Hi, I’m Nikki.

Meyers-Briggs says I’m an INTJ. The sorting hat says I’m a Ravenclaw.
My son says I’m the boss. I say, I’m really tired, but damn good at what I do.

Liz Gilbert says that an artist is someone who makes something better or more beautiful than it needs to be, because they can. My art usually involves coming up with creative solutions to tricky problems and lots of PowerPoint slides

I’ve organized Town Halls, managed seating for a couple thousand people (by far the most politically charged role I’ve had), managed projects, run the US Virus Response Team during COVID, co-created a governance program, and currently I’m in charge of “Innovation and Experimentation,” which isn’t a role but is my “thing”.

When I’m not doing corporate work, I’m chasing my puppy, playing with my son, cleaning my house, feeling guilty that my husband is watching the puppy and/or child while I go to the gym, and once all the tiny creatures are asleep, I read, write, and binge Netflix. It sounds like I neglect my husband - I don’t. He has a reserved spot on my calendar at a designated time, which he may use as he sees fit. One of my “rules” is: If it’s important, it goes on the calendar. I live by my calendar. Honestly, if I don’t schedule death sometime in the distant future, I will likely forget to do it, and then I’ll be the wily old lady yelling at young people to stop being so loud.

So now you get why I am super selective in which clients and organizations I choose to work with. I’d love to help everyone and speak at every event, but realistically, I can’t. And it’s not just about time, it’s about focus. I don’t know how to half-ass things properly #perfectionism. Since I’m not going to stop being a creative, I have to protect my energy/focus so that I don’t dump all of the good stuff at the office.

Here’s how I work - I’m not going to “fix” you, your boss, or your team. That’s not my job. Actually, most of that isn’t your job either. My job is to use my incessant curiosity to figure out what’s really going on and help you come up with practical, tactical ways to move forward. I’ve been reading ~90 books a year for more than a decade, and more than half of that is non-fiction. So, I’ve probably read something related to what you’re facing, and I’m going to tell you about it. If we have a session where I don’t make a book recommendation or reference, I owe you $50. I’m here to listen, tell you the truth, and help you use your skillset in your situation to get to your endgame.

This side-hustle exists because I wrote and published a book in 2021. The book didn’t hit a best-seller list but it grabbed the attention of a local business leader who invited me to speak. That lunch-and-learn turned into two paid speaking engagements and a couple of coaching clients. Five years later, I still get requests for both.

Oh yeah - if you wanted my creds here they are: Corporate Strategist at a Fortune 50 company, Executive MBA from Duke, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Sweet Briar College with a degree in economics, published author, TEDx speaker, trained corporate facilitator and executive coach, certification from Story Telling with Data, Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, Triple Crown from Toastmasters International, graduate of half a dozen leadership development courses (can I be done now?)

Here’s how I can help you: