Renei Kawe-Small’s Testimonial: I Will in Action

Encountering I Will

Renei Kawe-Small, a Masters student, teacher, and former competitive athlete, first encountered I Will through her long-standing connection with Izaac Williams. Having grown up playing squash alongside him, she had always admired his work ethic, discipline, and positive influence on younger athletes.

When she sought guidance on maintaining training consistency in 2025, Izaac reached out personally, gifting her a tailored I Will training plan—not as a business transaction, but as an act of service, reinforcing one of the core principles of I Will: empowerment through contribution.

Challenges & Goals

Renei’s primary challenge was staying consistent with training while balancing a busy life as a mother and teacher. She set the following goals within the I Will framework:

✅ Consistency – Developing a sustainable rhythm in training.

✅ Evaluation – Reviewing progress and tracking improvements.

✅ Letting Go of Perfectionism – Focusing on growth over flawlessness, using failures as a means for refinement.

In addition, she sought to reframe her mindset around fitness, breaking through limiting beliefs and ensuring training remained a tool for well-being, not pressure.

Impact of I Will

The structured yet adaptable approach of I Will provided Renei with:

• A clear direction on how to navigate her fitness goals.

• A holistic perspective, integrating I Will with Te Whare Tapawhā, a Māori health model she already used in teaching, sports, and mental health.

• A breakthrough in self-evaluation, particularly through journaling and review processes, which helped her track progress, recognize patterns, and refine her approach.

The flexibility of I Will allowed her to apply it not just to gym training, but also to boxing, basketball, and everyday movement, proving its scalability across different aspects of life.

Breakthrough Moments

One of the biggest tests came when Renei injured her knee during basketball. The setback shook her motivation, and she considered giving up altogether. Izaac stepped in—not just as a coach, but as a mentor and friend, sharing insights from his own experiences with injuries.

Instead of framing it as a failure, he helped her reframe and re-engage—guiding her to evaluate, reflect, and continue forward. This was I Will in action: staying with the play, even when adversity strikes.

Defining the Value of I Will

While still early in her journey, Renei describes I Will as:

✅ A motivating, structured framework for those wanting to become better versions of themselves.

✅ A dynamic system, offering support, guidance, and clarity when feeling stuck.

✅ More than just training—it’s a mindset shift, reinforced by Izaac’s depth of knowledge, authenticity, and coaching ability.

And when self-doubt kicks in, one phrase keeps her moving:

“Stay with the Play.”