Hello beautiful people!
My name is Manu.
I’m the founder of the EmpowerMe Collective. And yes, I am guilty! I am a repeated offender - this is not the first Collective!!!
The first time it was after connecting with a person I met at a course. We clicked immediately and agreed to meet again over a coffee. Time passed by and when we did indeed meet, we had one of those beautifully deep conversations! We bounced off each other and totally lost track of time. One moment it was early afternoon and the next, it was getting darker and colder.
We both wondered why was it not possible to have such good conversations more often?
…a little spark turned in our eyes…a cheeky smile on the face...
“What if we start a group and have more of these conversations on a regular basis?”
"Worst case scenario it will be the two of us again and we will have another good chat. It’s a total win-win, shall we?”
In the coming days and weeks we put together the concept, found a location and spread the word. We quickly realised that we were not the only ones wanting to skip small talk for greater connections.
The collective boomed and we open up additional groups. These went on for over 3 years. And some of us still meet today.
“The conversations, perspectives, and connections made were empowering and valuable. It was good for my soul knowing that I have a group who could offer me advice and perspective on potential challenges.
These connections / friendships will withstand the test of time.”
Cindy Teh
But little did I know that what I would discover next was what I call the Power of the Collective.
These interactions, exchanges of learnings, experiences, reflections, from people I could relate to truly shook my world for the better.
- ✔ I found limiting beliefs hiding in the shadows and keeping me small.
- ✔ I found connections that are with me to this date and are an important part of my world.
- ✔ I found an accelerated way of learning through generously shared tips and resources.
I grew. I thrived. I spread my wings beyond my wildest imagination. And I want the same for you!
Empower Me is a collective for aspiring and new entrepreneurs who want to connect with people on a similar path, support each other and grow together.
For those who believe that entrepreneurship is the path of a life lived with purpose and freedom creating impact for ourselves and others.
Our vision:
Empowering the Collective to live life at our own terms, reaching our full potential.
And what is my role?
In the garden metaphor, I aspire to be your feathery companion for Manu means bird in Maori, bringing both a broad perspective and practical advice for success. I’m here to facilitate your journey and support you with my skills.
I am a Growth Ignitor, an avid learner and very passionate about self-improvement.
Life offered me the opportunity to wear many meaningful hats allowing me to see the bigger picture and zoom into the practical.
Here are some of these hats:
- ✔ the funding wiz hat, raising almost $2million dollars to empower indigenous entrepreneurs.
- ✔ the leadership hat, having multiple teams and team members to manage 250+ people in training.
- ✔ the business developer hat, connecting to councils, chambers, ministries, Iwi, community organisations, amazing whanau within New Zealand and beyond to spark collaborations and do more together.
- ✔ the organiser hat, organising 300+ events and courses.
- ✔ the coach and facilitator hat, coaching, facilitating and delivering the “the Transformational Power of Habits” course to indigenous entrepreneurs on the Oceania DigitalX programme (check it out if you’re in Aussie as it’s a darn good one!)
- ✔ the mindfulness hat, with vipassana, certifications in NLP and Naturopathy, hundreds of self-development books, amazing gurus, trainings, ceremonies, and life-changing experiences.
- ✔ I’m a proud mama, daughter, sister, partner, friend, colleague, neighbour. In all these roles we can make a huge difference!
Our promise to you is that EmpowerMe offers a pathway for you to connect and grow alongside fellow entrepreneurs and to further up your business through regular meetings, shared tools, resources and access to coaching.
Let’s live life on our own terms, whatever that means for you. Shall we?!?
Shout out to SODA Inc. who summed it all up in this beautiful article.
Want to learn more? Email us or book a 15-min chat.