Page Summary

This page describes in more detail the experiences and life of Michelle A. Hardwick.

In-depth Profile

The Beginning

I was born in Manchester and when I was still very young our family moved to North Wales. We first lived in Kinmel Bay and then moved to Rhyl, Denbighshire, North Wales, UK. I went to school at Christchurch Primary, which was a fantastic experience. At Christchurch my love of music was born. My parents had Fish and Chip Shops in Kinmel Bay and then Rhyl.

Born into the hospitality trade by default I loved serving in the shop when I was old enough (and tall enough to reach over the counter) and spent many weekends and school holidays at the till, taking money, wrapping chips and more importantly earning pocket money!

I was a member of the 5th Rhyl Christchurch Brownies, and thoroughly enjoyed my time there, learnt many new skills too. I later joined 5th Rhyl Christchurch Girl Guides and after completing the necessary requirements became a Queens’ Guide. I represented Wales at a two-week international Guide & Scout Jamboree/camp in Bengtsford, Dalsland, Sweden called "Ivag 80." It was a marvellous experience with 3,500 participants from all over the world. Paddling traditional swedish canoes in the pristine swedish fjordes was a highlight. We also got up to plenty of mischief!

I later joined the Rangers and met some fantastic people there too. I was lucky enough to go to Brittany to another Jamboree that was held there. We had a ball! Fell in and out of love numerous times too! The weather was tremendously hot and so plenty of the local beer was consumed as well as great food.

Apart from my Guiding education I also went to Rhyl High School, where I met many amazing people who became great friends, some still are. I learnt, grew and changed heaps in that time. I played hockey (although I wasn’t that brilliant at it) and swam a lot too. A group of us got together at school and created a routine that won the Senior Keep Fit Competition for our House Hiraddug, at the Rhyl High School Eisteddfod. Happy Times! I still have an interest in keeping fit.

First Career

Growing up and working in the Fish & Chip Shop led me to follow a career in the Food and Beverage Industry. I trained at Llandrillo College, North Wales and gained an Ordinary National Diploma in Hotel Catering and Housekeeping. As part of my apprenticeship I worked at the Westminster Hotel, which was then a beautiful 4 star hotel on the seafront of Rhyl.

Following that I returned to my birthplace to study in Manchester. There I successfully completed a Higher National Diploma in Hotel Catering & Housekeeping being in Manchester was a fabulous experience. Went to lots of clubs, danced heaps, saw plenty of live concerts and of course attended one or two parties! As part of second training I completed a 3-month apprenticeship at the 'the Lamb at Hindon', Nr Salisbury. I worked in all areas – front office, kitchen, reception, housekeeping, restaurant and bar. I met so many locals who made my stay there very memorable! It is a beautiful part of the country too.

Move to Zürich, Switzerland

After completing my studies our family received a call from my mother’s family in Switzerland. Someone was needed to take care of my Aunt who was struggling after having had a stroke which had left her paralyzed on her right side. I offered to go to Zürich and stay for 6 months while I studied German part-time at a school there. This decision was the first step that led to many incredible experiences.

After 6 months had lapsed, my uncle retired and was then able to care for my Aunt. I loved Zürich so much that I decided to stay, and then moved into the city. I worked in a number of Food & Beverage departments in various hotels including the Frauenverien, Hotel Pullman Continental, The Linde Oberstrass. I started out on the drink dispense (called ‘buffet’) and worked through to kitchen, cold kitchen, afternoon shift, breakfast shift and stewarding. Then when I was able to communicate properly in Swiss and High German, I was let loose on the patrons!

After becoming a waitress, I then became Café Manager, moving on to Assistant Hotel Manager. It was an incredible time, I met many wonderful people, sampled lots of food and drink - a passion of mine! After five years I was ready for a change of scene.

Move to Bluche, Crans Montana, Valais

I then joined Les Roches the Swiss Hotel Management School in Bluche, Crans Montana. This was in the French speaking part of Switzerland. I spent 3 very formative and happy years at the school, sharing much and learning from many cultures. I learnt to speak a little French to compliment my German.

We lived up in the mountains and so skiing was part of our daily routine in winter. I loved the winter seasons up in Bluche and did plenty of skiing. The après-ski was pretty good too! We were lucky to enjoy plenty of great seasons when there huge snow falls.

To Beijing, China

I then joined the Shangri-La Hotel Management chain in Asia and moved to their flagship Hotel in Beijing where I ran one of their outlets for 18 months. The outlet had been struggling and needed a lot of work. I was sent in as a trouble shooter to improve the staff, the training, profitability, customer relations - in fact just about everything was in disarray and needed changing! It was a very busy outlet, with a live band almost every night and weekends we were open until 5am! Many a night was spent with the locals and expats in this busy outlet.

The highlight was having the Hong Kong-Beijing 555 Subaru Rally end their race just outside our front doors. The drivers had been on the road for weeks and of course couldn't enjoy a drink through that time. So when they did stop, they made up for it. We didn't close that night until 7am and the entire hotel (which had 22 Food & Beverage outlets) was drunk dry! We had no more beer in the entire hotel! What an amazing night that was. We didn't move from behind the bar for the entire night (apart from bringing in more barrels of beer) and we never stopped the beer pumps, we just changed glasses and refilled them constantly - the patrons partied hard.

After the outlet was back on it's feet I was offered an opportunity as part of an international team, to set up a Hotel Management School for the Shangri-La chain in Beijing. This was a joint venture with the Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute. With 3 members we began this new branch for the Shangri-La and trained many up and coming Chinese staff in management skills. The staff of the Shangri-La who were sent to studying with us had plenty of practical experience, but as Chinese nationals had little or no management experience. This style of management and teaching style was unfamiliar to the Chinese culture. I became Academic Dean, teaching Chinese National Teachers how to educate students using Western - rather than Eastern Methodologies (i.e. from rote to interactive learning). It was groundbreaking work at the time. We formed a brilliant team of very special individuals who were great to work with!

Living in China was a highlight for me too. I have many fond memories of all the people I met, the incredible food, special ancient places and the language! I learnt to speak some Chinese - which was a fantastic challenge. I hope to return there sometime.

Opportunity Knocks in NZ

After 18 months as Academic Dean I saw job advertised in New Zealand and applied, I was ready for something different. It was a teaching post in a Polytechnic in Dunedin. I was successful in my application, however when I arrived the position that I had been offered was not available and part of the teaching package (the acquirement of a Hotel) had already been turned down by the Board (three times!) I was offered other positions but felt it was not in my best interests to stay. I found another job as a Hotel Management Consultant with a local company and began working there.

In the meantime I bought Prince, (pictured right) a gorgeous German Shepherd, who stole my heart. We went walking twice a day to various locations on the Otago Peninsula and it was such a joy to have Prince in my life. He was an incredibly intelligent dog with a very mischievous streak (like me). We both loved the beach and could walk for hours enjoying the rich landscapes & beaches of Otago. He lived for 9 glorious years until I had to make "that" decision. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer and I had to put him down. One of the most devastating decisions of my life.

After 3 years as a consultant, I met another consultant in Queenstown who offered me a position in a Hotel Management School - the Pacific International based in New Plymouth, in the North Island. I became the South Island consultant/rep who travelled to various schools, trade-shows, exhibitions and the like, educating Kiwi students and the public on the benefits of the Hotel Industry (which in NZ was not seen at that point as a career but rather as short-term employment).

This was a great way to see much of the stunning landscape of NZ, meet its incredible people and share some of my Hotel experiences. I was given an opportunity to work in the North Island at the school, however I felt happier in the South. I had also met a Kiwi in Dunedin and fallen in love! With him, I began to appreciate the amazing wildlife in the area, the trees, Mother Nature, the sea.

I became passionate about the environment in NZ and spent as much time out in nature as could. We lived on a small peninsula on the Otago Peninsula and were almost surrounded by the sea, we ate lots of wonderful fresh fish, and became part of a fantastic community.

I became immersed in another culture - the "Kiwi" culture, which was a whole new ball game! Very different from anything I had ever experienced. I found that even though we speak English there were so many dialects and expressions it was hard to understand - I often felt I was in a foreign country! Kiwi's are incredibly friendly, open and relaxed - a refreshing change.

Beginning My Second Career

I began a new career, training as a Hypnotherapist. Instead of being in a stressed environment, I decided to find a way to release the stress and help others do the same! I began a small clinic in Broad Bay where we lived, (a magical place) and started seeing clients. I got married and hoped for a family, but this was not to be realised. I also studied NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) and later EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). I was invited to attend an Advanced EFT training in America with the Founder of EFT Gary Craig, and I went. 16 practitioners from around the world tapped solidly for 5 days on all sorts of issues, problems, and challenges in the luxury of Gary’s own beautiful home. We cleared a lot of stuff and I met some amazing practitioners who were all as passionate about EFT as I was!

After that, my life was never the same. I returned home, and after much agonizing left my husband and two stepchildren, and started a new journey. This was a very tough time in my life, I knew even though to some my leaving didn't make sense I couldn't stay in that environment any longer. I grew on so many different levels as a result of this decision, difficult as it was.

I moved my clinic called 'The Mind, Body & Spirit Clinic' into Dunedin city centre and joined forces with a brilliant Medical Herbalist, Nicola Dean. It was great to work alongside another passionate practitioner. I had also met another man, who helped show me so much about myself. I grew enormously on so many different levels.

I joined a Sacred Mystery School and studied for 2 years as a Record keeper. This was a very different type of training that what I had done in the past. With many wonderful people in the group. Our trainings took place at Lake Taupo, in the North Island, a truly magnificent place. I began to include what I had learnt in the Mystery School in my work, as well the local Maori ways of honouring ancestors, the energies and deities of the land, my horizons were expanding.

I set up a new business travelling extensively and offering workshops together with my new partner. We had the pleasure of working and helping people in India, Hong Kong, Australia, the South Island of NZ, the UK and Wales. Sadly after being on the road pretty much full time together I gave away my power, and stopped honouring who I was. I chose to leave for a short time returning to the Wales attending my niece Esmies' 2nd birthday, my niece Sarahs' wedding, my sisters' 50th birthday and a party in Switzerland celebrating 100 years of life! It was a real pleasure to meet up with everyone after being away for over 22 years! I was home with my family.

Full Circle

In November 2007, I made the decision to stay in Wales until 2010 and to separate from my partner. I still travel and work internationally and love my life doing my souls' work which is helping other souls heal, evolve and grow.