“Working with Nikki has been an invaluable experience for our team. In strengthening our approach to building relationships with children, we recognised the importance of developing our skills and capacity to better support children’s social and emotional literacy. Nikki’s generosity in sharing her knowledge and experience has been remarkable. She connected practical strategies with strong theoretical foundations, giving us the tools to reflect on our practice, refine our approaches, and deepen our expertise in creating engaging and effective learning environments for all children.

Each of her sessions was thoughtfully structured, building on the previous one to enable deeper, more comprehensive learning. This gave us greater confidence as educators to support children’s wellbeing. We are particularly excited to implement the resources Nikki shared, knowing they are underpinned by rich principles and theories that guide best practice.

Sessions with Nikki truly feel like a gift to our whole learning community. Her mentorship has empowered us to place the wellbeing of both children and staff at the heart of our service, and has allowed us to feel proud, appreciative, and inspired in the important work we do every day with children.”

—Anna, Sue, and Malu, Balamara Preschool, Waitara, NSW.

“Nikki was a very engaging, passionate presenter who gave good ideas about breathing exercises to help children with self-regulation. Nikki also explained how to use the WorryWoos in a user-friendly way. The session was engaging and highly relevant for preschool staff. It provided practical strategies to support children’s emotional wellbeing. Helped build our understanding of how to talk about worries and emotions with young children. Content was great.” 

—Educators from East Lindfield Community Preschool, East Lindfield, NSW.

“The recent mentoring workshop sessions with Nikki Gleeson of NG Wellbeing Consulting, provided our team at Harbord Kindy with meaningful and targeted professional development in the area of children’s emotional wellbeing. The sessions were thoughtfully structured and highly relevant, supporting the professional growth of our educators. We delved into brain science and the philosophy behind emotional regulation and the importance of co-regulation in early childhood environments.

Nikki supported everyone to think critically about our own emotional responses and how these may impact their interactions with children. ‘Flipping our lids’ resonated with many of our educators, juggling a busy family life and work. A light bulb moment for me was how I could include small pockets of mindfulness and breathing techniques to release that daily build-up of pressure so that my family didn’t have to cop my ‘lid flip’. 

Everyone came away from the sessions feeling more confident in their ability to support children's emotional needs. We learned a range of engaging, age appropriate techniques, including breathing strategies, movement activities, and emotional literacy tools that can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines, including meaningful transitions.

Nikki’s mentoring also enhanced our understanding of how to develop and scaffold children’s emotional development in ways that are both playful and purposeful but also in ways that children become aware of their own emotions and how best to recognise, self-manage and regulate their own built-up emotions and energy.   

Our sessions clearly demonstrated the importance of investing in professional development that prioritises emotional wellbeing, both for children and educators. By equipping our team with the right knowledge and tools, we are better positioned to create emotionally safe, responsive learning environments. This type of targeted support is a valuable investment in the long-term mental health and resilience of our service.

Since completing the mentoring, we have already begun embedding new emotional regulation practices into our daily practice, especially group times. The children are engaging positively with the breathing techniques and regulation tools, and we’ve observed improved emotional awareness across the group.

We are super grateful for the professional expertise and warmth provided by Nikki and would strongly recommend this mentoring to other early childhood services seeking to enhance their wellbeing practices.”

—Kris, Director, Harbord Community Kindergarten, Freshwater, NSW.

“Nikki is so friendly and enthusiastic! She held sessions at our preschool focussing on wellbeing, emotions and feelings. These topics hold great significance for the children in our community. Nikki was engaging and maintained the children’s focus using a host of interesting resources to make the concepts more practical and meaningful. The children particularly enjoyed the WorryWoo characters!”

—Michelle, Early Childhood Teacher, Sydney, NSW.

“My team and I are so inspired with what we have learnt in how to manage and support children’s big emotions and behaviours. Nikki’s mentoring sessions support our social and emotional philosophy and our goal to develop our children’s emotional intelligence.

In Nikki’s mentoring session, we received many practical ideas and suggestions such as ways to prevent negative behaviours before they happen and support the social and emotional wellbeing within the class.

Nikki spoke a lot about empathy and kindness being at the centre of supporting children’s wellbeing, backing it up with recent neuroscience research.

The teachers and I are enjoying embedding the various practical relaxation techniques within our program and are using her suggestions with some children with additional needs.

I cannot recommend Nikki from NG Wellbeing Consulting highly enough.”

—Debbie, Director, St James Preschool, Balgowlah Heights, NSW.

“We were thrilled to have Nikki Gleeson join us to facilitate a series of incursions with our children. Working with groups of ten at a time, Nikki introduced a range of experiences that supported the children’s emotional wellbeing and personal development.

Throughout the sessions, Nikki guided the children through calming breathing exercises, and mindfulness activities, complemented by interactive music and movement, storytelling, and engaging role play. These creative experiences helped the children explore important concepts such as self-awareness, empathy, and resilience in a way that felt fun and meaningful.

Nikki brought a warm and nurturing presence to every session, and it was clear that the children felt safe, supported, and genuinely enjoyed their time with her. We are so grateful for the thoughtful and impactful work Nikki shared with our preschool community.”

-Kelly, Educator, West Pennant Hills, NSW.

“Dedicated and professional. People love working with her because she cares, values their opinion, and promotes a fair and collaborative approach to teaching. She is passionate about health and well-being.”

— Angela, Early Childhood Teacher, Sydney, NSW.

““I worked with Nikki for nearly 3 years as an Early Childhood Teacher. Nikki is a knowledgeable mentor as an educator and all round inspirational person.

Nikki’s enthusiasm for learning and improvement is contagious. Wellbeing has always been a huge part of Nikki’s life as someone who is extremely active with running, swimming, cycling and yoga.

Nikki organically brings wellbeing into her learning programs providing a holistic approach to early childhood education. Nikki’s caring, thoughtful and inquisitive approach ensures holistic and relational outcomes for children, families and educators.

I highly recommend Nikki for any consulting, workshops, mentoring or seminars.

—Coralie, Sydney, NSW.

“I am pleased to recommend Nikki Gleeson, who mentored me during my last fieldwork placement before graduation. Throughout my placement, Nikki demonstrated exceptional skills as an early childhood educator and mentor, greatly contributing to my professional growth and learning experience.”

In addition to her teaching and mentoring skills, Nikki consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic and a commitment to continuous improvement. Her dedication to the early childhood field and profession is evident in all her achievements.

As a mentor, Nikki was incredibly supportive and approachable. She provided valuable guidance and feedback, helping me to develop my teaching skills and confidence. She was always willing to share her knowledge and expertise, offering practical advice and many opportunities for collaborative critical reflection. Her ability to model best practices in early childhood education was invaluable to my learning experience.”

—Nadia, Teaching Associate, Southern Cross University & Advisor, Pacific Labour Facility, Early Childhood Education & Care, Brisbane, QLD.

“Nikki Gleeson is a warm and enthusiastic mentor who encourages professional reflection about emotional wellbeing in children, guiding teachers to find the means and best practice to support their class. Nikki teaches practical skills to educators that when applied in a classroom situation, help children navigate emotions which at times, may overwhelm or hinder individuals. She proposes ways of managing the emotional highs and lows that can impact a group, inviting collegial discussion after modelling sessions with the children.

The children find their platform during Nikki’s Wellbeing Incursions. They share thoughts in a fun setting and begin to articulate what happens to them during big emotional times. Agency is given to knowing how to respond, how to react personally to restore some kind of equilibrium.

Nikki is resourceful and good company for any staff looking for inspiration and encouragement to help develop good pedagogy and a resilient cohort of children.”

—Stephanie, Educational Leader, East Willoughby Preschool, NSW.