Work
Better
By
Design
Featured In
A Framework for Designing Regenerative Work
At the core of my work is a simple framework for designing work that sustains performance instead of depleting it.
When work is designed well, people can:
Deliver
People are equipped to do their best work. Expectations are clear. Work flows without unnecessary obstruction or inefficiency.
Develop
People grow through the work itself. They build skills, take on meaningful challenges, and experiment in ways that energize them and expand what the organization can do.
Connect
People feel part of a team with a shared purpose. They voice ideas, ask questions, and collaboration improves the quality of the work.
Thrive
Energy, boundaries, recognition, and recovery are designed into how work happens, so performance can be sustained.
These pillars are not competing goals. When activated together, they form a regenerative cycle: better work improves wellbeing, and stronger wellbeing improves results.
The ABOVE Method:
Small Changes, Inside Your Control
Work Better By Design is not about sweeping transformations or perfect plans.
It’s about teaching leaders how to make small, meaningful changes within their locus of control — changes that create momentum instead of overwhelm.
Across my work, leaders learn a practical method for redesigning work in real time:
- Ask better, more directional questions
- Boil big frustrations down into actionable first steps
- Operationalize changes quickly instead of overengineering
- Validate progress through real signals in the work, not just dashboards
- Expand what’s working by naming wins and sharing practices
This approach removes the pressure to “fix everything” and replaces it with a system for continuous improvement that actually sticks.
Trusted By
Four Ways We Can Work Together…
Organizations engage Work Better By Design at different times and to varying degrees. Each offer meets leaders where they are — from diagnosis, to skill-building, to sustained implementation.
1
Pulse Check
Clarity first. Momentum next.
A facilitated diagnostic that surfaces what’s really getting in the way of results, engagement, and energy — directly from the people closest to the work.
Leaders receive a personalized 90-day blueprint of practical, inside-the-paygrade changes they can act on immediately.
Best for a leader looking for a quick fix for their own team.
2
Work Better By Design Workshop
A shared framework that leaders can actually use
A half-day, highly interactive workshop that introduces leaders to the Work Design framework and teaches them how to apply it to their own teams.
Leaders leave with clarity, practiced tools, and a concrete plan — not just ideas.
Best for organizations looking for a single-day experience with a large group of leaders (e.g., executive offsite).
3
Work Better By Design Bootcamp
Six months of guided on-the-job work design
A six-month, high-touch, cohort-based program where leaders redesign work with their teams in real time, supported by coaching and peer learning.
Implementation is built into the experience, so progress starts immediately and compounds over time.
Best for organizations that are looking for expert guidance while a small team of executives test and implement Work Design in the field.
4
Keynote Speaking
A reset for how leaders think about work
Rachel’s keynotes introduce the Work Better By Design philosophy in a way that resonates with leaders under pressure — grounding big ideas in practical, human reality.
These talks create alignment, language, and urgency, often serving as the catalyst for deeper work.
Best for:
- Leadership events and conferences
- Organizational moments that require a mindset shift
Why This Work Is Different
Most leadership development focuses on individual capability.
Most engagement efforts sit outside the work itself.
Work Better By Design changes the conditions leaders and teams operate in — so better behavior, energy, and outcomes become easier, not harder.
This is not about doing more.
It’s about designing work so people can do their best work without burning out.
About Rachel Cooke
Rachel Cooke helps organizations design work so people can deliver strong results without burning out.
After years in corporate HR, she watched capable leaders take on more responsibility while working within systems that made their jobs harder. Burnout was treated as the cost of performance. She never believed that was necessary.
Rachel has worked with leaders at organizations including American Express, Cisco, Splunk, Takeda, Scholastic, Wolters Kluwer, and AMC Networks. She was named an Inc. Magazine Top 100 Leadership Speaker, and her work has been featured in Fast Company, Business Insider, Bloomberg Quint, and HuffPost. She hosts Macmillan’s Modern Mentor podcast and holds a master’s in organizational psychology from Columbia and a bachelor’s in human development from Cornell.
Start the Conversation
If your leaders are stretched, your teams are tired, and results depend on unsustainable effort, the next step isn’t another program.
It’s redesigning the work.
Let’s talk about where you are and what would help most right now.
Not ready to jump on the phone? Shoot me an email via my contact form.