Danu Poyner

System changer helping organisations to re-humanise their systems, processes, and everyday interactions.I specialise in complex business transformation projects and wicked problems, combining hands-on capability across multiple domains of expertise.I bring a heart-forward approach that gently permissions people to ask more beautiful questions.

Based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Working globally.

🧩 Common situations I can help with

  • Flagship project in a tailspin: stakes are high, your key person just left, there's complex 'people and process' stuff involved, and you somehow need to land it all smoothly without making a mess.

  • Our systems are a mess: you want joined-up systems and processes and surely it can't be THAT hard, so why are you stuck in an endless loop of scoping, analysis, and planning meetings?

  • We miss the old system: you spent lots of resources on a shiny new IT system but it's not working out the way you wanted and people are starting to complain and disengage.

  • Superstars whose shine has worn off: you've got unicorns in your team who are difficult to manage but do magical things, but something has changed and you're not sure how to get the magic back.

  • Dead elephant in the room: you've got a stinky problem everyone is aware of but no-one talks about because there's an invisible minefield of organisational politics to navigate.

💡 My approach

  • Action, not "advice": no-one needs another Powerpoint that tells them what they already know. I'll roll up my sleeves and embed with your people to do real stuff that actually helps them. That's how we build trust and momentum.

  • Empathy without ego: I meet people where they are without judgment and treat everyone individually and as equally important. I listen carefully and hold space for emotions.

  • Universe in a grain of sand: we'll deal with what's on fire first and secure some valuable quick wins. Everything is connected, so we'll learn from the smallest details to understand the bigger picture and decide where to focus next.

  • Sidle up to the solutions: I don't try to brute-force problems or tackle them head on. Instead, I give them plenty of water and sunshine and watch as they open up to me like a flower.

  • Rehumanise the workplace: People are more engaged when they can recognise themselves in the systems and processes that make up an organisation. The most mundane everyday transactions can contain the greatest opportunities for re-energising teams with a sense of value and purpose.

🎖️ Experience Snapshot

  • Founder, Grokkist
    Global online learning community and consultancy for multi-disciplinary change-makers with a thirst for learning who insist on relating to the world with curiosity and care.

  • Product Specialist (Asia-Pacific), Digital Science
    B2B software company in the science, technology and innovation sector (universities, government, industry)

  • Manager, Research Systems & Performance, Auckland University of Technology
    Leading young public research university ranked 2nd in New Zealand for global research impact.

  • Project Manager, Research Platforms Migration Bond University
    Australian private not-for-profit university ranked 20th in the Times Higher Education (THE) Best Small Universities in the World.

🎓 Education

  • Executive MBA
    Quantic School of Business & Technology, 2022

  • MA Social Science (Policy and Human Services)
    RMIT University, 2014

  • B International Studies (Honours)
    RMIT University, 2012

⭐️ Certifications

  • ECD Emotional Leadership Practitioner
    Riders & Elephants, 2024

  • Science of Self (DISC, Driving Forces, EQ)
    TTI Global Success Insights, 2022

👤 About Me

I'm forever curious about how people work – from self to society – and why things happen the way they do.I possess a deep anger about all the cruel and stupid things happening in the world that don't need to, but I learned long ago to metabolise that anger and to deploy it with good humour on the side of the angels.I've learned that the best way to herd cats is not to herd them. Instead, leave your ego at the door and put out some catnip – watch what happens.I love animals and people who surprise me by choosing to act with curiosity and care when they don't have to.Most of all, I love the world. Somebody has to.

💬 Talks and Presentations

🪴 Community Building

I run an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and international online community that helps people explore and bring forth their multi-dimensional selves.Grokkist is an experimental playground where I put into practice everything I have learned about re-humanising systems that facilitate people towards flourishing.

Grokkist is a home for all those who insist on relating to the world with curiosity and care.

🎮 Playable Insights

I designed a game that distils the essence of what it's like to navigate the politics and bureaucracy of large complex organisations.I made it into a fun playable experience that can be used as a conversation starter about well-meaning systems and processes that end up de-humanising us.

Welcome to the Republic of AdministraviaStep into the role of project leader for the Republic of Administravia's ambitious new public works initiative!You've got unanimous support and unlimited resources, but can you navigate the twists and turns of Administravia's bureaucratic labyrinth to make it happen?As bureaucratic hurdles mount, will you build a monument that embodies the national spirit—or will the process transform you instead?

📝 Writing Samples

  • Curiosity and Care: the essence of being a grokkist

    A deeply reflective exploration of how an insistence on curiosity and care can transform our engagement with the world by re-enchanting our attention, deepening human connection, and challenging the transactional nature of modern society.

  • After the End of History

    Few things divide us more than politics, yet one thing almost all of us can agree on is that our politics is broken. Liberal democracy itself is in crisis - why? Can there be hope of a more beautiful politics before it all falls apart?

  • The art of cultivating curiosity in community building

    Embracing curiosity means celebrating the space between certainty and the unknown. Deep and genuine connections become possible when we invite a dance with inefficiency and adopt a commitment to Not Knowing.

🎙️ Podcasting

Some of your organisation's best people likely don't fit neatly into professional boxes and likely struggle to explain what it is they actually do.My podcast Still Curious is a library of long-form conversations with multi-dimensional misfits from many walks of life.I help my guests discover and name the hidden red thread of practice and deep expertise that runs through their otherwise squiggly career.

Curiosity is a gift we start with but often lose. So what can we learn from those people who are still curious?