Whatever industry you’re in, time is money. With my expert coaching, training and facilitation, you’ll get the results you want, fast.
Whether you need to craft a compelling vision alongside a strategy to get you where you want to be, or if you want to develop your leadership and people skills, or you’re looking to boost results through effective teams and a high-performing culture, my total focus is on your success.
About me
Hi, I’m Daria Williamson. I’m a coach, trainer and facilitator with a passion for helping people seize their opportunities and unleash their potential. My biggest joy is seeing people make a step-change in their life and work, using their unique gifts to contribute to the world.
I’m based in beautiful Auckland, New Zealand, and work with clients in Auckland and around the country, both face-to-face and online.
After a successful career in people management and process improvement, I went into business for myself in 2015.
Being self-employed has allowed me the flexibility to deliver value for a wide range of clients while continuing my personal and professional development.
What I do
I work with individuals, teams, and entire organisations to discover their strengths, build personal and organisational capability and accelerate performance.
Depending on what my clients need, I can wear a number of different hats. I draw from my practical experience and formal qualifications to deliver services that support my clients to achieve their goals and exceed their own expectations.
Some of the more common activities you’ll find me doing are:
- Coaching leaders and high-potential individuals to hone their strengths and extend their skills
- Training individuals and work teams on teamwork, continuous improvement, problem-solving and interpersonal skills
- Training mid- and senior-level managers to develop effective leadership and management strategies and behaviours
- Facilitating workshops to define and deploy organisational visions, strategies, objectives and KPIs
- Leading in-house process improvement projects to eliminate waste, streamline operations, and deliver sustainable performance growth
Coaching
Smart businesses are turning to coaching to enhance leadership skills, improve communication, boost teamwork and sustain a high-performance culture.
Training
Upskilling your team is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come, equipping your people to solve problems you didn’t even know you had.
Facilitating
When you’re working on your business, an independent facilitator helps you shift your perspective and identify hidden strengths and opportunities to turbo-charge your success.
My philosophy
I am most definitely an optimist. I believe that with the right attitude, great support, and plenty of hard work, everyone can achieve their dreams. A client once told me I should have a warning label: “Caution: I will make you believe in yourself and achieve awesome results”.

How I work
I am at my best when I’m supporting people to identify what they want to achieve and develop a plan to get them there, no matter what challenges or setbacks life might throw at them.
In addition to my wealth of experience as a leader and manager, I draw from a wide range of disciplines in my work, including:
- Positive psychology
- Strengths-based management
- Neuroscience
- Continuous improvement (“Lean”) philosophy
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Emotional Intelligence
- Human-centred organisational design
I felt like I had plenty of time to consider Daria’s questions and respond in my own way. Her rephrasing and observations made me feel that she was really listening and seeking to understand with curiosity. Daria is well-equipped to help her clients develop and grow to be a better form of themselves.

My qualifications

I’m an accredited Strengths Profile Practitioner> I can help you discover your strengths and design your life to capitalise on what you’re already great at. My clients love this tool, and tell me that it has helped them discover their “superpowers”, delivering higher engagement, productivity, energy and joy in their work and lives.

I’m an “Elephant Rider” for the Emotional Culture Deck (ECD). I use the ECD tool to help individuals and teams recognise and engage with their emotions, and design their ideal ’emotional culture’. This leaders to higher individual and team engagement, the development of high-performing, high-care culture and a greater ability to navigate change.

I’m accredited in the Hofstede Insights Organisational Culture approach. This comprehensive assessment, strategy and action system will guide your work team and organisation through defining your optimal culture, understanding your current state, and establishing a practical, results-focused plan to move you and your organisation to your optimal state.
- I’m trained in Development Dimensions International’s Targeted Selection behavioural interviewing framework and have completed a number of their Interaction Management leadership modules
- I am currently completing a Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing through the Langley Group in Australia
- I hold a BA in Social Sciences, a Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Administration with Distinction (Human Resources Management), and a Master of Management with Distinction (Human Resource Management). All of these qualifications are from Massey University.
Let’s work together to achieve your goals
I believe that when we engage in personal development, it transforms every area of our lives for the better.
If you’d like to find out more about me and how I work, let’s talk. I’d love to discuss how I can help you achieve your goals and amplify your results – you can reach me by email, phone, or sending a message via my contact page.
Check out my recent posts...

Series: How to have great ideas
Reading Time: < 1 minute Welcome to my series on “How to have great ideas”. On this page, you’ll find links to the articles I’ve written detailing strategies for having

How to have great ideas: Strategy 6 – use a theme or vision
Reading Time: 5 minutes An often-overlooked strategy for generating great ideas is to use a theme or vision to drive our thinking. You can use this approach in conjunction

How to have great ideas: Strategy 5 – know nothing, be curious
Reading Time: 6 minutes This strategy sounds counter-intuitive, but when we choose to know nothing and be curious, we’re on the pathway to developing fresh perspectives and gaining insights.

How to have great ideas: Strategy 4 – involve others
Reading Time: 8 minutes So far in this series, we’ve focused on individual activities for generating great ideas – now we turn our attention to how to involve others

How to have great ideas: Strategy 3 – carve out blank space
Reading Time: 9 minutes These days, we are more likely than ever to say that we don’t have any “blank space” in our lives. There’s no room for downtime

How to have great ideas: Strategy 2 – read, watch, listen broadly
Reading Time: 7 minutes Welcome back to the “How to have great ideas” series. My previous article covered the first strategy for having great ideas, which is to have