Creating a Life of Choices for People Affected by Crime

Transformative programs for healing,

empowerment, and prevention

Dunia's Story

Until August 2016, I was an ordinary mother raising her children and building my career. Then, within just four days, my son became both a victim of knife crime and involved in an attack that took another young life. This profound experience transformed me. Today, through A Life of Choices, I combine my academic background in youth work with my lived experience to create programs that address the root causes of violence, support families affected by the criminal justice system, and help men forge healthier paths forward.

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Our Three Pathways to Transformation

At A Life of Choices, we recognise that healing and transformation require different approaches for different journeys.

Our three distinct programs address the full cycle of violence prevention and rehabilitation supporting men within the criminal justice system, empowering the mothers who stand beside them, and working with young people to prevent future harm. Each pathway offers specialised support while sharing our core values of compassion, creativity, and authentic connection.

Manhood from Within™

Healing the Boy, Empowering the Man

Men impacted by the criminal justice system

Our pioneering 12-week program helps men discover authentic masculine strength through understanding and channeling emotions rather than suppressing them. Using the four masculine archetypes (King, Warrior, Lover, Sage), combined with life coaching, creative expression, and percussion, we create lasting transformation from the inside out.

A Life Reimagined

Reclaiming Voice, Leading Families


Mothers of incarcerated youth

Mothers of prisoners are often told to hide in shame and guilt, yet they hold powerful insights for rehabilitation and prevention.

This 7-week program empowers mothers to process emotions, rebuild confidence, create a supportive community, and become influential voices in reshaping policy around youth crime and justice.

A Life in Harmony

Preventing Youth Violence, Building Futures


Young people at risk of violence

This preventative program works directly with youth in schools, colleges, and community settings to address the root causes

of violence before it occurs. Through creative engagement, communication tools, and personal development, we help

young people envision and create positive futures away from harmful pathways.

Creating Real Change

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Ovewr 100 men

supported through our prison rehabilitation programs

94%

of program participants report improved emotional awareness

89%

of mothers in our programs feel more empowered to support their families

Active in 12

educational settings across London

Featured in

the Youth Violence Commission Final Report

Voices of Transformation

Latest Insights

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Featured Blog

The Missing Voice: Why Mothers Matter in Criminal Justice Reform" In this powerful piece, Dunia explores how maternal insight can transform rehabilitation approaches and prevent future crime. Read about the untapped wisdom of those who know these young men best.

Upcoming Event

Workshop Series - "Archetypes in Action" Join us for a special community workshop exploring how the four masculine archetypes can transform relationships, workplaces, and communities.

Media Mention

Dunia recently featured on the #Tellmeyourstory podcast, sharing insights on youth violence prevention with over 18,000 listeners.

Media Mention:

Dunia recently featured on the #Tellmeyourstory podcast, sharing insights on youth violence prevention with over 18,000 listeners.

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Join Our Mission


Whether you're seeking support, looking to implement our programs in your institution,

or wanting to contribute to our work, we'd love to hear from you.


Stay updated with our latest resources, events, and insights by joining our community.

FAQS

Who is Andie Dawson?

Meet Andie Dawson, an experienced Business Coach who has helped many business owners succeed in creating a profitable and productive business that does not require them to work around the clock. With over 30 years of experience in the field of owning multiple businesses, Andie understands the challenges that small and medium-sized businesses face when trying to achieve success. Andie is driven by the desire to help these businesses overcome these obstacles and avoid the financial and relationship stress that often accompanies growing a successful business. Andie’s talent for asking the right questions and helping business owners see the best way forward stems from her early days as a multi-salon owner. Having to juggle teams of young people to lead them to be the best problem solvers for the most gorgeous outcomes for her clients/customers. Andie has often said when she was a mediocre leader that is the results she got, mediocre. When she became a great leader that’s when the businesses started paying for themselves, and she got what she deserved, profit, and her time back, and she also got to choose when she worked in the business rather than the business running, and sometimes ruining her life, and relationships with the people she was actually doing this for in the first place. Today, this skill helps her provide an outsider’s perspective that business owners often cannot see from their in-the-trenches viewpoint. Beyond her work as a Business Coach, Andie is also a devoted mother of adult children, and avid advocate for women in DV/FV, and an animal rescuer. You will find her mostly, in her spare time, outside in the great outdoors, gardening, walking in the bush and bit of fossicking.

Who is Action COACH?

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one Business Coaching firm, coaching 15000 clients every week in over 70 countries. Founded in 1993 by Brad Sugars, ActionCOACH from the very start has been set up with you, the business owner, in mind. As the alternative to conventional and costly consulting firms, ActionCOACH is designed to give you both short-term assistance and long-term training through its affordable and effective mentoring approach. Few companies have the experience in their field that ActionCOACH does, having worked with business owners both in group coaching sessions and one-onone coaching programs for more than 30 years. Andie’s access to the ActionCOACH network means when you hire Andie, you hire the full resources of the entire ActionCOACH team to find a solution for any and every challenge you may have. Imagine hiring a company with the collective knowledge of thousands of experts, in virtually every industry, in every corner of the world, ready to help you.

Why do you need a Business Coach?

As a business owner in Australia, you are constantly faced with challenges that can make it difficult to achieve success. That is where an experienced coach like ActionCOACH Andie Dawson comes in. Here are the top reasons why you should consider working with her: 1. Clarifying Business Goals: Without clear goals and a roadmap for achieving them, your business can quickly become derailed. Andie can help you clarify your goals and develop a plan for achieving them, so you can stay focused and on track. 2. Improving Business Performance: Every business has areas where it can improve. With Andie’s guidance and support, you can identify these areas and implement changes that will improve performance. This can include everything from streamlining operations to improving customer service and marketing efforts. 3. Developing Leadership Skills: Successful businesses require strong leadership. Andie can help you develop your leadership skills, so you can become a more effective leader and have a positive impact on your entire organization. 4. Boosting Motivation and Accountability: It can be challenging to stay motivated and accountable when running a business. Andie can provide the motivation and accountability you need to stay on track and committed to achieving your goals. 5. Increasing Profitability: Ultimately, every business owner wants to increase profitability. With Andie’s help, you can identify ways to increase revenue and reduce costs, which can lead to improved profitability. Working with an experienced coach like Andie can give you the guidance and support you need to take your business to the next level. With her expertise, you can clarify your goals, improve business performance, develop your leadership skills, boost motivation and accountability, and increase profitability. Do not let the challenges of running a business hold you back - contact Andrea Dawson today to start achieving greater success.

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What’s an Alignment Consultation?

The Alignment Consultation is where Andie starts with every business owner. During this meeting, Andie will learn as much as possible about your business, your goals, your challenges, your sales, your marketing, your finances and so much more. An Alignment Consultation is done with three goals in mind: First, to know exactly where your business is now; Second, to clarify your business and personal goals: And third, to get the crucial pieces of information needed to create an ActionPLAN for your business that will cover the next 12 months. The plan is not a traditional business or marketing plan, but rather a step-by-step plan of action you will work through as you continue through the duration of the one-on-one coaching program ... The plan is also what makes the Alignment Consultation so profitable for our clients.

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What is one-on-one coaching?

One-on-one coaching is a program where Andie will work with you one-on-one for at least 12- months to help you turn possibility into a reality and build a business that gives you more money, more time and more enjoyment in life. One of the major disadvantages of an owner operated business, compared to a large corporate enterprise is access to intellectual resources. A corporate enterprise will have a management team, CEO and a board of directors to tap into for ideas and business know how to navigate challenges and create competitive advantage. When you work one-on-one with an experienced business coach such as Andie, you have effectively doubled the business intelligence of your business, and this can have a dramatic effect on your competitiveness in the market and the performance of your business. There is not an area of your business that oneon-one coaching does not touch. From weekly or fortnightly coaching and goal setting sessions to working with you on your new marketing pieces, you will develop new sales strategies and business systems and learn all you need to know to build a profitable business and an amazing lifestyle for you and your family. We understand that every business is at a different level and that is why we have also developed multiple programs to fit the needs of every level. Unlike a consultant, Andie will do more than just show you what to do; she will be with you when you need her most as each idea takes shape, as each campaign is put into place, as you need the little pointers to make things happen. Andie will also be there when you need someone to talk to, when you are faced with challenges or, most importantly, when you are just not sure what to do next. Andie will be there, with you every step of the way.

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Why at least 12-months?

If you have been in business for more than a few weeks, you have tried at least one or two so-called “quick fixes”. Most consultants seem to think they can solve all your problems in a few hours or a few days. Andie believes in supporting business owners to discover lasting success in business’s which means she is not just offering suggestions or doing the work for actioncoach.com Like many business owners, I had been spending far too much time working in it, rather than on it. I then met Andrea Dawson Action Coach. Andie’s coaching provides me with the tools, guidance and accountability I need in order to grow my business, so that I can ‘have my cake and eat it too’, in terms of work/life balance. I highly recommend Andrea Dawson. - Wayne Taynton Your Property Advocates you. It means working with you to work out what area in your business needs most attention and has the greatest opportunity for improvement and then working with you to build your knowledge and skill in this area and then apply it your business. This way the benefits of coaching are yours to keep forever and your investment in coaching will continue to pay dividends long into the future. Each month, you will see your goals become a reality and you will gain both the confidence and the knowledge to make it happen again and again.

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How can you be sure this will work in my industry and in my business?

Andie has expertise in the areas of sales, marketing, business development, business management, and team building and, with literally hundreds of different profitbuilding strategies, you will soon see how truly powerful his systemised approaches are. When Andie first starts to work with you it will be in the areas that you’ve identified as most in need of attention. It will not be a case of fixing what is not broken. At the heart of every weakness in a business is a fundamental that is missing, neglected, or lacking in some way or another. It is never by chance this way. It is always because the areas that are neglected in a business are the area’s where the business owner lacks knowledge, competence, and confidence. These are the things that do not get done or get done poorly and this in turn impacts on the performance of the business. Just as a sports coach works on eliminating the weakness in their players game, a business coach works on eliminating the weakness in the business owner game. This may also mean maximizing the business owners’ strengths and the time they spend on those strengths for the betterment of the business.

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Won’t this just mean more work?

Andie’s goal is to help you build a Profitable, Commercial Enterprise That Works Without You. The last two words are the most important because, in the end, Andie’s goal is to have you no longer working IN the business, but, instead, working ON it. That means more time to spend doing what you want to do while the business serves you, instead of the other way around. Of course, when you set the plan with Andie, it may seem a bit overwhelming, but no one ever said attaining your goals would be easy. And, yes, at first it will take some extra work to adjust to your new plans... but the more you stick to the plan, do the work and change what has to be changed then in time you’ll be rewarded. How fast this happens is up to how disciplined and willing you are to do the work but as you do, you will start to see the performance of your business improve and this will energise you and give you confidence to keep moving forward.

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How will I find the time?

Time mastery is an essential skill all business owners need. Its more than just scheduling tasks and managing your calendar. It is a mindset always in seek of the most valuable way to invest your time into the business, combined with a willingness to peel off, train and delegate lower value tasks to the team. This way, the time to do the valuable stuff is maximised. In the early part of the coaching, Andie will support you with a number of tools and strategies to help you “find the time” you need to start working on the business. The first few months will be the toughest. You will not necessarily be working harder just differently, and it is this difference that will ultimately make the difference to your business and life in the long run.

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How much will this cost?

Your investment will depend on the size of your business and the scope of our undertaking together Andie will work this out with you so it will be appropriate for your business and the goals you want to achieve. You will find working with Andie is just like having a marketing manager, sales team leader, trainer, recruitment specialist and mentor - all for one nominal investment. Everything you do with Andie is a true investment in your future. Not only will you begin to create great results in your business, but you’ll end up with an entrepreneurial education that is second to-none. With that knowledge, you will be able to repeat your business success over and over again in other ventures.

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What areas will Steven coach me in?

Our “5 Ways” and “6 Steps” are two of the most powerful formulas in the world of business and we put it to use to work with you in all areas to help you multiply your revenues and profit... but that is just one area of our focus. When you work with Andie, the emphasis taken will depend on you, your business, and of course, your goals. The key areas include: Sales and Finance: How will you know if you are winning if you do not understand the scoreboard? This is the backbone for creating a profitable business, and one of the areas we will help you get spectacular results in. Marketing & Advertising: If you want to make a sale, you have got to find a prospect first. Over the next 12 months Andie will teach you amazingly simple, yet powerful, streetwise marketing techniques and approaches that will drive profits. Team Building & Recruitment: You’ll never wish to find the right people again. You will have motivated, passionate, enthusiastic, loyal team members for your business when Andie shows you the 7 keys to a winning team and how to put them to work in your business. Systems & Business Development: End the hopeless cycle of “the business running you” and begin running your business. Andie will show you the secrets of having your business “work” ... even when you are not there. Outstanding Customer Experience: Discover how to deliver your product or service consistently, making it easy for your customers to buy and leaving them feeling delighted with your service. Learn new ways to motivate your current customers to give you referrals and to ensure their repeat business. These are just two of the many strategies we will teach you.

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Can you also train my people?

Yes ... training your people is almost as important as coaching you. Andie can conduct a variety of training and development workshops, covering Communication, Sales & Service and Leadership. You will be amazed at how much enthusiasm and commitment comes from your team as they experience this training and learn new skills.

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Why do you also recommend reading books?

The more you learn the more value you will get out of the coaching and the greater the results will be. You will save yourself time and money and accelerate the achievement of your goals. The more knowledge you have the more time that can be spent on developing and implementing winning strategies in your business rather than educating you on the basics. You have to learn before you can earn! actioncoach.com 14. When is the best time to get started? Right now! Before you take another step, waste any more money, lose another sale, work too many more hours, miss another family event, or forget another special occasion, you need to call Andie today. Remember, what you know got you where you are today. To get where you want to go, you have got to make some changes and most likely, you’ll have to learn something new ... 15. What’s the first step? The first step is to call now and arrange a complimentary business strategy meeting with Andie. This is where you will get to know Andie and Andie will get to know you and learn about your business and its challenges. Together you will start to understand the priorities and identify some immediate strategies to get to work on. Most importantly though, this meeting is all about working out if there is a good fit and that you are ready for coaching. It is designed to give you the space to make a good decision so by the end of the meeting you are ready to commit 100%. Andie began coac

FAQ image

When is the best time to get started?

Right now! Before you take another step, waste any more money, lose another sale, work too many more hours, miss another family event, or forget another special occasion, you need to call Andie today. Remember, what you know got you where you are today. To get where you want to go, you have got to make some changes and most likely, you’ll have to learn something new ...

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What’s the first step?

The first step is to call now and arrange a complimentary business strategy meeting with Andie. This is where you will get to know Andie and Andie will get to know you and learn about your business and its challenges. Together you will start to understand the priorities and identify some immediate strategies to get to work on. Most importantly though, this meeting is all about working out if there is a good fit and that you are ready for coaching. It is designed to give you the space to make a good decision so by the end of the meeting you are ready to commit 100%.

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