Meet Kate Cockrill

My career started with a vision to change the world into a more inclusive, fair and healthy place for all people.

After getting a Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley, my passion for making a difference in the world took me on a journey from academic research, to nonprofit leadership and healthcare advocacy.

Along the way, I…

1. Published over 20 academic articles and a book,
2. Founded and ran an award-winning nonprofit,
3. Was featured in Elle and Cosmo magazine,
4. Fundraised over 2 million dollars for women’s health advocacy and research,
5. Consulted with dozens of NGO’s.

But as my career progressed I noticed a pattern.

The thoughtful & committed professionals, leaders and teams I met were achieving only the most occasional success. And even these successes were coming at a great cost.

Everywhere I saw:

• Constantly shifting strategies and priorities;
• Environments full of scarcity and competition;
• Professionals who were overwhelmed by the number and complexity of social, economic and environmental crises we are facing;
• Systems that continued to reinforce oppression including social stigma, racism, ableism and sexism;
• Meteoric changes in the culture and way we work.

And all of this was leading to: Individual and collective burnout.

Committing your career to making a meaningful difference is commendable…but do you have to wear yourself completely out in the process?

I wanted to discover how people who want to make a difference can thrive at work. Is it possible to design careers where we pursue our values and passion without burning out?

“Kate is a brilliant and creative thought partner and strategist. I was particularly struck with her ability to navigate complexity, consider and design process around the needs and interests of a very diverse group of stakeholders, and manage conflict when it arose. Her ideas, energy, results-oriented drive and inspirational leadership were foundational to our success.”

Cherine Badawi at Thrive Consulting

I sought mentorship & training from experts and effective social justice and social enterprise leaders, I became certified in transformational coaching (Leadership That Works), facilitative leadership (Interaction Institute for Social Change and Rockwood Leadership Institute) and change management (APMG).

I have learned the key strategies to help professionals and leaders, who care about making a difference, design careers where they can thrive.

I’ve worked with dozens of coaching clients to design careers where they can THRIVE by:

1. Pursuing their passion without sacrificing their well-being;
2. Maintaining focus on the essential so they can make progress on their goals;
3. Naming and understanding their experiences with oppression to help heal themselves and the world;
4. Cultivating mindfulness, gratitude and presence with themselves and others;
5. Create abundance and financial security for themselves and the people they love.

I’ve worked with businesses, foundations and nonprofits to:

1. Create healthy workplaces that are resilient to burnout.
2. Establish policies and practices that promote healthy feedback and employee growth;
3. Name and actively dismantle systems of oppression including white supremacy, ableism, homophobia and transphobia;
4. Build sustainable partnerships and coalitions to forward progressive change.

Here’s how I Thrive:

1. Caring for myself and my time.
2. Using my gifts to help people improve their lives and careers.
3. Showing up for my people & my community.
4. Standing up for my values.

“I was drawn to Kate because of how her own career was so values and mission aligned – a benchmark which I aspire to. She coached me through a shift from freelance to full time work and helped me to be rooted in my values.”

Elana Hutter, Executive Producer at R/GA Ventures