SHIFT Profile – Anna Churton

SHIFT Consultant Profile: Anna Churton

Hear from one of our multi-talented SHIFT consultants, Anna Churton

Tell us about yourself:

I was born and raised in Auckland, studied in Wellington, and then spent most of my 20s living, working and studying overseas (New York, London, Copenhagen and France). I landed back in Aotearoa in 2020 somewhat by accident (thanks to Covid) and am loving living so close to family and friends again. I’ve been lucky to have quite a varied career so far, working in everything from human rights and reproductive healthcare all the way through to the energy sector, and am grateful that SHIFT is so flexible to allow me to continue to explore my different passions. Depending on the day, I am either a lawyer, a yoga teacher or a full time psychotherapy student. When I’m not working or studying I love spending time in nature, practicing yoga, travelling, and hanging out with family and friends.

What do you love about the job you do? 

I love the people! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, friendly, supportive team, who are so flexible and happy to accommodate me and my many extra curriculars. A highlight of my work day is the legal team coffee run – it is a daily non-negotiable, a real team bonding exercise and definitely helps boost morale! The work is also so varied – no two days are the same, and I am constantly learning and being stretched. I never get bored!

What makes working with SHIFT unique? 

The team at SHIFT really cares about you as a person, and takes the time to get to know you and find roles that fit with not only your skills, but also your personality, your goals, your outlook on life. I feel very looked after at SHIFT – the team are amazing at checking in, setting up get-togethers and events to meet other consultants – I always enjoy the Auckland Writers Festival event in particular.

Best book/podcast/show you have recently indulged in? 

So many! Here’s a few at the top of my mind:

One of my go-to podcasts is Brenée Brown’s ‘Unlocking Us’, all about “the magic and messiness of what it means to be human”.  Brenée always has the most interesting guests on to talk about everything under the sun.

I recently started watching ‘Shrinking’ with Jason Segel and Harrison Ford on Apple TV and, even if you’re not a budding psychotherapist, I highly recommend! Very funny and touching.

Finally, I was lucky enough to see Rupi Kaur live in Auckland last month and, unsurprisingly, she was phenomenal. Highly recommend any of her books (Home Body is my favourite), or just following her on Instagram for your daily poetry dose.

Favourite Restaurant or Café and any menu recommendations? 

This is hard as there are so many to choose from, but I adore Italian food so at the moment Pici is on top (all of the pastas are divine and the extra virgin olive oil cheesecake is next level).

Favourite way to unwind? 

My favourite way to unwind is yoga (predictable, I know), but otherwise a walk in nature or an ocean swim. A glass of wine with my best friends never goes astray either!