Jeanine: Hello and welcome to the next episode of the Empowered Coaching and Leadership podcast. My name is Jeanine Bailey and I'm the co-founder and co-director of Empower World without my wonderful business partner Marie Quigley, and I'm here to introduce an interview that I did with another amazing coach, Rachel Petero, who did our coach training quite a number of years ago now. And as a consequence of the coach training that she did in Qatar in the Middle East, she took home with her, her vision, her purpose, her values, which of course, can reshape and shift and change. But as a consequence of doing the coach training program with us, she took home this very clear vision of what she wanted to start, which again has evolved and changed and grown beautifully and magnificently as a consequence of the focus and the dedication she has put into creating Rise 2025 a program to support and empower indigenous women and men. And that includes New Zealand, Pacifica, Australia, Canada, Chile and so much more. So, I trust that you enjoy hearing Rachel's story, her beautiful story of how things have been growing and evolving, and be prepared to be inspired. We'd love to hear your feedback and look forward to hearing from you, your thoughts, your ideas. Enjoy. Thank you, Rachel again for supporting Empower World with your beautiful story. Your amazing story. So, before you went on this journey of creating rise, becoming a credential coach, what was it that you were doing before you, before you went on that journey?

Rachel: Yeah. Thank you, Jeanine, thank you for having me to support others, actually by sharing my story. So, I was in London. I had a great career in human resources actually, and particularly in that recruitment and talent development space of H.R. So that's what I was doing previously to really stepping into coaching. So coaching was part of my role. It was part of what we did to support others to develop in the career. So, I had also had really great sales role and career in my life. So, London was, as you can imagine, as you have been there as well, an amazing place to go on a journey actually to find and that's what I did. I tried different things to work out what actually did I want to do? And so, H.R... lead me to coaching and lead me to my first coach. So. That is actually how I really started to connect with coaching by having a coaching experience myself stepping out of my safety net, which was a corporate job, pay great money. And I always knew there was something else. And so, a coach helped me to step out of that safety and comfort and step into my own consulting business. And the rest is history, Jeanine.

Jeanine: Hmm. Yeah. And what a beautiful history that is. And so, coming through that the coaching program becoming a credential coach, what is it that you've been creating?

Rachel: Yeah. Wow, so many creations, actually, when I think about it. And so that journey actually included moving countries, so from London and the U.K. and having 11 years the to moving to another place where Jeanine, you were, where I Marie in Empower World, which is Qatar in the Middle East and specifically in Doha. And so, through my husband's job engineering, we got to move to the Middle East and it was there that I continued my consulting business and really tapping into that leadership development space in Qatar and specifically for the Qatari people. So, I am indigenous. I wanted to connect with the people of Qatar. And although I was an expatriate there, I also was able to connect culturally because I could understand I could see their connection to their culture, their connection to their protocols, their connection to the different parts of their land. Whether you’re Bedouin, whether you were brought up in the city by the coast, I could really see those synergies. So, it was really exciting to be in a country where I could focus my talents, my leadership development and talent development career to support another indigenous culture. And so that's what I did. And so, Empower World was part of that journey, and so I did my coach training in Doha with Marie and with Jeanine after a conversation and the walk along the Corniche. And really, that coach training. Really filled me up. It helped me to see a new perspective about what purpose really is and what it really means to me and to. Purposefully step into that vision into that mission that I could see for myself and for my indigenous communities and that. The coaching. The coach training program was absolutely part of that step that I needed to take, so now I'm forever grateful to Jeanine and to Marie for allowing me to come on that journey with you. So yeah, and it was in 2000 and I remember now 14 or 13, something like that. And now we here.

Jeanine: Yeah. And when you say here, what exactly have you been able to manifest?

Rachel: Yeah. So, from that point, I think change countries again. So that's the third move and move from Doha back to here, which is Algeria to New Zealand and coming home was a stretch for me. I haven't been here for 16 years, so the visioning or the visualization that I've done in the training and Qatar had really set me up to see here and feel exactly what I wanted to do when I got home. And that was to set up Rise 2025, a business coaching training program, a coach training program and many other things now. But the first program was our coach training program, which I invited Jeanine to come and be and partner with me because my vision was very clear, which was I wanted to serve Maoiri and Pacific and other indigenous cultures to come on this coaching journey. And I could see that I, if I wanted to start that alone and start that from the beginning, potentially it would take longer to get it started. So, I had made a decision that I would partner with someone in that perfect partner was Jeanine and lets work together with what we already have. But we already have in our kitty. This is trying to recreate something that potentially could take a year, maybe two years, and I'm a bit impatient. And I think that is a quality of an entrepreneur to get things moving. Yeah, let's not wait for it to be perfect. And that's one of my I think that is one of the things that I'm, I would call a superpower. Actually, it is I'm not looking for perfection because if I wait for that, nothing gets done. So yeah, we were off and running, weren’t we Jeanine. 2015, November the 23rd. I remember it well. We launched and then we had our first group of Maoiri Woman from Maoiri Women's Development Ink. through Theresa Papunya Ashton, who is now a graduate of Rise 2025 into the program and as an accredited coach and many, many others that came from that ink group. So that's what here looks like. And so, yeah, so thank you.

Jeanine: Oh, you're so welcome and thank you for trusting both myself and Marie to go on this journey. And I know that you've it's been years. It's I think it was 2015 since the coach training program began, and since then this rise 2025 has grown legs and arms. And other programs that involve coaching that support in, again, you’re the indigenous people you want to serve.

Rachel: Yeah. Yeah, so we started with Tahi actually means first or one. So that was our signature program coach training program that really pulls on all of the wonderful work that Jeanine and Marie have done for Empower World. And it also wraps around and weaves through our indigenous protocols and practices. And that's the important thing to understand. And actually, there is no other program actually, I believe in Australasia, potentially Asia, Asia-Pac that actually and potentially Canada, because no one's finding it over there. That's why they're coming to us. They're actually really focuses on indigenous people and giving access actually to coach training, which I believe is so important for our communities to self-determine where we want to go with coaching and then support other indigenous communities to self-determine their way forward. And that is ultimately what coaching is all about. And so, there is such alignment. And now we have so many and our group, our graduates who have gone through the coach training and they are now serving all of the contracts that we have, which are government contracts, private sector contracts to work with Maoiri and Pacific graduates, leader’s, boards. And that's what we do every day. Universities and all of our programs are centered and coaching, so Tahi is actually the core program for all of our other programs. Yeah, so it's amazing. And so, we actually have six programs that we can offer to our clients now. And they are. Yeah, steeped in the principles of coaching.

Jeanine: Yeah. Incredible, Rachel. so, much you've achieved in such a short period of time and having that, that powerful vision of empowering 100,000 women. This was back in 2015, by 2025. It seems so doable, if not perhaps maybe even happened because I know that you are having this reach across not only beautiful New Zealand, but also the Pacifica to Canada, Australia, Asia Pacific. So, yeah.

Rachel: Yeah, that nation. Yeah. Chile? You know, we've delivered programs in Chile as.

Jeanine: Now that intention was strong and powerful. And as a consequence, we know that the men told me too. Well, I want some of that too as a consequence of the power that they could see or the success of these programs. So again, it's going beyond its original intentions.

Rachel: Yeah, absolutely. And so, the 100,000 women that we were with that we are focused on when we talk about women in our culture, it includes farmers and families. And so, within families, we have men. And so absolutely men are welcome onto our programs and now we have husbands and wives that come on that program. We have tribal areas who are investing in their people to come through our program, who are serving their community. We have indigenous cultures far, far away from where we are logging in and coming onto our online programs because we offer all our programs online now, so the reach is far and wide. Jeanine and the 100,000 has always been the number, and I've never had any worries about the number because actually it's not directly me that impacts 100,000. It's all the other people who have come through our training. And so, if every person is conservatively reaching 10 people, let's conservative. We know that they're reaching hundreds, almost thousands. So, you know, the number is not a worry for me. I think we'll be there before 2025.

Jeanine: I trust that if it hasn't already touched 100,000. It absolutely will in no time at all, because of the beautiful connections that are created, within the Fano, within the iwi and across the land, so, Rachel, what's what do you imagine beyond 2025?

Rachel: Yeah, I imagine abundance. I imagine the abundance of indigenous people and their abundance comes from self-determining what they want their life to look like whether it is in business, whether it is in an organization, whether it is in community by being a healthy, happy, safe, no family unit which in our culture is this. Broad, it's not only the single-family unit and includes the grandparents and all of the extended families, so healthy, happy, safe, fun, though living in abundance. Self-determining their way forward. Being empowered to make decisions that not only support. The individual, but support the Founding, the tribal area, the nations, and it really is time, Jeanine. It really is time for indigenous people to rise up. And you know, there's no mistake that I call this organization Rise, because I do believe in the rising of and it is happening and I would say happening all around us. It has been happening for many years as just maybe a little bit more and the mainstream finally. And so, it's not a mistake that we are doing this work because it is healing. It is. It is our we call it all our leaders. This is this is what leadership looks like. This is what our ACC already had planned for us. And so, as we give ourselves permission to step in and expect. Knowing in coaching is one way of doing, and I truly believe I had so many transformational conversations and with individuals, with groups, with communities, with iwi, and so it just continues on and that ripple effect continues on where it is our time we say to. It is our time. And so, we invite anyone who is connecting or reconnecting as an indigenous person and would like to come through our particular training that is designed for you. You are welcome. 

Jeanine: Yeah, I I it resonates with me when you say it's time and it is happening. I feel it. I feel it, and I'm so grateful actually to be witnessing that and to be feeling that. It is time. It absolutely is time. Among them. Yeah. Long may it continue. Yeah. And I potentially cut you off a little bit there. You said it's powerful. I'm wondering if something else came up for you then, Rachel?

Rachel: Well, I think time. You know, I think that is what it's about. It's all about timing as well. And so, I don't say these things lightly that it is no mistake that I came home when I came home and you don't know why, but you trust. And so, I just know that the next, you know, I've been home six years now and things have completely changed. The world has changed. And no, I am evolving and changing as we go on this journey with. Our indigenous leaders, our indigenous founder, the communities, and as much as we are giving and developing others and their self-determining self-determination, I am also getting as much back as we are giving. So, this practice of reciprocity is so fulfilling, actually. So. And so I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

Jeanine: I heard about the lure of commitment this week. Mm. And the power of law of a kind of commitment. And how it that commitment know it can give so much, and that's what I'm hearing in you. That commitment. To take you to your founder to your people, it's in everything that I see here. Feel with you, Rachel. No matter when we're in the in the in the room together on Zoom or on social media, I feel that from you. It oozes from every pool of.

Rachel: Yes, and I am 100 per cent committed and I'm not in a hurry. I'm not in a hurry. It just it will happen. I don't focus on that. I focus on consistent commitment, collectives, culture and the capability and building that capacity for our people and that’s my piece. That's my part that I can play in my time. And that's the legacy that I want to leave, that I made a difference. I was a good ancestress as well.

Jeanine: You are so grateful for anyone that's listening to this. Who wants to come to rise? Who wants to be a part of a rise? I know it's evolving and changing and stepping even more into its culture and ways of being and doing so for anyone who wants to be a part of that. How would they get in contact with you?

Rachel: Yes. So yeah, you will see some changes on our website. The Rise2025.com And that's because we have evolved a program which is always the way that we were going to do things to involve even more indigenous cultures in the design of Tahi. So Tahi is going from where we are now with Jeanine, and Jeanine is always going to be part of our program to a completely indigenous model. It will be the first in the world as we listen to the helicopters going and giving us the blessing to carry on. And it will be a collaboration of collective efforts coming together from indigenous cultures here in Ottawa, across the Pacific cross to Australia, across to the beautiful countries of First Nations Canada and yeah, and the Pacific is going to be a big part of it as well. So, we're really excited for that development today, and that's what it is really proud of. We've grown the program needs to grow and evolve with, well, the changing world is all about, so we're really excited. So, you come to the website, sign up, come on the waiting list and in Toohey is the program for the training.

Jeanine: Fantastic, Rachel. And any words of parting wisdom for our listeners.

Rachel: Yes, I believe that when we take on training and development, like what and how will offer like what rise 2025 offer and. You know, I'm a big believer in starting and finishing something. And so sometimes we put things in a way to prevent town or sabotage our happiness, our purpose, purposeful lives. So, what I would say is, you know, connect with them, how will that be what is coming up for you strongly? And I there's something in what they do that really connects with you. And if you are indigenous and something is coming up for you as you're listening to this, you know, just reach out and connect is what's the worst that can. It's about putting your putting yourself in a state of action in a state of inspired action. So, if you're inspired today, put yourself into a place of inspired action. Make that connection. Now. There's no harm in making a connection, because if I didn't connect with Jeanine, I would not have been here today.

Jeanine: Thank you, Rachel.