Nic Russell: Author, Speaker, Survivor – Stories That Cut Through the Bollix
Who is Nic Russell?
Nic Russell is one of those people whose life story is both harrowing and inspiring. Originally from Northern Ireland, she now lives in New Zealand. Her identity is woven from loss, illness and sheer grit. She’s a heart transplant recipient, a cancer survivor (“mate pukupuku” as she calls it), a mother who has been bereaved, and someone living with Parkinson’s disease.
These experiences haven’t broken her — they’ve shaped her into a powerful voice for resilience, honesty, and humour.
Nic is also a committed do-gooder: founding charities, speaking up in the media, helping others through grief and serious illness, and using her story to support mental health and those facing overwhelming odds.
The Book: Bollix! When Life Isn’t All It’s Craic’d Up to Be
After being asked for years “When are you going to write a book?”, Nic’s memoir Bollix! When Life Isn't All It's Craic'd Up to Be is coming in 2025.
This is not your typical memoir. Nic refuses the clichés of “overcoming adversity” in a neat package. Instead, Bollix! offers an “unvarnished look at how one woman … keeps moving through the chaos of grief, illness, and the wild unpredictability of life.”
Expect real, raw, sometimes painful stories, but also humour, defiance, and authenticity. A standout quote gives a flavour:
“What the actual fucketyfuck!”
There’s a sneak peek available for readers on her site.
Public Speaking: Bringing Authenticity On Stage
Nic is also available for public speaking engagements. Her talks draw from her life in a way that connects deeply — because she shares not only the trials, but the small moments, the humour, the grief, and the fight.
She’s spoken to big audiences, including being the keynote at the Human Resources Institute National Conference for ~3,000 people, plus a TEDx talk.
Her topics include resiliency, determination, grief, serious illness, mental health, and how to keep going when life keeps throwing curveballs. She customises her talks to the needs of the event or organisation.
Testimonials show that her presentations can be deeply moving, inspiring, and also surprisingly uplifting despite the hard stuff.
What Makes Nic Russell’s Voice Unique
Candour: She doesn’t sugar-coat. She admits that life isn’t always positive or victorious; sometimes it’s messy, unfair, or just brutally hard. But it’s still a life worthy of telling.
Resilience + Vulnerability: To be honest about grief, illness, transplant, loss, and the continuing battle, but to still show strength and humour — that combination hits people, especially those going through something similar.
Relatability: Many people dealing with illness, loss, or uncertainty may feel isolated; Nic’s stories show that those experiences aren’t rare, and they can be shared, validated, processed.
Action: She doesn’t just tell; she’s built charities, been active in media, uses her platform to push for change (e.g., in cancer funding, mental health, grief support) rather than passivity.
Who Her Work Resounds With
People who have experienced serious illness, grief, loss, or life-threatening health crises — especially those looking for stories that aren’t “inspirational fluff,” but real conversations.
Organisations looking for keynote or motivational speakers who bring authenticity and deep emotional content, but also humour and resilience.
Readers who want memoirs that don’t shy away from discomfort or messy truths — people who want to see life unfiltered.
Anyone interested in mental health, grief support, organ transplant stories, resilience, and how to continue when life feels like a series of challenges.
Challenges, Impact & What’s Ahead
Nic’s journey hasn’t been easy. Living with serious health issues, loss, and chronic illness—all come with physical and mental challenges. But she’s turned that into impact: her media presence, charity work, her upcoming book, and her speaking all contribute to public awareness, destigmatisation (of grief, illness, etc.), and support systems.
With Bollix! on the way, she’s poised to reach new audiences, perhaps giving people tools to understand their own journeys. Her speaking will continue to offer connection, inspiration, and a mirror for people feeling alone.
Real Talk: Why You Should Know Nic Russell
If you’re searching for raw, honest stories about surviving through loss, illness, transplant, and grief—Nic Russell delivers these with a blend of humour, toughness, and vulnerability that’s rare.
If you’re organising an event and want someone who will move people but also be real about the messiness of life, she’s someone to book. If you want a memoir that doesn’t pretend everything ends with sunshine, Bollix! is one to watch for in 2025.
Written by Stu at EightySix Digital