I have spoken to audiences in Paris, Prague, Sofia, Zurich, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, Brunei, Spain, the UAE and India.
"I bought this book for my teenage daughter as she becomes anxious when exams approach, despite having a good grasp of the subjects. Not always keen to take on my advice, but found this book very helpful in the run up to her Highers and achieved excellent results"
Alan
Edinburgh
"refreshingly free of psychobabble"
Elizabeth Langley
Head of PSE at Dollar Academy
“I’ve never heard the subject tackled so articulately"
"Nicola presented to the full teaching staff on mindset, dispositions for learning, and intellectual risk taking. We were very much captivated. Her style is straight-forward, intuitive and no-nonsense. Discussion comes quickly and fluently; she is ready to move in interesting directions as they arise. The staff body learnt a great deal, but, perhaps even more importantly, they were forced to think and to reflect. This session changed outlooks and reshaped some of our practice. Very impressive."
Dr Matt Gibson
Glenalmond College
"Nicola came to Dollar Academy and delivered a talk to all staff as part of the October inset training programme. Her talk focused on many aspects of teenage mental health, including how performance is impacted not just by adolescent changes and preoccupations, but also by ‘stress’ in all its forms. We are now using her ‘Stress Well’ resources with the PSE programme.
“That evening, she spoke again about these very important issues: this time to over 200 parents. Her focus was on wellbeing and stress and the many issues surrounding digital media and life online. The feedback from parents was extremely positive.
“The following day, Nicola gave a talk to all pupils in Forms III, IV, V and VI. She spoke about anti-stress strategies, how to balance social life and study and the importance of sleep, exercise and relaxation. An interesting discussion arose on the importance of limiting screen time in our busy lives.
“Thank you, Nicola for coming to Dollar and sharing your experience and ideas with the Dollar community."
Head of PSE
Dollar Academy
“She is an excellent public-speaker”
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“I would have loved to have much longer”
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“the best INSET I can remember”
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“I would have loved to have much longer”
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“the best INSET I can remember”
STAFF COMMENTS
Dollar Academy
“I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, as an educator and a parent"
"Nicola’s presentation was faultless. The staff at Foyle’s were clearly in love with their visiting author and … I’ve never seen a flurry of publication pleasure so nicely ordered."
Karen Ball
Author
"All the committee thought the evening and I quote ‘was a brilliant success. Nicola was an excellent speaker and gave everyone food for thought”, ‘great enthusiasm all round for the speaker and the topic’, ‘Nicola was a great speaker and I could have listened to her for a lot longer’.”
Organiser of a lecture to parents
"“You kept me alert, entertained and inspired for three hours today – that’s no mean feat!”
Delegate at an INSET day
“This session changed outlooks and reshaped some of our practice. Very impressive.
"Thank you for speaking to the pupils from Crieff High School. It was fascinating to hear about the brain. You engaged with the pupils from the beginning and I have received very positive feedback… The fact that a number of your books have now been borrowed from our library, particularly copies of Blame My Brain, is further testimony. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to other secondary schools."
Librarian
Crieff High School
“Best talk I’ve heard during the festival – you speak so passionately and clearly. You have a voice that people want to listen to and I never switched off for a moment. Well done for how you dealt with that strange question, too!”
After an Edinburgh International Book Festival talk
“Reading my book actually helped me to regain my energy”
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“I was really interested in the book and switched off from the outside world.”
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“Reading helped me wind down before bed.”
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“It was very calming when I was stressed”
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“After I finished reading, I felt happy and satisfied”
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“After a fight with my brother, reading helped calm me down and the story transformed my anger into sadness for one of the characters.”
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“I was completely engulfed in a different world.”
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“The story gave me a chance to zone out on the things that worried me.”
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“Reading is helping me relax at the end of a long day”
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“I felt cosy and safe”
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“I was really interested in the book and switched off from the outside world.”
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“Reading helped me wind down before bed.”
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“It was very calming when I was stressed”
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“After I finished reading, I felt happy and satisfied”
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“After a fight with my brother, reading helped calm me down and the story transformed my anger into sadness for one of the characters.”
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“I was completely engulfed in a different world.”
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“The story gave me a chance to zone out on the things that worried me.”
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“Reading is helping me relax at the end of a long day”
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“I felt cosy and safe”
Latymer school
Year 7 and 8 student quotes on readaxation, after they had used the Readaxation Diary for a week
"…genuinely the very best CPD I have ever attended – absolutely focused on the issues we are dealing with in school right now and perfect for sharing with colleagues, pupils and parents."
Scottish Council of Independent Schools conference
“The ultimate professional in every respect from the preparation to the execution"
"Nicola is a superb speaker. Each topic is well researched with current and relevant information for the intended audience, whether it be for students or parents. Her delivery is focused, precise and most important of all, totally engaging. If you are looking for a high-quality speaker who is an expert in this minefield of the teenage brain and teenage stress, it really is a no-brainer!"
Rosie Pike
Librarian and Festival of Literature Co-ordinator, Bishop's Stortford College
“Really relevant and discussion provoking presentation.”
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“A really fantastic session, hugely informative and it made me think again about the stresses & strains a teenager faces. Really enjoyable.” “I had heard Nicola before in a briefer session and wanted to hear more. Her presentation was both relevant and stimulating and worthwhile.”
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“Very informative and provided lots of evidence to reinforce the importance of reading for pleasure”
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“A really fantastic session, hugely informative and it made me think again about the stresses & strains a teenager faces. Really enjoyable.” “I had heard Nicola before in a briefer session and wanted to hear more. Her presentation was both relevant and stimulating and worthwhile.”
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“Very informative and provided lots of evidence to reinforce the importance of reading for pleasure”
HMC Librarians conference 2016
Attendee comments. 100% rated my session Excellent or Very Good
"Your speech/content was spot on in every way, you left the audience wanting more, and you were the ultimate professional in every respect from the preparation to the execution."
After an after-dinner speech to the publishing industry
“Nicola is a superb speaker"
"…feedback from the session you ran at the HMC Conference for Librarians last month. It’s absolutely excellent: ‘Really interesting – great to come back armed with scientific proof in favour of reading for pleasure. Nicola is a very engaging speaker. Very enlightening and well delivered. Interesting, informative and entertaining. Nicola is a very good speaker! [very many comments similar to this]. Extremely relevant to our school’s vision at the moment. Very useful references given and excellently presented.”
HMC Librarians’ Conference
After a keynote speech on literacy and the brain
“I’ve never heard the subject tackled so articulately, honestly and clearly.”
Delegate at an international conference
"I came away inspired to write in a more focused way, thinking of my reader. You opened my eyes to things I’d never thought about before."
Attendee
York Festival of Writing
"We have had such great feedback from the children and staff who attended"
"I’ve been coming to events about publishing for several years, but I actually feel I understand so much more about how publishers think after your talk."
Attendee
York Festival of Writing