Welcome to our blog series profiling the winners of the 2021-2022 Beautiful You Coaching Academy Awards. The awards aim to uplift and honour our worldwide community of coaches and the incredible work they are doing through their coaching, events, programs, books, products, podcasts and more. Get ready to have your mind and heart blown wide open and be inspired by an incredible round-up of coaches.

Today we’d love to introduce you to one of our 2021-2022 Book/Product of the Year Award winners, Winitha Bonney.

Winitha Bonney has helped countless companies all around the world to build inclusive, connected and engaged cultures. A CEO and thought leader, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her extensive work in diversity and inclusion in 2021. 

With many lived experiences, as a woman of colour and a founder of three successful businesses, Winitha applies her insights, experiences and expertise to help people of colour become leaders and successful entrepreneurs.

Obsessed with culture, creativity and human transformation, Winitha joins us to share her expertise and stories, and to provide practical guidance for how to update your own world and your workplace, to be more inclusive.

#ColourFULL’? is amazing and so inspiring. What made you decide to create it?

 It was spawned from my own experiences as a Woman of Colour and the need to provide help and support in an accessible way as not everyone can afford to work with a coach. Also the need for a book that focoused on the HOW of how we can move forward rather than the why of why we experience discrimination and focusing on the problem. A book that gave you practical tips and strategies to navigate and manage white and patriarchal systems and structures to succeed as a leader in life, career and business. But the idea and full concept was more of a spiritual experience. It was a day when the idea literally just dropped into me and God literally was banging on the soul of my door until I caved in and said “ok I’ll write it!”. From there the words poured.  

What surprised you most about the creation and process of creating and publishing a planner/ writing and publishing a book? 

 The editing part – I didn’t realise that the more words I wrote obviously the more it would cost to edit and that I would have to edit those words at least 3 times. I wrote over 100K words! It was a painful process!

What has been some of the feedback you have received from the ‘#ColourFULL’?

 I think the biggest feedback was how practical it is and the focus is on action which doesn’t surprise me as action is my middle name!

Do you have any tips for other coaches who are looking to create, write and publish a product/book? 

By the time I finished my book I was so sick of hearing “my own voice”. I had committed to get the book out by a date so I had to swing into editing mode with my editor. I would suggest that you leave it for 3-6 months then edit it on your own to really fully form the concepts and ideas. THEN take it to an editor. 

What does it mean to win this award from the Beautiful You Coaching Academy?

 I’m such a fan of the Beautiful You Coaching Academy and to win this award is more about the love Beautiful You gives from the training to acknowledging and celebrating our progress and achievements. Such an incredible role model and what I aspire to in my practice. 

What’s on the horizon for Winitha Bonney?

#ColourFULL conference – watch out, it will happen October/November 2022! Expect lots of laughter, dancing, powerful WoC speakers and more!

Find out more about Winitha’s work at Winitha Bonney

Photography Molly Burmeister