Women’s Leadership Programs

Rachel combines dynamic energy, storytelling and cutting edge research to create unforgettable learning experiences. Never canned, Rachel packs each talk with actionable tools you’ll use right away. Find out why clients bring Rachel back again and again.

You can also find lectures & workshops at the following links for Parents, Students, and Educators.

Executive Offsites That Build Stronger Teams

Today’s executives operate in complex, fast-changing environments. Reorgs, ambitious agendas, and evolving team dynamics can make it hard to slow down long enough to connect, align, and lead with clarity.
I design and facilitate executive offsites that create space for leadership teams to step back from day-to-day pressures and do the deep work that strengthens relationships and accelerates performance.

My offsites typically focus on three outcomes:

  • Build trust and connection – Strengthen relationships through thoughtfully designed storytelling and team-building experiences that increase relationship equity across levels and tenure.

  • Surface and address challenges – Create psychologically safe conversations that bring high stakes topics to light and help teams solve problems together.

  • Align around strategy and priorities – Use structured frameworks to streamline ways of working, clarify what matters most and commit to next steps.

Every offsite is tailored to the team’s unique goals and culture: I conduct pre-session interviews with every participant in order to hit the ground running with  an experience focused on the issues that matter most to the leader and their team. During the session, I leverage my expertise as a coach to synthesize what I hear in real time and steer the work in productive directions. Sessions can be delivered in person or hybrid.

Keynotes & Workshops

Executive Offsites That Build Stronger Teams

Today’s executives operate in complex, fast-changing environments. Reorgs, ambitious agendas, and evolving team dynamics can make it hard to slow down long enough to connect, align, and lead with clarity.

I design and facilitate executive offsites that create space for leadership teams to step back from day-to-day pressures and do the deep work that strengthens relationships and accelerates performance.

My offsites typically focus on three outcomes:

  • Build trust and connection – Strengthen relationships through thoughtfully designed storytelling and team-building experiences that increase relationship equity across levels and tenure.

  • Surface and address challenges – Create psychologically safe conversations that bring high stakes topics to light and help teams solve problems together.

  • Align around strategy and priorities – Use structured frameworks to streamline ways of working, clarify what matters most and commit to next steps.

Every offsite is tailored to the team’s unique goals and culture: I conduct pre-session interviews with every participant in order to hit the ground running with  an experience focused on the issues that matter most to the leader and their team. During the session, I leverage my expertise as a coach to synthesize what I hear in real time and steer the work in productive directions. Sessions can be delivered in person or hybrid.

Making Space for What Matters: Boundaries for Focus and Impact

The pressure to please others makes boundary setting a struggle for many people. Our ability to say no, delegate, or ask for what we need directly impacts our relationships, well-being, and growth potential every day. Yet research shows that some groups are often expected to take on more “non-promotable tasks” at work—tasks that are essential but not rewarded—which can limit opportunities to advance.

In this workshop, you’ll learn practical tools to set clear boundaries with purpose and authority, using this crucial skill to define who you are and where you want to go next.

Participants Learn:

  • How cultural and workplace norms shape boundary-setting behaviors

  • Research on who tends to be asked to do more non-promotable work, and why

  • Mental frameworks for approaching boundary setting

  • Scripts and strategies for saying no gracefully and confidently

Beyond the Comfort Zone

Risk taking is the basis of how we learn, grow, and drive change. Yet cultural messages about risk often conflict: some people are encouraged to step forward boldly, while others are socialized to play it safe—and those who do take risks may face additional scrutiny.

In this workshop, you’ll learn that skillful risk taking depends as much on your mindset as on your actions. You’ll get grounded in the research on how different groups experience risk taking, develop strategies to flex your risk-taking muscles, and explore powerful frameworks to evaluate the risks on your horizon.

Participants Learn:

  • Systemic factors that shape how different groups approach risk taking

  • Three mental frameworks for calculating risk

  • Tactical strategies to strengthen your capacity for taking smart risks

Unlocking Resilience: Mental Strength for Challenging Times

High levels of stress and burnout are undermining performance, motivation, and well-being. One major culprit is overthinking—the mental spiral that fuels doubt, drains energy, and makes it harder to focus on what matters most. 

This interactive session helps participants understand why overthinking happens and equips them with practical strategies to break the cycle. You’ll also learn a simple, research-backed self-compassion practice proven to build resilience and boost wellness, all while sustaining high levels of motivation.

Participants Learn:

  • Key research on overthinking and its impact on well-being and performance

  • Tactical strategies to quiet mental noise and stay focused

  • A three-step self-compassion practice that strengthens resilience

How to Find and Keep a Sponsor

Behind almost every successful career is a trusted sponsor—someone senior who advocates for your growth, opens doors, and helps accelerate your impact. Yet for many people, the process of finding and keeping a sponsor can feel unclear and intimidating.

This session demystifies sponsorship and gives participants a practical framework for building strong, lasting sponsor relationships. Drawing on Rachel’s Harvard Business Review article (co-authored with Professor Herminia Ibarra), participants learn how to create the conditions for sponsorship, identify the right partners, and cultivate relationships that drive real career momentum.

Participants Learn:

  • What the research reveals about the power and impact of sponsorship

  • Tools to build visibility and communicate value effectively

What Great Sponsors Do: Developing Junior Talent

Sponsoring rising talent isn’t just good leadership — it’s a smart investment. Research shows that effective sponsors keep emerging leaders engaged, strengthen the organization’s leadership pipeline, and often accelerate their own careers in the process. In fact, sponsors are more likely to get promoted and have a dependable bench of talent they’ve helped grow — a dynamic known as the Sponsor Effect.

Rachel is globally recognized for her expertise in building high-impact sponsorship programs. In this fast-paced, practical session, she shares her Sponsor Playbook — a set of proven tools you can put to work right away to champion promising talent and help them thrive. You’ll learn how great sponsors think, build relationships, and act with intention to create lasting impact.

Participants Learn:

  • The key differences between mentorship and sponsorship — and why they matter

  • Tools to build authentic, strategic connections with potential sponsees

  • Specific strategies to become a powerful, effective sponsor

Sessions for Allies

Gender Intelligence & Allyship for Men

Men want to be allies to women, but most don’t know how. This session is the answer. Equal parts inspiring and tactical, it gives male colleagues a grounding in the systemic challenges facing women, then unlocks a battery of strategies to try as soon as the session is over. It begins with a group exercise renowned for its “a-ha moments,” and keeps the vibe light so participants can learn in a safe space that avoids blame or shame.

Participants Learn:

  • How early gender norms shape gender bias and the modern workplace

  • Tactical strategies for allyship during meetings and performance conversations

  • A framework for sponsoring women

Hacking Feedback Bias

Feedback is a vital engine for our growth; after all, we can’t improve if we don’t know how. But research finds gender and racial bias are pervasive in performance conversations, and shows that women are more likely to receive feedback that is not actionable. In this session, learn how to identify and stamp out the most common forms of feedback bias. This session includes handouts with suggested language for how to convey challenging feedback.

Participants Learn:

  • Research on gender and racial bias in feedback delivery

  • Specific types of biased feedback

  • Tools to identify and prevent bias in feedback

What Great Sponsors Do: Developing Junior Talent

Sponsoring junior talent is a vital leadership skill. Research shows it delivers on hiring investments by keeping young leaders engaged, while bolstering the health of the organization. Sponsors are also more likely to get promoted and have a bench of talent they can depend on – a phenomenon known as the “Sponsor Effect.” Rachel is globally recognized for her expertise building sponsorship programs. In this session, you’ll get her Sponsor Playbook, chock full of tools you can use immediately to invest in talent you believe in. You’ll also find out why sponsorship eludes certain groups and learn tools to ensure underrepresented talent is not overlooked. 

Participants Learn:

  • The difference between mentorship to sponsorship

  • Relationship building tools to build connections with new sponsees

  • Specific strategies for sponsorship

Rachel in Action

A Known Quantity with a Track Record of Measurable Results

Rachel’s program feedback says it all…

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Talks for Parents
Talks for Students
Talks for Educators

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