Calm under pressure

STORY BY: David Wood

PHOTOS BY: Cam Henderson

LOCATION: Waitākere Ranges, New Zealand

Out on New Zealand’s west coast, there’s a place where the land doesn’t just meet the sea, it crashes into it. Piha Beach covered in black volcanic sand deposited over centuries by volcanic eruptions.

With its rugged cliffs rising from the shoreline is Lion Rock, a sacred volcanic monolith, steeped in Māori history and legend. A symbol of stillness in chaos.

On the edge of the Waitākere Ranges we joined a group to train their ability ‘to remain calm under pressure’. This isn’t your typical workshop. No hotel lobbies or conference rooms, just two days of stress control, recovery, mindset, and focus.

After 13 years as an intensive care paramedic, David Wood saw the need for better tools to manage pressure, train calm, and restore balance. Rather than wait for change, he built it a world-class workshop grounded in science, experience, and application.

With the help of his good mate Jemarl Paerata, a speaker, resilience coach, and founder of Te Kaiārahi, the first Calm Under Pressure workshop launched with just six people. Drawing on lived experience, cultural identity, and a deep connection to the outdoors, Jemarl helped shape the kaupapa. His grounding presence and powerful story leave a lasting impact.

“Man, it was full-on when we first started. We couldn’t even find enough people we had to call in a few mates just to make the numbers. I remember thinking, maybe this isn’t going to work but like anything in life, you’ve got to keep trucking and back yourself if you want to succeed.”.Since then, the Calm Under Pressure team has grown each member chosen not just for their skillset, but for their belief in the bigger vision: building a world-class human performance workshop. Their shared passion and lived experience bring depth to the training. Each one adds something essential to the participant experience through the challenge, connection, and support they offer across the weekend.

Now booked out months in advance, each workshop brings together 22 participants from emergency services, elite athletes, business leaders, and busy professionals all training to stay calm, clear, and in control under pressure.

The weekend begins as the sun rises over the Waitākere Ranges. Barefoot, quiet, and uncertain, participants gather on the beach unsure of what lies ahead. There’s no better place to start than the cold Tasman wind, the hiss of surf, and the first physical session set the tone, it’s about stress exposure. Participants are pushed physically and mentally, but within their own capacity, and shown how to meet it with tools that build control and adaptability.

The key lesson? Stress isn’t the problem, lack of disciplined recovery is. The raw environment strips away distraction, offering clarity. It creates space to reflect, share, and confront why they’ve really shown up and what needs to change. Among strangers, vulnerability becomes strength. Everyone brings setbacks, ambitions, and patterns they’re ready to shift. Then it’s into the classroom to dive into the science understanding the stress response, the nervous system. Participants learn to regulate their internal state and access calm, clarity, and control under pressure.

The day ends with one final challenge: cold water immersion.

But this isn’t about sitting in an ice bath anyone can do that. It’s about applying what you’ve learned in a one-degree environment while controlling your body and mind under stress. The real learning? This control is transferable into any part of your life where you need greater response flexibility under pressure.

At the end of Day One, the group gathers around to have a few drinks to reflect on the day that was.

Day Two begins with the unmistakable sounds of ACDC’s Thunderstruck a not-so-subtle cue that Dave’s personal Spotify playlist is back for round two. Influenced by his love of 80s rock, it sets the tone: energised and ready to go.

Participants return sharper, more connected, and ready to build on their stress control skills. Held at The Magnitude Performance Centre, the day starts with breathwork training the breath for calm, clarity, and control. From there, they explore how tools like self-talk and reframing influence performance and shift the brain from reaction to response.This day is about change. Most avoid it here, participants face it with courage and honest reflection. The afternoon finishes at the pool with a final challenge, underwater weighted vest drills, energy control exercises, and psychological stressors designed to rattle focus.

The day ends in a powerful group circle, a space to reflect, share insights, and commit to radical ownership of physical and mental health.

This isn’t just a reset. It’s a launch point. Participants leave with tools and clarity to keep training for the busyness and pressure inevitable in life.