Kristy von Minden is an accredited Mindfulness teacher with a special interest in the Neuroscience of wellbeing.
An experienced facilitator and keynote speaker, Kristy is invited regularly to speak at large industry events where she advocates for human sustainability and gets us thinking about new ways to understand and look after our mental wellbeing. She also works with some of New Zealand’s biggest businesses, including ASB, Sony, Yellow, HSBC, Callaghan Innovation, William Buck and more, supporting them with their wellness programmes to reduce stress in order to enhance health, happiness, and performance.
But she hasn't always worked in the wellness industry - after 15 years working in marketing and PR, managing a large team and working with some of the world’s largest brands, Kristy saw first-hand the negative impact the long hours, relentless rush and constant connectedness had on herself, as she suffered years of chronic pain and anxiety. She also witnessed the health of her most highly motivated, intelligent and capable team members suffer. Through her evidence-based work, Kristy now seeks to help us redefine our thinking around what it means to be truly successful in the modern business world. Her message, 'Looking after our wellbeing and excelling in our job, do not need to be mutually exclusive. In fact, the science is undisputed: what's good for people is good for business".
Kristy holds a Bachelor of Communications Degree, numerous Mindfulness Teacher Training Accreditations through Ovio and has completed the Berkley University the Science of Happiness certification.
Talking Points
Whole Me dimensions of wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Physical and Internal
Each workshop and keynote fits under one of the four Whole Me dimensions of wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Physical and Internal. Whole Me dimensions of wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Physical and Internal
While each session has a clear focus, these dimensions are deeply interconnected — when one is depleted, the others are harder to access; when one is strengthened, the whole system performs better. That’s why my work is designed to help leaders and teams build sustainable high performance by recharging a single dimension at a time — naturally boosting the entire wellbeing “ecosystem” and strengthening resilience.
Workshops and keynotes can be delivered as standalone sessions or combined into a tailored Whole Me programme.
Mental Focus, clarity, decision-making and cognitive performance.
MentalMental Focus, clarity, decision-making and cognitive performance.
Focus, clarity, decision-making and cognitive performance.
Workshops and keynotes can be delivered as standalone sessions or combined into a tailored Whole Me programme.
• Minimise Distraction, Maximise Productivity — Why focus is the new frontier of workplace health (and performance)
• Digital Chaos to Calm & Clarity — Break the phone habit loop, reduce overwhelm, and get attention back
• User Guide to Your High-Performance Brain — How to think clearer, create more and focus better — using simple brain science
• Secrets of the Mind — End unnecessary stress, overwhelm and distraction
• Mindfulness for Modern Work Life — Attention training for calm, clarity and better decisions — without the fluff
• Meditation & Mindfulness 101 — The practical basics (and how to make it work for busy minds)
Emotional Stress regulation, emotional agility, resilience and relationships under pressure.
EmotionalEmotional Stress regulation, emotional agility, resilience and relationships under pressure.
Stress regulation, emotional agility, resilience and relationships under pressure.
Workshops and keynotes can be delivered as standalone sessions or combined into a tailored Whole Me programme.
• Resilience Rewired — Fast tools to switch off the stress response — and rewire out of chronic stress patterns in a matter of weeks
• Emotional Agility at Work — Reduce reactivity, recover faster, and respond with intention
• Self-Leadership Through Change & Uncertainty — Stay grounded, focused and effective when things keep moving
• The Gratitude Advantage — Rewire negativity bias and strengthen resilience in minutes a day
• The Science of Happiness — What a decade of research at UC Berkeley reveals about what truly makes us happy — and how to build it, practically
Physical Energy, sleep, nervous system recovery and sustainable capacity.
PhysicalPhysical Energy, sleep, nervous system recovery and sustainable capacity.
Energy, sleep, nervous system recovery and sustainable capacity.
Workshops and keynotes can be delivered as standalone sessions or combined into a tailored Whole Me programme.
• The Energy Edge — Energy is the new performance currency — how leaders and teams build it, protect it and recover it
• Sleep: Your Performance Superpower — Biohack your sleep for better quality and quantity — discover your personal sleep chronotype and personal sleep calculation
• The 60-Second Reset Toolkit — Rapid nervous-system resets for calm, clarity and sustainable performance
Internal Values, habits, self-leadership and culture that support sustainable high performance.
InternalInternal Values, habits, self-leadership and culture that support sustainable high performance.
Values, habits, self-leadership and culture that support sustainable high performance.
Workshops and keynotes can be delivered as standalone sessions or combined into a tailored Whole Me programme.
• The Habits Blueprint — Make wellbeing stick — using the neuroscience of habits
• The Secrets of Sustainable High Performance — Don’t work faster — learn how to recharge and recover between demands, lift performance, and prevent burnout
• Psychological Safety: The High-Performance Team Advantage — Create a culture where people speak up, learn faster and perform better
I've had the pleasure of hearing Kristy speak over the past five years on a wide range of topics, and she never fails to impress. At the recent Air New Zealand conference, Kristy was truly e ... keep reading Air New Zealand
We have run three of Kristy's workshops a year for the last two years for our Pinnacle Programme students and both myself and the students got so much out of these workshops! We love that they are engaging, evidence-based, clear and we all walked away inspired for change with actionable insights.
Just a quick note to say thank you so much for coming and talking to our team earlier this week and for sending us the resources and toolkit as follow up. We had a lot of positive feedback about your session and I think everyone came away feeling like this was an area they wanted to work on both for themselves and their teams.
Kristy delivered a highly engaging session with a compelling narrative that really landed with our audience. She translated the science of focus and distraction into practical, realistic strategies and a simple workplace framework teams can actually apply. The feedback was excellent, a great blend of wellbeing and performance outcomes.
Thanks for that session Kristy, was the best presentation we have had at the CEOi, group really enjoyed it. Thank you for your time! Thanks again for your time presenting to the group yesterday, it was a really insightful session, and the feedback has been incredible. The only problem with being a 10/10 speaker, is all the other Chairs will want you to speak to their groups too!
A lot of impromptu positive comments about the content and our MD, Brendon, specifically said you were one of best speakers we have invited in, so that's wonderful feedback to pass on to you.
That was such a great workshop Kristy, thank you so much, my favourite speaker we've had in for the whole series.
Meeting you was a pleasure, and I've had the opportunity to speak with the team about your presentation. I'm delighted to report that everyone found the content engaging, the tools useful, and they've taken away valuable insights from your concise and scientifically grounded presentation. It was music to the ears of our room full of engineers! During lunch, there was discussion of the green zone and mindfulness, indicating that positive change is already underway, and I'm confident it will continue. With this in mind, I plan to bring up your session at our upcoming board meeting to gauge the directors' perception and hopefully gain their support for the remaining workshops. We will definitely look to build on these learnings with more workshops.
I've never seen my team so excited after having a speaker in. Kristy inspires, motivates and moves people with her workshops. This is the third year we've worked with her and every time we are blown away with the way she delivers her content.
Kristy it was SO awesome to have you to our team day, you were the highlight and the team were so grateful for the opportunity. They said you were really relatable, enjoyed the fact that it was science based and the suggested practices were able to be implemented and not a one size fits all. We'll have you back for sure.
I'm loving hearing all the chatter this arvo about your workshop. It has really resonated with everyone, fantastic content and fantastically presented, thank you.
Kristy's presentation was informative with very practical tools. Kristy was warm, positive and a had a wonderful energy about her. She engaged well with the group and encouraged interaction.
Kristy delivered an outstanding workshop for our senior marketing leadership team at THE ICONIC. What stood out most was that it was so much more than a traditional wellbeing session—she seamlessly connected neuroscience, wellbeing and sustainable high performance with real commercial outcomes, making it highly relevant for our leaders. Kristy is an incredibly engaging speaker, combining science, practical tools, meaningful discussion and her own corporate burnout story in a way that was both authentic and impactful; one leader even messaged me afterwards saying it was "life-changing" and "10/10." The feedback was exceptional, and it was so relevant and well-received that we've decided to bring Kristy back to deliver the workshop to the rest of our marketing team.
Kristy has now presented for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand on five occasions, and she continues to be one of our highest-rated speakers. Delivering engaging online sessions for an hour is no easy feat, yet Kristy's interactive style, practical strategies and ability to keep members actively involved consistently receive exceptional feedback. Her presentations are evidence-based, highly engaging and immediately applicable, making them a favourite with our members. We look forward to welcoming Kristy back again.
Thank you for the insighful session. Kristy's session was clear, interactive and full of practical takeaways. We have learned a lot without feeling overwhelmed.
Kristy was a fantastic facilitator and we loved the practical strategies shared. So far I’ve had amazing feedback from the leadership team - a new and different type of learning in the offsite setting and one that was appreciated. The tools were valued and can be shared with team members, which was a bonus.
It has been a pleasure working with Kristy. She has a down-to-earth, practical approach to wellbeing in the workplace (and at home), with people and the business in mind. Kristy has a wealth of knowledge in this field and our team really enjoyed her presentation style. The content was relevant and interesting and staff were able to walk away with a tool kit that is simple to implement.
We wanted to provide some practical tools for our people to help them in life and work. The mindfulness sessions followed on nicely as a continued learning experience after our stress less wellness programme that we rolled out last year. The content is beautifully simple and backed by scientific research. The practical, no-fuss approach has been one of the factors that made this programme so popular amongst our staff. The ability to provide a programme that is practical, engaging and simple for people to implement is often underestimated. Kristy beautifully brings this to life because she has worked in an office environment at senior management level, so she understands the demands of corporate life. She is able to hold this space for people to share their own experiences. Kristy is relatable and pragmatic in her approach which people appreciated. She also has a lovely calm energy which is a testament to what she is teaching people. I have had several people tell me how they have now implemented the learnings from the programme into their life and how that has personally really helped them to move forward. We are holding some more sessions in a couple of weeks and have had a 60% uptake in the business which is a testament to how impactful this has been for our people.
Such a great session, the team loved it. Personal, clear, good, simple suggestions. So many Aha moments! I loved that the content was science-based and focused on the brain but with a real-life lense.
Kristy delivered another outstanding keynote for NZ Golf's Annual Summit. We are very pleased to report that our delegates scored her 95% - a remarkably good rating.
I just wanted to thank you for today’s conference. Hit the mark perfectly in terms of the science and the practicality of what people can do. We've had remarkably good feedback.
Kristy was an extremely engaging presenter. She is obviously very passionate about wellbeing and health. I especially appreciated that she backed up all of her statements and examples with the scientific basis, which was great for an audience of scientists! Everyone I talked to after the presentation was very happy and motivated to put a few little steps in place to help make our lives that little bit better and healthier. We would love to work with Kristy again if we get the opportunity.
Kristy brought the most amazing energy. We listened to her speak about mindfulness and stress management. Her wisdom and understanding of these areas really connected with all of us. Kristy has the ability to deliver powerful messages in a way that is easy and enjoyable to comprehend, there were some fantastic golden nuggets. The theory of mindfulness can often feel a bit airy-fairy, but Kristy was able to use science-based facts to help really connect her thinking, which was incredibly powerful.
I found the whole experience to be so professional, insightful, easy to understand and empowering. I loved that the key messages were simple, intuitive and human-centric. Kristy was exceptional in her delivery and manner, really easy to listen to and follow.
