Meet Toni Hoskin
Empathy I Developer I Positivity I Activator I Individualization
“I love seeing people do things they love to do, connect with and support others, grow, and live life well. Strengths-based coaching allows me to do that.”
There are many things that ignite little bubbles of excitement within me; spending time with precious people, watching an early-morning sunrise, planning epic adventures, enjoying the freshness of sea air, having a hearty laugh, drinking great hot coffee, and having the opportunity to do life with others.
After completing my bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Otago University (a long time ago!), my career has revolved around people and their wellbeing. Over the years this has taken on many forms including fitness instruction and training, education, lifestyle support, leadership, and senior management roles.
During these 35+ years a consistent theme emerged. When people invited me to be part of their journey and I was able to provide meaningful support, it filled my soul!
I've connected with an incredible array of individuals over this time – people whose backgrounds and perspectives differed vastly from my own. People who challenged my thinking, took off my rose-coloured glasses, held me accountable to finishing things I had enthusiastically started, clarified emotional boundaries, and inspired me to push beyond my ‘comfy’ limits. These experiences have reinforced my belief in those famous words by John Donne, "no man is an island". We benefit hugely from the diverse passions, talents, and perspectives each of us brings. The longer I spend on this earth, the more convinced I become that we genuinely need one another to be the best version of ourselves.
I am the proud Mum of two inspiring young women who are off doing life with exceptional partners they adore. A wife to someone who is just as crazy as I am about adventuring, enjoying great food, and learning as-you-go! And a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, and aunty who cherishes the joys and challenges that come from being part of a large and loving whānau.
We call Tūranganui-a-Kiwa Gisborne home, a place where I was born and raised, a special community we were returning to “for just 6 months” 27 years ago!
The Journey of Well By Design
In 2021, after 20 fulfilling years working in Active Health at Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti, I felt it was time to pass on the baton. I knew I wanted to look for opportunities that allowed me to continue to support people to live their lives well, but I wasn’t sure what that could look like.
I had my first glimpse into the ‘strengths world’ in 2013 when our CE of the time requested all staff complete the CliftonStrengths assessment. The reports generated piqued my interest and generated a great deal of discussion around the office! As a group we became more aware of what each individual could contribute across the organisation encouraging more inter-team collaboration. It also created a shift in how I managed my diverse team. Over time, it allowed us to better understand and respect our differences, and gave us the language to communicate our how, what, and why.
My interest in the strengths approach kept growing, I saw the deep and powerful connection between strengths and wellbeing so began weaving it more intentionally into my lifestyle support and management work. Time and again, I saw that when people understood and embraced their natural talents, and used them to nurture wellbeing, grow, and contribute, their sense of wellness naturally lifted, positively impacting themselves and those around them.
Being able to support people by starting from a place of what was right really appealed. The seed was planted, and Well By Design strength-based coaching started to grow.