Show overview
Modern Mentor has been publishing since 2007, and across the 19 years since has built a catalogue of 917 episodes, alongside 8 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 140 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run under ten minutes — most land between 6 min and 8 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Business show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 6 days ago, with 27 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Macmillan Holdings, LLC.
From the publisher
Rachel Cooke is your guide to leadership and communication, helping you craft a workplace environment you can feel good about. She’ll share tips to help you balance your work and personal life, effectively invest your time, and be mindful about where you’re devoting your energy. Let Rachel help you navigate your path to success—however you define it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
View all 917 episodesNever waste a good workplace crisis
Productive, Happy, Focused—How Small Habits Bring Big Success
The 3 conversations every team needs right now
How to Love Your Job Even When It Isn't Perfect
Career advice for new grads (that I wish I had)
How to make the most of an interim leadership role
The hidden beliefs holding you back, with bestselling author and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal
5 things AI can't replace, and why that’s your advantage
A tough love letter to leaders
How to motivate a struggling team (without the gaslighting)
How to change someone's mind: Persuasion for human-centric leaders
Stop fighting fires: 5 ways to spot problems before they become crises
Build a culture of accountability with Work Design
Workplace cheat codes: 5 ways to up your odds of success
Ep 890Why team silos cause failure (and how to fix your work design)
890. Are your teams clashing instead of collaborating? When balls are dropped and fingers are pointed, the problem usually isn’t your people—it’s your work design. If your team is "crushing it" but still missing goals, your productivity is being throttled by a lack of alignment.In this episode, Rachel explains why "cascading" directives without cross-functional alignment creates organizational chaos. Using a real-world biotech case study, she reveals how to move from team silos to a high-performing system where productivity and well-being thrive together.You’ll learn how to:Align leadership layers before deploying goals to prevent conflicting incentives.Shift from "demanding" to "inviting" to unlock hidden cross-team productivity.Turn daily workflows into employee development opportunities without adding more meetings.Stop blaming the people and start looking at the system. Learn how to Work Better By Design to drive sustainable results.Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast, hosted by Rachel Cooke!Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor!FacebookLinkedInNewsletterTranscripts available on your podcast app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 889How to navigate organizational dysfunction (and still make progress)
889. Every organization has dysfunction. And while we should always be working to make things better, we also have to keep moving in the meantime. Rachel shares four practical ways to make real progress, even when the system isn't cooperating.Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast, hosted by Rachel Cooke!Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor!FacebookLinkedInNewsletterTranscripts available on your podcast app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 888Are these antipatterns stopping you from being productive?
888. We think we're being productive. But some of our most intentional habits are quietly costing us. Rachel explores four antipatterns that could be robbing you of your best work. Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at [email protected] Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 887The Creative Pulse: Why humanity is the lynchpin of business, with Andy Pizza
In this episode, Rachel sits down with author and illustrator Andy Pizza to explore why a "creative pulse" is the essential, make-or-break component of any successful career. Andy argues that while business often relies on data and logic, the true differentiator is the ability to show up with a unique, human point of view.The conversation covers: Strategic vs. exploratory creativity: How to use creativity to solve specific business problems by working backward from a goal. The "input diet": Why being mindful of what you consume—from art to fiction—is vital for generating fresh ideas. The heroine’s journey: A collaborative approach to success that prioritizes collective effort over the "solo hero" myth. Writing on stage: A method for testing creative hunches in low-stakes environments to build confidence and skill.Creativity in the age of AI: Why tapping into the "humanity side" remains the most important skill as technology evolves.Andy Pizza's websiteAndy's Creative Pep Talk podcastModern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at [email protected] Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 886The expertise trap | Why your best people might be blocking innovation
886. Is your team's deep knowledge actually preventing them from seeing the next big breakthrough? In this episode, Rachel explores the "expertise trap"—the moment when having all the answers stops us from seeing new possibilities. She explains why traditional brainstorming often fails and how a "catalog of failures" can cage an expert's thinking.Rachel introduces a practical tool, the Curiosity Hour, designed to flip the script on problem-solving by prioritizing "dumb" questions over expert solutions. Learn how to find the "gardeners" in your organization to challenge the status quo and unlock the fresh thinking your team has been missing.Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at [email protected] Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 885How to stop talking about change and actually start doing it
885. In a world of constant meetings and shifting priorities, why does it feel like we’re repeating the same "to-do" list every six months?This week, Rachel gets into the "bad patterns" that keep teams stuck in a loop of false comfort. We often mistake saying we need to change for actual progress, while our health and productivity suffer the consequences.In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Master strategic prioritization: Why half-assing seventeen goals is costing you more than saying "no" to fourteen. Demystify AI upskilling: How to move past AI paralysis by building "warm-up" experiments for your team. Solve meeting fatigue: Why the answer isn't always fewer meetings, but shifting the lens to high-value dialogue. Build an innovation culture: How to create "safe sandboxes" for experiments that turn potential failure into actionable data.Stop letting the cost of inaction hold your team back. It’s time to move beyond the refrain and start doing the hard things that drive real success.Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at [email protected] Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.