Timmy Smith
Indigenous Founder & Cultural Coach
“Ko wai koe, ko wai ngā mea e kawea ana e koe, ā, he aha tāu e waiho ai?”
“I help leaders pause long enough to hear themselves,
understand what they are carrying,
and decide what their leadership is really here to do.”
Timmy Smith is an Māori executive and cultural coach who works with leaders navigating
complexity, change, growth and the weight of responsibility that comes with leadership.
Her approach is grounded in Te Ao Māori and shaped by a lived understanding that leadership
is not separate from identity, relationships, wellbeing, place, purpose or responsibility. As a
founder and experienced business leader, Timmy brings both cultural perspective and practical
leadership experience to her coaching practice.
She works with executives who are often highly capable, outwardly successful and accustomed
to carrying significant responsibility, yet may be at a point where the old ways of leading,
deciding or operating no longer serve them.
Timmy creates a confidential space for leaders to slow down, think deeply and examine what is
beneath the presenting challenge. Her coaching invites honest reflection alongside practical
action: understanding what you are carrying, where your authority sits, how your leadership is experienced by others, what needs to shift, and what you ultimately want your leadership to
leave behind.
Her work draws on Māori principles including whakapapa, mana motuhake, whanaungatanga,
manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, offering executives a different lens through which to
understand themselves, their leadership and their responsibility to others.
Timmy is a Rise Iwi-trained coach and brings an Indigenous perspective that is relational,
challenging, grounded and deeply human.
Her work is ultimately about helping leaders return to themselves, with greater clarity, courage
and connection, so they can lead with intention rather than simply continue carrying what is
“Kia mōhio ki te pūtake, kia mārama ki te ara, kia tika te tū.”
Know your foundation, understand your path, and stand with purpose.