Nicola Gracie
Nicola Gracie is a high school dropout turned lifelong student who recently completed her second Master’s degree in Therapeutic Arts Practice at the MIECAT Institute. Her thesis and final year of studio time explored how therapeutic arts practices can support the integration of expanded states of consciousness, particularly those accessed through ceremonial plant medicine. Her work sits at the intersection of creativity, emotional intelligence, and community healing, with a deep commitment to arts-based research.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Nicola moved to Melbourne, Australia, at age 12. In her twenties, she relocated to Mutitjulu, a remote Aboriginal community in Central Australia. There, she facilitated a therapeutic arts program at the local primary school and co-facilitated cultural and creative workshops alongside Anangu artists. As manager of the Mutitjulu Arts Centre, she initiated intergenerational studio sessions in collaboration with local aged care and high school services.
Back in Melbourne, Nicola continued her community-based practice, facilitating group art therapy for disabled teens, and working with First Nations people post-incarceration - leading community art projects and professional development programs. She has also collaborated with Signs of Life and AMAPP to deliver creative integration workshops and presentations focused on altered states of consciousness. Her approach is grounded in trauma-informed care and enriched by her training in yoga, meditation, breathwork, and trauma-release practices.
Alongside her therapeutic work, Nicola holds a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has founded a tech start-up—bringing a multidisciplinary lens that fuses creativity, strategy, and social change.
Nicola’s work is rooted in the belief that emotional awareness and creative expression are powerful gateways to healing and transformation. Deeply inspired by the intelligence of the body, the guidance of plant medicines, and the potential of post-traumatic growth, she creates spaces where people can reconnect with themselves and their inner wisdom. Her practice is collaborative, intuitive, and grounded in care - supporting others to integrate their experiences with creativity, agency, compassion, and joy.
