Design + Innovation Meetup September 2026: Pressure, Failure & Resilience with Bryce Lawrence

Pressure, Failure and Resilience with Bryce Lawrence: Practical insights and strategies for managing pressure, responding to setbacks, and developing resilience.

We’re delighted to welcome Bryce Lawrence, former international rugby referee, to share his experience of operating under extreme pressure, dealing with failure in the public eye and building resilience through it all.

If you work in innovation, you’ll know the feeling. Tight deadlines, competing priorities, uncertain outcomes, difficult decisions and the occasional setback are all part of the job. Whether you’re founding a startup, leading a new initiative, or delivering for clients, pressure comes with the territory, and success is never guaranteed.

Now imagine making those decisions while millions of people are watching. Every call scrutinised. Every mistake dissected. Every controversial decision generating headlines, criticism and sometimes even personal threats. That’s the reality of life as an international referee. Fortunately, Bryce survived to tell the tale.

Drawing on his unique experiences, Bryce will share practical insights and strategies for managing pressure, responding to setbacks and developing resilience. He’ll also lead a discussion about how these lessons can apply to our own, usually less dramatic, professional lives.

This promises to be a fascinating and highly relevant session, offering a rare opportunity to learn from someone who has operated at the very sharp end of high-performance decision-making.

As always, there’ll be plenty of time for questions, discussion, and connecting with fellow innovators, creatives, entrepreneurs, and change-makers from across the region. If this sounds like you, please RSVP and share it around! Look forward to seeing you there.

About Bryce: Born and bred in Tauranga, Bryce began his career in education, serving as both a teacher and school principal before embarking on a distinguished 23-year career with New Zealand Rugby. He spent many years as a professional referee on the international stage before moving into senior leadership roles in NZ Rugby, including Head of Training and Education. Today, Bryce is passionate about creating positive cultures, building strong relationships, and helping individuals and organisations realise their potential.

$5 entry, refreshments included.

When: 4PM–6PM, Wednesday 23 September

Where: Priority One, 29 Grey St, Tauranga

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