Meet the Team: Nikki Burke

Welcome to our Meet the Team series. We're excited to introduce you to the fantastic group of coaches and facilitators at?PEPworldwide:nz.?

Meet Nikki Burke

What PEP courses do you facilitate???

PEP Foundation (PEP Principles), PEP Principles with Microsoft 365, PEP Talks, PEP for Outlook, Working Effectively Together

Tell us a bit about your background and what led you to become a PEP facilitator??

Before PEPworldwide:nz I had enjoyed a wonderful 20-year career in the film industry, specifically producing high-end cinematic TV commercials for local and international clients. Producing was (still is in many ways) a huge part of my identity.?The work was intense, demanding and incredibly fast-paced, and if you didn’t perform well, you simply wouldn’t get work, so I was always aiming for perfection.?I worked crazy hours, sometimes because I was managing clients and directors across various time zones, sometimes because the shoot schedules just required it. But sometimes, it was simply because I just had too much to do, which was often.??

When I had kids, my priorities shifted, as they do! I knew I needed to be able to maintain high performance, but I had to do this in less time – so that I wouldn’t miss out on being there for my family. That basically meant I needed to find a way to work smarter. I asked my brother, who is a total self-driven up-skiller and all-round information-hungry hyper nerd, and he directed me straight to PEP. I was simply blown away that there was a company that enabled people to essentially get more out of their lives – simply by honing and streamlining the way they work. So blown away that it sparked a career change. I couldn’t imagine anything better than helping people in that way.

What unique perspective or insights does your personal background and experiences bring to your work at PEP???

Having grown up professionally in a highly creative industry that demands militant planning, communication and performance, I inherently understand that delivering excellence more often than not requires a multi-pronged approach.?

It’s not enough to just be super organised, we may be as efficient as any human being can be but a few seemingly innocuous habits can easily stop us from delivering high results. Likewise for those of us who prefer the thinking and creating side of what we do – if we can’t see ideas through meaningfully we’ll always be holding ourselves back. Leaning into what we’re good at is important, and in part it’s where we find job satisfaction. But it’s also important to acknowledge the aspects of our role that we may be shying away from, figure out a way to level that up without any kind of compromise to what works well and what we enjoy. I believe this is how we unlock a much deeper fulfilment at work and a healthier work-life balance.?

In PEP we examine our habits and participants get the opportunity to re-wire those they feel could be working against them. The results speak to this understanding.

What do you think is the best thing you have learned through your experience as a PEP facilitator?

There’s never one way to do something!

What is one thing you hope participants will take away from your PEP sessions??

A deeper sense of control over their work and ability to perform well with less effort.

What do you think sets PEP apart from other professional development programs??

The principles are simple and so universally applicable, so it really doesn’t matter what your role is, how well you perform, which industry you work in, how established you might be – there is always something impactful to take away from a PEP program.?Boosted by the fact that you get loads of time to try things and implement during the program, which plays a huge part in ensuring learnings are embedded well and any changes are sustainable.