About
Kia ora, Aangenaam,
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindy Lelij
Personal Performance Coach
My Story: Between Worlds
I was born in Aotearoa New Zealand, with roots in both Māori and European heritage. At just two months old, I moved to the Netherlands with my mother’s family, where I spent the next 42 years of my life. Dutch became my mother tongue, and The Netherlands shaped everything — from my schooling to my sense of humour, from how I show up in the world to how I built my career.
I loved my life there. I was a proud Dutch woman, deeply connected to my family back in New Zealand — including my father and sisters, who had made their lives here. In the 1990s, I began building trade links between the two countries, which gave me the chance to visit “home” regularly.
But when my children were born in the early 2000s, something shifted in me. New Zealand began calling me back.
The Return “Home” Wasn’t Simple
We did all the right things:
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We bought a house before we arrived
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Our children were placed into kindy with ease
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We had financial stability
Still, I struggled. Deeply. Something inside me shut down. I no longer felt rooted in who I was. My Dutch life felt irrelevant here, and my new identity hadn’t yet formed. I couldn’t recognise myself, and I certainly didn’t feel “at home.” It was a silent grief — the kind many migrants and returnees carry but don’t talk about.
What I had once done with ease — build relationships, find purpose, grow my career — suddenly felt hard. I was “functioning,” but not thriving.
How I Reclaimed My Self
Over time, I rebuilt. I remarried, restored a home on my whenua, and found meaning in a deeply fulfilling hospital role. But it wasn’t until I stopped trying to fit in and started living from my own culture — the one I had created through experience, values, and story —that I truly began to flourish again.
I realised that culture isn’t just what you’re born into. It’s what you choose to carry forward. It’s personal. And it matters.
Why I coach
Today, as a Personal Performance Coach, I help people navigate the complex emotional terrain of migration, cultural transition, and identity. Whether you’ve moved to a new country, returned to an old one, or simply feel like you no longer belong where you once did — you are not alone.
My coaching style is based on positive psychology and draws on deep personal experience, certified training, and a warm, empowering approach rooted in deep journaling, energetic tuning, and narrative reframing.
I work especially well with:
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Migrants and returnees feeling unseen, lost, or out of place
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Those navigating culture shock, reverse culture shock, or career transitions
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Individuals who want to reclaim their power and re-establish their sense of identity
A Foundation of Business & Leadership Experience
While my coaching is rooted in personal transformation, it’s also backed by over 30 years of leadership and management experience.
My professional background includes:
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Health management, business development, and government agency work
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Owning and operating businesses in both New Zealand and Europe
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Governance roles and community involvement, both locally and internationally
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Mentoring professionals in leadership and people management
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Over five years of governance experience
I understand the challenges of immigrating with a family, starting a business while raising children, building a home, and navigating career and identity in unfamiliar systems. These experiences inform the way I coach — with empathy, clarity, and a strong sense of purpose.
Training & Certifications
My coaching journey began in the early 2000s within the wellness and weight loss industry. Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients — aged 18 to 95 — from all walks of life. I hold a diploma and multiple certifications in Psychology and Counselling and have trained with:
NZ Life Coaching
Diploma in Psychology & Counselling
Energetic Vibrational Tuning (EVT) Coaching
Breakthrough Life Coaching
I also hold Reiki I and II certifications (1991 & 1992) and achieved Master level III in 2008.
A guiding influence in my personal and professional journey has been Jim Rohn, whose words still anchor me:
“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it.”
My Promise to You
If we work together, you’ll never be
asked to shrink yourself to fit.
Instead, we’ll expand your capacity to live, lead, and belong — exactly as you are.
This isn’t just coaching.
It’s transformation, rooted in your truth.