About My Business
Upledger Institute New Zealand is the official New Zealand Satellite Office for Upledger Institute International. I am the sole owner and operator; I provide internationally recognised continuing professional education in CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and SomatoEmotional Release (SER) for qualified healthcare practitioners throughout New Zealand. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on approach that works with the body's connective tissues and central nervous system to support the body's natural ability to restore balance and function. It is used by healthcare practitioners as part of a holistic approach to care for people of all ages, from newborn babies to older adults. Practitioners may integrate CranioSacral Therapy into their work with clients recovering from birth trauma, concussion, physical injury, chronic pain, stress-related conditions and other complex health challenges. My role is to educate the practitioners who provide that care. I organise and teach a comprehensive programme of postgraduate education, including CranioSacral Therapy 1 (CST1), CranioSacral Therapy 2 (CST2), Clinical Applications for CranioSacral Therapy (CACS), and introductory courses. I also mentor and examine practitioners working towards international certification, helping them achieve recognised standards of clinical competence and professional excellence. The practitioners who attend the courses include physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, occupational therapists, nurses, midwives, massage therapists and qualified complementary health practitioners from across New Zealand. By keeping class sizes small, I can provide extensive practical training, individual guidance and ongoing mentoring so participants can confidently integrate their new skills into clinical practice. Although Upledger Institute New Zealand is a small business operated entirely by me, its impact extends far beyond the classroom. I coordinate every aspect of the New Zealand education programme, from strategic planning, marketing and student support to hosting international instructors and maintaining the educational standards of Upledger Institute International. The real measure of my business is the ripple effect it creates. Every practitioner who completes training returns to their community with new knowledge and skills that can positively influence the lives of hundreds of clients throughout their career. By investing in practitioner education, I am helping strengthen healthcare in New Zealand, one practitioner—and ultimately one client—at a time.
Why We Should Win The Peoples Choice Award
I am a very small business – quite literally a business of one – but I am proud that what I do reaches far beyond what one person might normally achieve. For more than twenty years, I have been passionate about bringing high-quality CranioSacral Therapy education to New Zealand practitioners. What began in 2005 as facilitating courses has grown into a nationally recognised education programme, and I have had the privilege of watching practitioners develop their skills, gain confidence and take what they have learned back into their communities. What makes this business particularly meaningful to me is knowing that the impact doesn't end when a course finishes. A practitioner might attend one of my courses, return to their clinic and use those skills with a newborn baby, a child, an injured athlete, someone recovering from concussion, or an adult who has been living with pain or the effects of trauma. That practitioner may then continue learning, mentor others and pass their knowledge on again. It is a ripple effect that I have been fortunate enough to help create. Running a specialised education business on my own has also been a journey of perseverance. There is no large organisation or team behind me. I organise the courses, communicate with students and international instructors, manage the finances and marketing, teach, mentor, examine and deal with all the everyday details that keep the business operating. I have continued doing this through changing economic conditions, the challenges of running a niche professional education programme and the enormous disruption of COVID, when face-to-face education and international travel came to a standstill. I could easily have allowed the New Zealand programme to disappear during those difficult times. Instead, I was determined to keep it going because I knew how important continuing education was to the practitioners who had invested so much in their own development. I am also incredibly proud that what started as a New Zealand-based teaching role has now grown into an international one. Since 2023 I have had the opportunity to teach in Australia and Shanghai, taking the knowledge and experience I have developed here into the wider Upledger community. I would love people to vote for Upledger Institute New Zealand because it represents what a small business can achieve when it is built on passion, commitment and perseverance. I may work alone, but the impact of that work is multiplied through every practitioner I teach and every person they go on to help. A vote for my business is a vote for small businesses that quietly make a difference, for lifelong learning, and for the belief that one person with a genuine passion for what they do can create a ripple that reaches much further than they ever imagined.
