Saying yes to a wild and precious life

From Hong Kong classrooms to Premier League boardrooms, Marlborough vineyards to global mentoring, Fiona Fenwick’s life has been shaped by one simple philosophy: say yes – and see where it leads.

Words: Adrienne Matthews

Some people appear to carry a glow with them. It’s an engaging, bubbling effervescence that can light up a space instantly. Fiona Fenwick is such a person. Spend an hour in her company and you’ll leave not only knowing more about her extraordinary life but feeling more positive about the possibilities for your own.

When she talks about her experiences, it isn’t in straight lines. It’s in eras.

The first required an act of extraordinary courage, a decision that became the foundation for her continued growth and unfolding potential.

“I was born in Edinburgh and when I was very young, dad came home from work and said to my mum, ‘There’s an opportunity in Hong Kong. What do you think?’ Without hesitation she said ‘yes’ and that changed everything for our family.”

As with most of their peers, her parents were not seasoned travellers at that stage but, they packed up their lives and moved to Hong Kong where her father helped establish telecommunicationsinfrastructure. “It wasn’t common in the early 1970s for families to relocate like that,” she explains. “They really didn’t know much about the place. It was an extraordinary act of courage on my parent’s part.”

Fiona vividly remembers stepping off the plane into the tropical heat of Hong Kong after the long journey. There was the noise, the smells, the colour and her father letting them taste 7Up for the very first time!

Hong Kong shaped her. “In our classroom of twenty-two children we had at least fourteen nationalities represented. Diversity was the norm and from that young age we were encouraged to think globally...”

“We had the most wonderful life there and travelled widely throughout the world. Mostly our travels were idyllic, but I remember us being on the beach in Cyprus when there was a military coup and the Turks invaded the island. We were swimming on the beach with the gunboats in the water and the sound of gunfire.”

“My dad had to secure a car to get us because the consulate couldn't help. We went to the RAF Akrotiri base on the southern side of the island and were eventually flown out on the Prime Minister's plane. It was all fairly traumatic. You don’t know what you don’t know when you’re a child,” she says, “but looking back, it gave me resilience. It showed me the world isn’t always calm, but you can still be curious.”

As a young adult she returned to Scotland to study international relations at Aberdeen University. “Academia didn’t really contain my interest. I was always more interested in leadership roles and in organising student causes and events than what was happening in the lecture theatre.”

“One highlight, however, was my professor who was the UK’s leading expert in terrorism. He often received phone calls during our tutorials from the then Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher, which were ‘wow’ moments.”

“I stumbled into public relations which dominated the next era in my life when I went for an interview at Procter and Gamble, an international consumer goods corporation. I clearly hadn’t filled in the application form properly – when he said, ‘Fiona, you're here for the job in public relations.’ I was temporarily confused because I thought I had applied for a role in brand management and advertising. I quickly pulled myself together, looked him straight in the eye and replied, “Yes, yes I am.”

“I guess the PR career started right there,” she laughs.

That decision launched a significant corporate communications career including a communications management role at one of the largest chemical facilities in Europe, a job that was high-pressure, crisis-driven work involving environmental issues, risk management, and emergency response.

“Often PR is looked on as merely spin,” she says. “For me it was about being trusted to be in the room where decisions were being made and bearing influence while communicating clearly in a way the public would understand.”

Alongside her corporate work and being hands-on with her two young daughters, she stepped into governance at Middlesbrough Football Club. Her first instinct was uncertainty. “I wasn’t sure as I didn’t know the sport but wise advice said, ‘if they think you can do it, you can’.”

“I said yes and it was an amazing experience, despite being in a very old-school male dominated organisation. I was on the executive and it was a fantastic era in the Club’s history. We moved to a new stadium and got promotion to the Premier League. My legacy project was to work with the players around their futures. Professional sport looked at its people in very commercial terms and back in the day they were often seen as simply trading pawns. I found it a real joy to help them plan for their life post-career.”

Believing that “anything is possible,” her next step was to consider if she could run the business from somewhere else. “I was getting itchy feet and travel was calling,” she says. “I started working remotely while still in the UK to see if it would work. I was determined that the business should be able to operate without me always at the front end.”

This led to the next era, a move to the other side of the world to New Zealand. Fiona had visited a few times and fallen in love with the place. A decision was made and the family arrived in Auckland on the infamous day of 9/11, turning the television on the next morning to watch the world change. “It was surreal,” she says. “Starting a new life on a day like that.”

“After moving to New Zealand, I used my experience with a number of corporates and sports bodies. I was involved in a number of Olympic campaigns and worked with rugby for many years including the All Blacks and Super 15 teams. I also managed a Paralympian which was inspiring.”

Auckland was good, but visits to Marlborough stole her heart, Fiona says. “There is nowhere quite like it. I fell in love with the land, the produce, and the people.”

A move to this region allowed another dream to blossom. “I have always loved food and wine and suddenly found myself with an opportunity to own an organic vineyard and orchard, which was a wonderful experience.”

Fiona has subsequently moved into Blenheim. With a desire to travel more, as well as see her two daughters, who are creating big lives for themselves in other parts of the world, it seemed a good time to move. “I’m thrilled to now have so much of what I need and enjoy in such close proximity. My mum and sister also both live in beautiful Marlborough, so it’s a full circle moment for our family’s travel adventures.”

Fiona spent the next era focusing on reputation management and advising leaders, and her life has now evolved into life coaching and mentoring. “Over the years, it's been a thread that has woven its way through much of what I have done. I love enabling people to see themselves clearly, giving them space and time to understand what they are capable of. It’s rare for people to take time in their busy lives to think about where they’re at and what they want from their life. I provide them with the space, and accountability, to do that. Every individual has the ability to achieve so much more than they do.”

She has recently established ‘The Nudge Project,’ with photographer Jessica Jones, an opportunity for individuals to get a quick ‘nudge’ to get clarity, improve their confidence and re-establish themselves and/or their business.

A published author, Fiona’s book, “Stand Out and Step Up” is soon to be followed by a sequel, “when writers block allows,” she laughs.

As if she wasn’t already busy enough, another joy is her marriage celebrant role, and she will soon begin escorting small tours to interesting parts of the world.

“I love world travel and the idea of taking small groups to places where they can really get an insight into a country and see and experience a new culture in a way that general sightseeing type travel doesn’t allow. I always want to go beyond the tourist sites. I go to the market first and walk neighbourhoods to really see how people live.”

Meanwhile, Fiona takes every opportunity to promote Marlborough, particularly its wine and food, and was acknowledged as one of Cuisine Magazine’s inaugural ‘50 Most Influential & Inspiring Women in Food and Drink’.

Her life has spanned continents, crises, boardrooms, vineyards, and reinventions, yet she resists framing it as extraordinary. “I’ve been lucky,” she says, “but I’ve also said yes and am grateful for everything in this wonderful life.”

“In a world saturated with exposure to so much content and pressure to be perfect, it can be overwhelming,” she says. “I’ve learnt, however, that although you can’t control everything, you can manage how you live your life. Everyone has within them the ability to affect change, but we need clarity of ourselves before we can unleash our full power to make that happen.”

“By understanding our purpose, how we want to turn up, and what success looks like is where I believe true peace and satisfaction – the joy! – comes from. I always come back to my favourite quote from American poet, Mary Oliver – ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’”

WIN - a 'Nudge'

Do you need a Nudge? Need a clearer view of your focus and uniqueness?

Motivational coach, Fiona Fenwick, and photographer, Jessica Jones, have teamed up to deliver a powerful personal insight session, then capture a new dynamic image which will give you confidence and purpose. Explore at  thenudgeproject.co.nz

We have one ‘Nudge' to give away. Let us know why you think you need one!

Email [email protected]