Testimonials for Nikie Forster & Curious Lighthouse

“We brought Nikie in to kick off our first Compass UK&I Talent Acquisition Community Day, bringing together colleagues from across the business for the first time. We wanted something that would get people talking, break down barriers and help us understand each other better as we started working together as one wider team.

 From the outset, Nikie was brilliant to work with. She really took the time to understand what we were trying to achieve, the dynamics of the team and what we wanted everyone to take away from the day.

 Nikie brought so much energy, made everyone feel comfortable and got the whole room involved. The Insights session gave us a brilliant opportunity to understand ourselves and each other better, with plenty of laughs along the way! More importantly, it sparked some really valuable conversations that have continued well beyond the event.

 I'd absolutely recommend Nikie to anyone looking to bring a team together, build stronger relationships and create a bit of a buzz. She was a huge part of making our first community day such a success, and I'd happily work with her again!”

Sarah Fyfe | Talent Acquisition Director | Compass Group UK&I

"Nikie has been fantastic to work with, delivering leadership development programs for new managers and more experienced leaders. 

As well as her obvious enthusiasm and passion for developing people, one of the most important attributes has been Nikie’s flexibility to adapt the program to the differing needs of the groups, even once the program was up and running.  Feedback from the participants has been very positive, in particular around how engaging the sessions were and also the practical templates and models that Nikie shared. 

Overall, the participants feel more confident and competent in their roles as people managers.  I look forward to working with Nikie again in the future."  

Carolle Clements, UK Learning & Development Manager, TechnipFMC

"I can’t recommend Nikie highly enough. She delivered a leadership development course for our less experiences supervisors and the feedback was fantastic.

She spent time with me to understand the company, our processes and the culture and then fully tailored the content to be relevant and engaging, using language and examples our colleagues experience day to day. The feedback from the delegates was fantastic, with everyone talking about what they had taken away from it.

There was noticeable improvement in the confidence on the supervisors in their day to day roles and how they engaged in conversations with their teams."  

Mykala Macfarlane - Group Head of People

“Nikie at Curious Lighthouse was recommended to me as someone who was knowledgeable, creative and passionate about positive change. I am so glad she was all of that. 

I wholeheartedly endorse the Leadership Course she created for our Band 7 Midwives. It empowered our staff to elevate their leadership skills and make a lasting impact in their personal and professional lives. The course was a transformative journey that equipped our staff with the tools, strategies, and insights needed to lead with confidence, integrity, and vision. The curriculum was practical, covering essential leadership principles such as strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, team building, and effective communication, as well as its focus on real-world application, ensuring that what they learnt could be immediately implemented in daily leadership tasks.

I highly recommend Nikie at Curious Lighthouse to anyone committed to becoming a more effective, impactful leader.” 

Sarah Powell - Head of Leadership Development at the NHS

"It has been an absolute pleasure working with Nikie on the Lightbulb management development programme. 

Each session was hugely informative and great fun.  In 4 short weeks I now have the tools to go forward and be a better Manager and guide the rest of my team to success.  Nikie’s approach to training is so refreshing and like nothing I’ve done before.  There was never a dull moment, and I was fully engaged the entire time.   

My whole working style has changed for the better already and I feel a new sense of passion for my role.  To anyone looking to build on your management skills then look no further!  Thank you Nikie!"  

Lisa Atkins-Gough - Operations Manager

“I adore Nikie and her teaching style, I thought the course would be informative and teach me the basics, but it was so much more than this. Her teaching style was so refreshing as I was engaged the whole time making me think so much deeper into each subject.

Having completed my course, we asked Nikie to come back and train eight more people. I know everyone took away as much as I did from the course, Nikie is able to work with an individual or larger groups but still make everyone in the room feel comfortable and listened too, giving everyone the opportunity to ask questions and give their opinions.

It’s so nice to be able to be part of the conversation rather than just being talked at. She makes learning enjoyable and stimulating which is rare, I would highly recommend her and the work she does.” 

Beth Ash - Production Manager

“Thank you to Nikie Forster from Curious Lighthouse Learning who created a fun filled engaging team building workshops for Management and our Engineering team. Nikie was a pleasure to work with, she was full of energy, insights, and ideas.

The sessions were a great success with very positive feedback from attendees. I look forward to working with Nikie in the future”.  

Joan Kennedy - Global Senior Director, HR 

"I have gained so much from these leadership sessions with Nikie, thank you so much! So many activities to keep things interesting, Lego, Playmobil, Jigsaw puzzles, to name but a few, but then always followed up with discussion helping to bring the "play" into realisation of management styles, Leadership qualities, etc. Real, useable, relatable Leadership and Management techniques to employ and deploy! So great, so meaningful." 

Rachel – NHS Midwife (Band 7)

"Nikie is a fantastic facilitator, really knowledgeable and engaging. She has a brilliant way of making people think and consider different perspectives.

As a relatively new line manager I found the programme really useful, thank you Nikie!" 

Angela – NHS Midwife (Band 7)

“I recently had the pleasure of being on an 8-week supervisor training programme with Nikie. It was incredibly informative, inspiring and most of all, fun!  I gained a lot of confidence and useful skills after every session which I was able to put into practice as soon as I got onto the shop floor.

Nikie is wonderfully creative, experienced. and patient and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better trainer.

I really can’t thank you enough, I am so happy to have had the chance to be on this programme.  Thank you Nikie!”  

Katie Mackrell - Morning Shift Co-Ordinator

‘Since completing the course, I have seen a significant improvement in my leadership capabilities. I am more decisive, better at motivating my team, and more adept at navigating the challenges that come with leadership.

Whether you are a seasoned leader looking to refine your skills or a new leader aiming to build a solid foundation, this course is an investment that will yield tremendous returns.’

Senior Maternity Leader at the NHS

"It has been an absolute privilege to have worked with you. Your sessions have been inspiring and I will take your learnings with me wherever I go.  ​

Over my career a few people have stood out for their positivity, professionalism, competence & you are one of these stand out individuals who has inspired me to move forward/grow." 

Brad Abery - FSSC Director 

“Learning with Nikie was an absolute joy. I loved every session with her, as they were always very unique, informative and fun.  Nikie’s organisational skills and ability to tailor each session was fantastic.

Each session felt bespoke for the target audience which made learning easier. She makes it very captivating in an environment which is not always easy to do.

The support she offers throughout, and even after the course has finished is amazing. I feel as though she is always by my side if I need her! I couldn’t think of anyone better to recommend! Thank you Nikie!”   

Oliver Whitford -   Production Supervisor

“Attended an 8-week supervisor course with Nikie Forster whom I would very highly recommend. The skill set she has helped arm me with to take on any work environment scenario has proven invaluable over the last few months since completing the course and will no doubt continue to do so for years and years to come.

All workshop sessions were made tangible to actual scenarios or situations that you will find yourself within a working capacity, making all knowledge gained extremely practical and easily applicable for one's use upon a day-to-day basis.

All of this is made achievable by Nikie’s wondrous self as a very welcoming, well-spoken, and easily approachable individual. Thank you for all your help and guidance!” 

Zachary Turner-Mincher - Production Coordinator

"Nikie has changed my life at work!   She has worked with us in building trust and open communication within the management team.  

It has completely changed our communication style and has had a great impact on our moral." 

Hana ~  Senior Manager 

"Nikie and I worked together at Berry Bros & Rudd, where she was the Learning & Development Manager reporting into me as Chief Operating Officer. At the time BB&R was experiencing a step change in momentum and needed to ensure the support and training functions kept up and indeed pre-empted future requirements. One of Nikie’s key initiatives at that time was to implement an In-House Training team that not only supported the training needs of the business, but also provided development opportunities for those involved in the team.  

Ultimately this In-House Training programme was designed to deliver a more highly-skilled & efficient workforce, increase productivity, reduce business costs, provide a greater opportunity to embed the BB&R standards and values across the business and to be ‘great’ at L&D rather than just ‘good/ok’.

As part of the In-House Training Team Nikie took our professionalism and standards with regards to L&D to a new level and above all embedded a culture of L&D, and its importance, into the business. I would recommend Nikie for any organisation that is seeking to align L&D with business objectives and that favours a bespoke, personal programme that can be geared to the culture and needs of the business."   

Robin McMillan ~ Chief Executive