WARN International Ltd

WARN International Ltd WARN International provides consultancy and training in managing challenging situations to minimise

The two most requested programmes we’re delivering right now are:🔀 Managing change🗣️ De-escalationThey’re seeing real im...
02/06/2026

The two most requested programmes we’re delivering right now are:
🔀 Managing change
🗣️ De-escalation

They’re seeing real impacts when change and escalating behaviour aren’t handled well:
📈 Increased conflict and complaints.
🥱 Fatigue and withdrawal from otherwise capable staff.
💥 More reactive decision making.
🚑 Leaders spending time managing fallout instead of leading.

When people don’t feel equipped to deal with what’s coming at them, emotionally or behaviourally, pressure can show up elsewhere.

De-escalation is about difficult interactions with the public, but it’s also about how people can regulate themselves under stress and recover faster after the interaction has passed.

Managing change is about teaching people to accept disruption, but it’s also about supporting them in maintaining confidence, clarity, and control as expectations, roles, or direction keep shifting.

The true value in our workshops shows when:
✅ People are able to respond instead of react.
✅ Conversations don’t spiral unnecessarily.
✅ Teams are supported to function despite uncertainty.
✅ Leaders have the ability to spend less time firefighting and more time leading.

That’s why we focus on practical behavioural shifts that people can apply immediately.

When organisations invest in supporting people with the tools to manage pressure in the moment, the benefits extend well beyond change or conflict.

Let’s talk!

When times get tough, always go with your heart and not your head.In times of adversity, your heart will always know bes...
29/05/2026

When times get tough, always go with your heart and not your head.
In times of adversity, your heart will always know best.

I get asked this a lot, is ADHD the new normal?Alongside this question is another: Is ADHD different in men and women?Re...
27/05/2026

I get asked this a lot, is ADHD the new normal?

Alongside this question is another: Is ADHD different in men and women?

Recently, I saw a post from someone newly diagnosed with ADHD.

He shared that part of him hoped he didn’t have ADHD. He said it felt like “everyone has it now”, and he likes to be different.

For decades, ADHD was understood through a narrow lens: the disruptive, hyperactive young boy in a classroom (aka me).

Large bodies of research show ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference affecting how the brain regulates attention, motivation, emotional intensity, and impulse control, across the lifespan (Harvard Health Publishing).

That biology is real, measurable, and it’s not a trend.

Men and women often experience ADHD differently!

Research consistently shows that boys and men are more likely to present with external symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and visible behavioural disruption.

This is why they’re often identified early.

Females more commonly present with internal symptoms - chronic overwhelm, emotional dysregulation, perfectionism, anxiety, shame and exhaustion. They cope and mask until they burn out.

While boys are diagnosed far more often in childhood, adult diagnosis rates between men and women are nearly equal, pointing to decades of missed identification (Current Psychiatry Reports, 2024).

Hormones add another critical layer. There is a well-documented interaction between oestrogen and dopamine, meaning ADHD symptoms in women can fluctuate. A factor historically absent from diagnostic models (Journal of Psychiatric Research / Monash University).

Many women were simply mislabelled.

So, is ADHD the new normal? Short answer: no.

Despite rising diagnosis rates, high-quality meta-analyses show no meaningful increase in true ADHD prevalence over time once diagnostic changes and methodology are accounted for (Molecular Psychiatry / Nature Group, 2025).

What has changed is the world we’re asking brains to function in. Modern environments:

🧠 Overload attention systems
🧠 Demand constant self-regulation
🧠 Remove recovery time
🧠 Reward speed over depth.

When the external structure disappeared, particularly during and after COVID, ADHD traits became impossible to hide.

Population-based studies show a sharp rise in adult diagnoses post-pandemic, not because people suddenly wanted ADHD, but because coping strategies collapsed (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(2500233-9/fulltext)).

Which brings me back to that man’s comment: “I didn’t want the diagnosis because everyone seems to have it now.”

A diagnosis doesn’t make you less unique. It simply explains why your uniqueness often came with extra weight.

We’re witnessing the end of decades of misunderstanding. For many people, that explanation is the beginning of understanding and self-compassion.

Understanding who we truly are and explaining a lot of the ‘why’ behind why we didn’t seem to ‘fit in’.

Let’s talk!

26/05/2026

Try this technique the next time you face a challenge in your day 📝

In the early days of running workshops, I would actively seek out negative feedback to find where I thought I had gone w...
25/05/2026

In the early days of running workshops, I would actively seek out negative feedback to find where I thought I had gone wrong.

If I’m honest, I often defended myself internally.

That’s just them.
What would they know?
They don’t get the work.

The feedback felt like a threat.

These days, I still seek out challenging feedback, but for very different reasons - to see what I can learn and improve on.

There’s another blind spot I’ve come to recognise, when I focus solely on negative feedback, I miss something just as important.

The opportunity to acknowledge, absorb and savour the positive feedback.

Our brains are wired with a negativity bias; we look for danger by comparison.

Many of us scan for what’s wrong. Whether it’s in our work, our relationships, or our days. We move straight past what’s going well.

I often say it’s not about stopping to smell the roses, but taking time to admire them makes a real difference to our wellbeing.

Recently, I received some genuinely positive feedback – “A big thank you for your fantastic presentation and the genuine way you connected with everyone, it truly made the day memorable. The content you shared resonated deeply.”

Instead of skimming over it or brushing it off, I read it slowly and sat with it. I felt content.

It reminded me why the work we do is so important, and reconnected me to my sense of purpose.

How often do you deliberately look for what’s going right or let positive feedback stay with you for more than a few seconds?

Simple reflections on the small positives, the kind we usually rush past, can remarkably improve our sense of self-worth.

Growth isn’t just about fixing what’s wrong. Sometimes, it’s about finally allowing ourselves to acknowledge what’s right.

Let’s talk!

The Power of Giving Back!Today I had the privilege of attending the opening of a newly renovated classroom for Life Educ...
24/05/2026

The Power of Giving Back!

Today I had the privilege of attending the opening of a newly renovated classroom for Life Education Trust, Rodney.

Having previously served as a trustee and now a proud patron, it was a special moment to see firsthand the impact that passion, commitment and community support can have.

Coincidentally, just recently my son and my granddaughter were talking about how much the mobile classroom visit meant to them.

The learning stayed with them and so did the experience. And of course, Harold the giraffe, who seemed to steal the show.

That’s the magic of what Life Education does.

It’s not just education, t’s connection, memory and influence that lasts well beyond the classroom.

Those who have been involved in not-for-profit work know just how much effort it takes to simply keep things afloat let alone to grow and thrive. And yet, organisations like Life Education continue to show up for our young people, our tamariki, our rangatahi.

There is something powerful about volunteering, and something even more meaningful when it’s in service of the next generation.

Life Education Trust has been supporting young New Zealanders for over 35 years, shaping healthier choices and stronger futures.

But none of this happens without people, without time, without generosity.

If you have a few hours a month, or even a few dollars to spare, please consider giving it to a cause like Life Education.

Because without the quiet dedication of volunteers and the kindness of donors, many of these life-changing initiatives simply wouldn’t exist.

And our young people would be poorer for it.

What is the first thing you say to yourself each day? 💭
21/05/2026

What is the first thing you say to yourself each day? 💭

Over the last few years of running workshops on identifying and using personal values, one thing continues to inspire me...
20/05/2026

Over the last few years of running workshops on identifying and using personal values, one thing continues to inspire me - the impact that understanding your values has on your calm, your clarity and your connection with others.

Our values are always at work, whether we’ve identified them or not.

👉 When we feel triggered, it’s often because a value has been offended.
👉 When something doesn’t feel right, it’s usually because it doesn’t align with what matters most to us.
👉 When something plays on our mind, it’s often because either we or someone else has acted against a value we hold deeply.

What we often miss are the other costs of not understanding our values:

👉 Chronic frustration or resentment without knowing why.
👉 Decision fatigue, overthinking choices that should feel clearer.
👉 People-pleasing that slowly erodes self-respect.
👉 Reacting emotionally instead of responding intentionally.
👉 Feeling disconnected from work, relationships, or even yourself.

When values stay unconscious, they don’t disappear; they simply run the show from the background.

Yet when you know them, you gain a language for your reactions, you strengthen your decision-making, and you feel steadier in difficult conversations.

I’ve included an image containing our primary values. Follow this process to find your top primary values:

1️⃣ Read every word (English or Māori) without a pen in your hand.
2️⃣ Read every word a second time, this time writing down, circling underlining or putting a mark next to the words that resonate with you. Words that give you a good feeling, words you know are who you are.
3️⃣ Now select the top five of the words you’ve marked – they are your solid values to guide you.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain moments hit harder than others, or why some decisions feel peaceful and others exhausting – start with your values.

They’ve been guiding you all along.

Let’s talk!

19/05/2026

Are you waking up multiple times in the night? 😴

In today's busy world, the brain does some interesting things to try and keep up.In my workshops, I often talk about wha...
17/05/2026

In today's busy world, the brain does some interesting things to try and keep up.

In my workshops, I often talk about what I call the three disruptive activities the brain defaults to when work gets busy and cognitive load increases:

1️⃣ Multitasking - Trying to do two or three things at once. Neuroscience is clear on this: we don’t multitask, we task‑switch, and every switch comes with a cost. Attention fragments, mistakes increase, and mental fatigue ramps up.
2️⃣ Procrastination - Putting important or effortful tasks off to deal with what’s right in front of us. This is the brain avoiding complexity or discomfort in favour of short‑term relief.
3️⃣ Attentional narrowing - Also known as reactive mode, when demands pile up, the brain narrows its focus. We become busy but not effective.

From a neuroscience perspective, this happens when the prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded, and the brain shifts from thinking to coping.

It’s efficient for survival, but it’s terrible for getting through meaningful work, leaving many well-intentioned people feeling exhausted.

Feeling like they’ve been flat out all day, yet barely getting through their to-do list.

The solution is to:
➡️ Take micro‑breaks to reset attention
➡️ Limit distractions so the brain doesn’t default to reactive mode
➡️ Use lists and structure to offload memory and regain perspective

Start working with your brain, not against it.

Let's talk!

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