and fatigue don’t go away), fear of financial ruin and fear of losing all your friends and connections in the world. The more I feared what was happening, the worse it got.

Stress is naturally also a contributing factor. We humans are built to handle a lot, I'm often stunned by the speed of peoples recovery after car accidents and traumatic events. Just like with setting goals, being focused on yourself can ensure healing happens faster and recovery is stronger.

I can now see that I ran my life on adrenalin for about a decade - and because the body keeps score it eventually had to rebalance itself (see the chart above). At the time I felt as if I didn't have a choice, and to some extent that was right, being a parent and running a business is a busy existence. However, I now know that everything is a choice and when I literally thought I was dying all that mattered was getting better and keeping the kids alive and functioning.

Luckily, I had already created some resilience by having income protection insurance, by getting a flatmate and by taking on a part time wage job. These actions allowed me to take the time I needed to heal without being as worried about money or a roof over our heads. With my flatmate being a dear friend she also supported me by reminding me to rest, and helping with the kids and dinner at times.

The income protection plan also gave me two extra support people ( Jeremy Goodman my insurance agent and Heidi from Partners Life ) who checked in on me weekly, organised and paid for all the specialists I saw, until they helped me find Ben. So many people tell me they can't afford insurances like income protection, but I've used it twice in my life now (with my previous partner and for my fatigue) and you know what, when you literally can't earn money for months on end - it's worth every single penny!

Ben and I worked together to help me create a safety zone within myself. To begin with I would check in with my body every 5 minutes (I know right!!). I would stop what I was doing and listen, closing my eyes and describing the pain; where it was, how strong it was out of ten and what if felt like (piercing, throbbing, tapping). I would completely focus on the pain – until it changed - and it would. I’d go from; hands 7/10 throbbing as if they’d been smashed onto a concrete floor, to a piercing pain in my left elbow 6/10 that echoed, to a dull stabbing 3/10 in the right side of my head … to nothing.

THAT was the moment, to sit with the pains long enough that they felt heard, and then went away. I would relish in those moments of peace, where there was no pain. Surprisingly this only took a minute to do and after only a few weeks I could extend the ‘check in’ times out to 15 minutes apart, and eventually hourly.

During this time, I slept less and started getting off the couch (finally). I’d have days where I spent 4 hours doing a drawing, or spent a couple of hours in the garden. Eventually I could walk around the block or walk the kids halfway to school. It was exciting to see progress and I felt hopeful that things would eventually return to normal.

Naturally, me being me, I’d push myself too far. I did start working a few hours here and there, and then had to stop again. I did go for a bike ride and then spent 4 days in agony or worse, in bed. But my regular work with Ben was the key, he taught me to truly listen to my body, accept and forgive myself when I over did it, and our in our sessions, he would remind me about my progress.

Over the 18 months we worked together, our sessions grew further apart, becoming more of a gentle reminder than a necessity. We created the idea of the ‘safety zone’ being a little council in my body, the imaginary councillors would sit around a table talking about what was happening. They would remind me that there was no danger, and that I had no need to feel any fear.

Most times this worked well, and I could self-manage listening to the council. Particularly while I was on income protection insurance and had a flatmate and partner living with me, softening the pressures financially. When I started back at work, the lockdowns had finished, and real life kicked back in, was when I needed the reminders and support from Ben.

One particularly stressful event occurred right towards the end of our work together (sadly he moved onto another profession) and I said to him ‘OK, so you’ve taught me how to understand that there’s no ‘tiger at the door’ – but what do I do if there IS actually a tiger at the door?!?’ Once again, we worked together to build in new level of resilience, and the internal council can now remind me, that even in high stress, I’m ok, I’m safe and everything will be fine.

I still feel pain everyday, my eyesight gets considerably worse when I’m tired and I struggle not to wear sunglasses outside (the light hurts my eyes). I work a lot less than I ever have and I spend a lot more time ‘active relaxing’ than I ever have – for me this is drawing, gardening, and walking the dog at the beach.

I would laugh at this point and say so if you’re a normal (non-high functioning) person, then this is what a normal life ‘should’ look like, and you’re probably right. Also, if life is all about balance, then maybe working 70-80 hours per week for 20 odd years means that I really should only be working 20-30 hours now, and maybe even less in the future.

Funnily enough after considering the need for a career change during the height of the illness this has in fact happened. I’ve gone from three weekly networking groups and up to 50 active clients on my business books, to painting 4 murals per year, creating bespoke illustrations and writing books. I love my ‘new’ career, its fulfilling on so many levels, and funnily enough I feel like I can help even more people this way than in the past.

The overarching lesson for me has been twofold; firstly to identify any fear I'm feeling, and work to overcome it, secondly to actively manage the level of stress in my life. This includes work, family and friendships. I have had to create strict boundaries, learn to say no and even cut out friends to make my world safe and healthy.

When I can manage these two factors I'm giving myself the support that, in the past, I needed from others.

I have created a sense of safety and I listen to what my body needs. I don't always get it right (actually I still push myself too far regularly) BUT I do forgive myself, learn and allow the time needed to heal once I've realised.

I am proud to have discovered these ‘key’ to managing my own chronic fatigue. It really is a debilitating illness and I love the ideas that others can utilise these skills in order to live more freely and happily too.

* * * *

Margot Korhonen, an author and creative soul, published " Creating Connected Communities " in 2023, building on her 2009 children's book, "I Grow Vegetables." With over two decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector, she's a mural artist, designer, and marketing expert.

Margot's passion lies in connecting people to make a real difference. She advocates for collaboration between small businesses and communities to create positive change without added stress.

I create magic PS. You do too

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:25:34 GMT

Achieving your goals through the magic of connection.

Do you believe in magic?

I do.

So what is magic? I think it’s when something happens that you weren’t expecting or didn’t think was possible. An unexpected, pleasant surprise which excites you.

For me, magic is a feeling, a spark of energy, usually between two people, but it can be created individually too, when you have an idea. It’s that sizzle of possibility, something that is literally being realised, or you can feel is moments away from becoming a reality.

You know the feeling, when you’re starting a new business, organisation or perhaps designing a new products or strategy. When everything is still verbal and there is no reality yet to weigh things down, it feels like anything is possible.

In moments of magic I get red cheeks, a tingly feeling inside and I struggle to wipe the smile off my face. It’s a bit like that feeling when someone flirts with you and you walk away unsure if anything will come of it.

If you can truly embrace and harness this magical feeling – just IMAGINE what you can create! It’s the vibe inside a start-up, the energy of an inventor on the verge of a new creation .. or the excitement when you fall in love. It’s brilliant and wonderful.

So why do we shy away from it? Well, firstly it’s quite an addictive feeling and it can be a little overwhelming. In the past I’ve confused the ‘magic’ of truly connecting with someone whom I share an interest with, with a romantic attraction to that person, so I understand why it can be a struggle to separate the two.

Not only do you feel this exciting and positive energy others in your life do to. Partners can feel suspicious or even threatened by the ‘vibe’ swirling around you when you speak of the ideas and conversations, you’re having with this person you’ve just met, or just discovered you have a deeper connection with.

I’ve come to understand that true connection is a form of intimacy. It’s not just for romantic partners, a truly intimate connection is needed in order to evolve a new idea and bring it to fruition. It involved vulnerability and some degree of risk.

We know that sharing an idea involves some level of risk. The other person could ‘take’ your idea and use it without you, or worse, they could judge you for it. Also, when you stop and think logically through an idea you can overthink it and loose momentum all together.

But when you trust someone else and embrace the magic of a deep connection, the possibilities are not just double, but multiply exponentially. If you open your heart and mind to another person, and truly hear what their heart and mind is saying in response, THAT is magic.

I’ve explored this topic in a business sense above, but it can be used in so many more ways. If only we could create more magic in our day to day lives, with friends, family and romantically. Imagine who amazing life could be if we could open our hearts and minds and share our dreams without fear of judgement or the need for self protection.

I’m sure you already have this with your bestie, it might be what brought you together – a shared interest in something. It may also be the thing that brought you and your partner together, the initial topic that sparked that interest in knowing more about each other.

With this understanding we can actively choose to entertain topics which create magic with the people closest to us in order to deepen our connection or create some intimacy.

I experience magic quite often, and I feel very lucky,

A few years ago I went to a fortune teller (not something I would normally do), the only thing she told me was ‘when I followed my heart I would achieve success’. At the time I had just come out of an abusive relationship which happened straight after a marriage break up. I felt bruised and battered and as if I could never love again.

But I did listen. Thankfully I had learned about red flags and boundaries, so I wasn’t likely to fall for someone ‘selling’ a false connection. I had also developed an internal belief that most people are good at heart, and that most of us are actually craving a real connection.

By opening my heart and my mind at the right time and with the right people I now have a wonderful job and boss, a loving partner and many deep friendships and connections through my business and community work.

Each person has a unique link to me which creates sparks of magic occasionally, this means that overall, I get sparks of magic regularly. These moments give me positivity, excitement and energy – which are literally my sparks of life.

I know I am making this sound easy, and I fully acknowledge that it’s not always possible to open our hearts and our minds. We’ve all got competing demands, location can be a factor and money always seems to play it’s part. On top of that, the person you wish to connect with may not be in the position for this kind of conversation at the moment or desire a connection with you.

But be that as it may I think it’s worth trying, and trying again, and trying again. Don’t take failure or rejection to heart, look for another person, another topic or why not generate your own magic internally – create something new to share with the world (like my book) and people will come to you!

It really is tricky, isn’t it?

I suppose that’s another reason I call it magic …

* * * *

Margot's passion lies in connecting people to make a real difference. She advocates for collaboration between small businesses and communities to create positive change without added stress.

Achieving at work through intimate connection

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 21:05:41 GMT

How loving your colleagues can makes for a better life.

"Are there any opportunities to invest with your company?" I asked. I didn't end up investing, but he did.

That question led to a conversation about my dreams; of owning a home again, having financial stability for my girls and my wider dreams to complete my book and do good in the world.

John Maskill is a dreamer too, having worked high up in international corporations he is a broad thinker, a strategist, highly entrepreneurial and most of all he is kind.

Most Friday afternoons you'll find us, still sitting behind our desks at 6pm with a beer or two, creating solutions to grand problems and inventing ways to grow our companies, and our dreams. These are some of my favourite moments.

After 20 years working for myself, I never thought I'd have a job again, let alone one where I had the flexibility and freedom to still run my own business and be the mother I want to be.

When my chronic fatigue was at its peak he regularly took me out for a coffee to share the exciting progress we were making at work, before giving me a stern 'Now don't DO anything."

When I occasionally lost faith in myself, while writing the book, he would give me a pep talk, reminding me how every little step forward, or backwards, was necessary - and to have faith in what I had to offer the world.

By giving me autonomy and his trust, John gets the best of me. He allows me to harness my creativity, with the security of a stable income, which only makes me more creative!

I know a connection like this with your boss is a little unusual, but you know what, I wish it wasn't. If everyone felt like I do about work - it would make life a lot easier and allow us to really dream BIG, 24/7, instead of just in our 'spare' time.

The more people you have a 'magical' connection with in your life, the more likely you are to achieve your dreams.

Today is my 3 year work anniversary at TOWBAR EXPRESS LIMITED I'm SO pleased I came to work here - thanks again for your belief in me John!

* * * *

Margot's passion lies in connecting people to make a real difference. She advocates for collaboration between small businesses and communities to create positive change without added stress.

Using teamwork strategies at home

info@margotkorhonen.com (Margot Korhonen) — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 21:22:21 GMT

How teamwork at home makes life easier and happier.

What does working as a team look like?

When I was running my design business full time a few years ago as a single mum, my girls and I called ourselves 'Team Spruce' (my business was called Spruce Design + Marketing then).

It was bloody hard work ; small children (then), restricted to school hours, 12 weeks of holidays per year, sick days and on a single self employed income ... honestly, I'm not sure how I did it!

Sometimes the house was messy, sometimes we had toasties for dinner and sometimes I was grumpy and tired. It wasn't always ideal but we were understanding and accepting of each other.

When I would get a big project approved we'd all go out for dinner to celebrate. I also regularly acknowledge everyone's input. 'Thanks so much for looking after the girls on the bus ... preparing the food for me to start cooking, or .... for being such a big girl' everyone contributed and everyone was acknowledged.

Right now I'm reflecting on this a lot. My oldest has just graduated high school and moved out of home. I can already see the the extra help she gave me in the past has set her up to succeed sooner in this next step of her life.

I'm so grateful for my beautiful girls, and the amazing team we make. I couldn't have created the life we have now without us all working together as a such a great team.

Who are your favourite team members?

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Margot's passion lies in connecting people to make a real difference. She advocates for collaboration between small businesses and communities to create positive change without added stress.