Play Hard. Work Better.
Unlock your team’s potential through applied improvisation: playful exercises with a powerful purpose. My experiential workshops don’t just build skills, they rewire how your people communicate, collaborate and adapt under pressure.
INSPIRE
ENGAGE
EVOLVE
- Performance
- Presence
- Storytelling
- Active listening
- Focus
- Adaptability
- Rejection resilience
- Emotional Intelligence
- Collaboration
”A great team building afternoon with Nicola, each activity challenging us in different ways.
Catherine HallNational Leadership Hui for Alzheimers NZ
”Nicola has helped me become a more effective negotiator and advocate. The role play, storytelling and feedback have improved my ‘voice’ and given me insight, tools and experience that embed the learning.
Amanda, UK Lawyer (Infrastructure)Coaching Client
”The team really enjoyed the session and it has kick started the conversation on the power of storytelling. Thank you for the informative, engaging and fun session.
Vanessa RossTeam Development Day, Ministry of Primary Industries
”I love the grounded, relatable, useful work I do with Nicola and it is also the most fun I have in my week.
Stella – Tax PartnerCoaching Client
What you get
My clients are invited to explore how they present themselves, how they are perceived by others, and how to consciously shape their performance to inspire and engage more effectively.
This distinctive coaching programme draws on actor and improvisation training techniques combined with interactive, experiential learning. Through a series of practical, hands‐on activities, participants develop new skills by learning actively—in the moment and on their feet.
I work closely with executive and emerging leaders, teams, and individuals, tailoring the coaching process to meet a diverse range of professional needs and developmental objectives.
Through this collaborative approach, we cultivate vital competencies such as:
- Performance: Bringing clear intention and authenticity to every interaction
- Presence: Increasing awareness of your physical and vocal choices to enhance impact
- Storytelling: Crafting and co‐creating meaningful stories that resonate
- Active Listening: Mastering the art of making others truly feel heard
- Focus: Cultivating full presence and attention in any situation
- Adaptability: Navigating uncertainty, change, and disruption with agility
- Resilience: Embracing setbacks and learning from failure
- Emotional Intelligence: Strengthening your social and emotional agility
- Collaboration: Engaging in genuine, effective co‐creation with others
Why me?
I am a trained actor, improviser, and director who has spent a lifetime exploring the power of performance to connect, develop, and transform. For over 20 years, I have supported human development through performance, working as a coach and facilitator across a wide range of sectors. My clients have included ‘Big Four’ tax and legal partners, government departments, NGOs, university leaders, college teachers, and private professional clients.
I am particularly committed to creating environments where people can expand their capacity to relate, collaborate, and imagine new possibilities—both personally and professionally.
I also bring a decades‐long career in broadcast journalism, which has given me a strong foundation in storytelling, communication, and the ability to listen with depth and precision. This experience continues to inform my work, helping others to find and express their own narratives with clarity and confidence.
I was the founder and Creative Director of Voice Arts, a creative hub dedicated to expression, performance, and well‐being. Through this initiative, I led workshops and programmes that integrate artistic practice with personal and social development.
I am also an associate of the East Side Institute, a global leader in performance‐based developmental psychology, and a professional member of the Applied Improvisation Network (AIN).