Topsy (Heather) Byrne – founder and CEO of The Academy of Coaching
Hi and welcome to The Academy of Coaching. My name is Topsy Byrne and I am an accredited professional Life Coach, APEC
Certified Business Counsellor and celebrated author. I am a Coach Master and certified NLP Practitioner and have combined
a life time of small business experience with these skills to offer you the chance to improve your life, your career and
your business.
Coaching is a fantastic way of combining my goals and sharing my skills, knowledge and experience with others. I am
passionate about helping others get the best out of life, and about achieving and enjoying and fulfilling the role in
life that they truly want and deserve.
That is why I originally opened the Academy of Coaching. The success of small businesses is very important to me. I
advocate planning, systems and structure and offer a methodology to improve performance across every department in any
sized organisation.
I am immensely proud to call myself a Kiwi and have now returned to New Zealand to live in South Auckland and contribute
to my community by sharing my training and experience to help improve people's quality of life.
APEC Business Counsellors
APEC Business Counsellors are experienced business coaches who have undertaken a course of study and accreditation
with a worldwide governing body. The purpose of the program is to bring uniformity to the improvement of SME (small to
medium business enterprises) worldwide which is one of the APEC (being Asian Pacific Economic Co-operation) policy
initiatives. Business improvement is recognised as a means of lifting the standard of living in all economies and in
particular a means of providing self- sufficiency to third world countries. There are only 164 APEC Certified Business
Counsellors world wide and, to the best of my knowledge, I am the only one operating in New Zealand at this time. For
further information go to apec.ibiz.org.
Additional Ventures by 'Topsy' Byrne
'TAXI' – During the formative stages of The Academy of Coaching I started writing a hand book for first time small business owners
which quickly escalated into a comprehensive book called Taxi. This book has proved popular since it was published in
Australia and is available in New Zealand through the website. Taxi is so called because it highlights the benefit of
knowing where you are heading in business and in life hence the sub title 'choose your destination before you start the
journey'
GIRLS NITE OUT NETWORKING GROUP – The success and growth of small business in rural areas, and the advancement
of women in business are other pet projects of mine. As part of my commitment to small business improvement I founded a
networking group called Girls Nite Out for fun and fellowship. The first group started meeting in Maryborough in 2006 and
are still going strong. The aim of the network is to provide a friendly forum for business women and career girls to meet
to showcase their businesses and products and to share the success and struggles of our busy lives. Our meetings are
generally hosted by a business who provide a venue of their choice (their offices or premises usually) and are held
monthly. The meetings are informal and frequently open to our husbands, business partners and other organisations like
the local Chamber of Commerce. Girls Nite Out Maryborough is fortunate that two of the original 'GNO' ers (Gayle & Jackie
from Pipsqueak Web Designs) generously maintain the website with sponsors news and meeting dates etc. Have a look at
girlsniteout.com.au.