Rachel Cottam

Rachel Cottam

Founder, Allies at Work

Lehi, Utah

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Speaker levelProfessional Speaker

Primary sectorsEducation (K-12 / higher ed) · Media, marketing & communications · Technology / software / SaaS

Utah focusYes

About

As a high school English teacher turned marketing director, Rachel went from a female-majority career to being the only woman in the office. While she’s loved her time in the Utah tech scene, she’s also seen the need to bring men into the conversation—creating allies, not enemies.

Rachel created the “Allies at Work” Podcast and Playbook to share easy tactics to level the playing field—for women and other minority groups. She continues to share her story on LinkedIn and feels lucky to interact with so many leaders in the diversity space.

Most recently, Rachel completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Cambridge. More than anything, she loves her husband and three feminist kiddos.

Speaking formats

Experience level

Professional Speaker

Frequent / professional speaker (10+ speaking engagements in the last 2–3 years)

Topics & expertise

Communication & Storytelling

  • Communicating with frontline employees
  • Communicating with senior leaders / boards
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Difficult conversations & feedback
  • Digital presence & thought leadership (LinkedIn, etc.)
  • Executive presence (online & in-room)
  • Personal brand & visibility
  • Storytelling for leaders
  • Storytelling with data

Culture/HR & Talent

  • Coaching & mentoring programs
  • Employee engagement & retention
  • Employer brand & employee experience
  • Hybrid work, flexibility & future of work
  • Learning & development / leadership pipelines
  • Organizational change & transformation
  • Psychological safety & belonging at work
  • Workplace culture design

Functional Expertise

  • Communications & PR
  • Marketing & brand strategy
  • Product management / product marketing

Gender & Equity

  • Building equitable promotion and hiring systems
  • Gender lens on policy & community decisions
  • Inclusive leadership practices
  • Intersectionality (race, gender, class, etc.)
  • Men as allies
  • Motherhood, caregiving & careers
  • Pay equity & negotiation
  • Return-to-work / re-entry after career breaks
  • Sponsorship, mentorship & allyship
  • Women in leadership / closing the leadership gap
  • Women in tech and STEM

Industry Expertise

  • Education (K-12 / higher ed)
  • Media, marketing & communications
  • Technology / software / SaaS

Leadership & Management

  • Building high-performing teams
  • Conflict resolution & mediation
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Decision-making & accountability
  • Difficult conversations
  • Giving & receiving feedback
  • Leading remote & hybrid teams
  • Leading through change
  • People management & coaching
  • Psychological safety & trust

Strategy/Innovation & Change

  • Customer experience & journey mapping
  • Product strategy & product-market fit

Technology & Innovation

  • Artificial intelligence & responsible AI
  • Building inclusive tech teams
  • Tech careers & pathways for women
  • Tech for social impact

Utah & Regional Issues

  • Faith, culture & work in Utah
  • Utah tech ecosystem / Silicon Slopes
  • Women’s leadership in Utah

Wellbeing & Personal Growth

  • Boundary-setting & saying no
  • Burnout prevention & recovery
  • Confidence, impostor syndrome & self-advocacy
  • Habit building & personal productivity
  • Mental health at work
  • Mindfulness & stress management
  • Resilience & navigating change
  • Values-based career design
  • Work–life integration

Signature talks

  • Making allyship easy
  • Overcoming impostor syndrome
  • Creating inclusive content
  • 7 allyship actions
  • Professional communication
  • Building your personal brand

Media & video

  • Men & Women Working Together for Gender Equality | Allies at Work | Spotify

Selected engagements

  • You Can Be an Ally TodayKeynote · Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce · Logan, UT
  • LIVE OUT LOUD Cultivating a workplace where needs are voiced and valuedCompany-wide Workshop · AmeriHealth Caritas · Virtual
  • 5 Habits to Break and Build to Overcome Self-DoubtKeynote · NuSkin ERG · Provo, UT
  • How to be an A-L-L-YSummit Keynote · Women Tech Council · Lehi, UT
  • Personal Empowerment & Self-Advocacy at WorkCommunity Workshop · BioHive · Salt Lake City, UT

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