KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
What can Nikki Bonus bring to your event?
Nikki Bonus is a visionary leader, global change agent, and founder of Life Skills Group and Life Skills GO, platforms designed to improve student wellbeing through social, emotional, and physical literacy. With more than 20 years of experience in delivering mindfulness, leadership, and wellbeing programs, Nikki combines practical knowledge with personal authenticity to create transformational experiences for her audiences.
Nikki has a deeply personal mission: to ensure that every child’s voice is heard and supported, and that no child falls through the cracks. Her drive stems from overcoming adversity at a young age, including the loss of her brother to mental health struggles. She believes every person, regardless of their background, can thrive when equipped with the right skills—and her work reflects that passion.
Nikki’s leadership has been recognised through multiple accolades. She was named a finalist in the NSW Telstra Best of Business Awards 2024 in two categories:
Outstanding Growth, for her ability to scale Life Skills GO and positively impact hundreds of thousands of students and educators.
Embracing Innovation, for revolutionising how schools use real-time data to support student wellbeing and make evidence-based decisions.
Nikki is also the recipient of the Boosting Female Founders Grant, awarded for her leadership in driving innovation and expanding access to social-emotional learning through technology. This grant helped her launch Life Skills GO, a digital platform that empowers schools with tools to monitor, measure, and respond to the social and emotional needs of their students, creating lasting positive outcomes.
As a powerful storyteller, Nikki connects with her audience on a deeply personal level, using her own experiences of resilience to inspire messages of compassion, courage, and hope. Her presentations are not only motivating but also equip audiences with practical tools to foster personal and professional growth.
Through Life Skills Group and Life Skills GO, Nikki has worked hand-in-hand with over 1000 schools, 60,000 teachers, and 1,000,000 students, all while collecting a robust evidence base on what truly works in improving, measuring, and responding to student/teacher wellbeing. With over 1,200 professional development programs delivered globally, Nikki continues to drive her mission forward – working with governments, school communities, and educators to see social, emotional, and physical literacy valued as much as academic performance.
Invite Nikki to your event and bring a speaker who can inspire, educate, and ignite real change. Whether you’re hosting a conference or a convention, Nikki’s humility, authenticity, and passion will leave a lasting impact on your audience.
Have Nikki attend your conference or conventions
Nikki is available by appointment for public speaking engagements, workshops and conferences.
TESTIMONIALS
“Over the years I have done a lot of PL about principal health and wellbeing. None have captured me like today's presentation I feel like I have learned quite a bit about my emotional responses along with some simple strategies to improve my wellbeing. I loved the science behind the strategies - it helps me to understand more about myself.” - Julie Kennedy, Rowville Secondary College
“The most relevant and timely PD we have had in some time. Nikki was exceptional and has an innate ability to connect with people in a way that is personal and individual to each.” - Colleen Nisbet,
Doonside Public School
"I have been very impressed with Nikki's presentation and her subsequent workshop. I was able to incorporate some of the strategies that she presented the next day. I have attended thousands of professional development activities in my twenty years of teaching. There were only three that I would characterise as career changers, that is, activities that permanently changed what I did and how I did it. Thanks for the framework to find some balance. It is without hesitation that I recommend Nikki as an exemplary presenter, available to reach participants and engage them." - Craig Nielsen, Crown Street Public School
"Nikki was a fantastic presenter who understands our profession/stress level/lifestyle and, based on her knowledge, suggested a lot of doable activities to improve our quality of life." - Valkstone Primary School
"Nikki was fantastic to listen to. She shared stories with us. She was real - I appreciated that." - Laura Young, Sherwood Ridge Public School
"I could not have been more delighted with the positive response as Nikki had the staff in her hands from the first few moments until the end where the feedback was resoundingly positive. Months down the track staff are still referring back to the handful of very useful strategies and marvelling at how they have been able to integrate some of these mindful ideas to improve their stress management each day. Our students have been taking their learning back home and feedback leading into the usual 'NAPLAN stress' period has been positive as well. We will definitely be looking for funding to make this a part of every year's PL at our school." - DP, Inner West Public School
“In a world of information, it's rare that you are presented with practical ways to nurture the "human" in our students. Better understanding and self-awareness makes us better teachers, learners and people.” - Kathryn Flanagan, Cabramatta West Public School
Nikki Bonus is an incredible human being and thought leader on the subjects of resilience, motivation, storytelling and wellbeing. She taps into her experience of being a CEO, entrepreneur, mother and wife and speaks truth into corners that people don't usually go in a heartfelt way that inspires and connect people together through shared experiences, thoughts and feelings. She delivers engaging and authentic storytelling that inspires hope for overcoming adversity while staying true to herself. Nikki has used her personal story as fuel towards understanding what it means to be resilient - how one can overcome challenges with grit, humour, determination or courage. Nikki would be an inspirational speaker to have for any audience. - Rebecca Pham, Program Manager of Launch Pad Innovation Program at Western Sydney University
Nikki recently delivered a session for our founders at Western Sydney University LaunchPad. It was a privilege to listen to her speak. She was engaging, authentic & vulnerable - giving us some real insight into the rollercoaster that is the "startup journey". As one of the EIR's in the program I took a lot personally from the session and could not recommend her more as a speaker. - Jamie Pride - Helping organisations deliver the future of work.
Nikki is an amazing person, presenter and advocate for wellbeing. In the education space, she supports the wellbeing of both students and staff. She recently presented to our network of principals in Melbourne and made a positive and lasting impression! Passionate and practical, her session provided our group with some new ideas to look after their own wellbeing as well as affirming our sense of worth to look after ourselves. I highly recommend her for your personal, staff or student wellbeing. - Kendra Parker, Principal at Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria, Australia
“I just wanted to again pass on my sincere thanks for presenting on student and staff wellbeing at our recent Wellbeing Leaders Network Day last month. Your enthusiasm and passion reached everyone in the room, with many reflecting in their feedback sheets that they could have listened to you all day – many felt that 2 hours was too short! Thank you for sharing the message that social and emotional literacy needs to be embedded in all classrooms, with the important reflection that we also need to look after our own well-being. Many of our Wellbeing Leaders appreciated the practical activities you shared and led them through, and plan to put them into practice both at their schools and in their lives. I found your presentation particularly inspirational from my context and role as Senior Psychologist/Pastoral Care and Wellbeing officer covering Catholic Schools in the Northern Territory.
Cheryl Edward, Senior Psychologist/Pastoral Care & Wellbeing Officer, Inclusion Support Services
Over the years I have done a lot of PL about principal health and wellbeing. None have captured me like today's presentation I feel like I have learned quite a bit about my emotional responses along with some simple strategies to improve my wellbeing. - Julie Kennedy- Principal - Rowville Secondary College
A great session. In just one hour I walked away with tools that can be used immediately to support better wellbeing at work and home. - Tabitha O'Brien - Principal - Upper Ferntree Gully P.S.
Thanks Nikki, I have come away with some excellent strategies for self-regulation and communicating in difficult situations. - Leah Hodgson - Boronia Heights P.S.
This was a great opportunity to reflect on our personal and professional impact and how to best look after ourselves.- Mark Hanson -Principal- Knox Park P.S.