About

Meet your Coach

I know what it feels like to carry more than you should.

"I also know what becomes possible when you finally stop managing everything and start leading your own life. That is why I built Big Day Coach.

I'm Nina Baxter, Director and Founder of Big Day Ltd — home of Big Day Coach and Big Day Events, based in Auckland, New Zealand.

My path into coaching was not a straight line. After years working across corporate environments, I founded my own full-service event management company in 2001, working with private and corporate clients across a wide range of industries. I built a team. I managed clients. I kept a business moving through the pressure, the uncertainty, and the relentless demand of being the person everything depends on.

And alongside all of that, life was doing what it does.

Navigating a chronic illness.

Caring for ageing parents.

Raising a child.

Being present for the people I loved.

Volunteering in my community for over 20 years.

And all the while, keeping the business alive.

Nobody tells you how much of yourself you quietly lose in gaining those lived experiences. You give so much, for so long, to so many people, that one day you look up and the person in the mirror is a stranger. Still capable. Still functional. But somewhere adrift from who she actually is.

I am also a breast cancer survivor. I share that not for sympathy, but because it is part of what shaped how I work. Whist I coach using proven tools and techniques - I coach from the inside.

I know what it is to be the strong one when you are not, in fact, strong. And I know what it feels like to come back to yourself. That experience is at the heart of everything I do.

What I noticed in others

Over 30 years of working alongside talented, capable people, I began to see the same patterns repeating. Burnout that had been normalised into a personality. Identities lost inside roles. Business owners who had built extraordinary things and were privately miserable. Leaders who were technically competent and personally disconnected. People at significant turning points who had every resource except the one thing they needed most: clarity about who they were and what they actually wanted next.

What I also noticed was how differently people think, process, and respond to the world around them — and how much conflict, wasted potential, and quiet unhappiness comes from those differences going unrecognised, both in teams and in ourselves.

I knew there had to be a better approach. One that started with the person, not the problem.

One that created lasting change from the inside out.

That is what led me to professional coach training with the International Coaching Institute in Melbourne, and ultimately to building Big Day Coach.

My mission is simple: to help individuals and organisations build self-awareness, align with who they truly are, and create more fulfilling personal and professional lives - whether that is one-on-one, in a group, or woven into a workshop or event.

Whatever stage you’re at- personally or professionally- I'm here to walk alongside you as you take the next step towards discovering the best version of yourself."

What Coaching Services Does

Big Day Coach Offer?

Big Day Coach offers bespoke life coaching, business coaching, and leadership development services — completely tailored to each client because no two clients are the same.

Through open communication and active participation, I aim to empower individuals to "update their map", look at new perspectives , realize their full potential and achieve success. Our collaborative approach allows our clients to learn , identify and implement strategies for personal and professional growth.

Coaching is available online (1:1 and group) and in person* across New Zealand. Services include:

Online 1:1 life coaching and business coaching - available to clients across New Zealand and internationally
Leadership coaching for SME owners, managers, emerging leaders and those who want to lead themselves better
Executive coaching for business owners navigating growth, change, or transition
Certified Personality profiling using the Full Meta Dynamics™ Profiling Tool
Group coaching and team facilitation — online and in person
Conference session facilitation and workshop design
Retreat-style facilitation

(*In Person: Arranged on request POA. Ancillary charges may apply for items such as venue hire, catering, additional contributors etc as required)

Who Does Big Day Coach Work With?

Big Day Coach works with a wide range of individuals and organisations — but most clients share something in common: they've reached a point where staying stuck is no longer an option.

Clients include:

SME business owners and owner-operators across New Zealand seeking clarity, direction, and sustainable growth
Leaders and managers looking to improve their leadership effectiveness, team communication, and decision-making
Professionals experiencing burnout, overwhelm, or a loss of confidence in their abilities
Business owners approaching a significant transition — succession, exit, sale, or a major change in direction
Individuals navigating personal challenges — health, relationships, identity — alongside the demands of running a business
Teams and organisations needing facilitated alignment around vision, culture, and direction

We can help you if :

You want to identify your natural strengths and stretches , so you can improve your skills and competence to expand the growth of yourself and your teams.
You you want to improve your self-awareness, interpersonal communication, team dynamics, self confidence and self esteem so you can tackle new roles, responsibilities or goals.
You need assistance to develop understanding of the deeper patterns behind your "stuckness", rebuild self-trust and self-esteem, and shift from avoidance into actionable goals.
Assist with developing understanding of your needs, feelings, boundaries, fears, overwhelm/burn-out, triggers and attachment style so you can better regulate your emotional responses and improve emotional capacity. This work may also incorporate inner child (parts) and deep state repatterning if needed.
You would like to benefit from proven coaching models and techniques to support and guide you. I create an environment where you can safely rebuild self belief and emotional awareness to guide you back towards a life of contribution and fulfilment.

Professional Standards & Ethics :

We operate under the professional guidelines of the International Coaches Guild (ICG), of which we are an Associate Member. The ICG has a code of conduct in regards to privacy, confidentiality, ethics, standards of coaching practice, provision for professional insurances and requirements of ongoing education and training for it’s members. Nina Baxter has trained through the International Coaching Institute (ICI), Melbourne — one of the world's leading professional coach training organisations.

Nina is the ICG Ambassador for New Zealand.

Let's Talk