In this powerful and soulful episode, I sit down with the incredible Jade Varopana Benioni, founder of the Kapa Ora Collective, for a kōrero (conversation) that weaves ancestral wisdom, human design, and purpose-led entrepreneurship.

Jade shares the story of how she transitioned from her first business Unearth Your Worth into the kaupapa-driven Kapa Ora Collective , a re-indigenised, community-centred initiative that honours her Māori and Cook Islands heritage and supports others to lead from their truest self.

We explore:

• The roots and meaning behind the Kapa Ora Collective
• What it means to lead with a “little i” in service of the collective
• How Jade re-indigenised her business by shifting from linear, Western strategies to cyclical, ancestral ones
• The role of human design and gene keys in helping people come home to their natural selves
• The courage it takes to evolve your business and let go of identities that no longer align
• ... And so much more!

Whether you're at a crossroads, feeling the call to realign, or exploring your own whakapapa (roots/ancestry) and purpose, this episode will nourish your wairua (spirit) and spark reflection on how you show up in your life and leadership.

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership isn’t about ego - it’s about honouring your gifts in service of the collective.
• You can reimagine your business by honouring your roots and listening deeply to what wants to emerge.
• Human design and gene keys offer powerful frameworks for returning to your true self.
• Sometimes, evolving means letting go of what once worked in order to step into who you’ve become.

”...pretty much how I’ve built Kapa Ora to this day is listening. And when the visions or the ideas would come, I would action. And if they were easy—if they just popped out—then I’d carry on. Because I knew I was working in alignment with my tūpuna.” – Jade Varopana Benioni

Find Jade here:

https://www.kapaoracollective.com/

@jadebenioni

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What this space is, what to expect, and why leadership starts within.

Kia ora and welcome to the very first episode of Space to Lead. I’m so glad you’re here.

This episode sets the scene for what Space to Lead is all about: a podcast for those of us who want to do leadership differently. I explore why carving out space in our noisy, fast-paced world isn’t a luxury - it’s a leadership necessity. We talk about tuning in, taking aligned action, and reclaiming leadership as something personal, intuitive, and available to all of us, not just a select few.

I share the dual meaning behind the name, the vision that guides this platform, how you can get involved, and what you can expect from future episodes - including a mix of solo reflections and conversations with real people creating real change in the world.

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s an invitation — to pause, reflect, reconnect, and lead from the inside out.