Meet team Crayon: Clarissa Hirst
Helping employers support their people in the moments that matter — like parental leave — couldn’t be done without all the hard work behind the scenes. There are people who lend their expertise and experience to team Crayon that helps us deliver great programs, build quality relationships and practice what we preach.
Meet Clarissa Hirst (Riss), a marketer and coach based in Tāmaki Makaurau with a passion for financial wellbeing.
What does your typical week at Crayon look like?
I used to spend a few hours sourcing content (i.e. reading what’s happening in the world of parental leave and financial wellbeing, identifying interesting global studies, etc.) and drafting up social media posts, working with Steph to figure out what gets shared when.
I’m still doing some of this, but I’m now training up to become a Crayon coach, which now involves new and exciting things like working on new coaching offerings and piloting money mindset sessions with our parents.
What was the most financially stressful event you’ve experienced so far?
Probably during Covid, when I was working as a marketing manager for a travel company. People in the tourism & travel industries were getting laid off left, right and centre and my hours were getting cut back, so every day I’d wake up and be unsure if I’d have a job the next day. Even my ‘plan B’ of freelance work was also very much tied to the travel industry at the time, and I had this horrible feeling I’d put all my eggs in one basket, and felt very powerless and stuck.
What does financial wellbeing mean to you?
Being able to do the things that bring you joy and happiness in life, without fear or overwhelming worry. For me that’s things like being able to buy a nice coffee at a cafe on the weekend, enjoy a nice meal with my partner once a month, go on the odd hiking/camping trip and travel when I can – both in NZ and overseas. And it’s about knowing that if something goes wrong (like one of us gets made redundant) we’ll be able to handle it.
What are your top 2 values (in the Financial Baby Prep Program we always ask people to share these, because it helps us understand what’s important to them!)
Belonging and growth. Adventure would be a very close third! I love feeling part of something and I love challenging myself outside of my comfort zone. If I ever have kids, I’d want them to embrace those values too.
What’s your favourite part of the Financial Baby Prep Program?
I love exercises that make you think deeply about your beliefs, values and mindset, so the very first module is my favourite! It’s the one where we dive into what your values are as individuals and a partnership, and it tends to spark some great conversations between partners about what’s important to them, and also what values they want to pass onto their future children.
When did you start working with Crayon and how did you get on board?
I’ve been working with Crayon since the beginning of 2024, but my connection to Crayon actually goes back a bit further to 2022 when they first launched the New Zealand Parental Leave Register! I was the Head of Marketing at the Financial Services Council leading a campaign called It Starts With Action that focused on women’s financial wellbeing. Steph [Crayon’s CEO and founder] partnered with us on the campaign and used it to launch the Register.
A bit later on, Steph also interviewed me about my egg freezing journey.
I’d always loved Crayon’s content, vision and the care with which Steph was building something that would really help people. So when she needed a hand with marketing and I was out on my own, I didn’t think twice about coming on board.
Now that I’m also a trained coach, my role at Crayon is shifting again! I still help out on the marketing side, while also delving into developing and delivering our coaching sessions. The most interesting part of this is integrating my knowledge of ICF coaching frameworks and neuroscience into our programs, coming up with new ideas for how we offer even more value to parents.
What’s your favourite thing about working with Crayon?
The people. Everyone that’s involved with Crayon, even in a small way, has a strong connection to the vision of the organisation, and you can really tell from the care everyone puts into their work. I love learning from everyone, too – we all have very different skillsets.
Find out more about what Crayon does
Take the financial stress out of parental leave with the Financial Baby Prep Program.
Through 1:1 financial coaching, Crayon helps employees prepare financially for parental leave—so they feel supported, confident, and return when they’re ready.
Now for the important legal part: The information we provide is general and not regulated financial advice for the purposes of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Please seek independent legal, financial, tax or other advice in considering whether the content in this article is appropriate for your goals, situation or needs. The information in this article is current as at 4 April 2025.
