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About Us

Our Why

To empower women to have the courage to live and lead Authentic lives.

WE BELIEVE…

that every person has the right to be heard, regardless of gender.

Every person has the ability to stand in their own authentic truth that “I am enough”, and feel empowered to lead themselves and others, regardless of their job title, as an Authentic Leader if they choose to do so.

We believe women can achieve success in their life AND career by being Authentic, having fun, and unleashing the best version of themselves.

We challenge the status quo, push the boundaries, and find a way for YOU to reach higher than you ever thought possible.

Curious to find out more?

OUR MISSION

To enrich people’s ability to step into their personal power, to be an Authentic Leader in the world.

OUR VISION

Creating a global community of women executives, embracing Authentic Leadership practice.

OUR VALUES

Authenticity – Integrity – Fun – Expansion – Commitment – Community

When each individual understands themselves within the context of their life and career, they are empowered to reach for their potential and lead themselves and others with truth and Authenticity.

We are all leaders!

Christine and Elizabeth Co-Founded WALT Institute as a result of the frustration with the traditional leadership training approaches that does not address the individual person, their innate strengths or empower them to step into their own Authentic Power. The Authentic Leadership approach embraces proven strategies from positive psychology and the science of happiness and subjective wellbeing, to promote self-awareness, self-regulation, social intelligence, psychological capital and agency, with integrity and transparency.

Story of our Logo

Represents different people coming together and being connected. All working together, moving upwards, looking up together, and supporting each other. The center is both an A and an arrowhead – pointing upwards to be an Authentic Leader. There is also a stylized L on the right. The overall representation of the W is for WALT (Women Authentic Leadership Training).

The origami shape is also similar to the ‘crane’ or heron and in Aotearoa, is known as a Kotuku. This bird is often known as the ‘bird of happiness’. The programs presented by WALT Institute are based on the science of happiness and subjective wellbeing. This is a regal and rare bird. Authentic Leadership is not for everyone, it is an extraordinary person that leaps into leading authentically.

The Heron is full of wisdom and potential, is intelligent, patient, and will go all out when opportunities are presented. They possess traits that are admirable (like an Authentic Leader). The Heron represents stillness and tranquillity – these traits are required to recognize opportunities, maintain self-care, and recover energy in order to thrive and flourish. The Heron also signifies determination, it does not give up, but wades through the marshes with determination and focus; there will be plenty of marshes and ponds to wade through in life.

When in flight, the Heron is one of the most powerful birds. It hunts with purpose and efficiency. It strikes when the time is right, which represents wisdom and good judgment. Moves with lightning-quick precision and athleticism – is agile and adaptive.

Even though a solitary bird (as with an Authentic Leader the path can be a solitary one at times), they flourish with a team around them and are good at making others feel accepted. They are able to be totally present at the moment. They have high self-confidence and are not afraid to ask for help. They are able to reflect on how to take pride in achievement, are resourceful, and make things happen even if the odds are against them.

Dr Elizabeth Pritchard PhD

I Am Enough. And So Are You!
Born on a farm in Taranaki, New Zealand, the youngest of nine. From never fitting in, bullied at school, sexually abused as a child, to needing to prove she was worthy to be on this planet. Elizabeth's story shows how anyone can triumph over adversity, deep pain and limiting beliefs, to rise up and step into their own power with authenticity. Fast forward three decades a career as an occupational therapist, a researcher and Leadership coach, she nailed her PhD in three years through Monash University.

Elizabeth is a published author in international academic journals and Thrive Global. Presented at international conferences, she is a recognised keynote speaker, coach and facilitator. Elizabeth is the Co-Founder and Director of WALT Institute and renowned for her ability to empower women to believe they are enough! To stand out from the crowd, believe in themselves, accomplish greatness and find a way forward, because you are worth it! She brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and coaching.

Christine Burns

Achieve Limitless Possibilities
Born in Manawatu, New Zealand the second daughter of Scottish parents. From being a shy reserved child, learning many lessons the hard way, to receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2016, Christine’s story inspires people to take action, stand up for what they believe in and not get stuck in the trivia of life. Fast forward several years, representing New Zealand in indoor hockey, she graduated with expertise in psychology, sport psychology, exercise science and business management, and forged a career as a lecturer and performance coach.
Christine is a dynamic and engaging presenter that will have you experiencing moments of joy and enlightenment. Author of the acclaimed book "Igniting Resilience; Overcoming a death sentence", Christine has also published articles in Thrive Global and is currently authoring a how to book on cultivating authentic resilience. As the Co-founder and CEO of WALT Institute, she specialises in positively disrupting the stories people tell themselves and guides them to discover they have so much more in their tank. Adversity does not need to define you, everyone can learn how to rise to the challenge, overcome the tough times, and bounce forward with limitless possibilities.

Bounce Forward With Limitless Possibilitites

and achieve greatness in your leadership!
Teamwork typically dominates much of the work that occurs in organisations. The expectations to attend meetings and collaborate with key stakeholders, can consume about 80% of our working day. Since we spend so much of our time working in groups, then developing teams is vital. We need to know how to improve team dynamics and team performance.

There are many challenges to working in teams. The key theme intertwined across all of these challenges is our ability to connect with others and the connect with the work environment. Teams fail when connections fail.

Humans are wired for connection.
• Individuals crave the feeling of belonging.
• Individuals aspire to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
• Individuals will give more when they feel appreciated.
• Individuals will thrive and flourish when the environment they work in is one that cultivates growth, happiness and authenticity.

How Coaching Can Benefit You

Experience confidence to perform at your best.
If you are serious about releasing YOUR optimal potential, you need to focus on developing the team around you. To build strong connections, be open and honest with each other, and step into your Authentic Self - then you will rock your workplace with Authenticity!

Step Into Your Own Authentic Power

and lead from a place of Authentic truth
There are often underlying beliefs that are stopping us from living and leading Authentically. These may be: it is so hard for me to get what I want; people aren’t supporting what I am trying to do; or they just don’t understand how hard I’m pushing.

These thoughts and beliefs are part of being dis-empowered. These patterns of thought and action keep us stuck and reduce our opportunities. Thinking this way creates roadblocks in our progress; diminishes our self-confidence and compromises empowerment. We become blinded and unable to expand our gaze or consider that we could experience career and life with ease and grace.

Recognising these thoughts and beliefs is the first step to making positive change. Allowing ourselves to believe we deserve the good stuff means we are stepping into our power. This involves accepting where you are at right now, and taking the realistic steps to move in the direction we desire.

When you turn around the unsupportive mindset and limiting beliefs about ourselves and others, believe we deserve to experience the good stuff, we can become our Authentic Empowered Self.

How Coaching Can Benefit You

Experience confidence to perform at your best.
There are people out there who deserve to benefit from your knowledge, skills, abilities and capabilities. Magnify your self-confidence with positive self-talk, use the edginess of your anxiety to perform at your BEST and be courageous in your quest to become an Empowered Authentic Leader.