What we do
High School is hard! We get it! Between hours of back-to-back classes, sports, arts, study and the stress of student life, it’s no wonder it can all get a little bit overwhelming.
We’re here to help. We’ve been through the process and we know what works. We have developed specific programs that improve your executive function skills and help you learn, work and manage your daily life better – so you can thrive at school and anything else you set your mind to. We’ll help you see ‘The Big Picture’.
What are executive function skills and how can they help me?
Well, executing functioning skills are a set of cognitive processes the brain uses to work on skills like; working memory, flexible thinking, self-control, problem solving, the ability to forward think, plan, organise and manage time. Learning how to properly harness and improve these skills can help increase your productivity, get you thinking clearly and reach academic success!
Our Story
The Big Picture programs were inspired and influenced by Nicola’s burning passion to not only change the way students cope with stress but manage all aspects of their lives holistically. As she balanced her successful career while her two children completed their HSC, Nicola saw clear parallels between the skill sets required in the workplace and within the student world.
The potential to succumb to pressure in both school and work environments is all too easy, negatively impacting one’s mental health, productivity and performance. The loss of control, focus and clarity can leave anyone overwhelmed, frustrated and unmotivated. It can be different for some students entirely. With many other distractions at play, students can be reactive, not planning ahead at all, doing tasks last minute and lacking the motivation or urgency to prioritise their commitments.
Nicola found that by focusing on improving some skills like our executive functioning capabilities, it was much easier to find increased levels of productivity, motivation and confidence while attaining a greater work-life balance and self fulfilment.
After years of development and research, The Big Picture programs has now been running since 2019. We are immensely passionate in supporting students to excel in their studies and give them the life skills to succeed in their future lives and careers.
Founder
Nicola obtained a Bachelor of Business Science Honours at the University of Cape Town before embarking on a highly successful career in classical marketing and brand management. After over a decade of experience in multinational corporations, Nicola’s corporate experience found her a role as the Marketing Director for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Here she focused primarily on strategic business development, team management and the overseeing of operational activities.
In 2005, Nicola moved to Sydney, Australia where she utilized her skills in strategy development and project management across a range of smaller and medium sized organizations allowing her to experience the different challenges faced in less formal environments, with fewer employees and wider scopes of responsibility.
With two children having completed their schooling, Nicola saw clear parallels between the life skills she required in the workplace and those they were requiring in the student world. In today’s ever-changing, high pressurised world, it’s easy for students to struggle with the responsibilities of high school and the expectations put on them by their surroundings and themselves. With a loss of direction, it can affect their mental wellbeing with high stress and anxiety.
This challenge evoked a deep desire in Nicola to widen her scope and develop specialised programmes that could equip students with the life and coping skills required to
succeed not only at school but in their lives beyond. She has made it her life passion to ease the burdens of students and get them happier, more productive and thriving in all aspects of life.