Kristyn Haywood has been teaching leadership education for over two decades, following a successful career as a Human Resources Executive. She has trained over a thousand leaders, delivered hundreds of hours of transformational coaching, and is a sought-after keynote speaker and trusted advisor to executive and leadership teams across sectors. She has a Master of Business by thesis in Leadership, over a dozen coaching qualifications and is known in the industry as a transformational coach.
Kristyn has championed human-centred leadership in almost every industry, but it was in 2018 when invited by Director of Nursing and Midwifery Teresa Benetos to deliver a leadership and coaching program to Nursing Unit Managers at Fairfield Hospital, that Kristyn found her true calling. She felt an immediate and profound connection to healthcare leaders, describing it as “falling in love with an industry where the workers care for society’s most vulnerable.”
Since then, Kristyn has worked with hundreds of healthcare professionals at all levels from executives to frontline team leaders. From 2020 to 2023 Kristyn was the Leadership Educator and Executive Coach for the Sydney Adventist Hospital. She's currently working with NSW Health Executive and Senior Leadership Teams to improve workplace culture. Kristyn brings a rare blend of experience, compassion, and clarity to her work. She understands the complexity and emotional intensity of healthcare leadership and is committed to helping leaders navigate these realities with integrity, clarity and care.
Whether entering a strained leadership group or a team in turmoil, Kristyn quickly diagnoses the underlying issues, often uncovering unconscious bias, miscommunication, and judgement that block collaboration. Her approach balances truth-telling with compassion, supporting clients to truly listen, reflect, and take practical, values-aligned action.
Kristyn is currently beginning a PhD focused on women in leadership in the healthcare industry, continuing her lifelong pursuit of research and insight that can inspire meaningful, systemic change.
Every day, healthcare workers face raw emotion: grief, fear, frustration, joy. Whether comforting a family in crisis or celebrating a new life, they the people who are there when emotions are running high.
Healthcare leaders aren’t just managing workflows, they’re holding space for people who care for the most vulnerable in our society. Healthcare workers must collaborate across disciplines, cultures, and navigate tricky personalities ... and that’s not always easy. That’s why we’re here.
HealthKind helps leaders navigate the emotional and relational reality of healthcare through coaching, culture-building, and leadership development that centres on Integrity, Clarity, and Care.
At HealthKind, our four pillars reflect the foundation on which we build lasting relationships and deliver transformative outcomes for healthcare leaders. They are:
- Expertise: Built on deep healthcare leadership and education expertise
- Integrity: Values-driven, ethical leadership practices
- Impact: Measurable improvements in team performance and patient outcomes
- Courage: We speak the truth with compassion. Even when the insights are hard to hear, we partner with our clients in honest, respectful dialogue to create meaningful, lasting change.
Kristyn brings clarity and compassion to the most complex people challenges in Healthcare. I was fortunate enough to attend a 6 month Leadership program with 8 days of training and 8 hours of coaching. I gained more confidence to Lead in the way that aligned with my values
- Julia Das, Chief Pharmacist
Free Webinars for Healthcare Leaders
Every month, tune in to listen to inspiring webinars specifically created for Leaders in Healthcare. The first one is in June!