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 an epic adventure, enjoying the freshness of salty sea air, having a good 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, long time ago!), my career has revolved around people and their wellbeing. Over the years this has taken on many forms including fitness instruction, instructor training, education, lifestyle change support, leadership, mentoring, and senior management roles.
During these 30+ 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! Witnessing and celebrating their progress, no matter how big or small, made it even better!
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 when necessary, 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” 25 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 that were generated piqued my interest and certainly 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 which resulted in more inter-team collaboration. It also created a shift in how I managed my diverse team. Over time, I believe it allowed us to better understand and respect our differences, and gave us the language to communicate our how, what, and why.
The strengths approach continued to fascinate me, however, it wasn’t until a few years later that I started to consider the strong and powerful connection between strengths and wellbeing. I started focusing on it more throughout my lifestyle support and management work. I could clearly see that when people understood and used their natural talents to nurture each area of wellbeing, to grow, achieve, and contribute, their sense of being well couldn’t help but be lifted - positively impacting themselves and others.
Being able to support people by starting from a place of what is right really appealed. The seed was planted, and Well By Design strength-based coaching started to grow.