Speaking
Keynotes
Workshops
Workshops
Rachael delivers high-energy, deeply human keynotes that blend story, science, and play. Expect interactive moments, practical tools, and grounded real-talk from 20+ years in leadership and adventure, all designed to leave your audience feeling seen, energized, and ready to take meaningful action.
Workshops
Workshops
Workshops
Coach Roach designs workshops to be a non-judgmental space where people can be honest, vulnerable, and still feel capable and respected. Expect experiential activities, depth, and actionable takeaways that your people will actually use long after the workshop ends.
Signature Keynotes
Go Slow to Go Fast: Leadership Lessons from 3,000 Miles on a Bicycle
How Leaders Stay Human, Steady, and Supported Even When the Wind Picks Up
What does riding a bicycle from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific teach you about leadership?
Pretty much everything.
Some days are smooth and stunning; other days look like deep Appalachia—heat, steep climbs, no shoulder, and rogue dogs. There are storms in Kansas that force you to seek shelter, strangers in Utah who restore your faith in humanity, and moments when the only way out is straight through the hard thing you’d rather avoid.
This signature keynote uses Coach Roach’s cross-country ride as a vivid, energizing backdrop for universal leadership challenges: burnout, constant change, pressure, uncertainty, and the myth that real leaders do it alone. With humor, candor, and practical insight, she explores how support systems, presence, and human connection create sustainable momentum—at work and in life.
Attendees leave with actionable tools to:
• Regulate pressure and reduce burnout
• Replace “hero mode” with healthy support and shared responsibility
• Strengthen resilience without relying on grind culture
• Lead human-first in complex, high-demand environments
This isn’t a story about endurance; it’s a roadmap for leading with clarity, courage, and confidence.
WHO this keynote is for:
- Leadership teams
- Higher education professionals & student affairs
- Parks & Recreation professionals
- Corporate teams navigating change or growth
- Non-profit organizations & community-based leaders
- Women’s leadership programs
- Early-career professionals / emerging leaders
- Employee well-being, culture, and engagement events
Three different ways this keynote can be framed to meet your needs:
1. Leadership: "Sustainable Leadership in High-Demand Environments"
A keynote for leaders navigating rapid change and constant pressure. It explores how to stay clear, steady, and effective by regulating intensity, making grounded decisions, and building the support systems that make resilience possible. Participants leave with practical, repeatable tools for leading with presence in high-stakes environments.
2. Culture/Teamwork : "Success is Not a Solo Endeavor"
A powerful look at how teams thrive when trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility replace overwork and solo heroics. The keynote highlights ways to strengthen psychological safety, encourage healthy interdependence, and build cultures where asking for help is a sign of strength. Ideal for organizations seeking deeper connection and more sustainable teamwork.
3. Resilience/Well-Being : "Keep Going Without Grinding"
A practical and energizing approach to navigating burnout, building emotional agility, and sustaining well-being in demanding environments. This version emphasizes pacing, presence, and recovery as essential leadership skills—not luxuries. Audiences learn how to stay grounded, human, and effective without sacrificing their health or capacity.
Beyond Networking: The Art of Real Human Connection
Because people crave connection, not business cards.
We don’t need more networking—we need more human connection. And the truth is, connection isn’t complicated… it’s just a skill we rarely slow down to practice. In this high-energy, story-rich keynote, Coach Roach rewrites the way we think about building relationships by reminding us that belonging starts with small choices, intentional presence, and a little good-ole’ fun.
Through childhood memories (like her first day of kindergarten as a proud “Seat Tapper”), real-life little sister moments, and laugh-out-loud stories about unexpected gifts, Roach gives audiences a refreshing and practical framework for building relationships that actually matter.
Attendees will learn how to shift from passive networking to intentional connection, practice simple strategies for remembering names and being present, understand the power of shared laughter, and identify the assumptions and fears that quietly get in the way.
This keynote is playful, real, and deeply human—perfect for audiences navigating new environments, building community, or leveling up their leadership presence.
Attendees leave with actionable tools to:
- Build real relationships using simple, memorable strategies rooted in presence, curiosity, and human-first leadership.
- Remember names and connect faster by shifting from “I’m bad at names” to intentional awareness and attention.
- Use responsible humor and shared joy (including the 5 Types of Fun) to create psychological safety and belonging.
- Identify and interrupt assumptions that block connection while practicing small moments of vulnerability that build trust.
- Create “unexpected gifts at unexpected times” that strengthen relationships and transform everyday interactions into meaningful ones.
This is not a theoretical experience; It's a "playground" designed to create real relationships.
WHO this keynote is for:
- College students (especially orientation + first-year programs)
- Student leaders (RA training, Greek Life, campus organizations)
- Early-career professionals
- Networking and professional development conferences
- New employee onboarding groups
- Team retreats + culture-building events
- Women’s leadership cohorts
- Community leadership or volunteer organizations
Three different ways this keynote can be framed to meet your needs:
1. Leadership : "Human-First Leadership Through Connection"
Leaders create culture through moments, not meetings. This keynote shows leaders how presence, responsible humor, and intentional connection build trust, psychological safety, and team cohesion. Perfect for emerging leaders and supervisors who want to develop human-first leadership skills.
2. Culture/Teamwork: "Belonging Starts With Small Choices"
Teams thrive when people feel seen. This version emphasizes practical tools for building community, strengthening relationships, and reducing assumptions that erode collaboration. Ideal for groups forming new teams, onboarding members, or re-energizing workplace culture.
3. Resilience/Well-Being : "Connection as a source of Strength"
Human connection fuels confidence, belonging, and emotional resilience. This angle highlights how presence, vulnerability, and shared laughter help people manage transitions, face uncertainty, and avoid isolation—particularly for students, new professionals, and individuals navigating change.
Additional Topics For Workshops & Talks
Connection to Self
Starting with "Me" is where most leaders, relationships, and careers begin. Below are some of the topics that I train and speak on that are focused on connecting to ourself.
- Goal Setting
- Imposter Syndrome
- Motivation/Getting Unstuck
- Resilience
- Self-Leadership
- Time Management
- Well-being aka Whole-Being
Connection To Others
We are constantly "connected" yet we can feel so alone... in our homes, in our workplaces, in our world. Below are some topics I train and speak on that are focused on bringing people closer together.
- Accountability and Feedback
- Communication
- Conflict (And reimagining it)
- Departmental/Team Dynamics
- Early Career Professional Development
- Relationship Building (more than Networking)
- Supervision Skills
What People are Saying
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