Healing with Humor and Bricks: Nikki Langman’s Emotional Intelligence Revolution
Australia’s Most Innovative Mental Health & Wellness Expert of the Year 2025
Nikki Langman’s journey into the mental health and wellness field is not one you typically hear. Her story begins in a place of deep struggle, where she spent over thirty years living two completely different lives—on the surface, she was a high-performing professional, someone who appeared confident and successful. But behind closed doors, she was battling addiction, hidden trauma, and emotional pain that she kept buried for decades. This quiet suffering continued until she reached a turning point—not in a therapy session or a recovery clinic, but out on a running trail.
It was during those solitary steps, under open skies, that Nikki began to confront her truth and rebuild her life from the ground up—body, mind, and soul. We, at The EliteX, are proud to have Nikki Langman as the Australia’s Most Innovative Mental Health & Wellness Expert of the Year 2025.
Her path to healing wasn’t smooth or simple. It was raw, unpredictable, and deeply human. But through the messiness, she discovered something powerful: people are not broken. They are simply walled in by years of hurt, silence, and survival. This profound insight became the foundation of her life’s work and sparked the birth of UNBRICKABLE™, a program that focuses on emotional intelligence and mental wellness using creativity, play, and connection. Rather than clinical methods, Nikki built a new approach—one rooted in lived experience, neuroscience, and a very unusual but powerful tool: LEGO® bricks.
“In a world that rewards performance, being emotionally honest is a revolutionary act.”
Today, Nikki is not only a respected international keynote speaker but also an Emotional Intelligence Master Practitioner. She is the creator of the UNBRICKABLE™ framework, which combines elements of psychology, emotional awareness, and hands-on interaction to help people reconnect with themselves. Her method challenges the norms of mental health education. Instead of talking about mental health, Nikki helps people experience it—using metaphorical storytelling, movement, and playful exploration that bypass the usual walls people put up.
What sets Nikki apart in the crowded space of mental wellness and emotional intelligence is her unique style. She is not a typical facilitator who sticks to formal scripts and PowerPoint presentations. She brings humor, humanity, and heart into every room she enters. Her sessions are not lectures—they are conversations, explorations, and moments of connection. Nikki believes that learning should be fun and engaging, and she uses humor as a bridge to understanding. In her workshops, people don’t just listen; they build, they play, and they share their truths in ways that feel safe and even joyful.
The UNBRICKABLE™ method uses LEGO® bricks to help people create three-dimensional models of their thoughts, habits, emotions, and past experiences. These models act as visual and physical representations of complex internal experiences, allowing participants to tell their stories in ways that bypass intellectual defenses. It’s not about analyzing people or “fixing” them—it’s about giving them space to express, connect, and grow. Nikki’s approach moves away from the cold, corporate feel of many mental health programs. It brings people together through creativity and shared vulnerability.
Nikki works with a wide range of clients and organizations—from corporate boardrooms and universities to schools and even women’s prisons. Her programs are adaptable, but her mission remains the same: to help people rediscover their voice, increase emotional literacy, and build meaningful connections. In academic settings, Nikki addresses rising concerns like anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout among students. In the workplace, she helps teams tackle toxic culture, poor communication, and emotional fatigue. And in correctional facilities, she works on building self-worth and emotional regulation through honest, compassionate dialogue.
The results of Nikki’s work are not just inspiring—they’re measurable. One corporate client reported a 34% increase in psychological safety within 90 days of engaging with her program. A university saw a 25% boost in student help-seeking behavior and a rise in community engagement following UNBRICKABLE™ workshops. But beyond the numbers, the impact is deeply personal. Incarcerated women have told Nikki that her sessions were the first time they ever felt truly seen—not judged for their mistakes, but acknowledged for their humanity and potential.
“We don’t teach mental health as a concept—we experience it as a conversation.”
These kinds of outcomes show that Nikki’s work goes beyond personal growth—it also drives cultural change. Organizations that embrace emotional intelligence and psychological safety not only improve their team dynamics but also see better retention, stronger collaboration, and healthier environments overall. Nikki believes that healing doesn’t just belong in therapy rooms—it belongs in every space where people live, work, and interact.
One of the biggest misconceptions Nikki is working to change is the idea that mental health and emotional intelligence are “soft” or secondary concerns. Many still believe these topics are only for therapy sessions or optional HR trainings. But Nikki strongly disagrees. For her, mental health is a universal human issue, and emotional intelligence is a key factor in whether individuals—and entire systems—function well or fall apart. It’s not about being gentle or polite. It’s about being real—acknowledging emotions as essential data rather than inconvenient drama.
Nikki believes that emotional honesty is a revolutionary act, especially in a world that rewards perfection, performance, and productivity over vulnerability. She challenges the idea that we need to “fix” ourselves, offering instead a more empowering message: we need to find ourselves. Her work reminds people that it’s okay not to be okay—and that asking for support is a sign of strength, not weakness.
To sustain her own mental wellbeing while doing this emotionally heavy work, Nikki stays grounded through a variety of practices. She runs regularly, creates space for alone time, and practices breathwork. She sets firm boundaries and embraces honest self-reflection. Just as she encourages others to play and reflect, she applies those tools in her own life. Nikki also relies on a support network that holds her accountable and reminds her of the importance of walking her talk. She doesn’t claim to have it all figured out. Instead, she teaches from a place of humility, resilience, and lived experience.
Looking ahead, Nikki has exciting plans for the future. One of the most anticipated developments is the launch of the Train-the-Trainer certification program for UNBRICKABLE™. This initiative will allow other educators, HR professionals, clinicians, and peer leaders to deliver the UNBRICKABLE™ experience within their own communities and institutions. The aim is to make this transformative framework widely available—to scale the impact and ensure that more people can benefit from this unique blend of play and personal growth.
Nikki is also expanding her reach across the United States and Australia, with several new partnerships forming in both academic and professional spaces. Her ultimate goal is bold but simple: to get UNBRICKABLE™ into every school, company, and community that needs it. Because, as she often says, every human has mental health—and every human deserves tools that actually work.
When asked to give one piece of advice to anyone trying to improve their mental wellness, Nikki offers a powerful reminder: Stop performing. Start feeling. In a world that often pressures us to keep smiling, keep producing, and keep pushing through, Nikki’s message cuts through the noise. You don’t need to constantly fix yourself—you need to connect with yourself. Sometimes, the most courageous thing you can do is admit that you’re struggling and ask for connection, not correction. Emotions are not signs of weakness—they are valuable insights waiting to be understood.
“You don’t need to fix yourself—you need to find yourself.”
Nikki Langman’s work is a reminder that healing doesn’t have to be clinical, serious, or solitary. It can be playful, creative, and shared. Through her own story, her programs, and her passion, she is helping to change the way the world talks about—and experiences—mental health. And in doing so, she is proving that no one is broken. They’re just bricked in. And with the right tools, they can become UNBRICKABLE™.
