life sport journey

What people are saying

"We were eager to engage an external voice to ensure an objective and structured approach to our strategic planning process. Having Nikki allowed us to manage relationships more effectively, maintain focus, and ensure that all stakeholders were heard and aligned; she kept us on task, created space for productive conversations, and helped drive clarity and consensus. The result is a clear, well-structured strategic plan with broad stakeholder buy-in. The process not only produced a practical and actionable roadmap for IGSSA, but also strengthened our shared understanding of priorities and opportunities across member schools. Nikki brought structure and momentum and helped us stay accountable to timelines without losing sight of the bigger picture. We valued Nikki’s professionalism and presence throughout the process and her contribution has helped set a strong foundation for IGSSA’s next chapter. -- Kate Harkness, EO, Independent Girls Schools Sports Association

"When thinking about engaging a consultant for our Officials Recruitment & Retention Strategy, we identified independence was important for impartial thinking and development, as well as giving it its best chance of being meaningful. Nikki was super organised and clear about what she would do and the outcomes I would get; she more than lived up to her commitments. The end result is a pragmatic action plan that our Officials Working Group can understand easily and get to work on. The Strategy avoids jargon, providing simple, straightforward steps. We will certainly look to engage Nikki in future projects and recommend her to sports who identify a problem they wish to solve." -- Matt Duck, CEO, Athletics Victoria

"Badminton Australia engaged Nikki to assist us with the development of our new Strategic Plan. Nikki was able to do the heavy lifting for us - unpack the key opportunities and challenges for our sport and organisation, collate stakeholder feedback, and make sense of it. She made it easy for us to digest the information and determine what was relevant and not, also guiding and facilitating meetings with staff and board. We value Nikki’s openness, her ability to organise us as a group and keep things on track. She is easy to communicate with and very flexible. We are grateful for Nikki’s assistance, and it has been a pleasure working with her." -- TJ Weistra, CEO, Badminton Australia

"Nikki absolutely nailed her presentation at the World Curling Congress on the Gold Coast! Her sessions on how to harness the power of the Olympics to grow curling in our countries was fresh, engaging, and full of practical takeaways. Nikki has a gift for making complex ideas feel exciting and achievable – she had all 120 delegates buzzing. Her professionalism and genuine passion for the sport shone through from start to finish. It set the bar high for the rest of the Congress and we’re so grateful for the inspiration and direction she shared with the curling family.”-- Kim Forge, Vice President, World Curling

"Nikki has been a huge contributor to delivery of Sport Development initiatives for Swimming Victoria. Nikki’s understanding of community sport and her collaboration with our clubs on their strategic planning, policies, processes and governance has made a difference to the future of swimming. We recently worked with Nikki on the development and launch of our Women & Girls Action plan that has set us up to elevate and progress all women and girls in sport." -- Clare Burton, Sport Development Manager, Swimming Victoria

"Given the changes to our business, the complexity and scale of our Association, and the outcomes produced when working with Nikki previously, our Board wanted to ensure we were guided by an expert. The result is a Strategic Plan that sets FDNA up to successfully transition into its added facility manager role for the next 15 years. Nikki helped the Board resolve the question of purpose and identity and clarify how to balance multiple and sometimes competing objectives. Nikk’s ability to take in and observe a volume of feedback and information, present that work back in a succinct and articulate way, helped us ‘see the woods for the trees.’ I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Nikki to organisations who understand the purpose of a strategic plan and the value in investing in this work in a meaningful way. Nikki understands sport, particularly elite sport; she is a champion for women and girls. THANK YOU, Nikki!’’  -- Miranda Castles, GM, Frankston District Netball Association

"Nikki undertook a comprehensive strategic planning project for our club. We decided to hire a consultant to give us an objective professional perspective, to come in and assist us in preparing the Club for the future. Nikki helped us achieve significant results in a short period of time. Creating the member survey got us thinking and acting quickly – particularly on communication. On completion of the strategic plan, we now have direction on a wide range of growth areas that will help set us up for the future. Nikki is very punctual and thorough, always providing detailed information in a timely manner. Most impressive to us was her ability to hear all opinions in a large group and weave them into the strategic plan. We absolutely recommend Nikki to all our industry peers; she’s the best!" -- Emma Hocking, Vice President, Geelong Swimming Club

"I had the pleasure of working with Nikki on Netball Victoria's 2022 Leadership Series, where we collaborated on a vision of "Building the capacity of our netball community to empower them to become aspiring and inspirational leaders". Nikki was the host and facilitator for the three Sessions which were held in May and June. In each session, her reflection pieces were invaluable and her ability to bring out the stories in the presenters was a highlight. Nikki also presented on her leadership experiences and Village life and vision to support the AUS Sliding Sports and Alpine athletes and coaches to perform at their best at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, in the role of Yanqing Village Manager, which was truly inspirational and insightful." -- Shelley Haynes, Facilities & Infrastructure Manager, Netball Victoria

“Nikki helped structure and format a best practice approach to administering our soccer club at both Strategic and operational levels. Her thorough understanding and appreciation for Maccabi as an institution as well as the nuisances of the community we serve, was equally supported by Nikki’s extensive experience in sports consultation. The Strategy will be a guide document to refer to at every level, ensuring our best effort at sustainability of services and offerings for the community. We are most grateful for Nikki’s input and collaborative approach to our project. Without question I would recommend Nikki.” -- Greg Hurvitz, Integrity Officer, Maccabi Football Club Caulfield

"Nikki brought great clarity and perspective to the complex process of reviewing co-curricular sport at a highly successful independent co-educational school. Her sporting background coupled with her emotional intelligence made it a pleasure to work with her. We're now using the review carried out by Nikki to inform our strategic planning and future directions."
-- Simon Shepherd, Principal, Westminster School Adelaide

“Nikki managed to succinctly analyse the problem that Monash University wished to solve, pull together a coherent outline and project process from many disparate sources of information, convene individuals with a wide range of interests into a focused process with the end result being an outcome that will form the template for future action. All done on time, in budget and with a smile!” -- Martin Doulton, Director Monash University Sport

"Our club engaged Nikki to assist in preparation of our new strategic plan. Nikki was professional, prompt and thorough throughout. The strategic planning Nikki facilitated helped us uncover our available options and opportunities. She helped us set priorities for them, and gave us concrete methods to achieve our goals. During the entire process, Nikki's kind, thoughtful, generous and patient manner shone through. She was a delight to work with, and we're confident of achieving great things from the benefit of her guidance."
-- Corinne Caramia, Secretary, Western Melbourne Propulsion Swimming Club

"Nikki was instrumental in guiding myself and my team from simply a team with a dream, to one where our dream became a reality. I often sing the praises of Nikki for her mentorship from a small sporting team, into a high performance squad that progressively built into an Olympic team over the course of 3 years. In the face of such adversity, Nikki was someone who was always in our corner and advocating for what we needed whilst showing strong interest in our lives not only as athletes, but also as people. For what could have had us as deer in headlights on many occasions, Nikki constantly provided so much support across so many avenues to guide us in the right direction." -- Dean Hewitt OLY

"My name is Bree Walker and I am the Pilot of the Australian Bobsleigh Team. Over her time at the OWIA, Nikki was my main liaison assisting me and my coaches in executing multiple seasons. To have such a motivated, supportive and genuine person helping you to achieve your goals and dreams is exactly what elite athletes need and exactly what Nikki was for me. As a small, self-funded team, I often had to do a lot of the organisation for my team myself. Over time Nikki became someone I trusted to take over some of the major organisation tasks which allowed me to focus on being the best athlete I could be. She also became a major support role when she was the manager of our Olympic Village at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. I contribute how smoothly my Olympic campaign ran to how organised and onto everything Nikki was. I will miss working with her dearly but hope other athletes/colleague can benefit from what she brings to the table as much as I did." -- Bree Walker OLY