Hello!

Welcome to As You, where you are valued, appreciated and accentuated for being you!

My name is Suki Xiao and I am an ICF credentialed coach (Associate Certified Coach) based in New Zealand helping women of colour around the world gain the clarity and confidence for their career and leadership.

As a fellow woman of colour, I know how hard it is to always try to fit in, to “fix” ourselves and to meet others’ and family’s expectations. However, it is time to take the power back in our career, start to appreciate and shine as who we are and for our differences. Because there is no one like us with our unique background and strengths. Because it is time to make a major dent in the representation statistics for women of colour.

Whether you are starting out or transitioning your career and are in need of defining your career vision or you are getting into your first or next leadership role and are in need of a confidence boost, I am here to support and advocate for you!

 Career Visioning

Have you been feeling stuck and unfulfilled in your career or you have hit a plateau? Are you spinning your wheels thinking about what to do next?

Like you, I graduated from university with high expectations. I had Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland and thought I was well on my way to my dream job of being a finance lawyer when I landed a job in KPMG. However, I soon learnt that my life was more than being a Tax Consultant in a big 4 accounting firm and what I thought was my dream job was no more than the family and societal expectations that I have placed upon myself.

So I went on a journey of soul searching and zig-zagged my way through being a Policy Advisor at the NZ government to being in start ups, to being an Agile Coach in Xero and to now being a Career and Leadership Coach.

I wish I saw a Career Coach back in the days who understood me, fitted my style and was more forward thinking than the career counsellors at school/university but there was no one available. So now I have become this coach for women of colour professionals and take women through an 8-week online career visioning and confidence programme called Make Your Move.

Leadership Coaching

Women of colour are under-represented in corporate leaders and on governance boards. We don’t see ourselves in the higher ranks and we therefore doubt what makes us the special one to crack the ceiling.

As a woman of colour who was climbing the corporate ladder, I relate to the challenge of assimilating to what a “successful” leader should look like. I fitted in so much that I didn’t see my cultural background and perspective as a unique advantage when compared to my white male counterparts. Sitting on the leadership tables, I was often the only woman or the only woman of colour. I felt alone. I really wanted a senior woman of colour leader as my mentor but again there was no one.

So I would like you to come with me on this journey to change the scene for ourselves and the next generation of ethnically diverse women.

I have developed a leadership programme, Accentuated, for women of colour to step into their leadership identity and power. Over four in-person workshops in a 6-month period, you will:

• Define your authentic leadership and purpose, explore what makes you unique as a leader, and understand how your cultural backgrounds are an asset

• Cultivate a confident mindset so that you are no longer battling with the imposter syndrome or any minimising self-talks and work habits

• Shine brighter by learning to communicate your value clearly, influence fearlessly and handle stereotyping and racism

• Expand your network and lead by example to build up the next generation of diverse leaders