Podcast · Business

Modern Mentor

by QuickAndDirtyTips.com · English · Business

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

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 11 min
Latest: 13 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026 · 14 minNew

How to get your team working together again

917. Lots of teams have quietly stopped being teams. They're capable people sprinting in their own directions, connected by a reporting line and little else. Rachel Cooke explains why that fragmentation is lonely for people and expensive for the organization, and offers four ways to put the team back together: a shared winning aspiration, forums for deciding together, smarter use of one-on-ones, and protected time to reconnect. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email:…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E916 · 6 Oct 2026 · 11 min
Four questions to help your team get better at AI
916. Getting better at AI isn't a technology problem. It's a work design problem. Drawing on a corporate "digital transformation" that never quite landed, Rachel Cooke explains why skill without structure has nothing to hold onto. She then walks through four questions that build that structure: what you're trying to win, whether your tools and guardrails match your expectations, where AI belongs in your highest-value work, and how your team learns together while the technology keeps changing. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at…
E915 · 1 Oct 2026 · 14 min
5 questions to ask before asking more of your team
915. Your team missed the deadline, and the reasons are starting to sound like excuses. The instinct is to push harder: tighter check-ins, a firmer performance conversation, more pressure applied in the same direction. But the fastest move and the most useful move are rarely the same one. In this episode, Rachel Cooke walks through five self-directed questions she uses with coaching clients whose teams have stalled, from "what if I'm wrong" to "can you define good" to "what distance have you already traveled." Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find…
E914 · 22 Sep 2026 · 10 min
Five moves to tell a better story in your year-end review
914. How do you get ready for your year-end review? And should you be starting now? Most of us reduce our professional story to the obvious stuff – titles, job descriptions, the big projects – and lose the truest evidence of how we actually work. Borrowing a page from college-admissions expert Sara Harberson, Rachel walks through five moves to uncover your fuller professional story, with enough time for year-end. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email:…
E913 · 15 Sep 2026 · 12 min
The unsexy fix for meetings, deadlines, and cross-team conflict
913. When something's broken at work, we reach for the big fix — the reorg, the new tool, the strategy overhaul. But ask people to describe their perfect coffee and they'll say rich, dark, bold. Put a cup in front of them and they reach for weak and milky. Rachel Cooke applies that same gap to work, where what's holding you back usually isn't strategy. It's the thousand small snags you've stopped noticing. Here's how to find one and ease it from right where you sit. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a…
E912 · 8 Sep 2026 · 10 min
How to handle uncertainty at work when your boss doesn't have the answers
912. Your boss used to have answers. Now they've got questions. It feels destabilizing - but Rachel makes the case that this is the opening of a lifetime. When certainty disappears, the old rules about who has the answers go with it. Four bold moves for a moment that's wide open. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on your podcast app or…
E911 · 1 Sep 2026 · 11 min
How to build workplace community in a remote AI-driven world
911. You can spend an entire day on video calls and still not have one real conversation. The connection that used to come free with the office doesn't come free anymore. After a trip to California wine country, Rachel Cooke found herself fixated less on the wine than on the village each winery had built around itself, and on what that says about connection in a remote, global, AI-driven workplace. Three reasons to build your own village, on purpose. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for…
E910 · 25 Aug 2026 · 37 min
Billy Eichner on why success comes from love not trauma
910. What do you do when there's no template for the career you want, no obvious next step, and no one waiting to hand you the opportunity? Comedian, actor, and writer Billy Eichner built his entire career by refusing to wait to be chosen. In this conversation, he and Rachel Cooke get into how you bet on yourself when the path doesn't exist yet, how to keep going through constant rejection without letting it paralyze you, and why the wish to be chosen never fully goes away, even after you've made it. Billy is the force behind "Billy on the Street," a co-writer and star of "Bros," and a…
E909 · 18 Aug 2026 · 14 min
Why your hard work isn't paying off and what's really slowing progress
909. Your strategy is sound. Your people are talented. Everyone's working harder than ever. So why aren't the results showing up? Rachel makes the case that when work breaks down, we inspect the people when we should be inspecting the work - and shares four questions that reveal the hidden friction quietly taxing your team. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts…
E616 · 15 Aug 2026 · 28 min
A fresh approach to managing burnout
On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in September 2020. Episode 616 - Burnout is more than just a feeling—untamed, it can pose a real medical risk. Dr. Greg Hammer, an intensive care physician, Stanford University professor, and author of the book GAIN Without Pain: The Happiness Handbook for Medical Professionals , shares his simple, medically-backed framework for conquering burnout and…
E697 · 11 Aug 2026 · 9 min
When it comes to managing, do I do it fast or right? (Reissue)
697. We get a lot of mixed messaging when it comes to managing the tension between speed and efficiency. We need to be sure—to have the data, to have done the research and the analysis before deciding or implementing. But also, we need to be agile, move quickly, test-and-learn, and not fall into analysis-paralysis. How do we find the middle ground? Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook…
E582 · 8 Aug 2026 · 9 min
The awesome power of "No"
On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in February 2020. Episode 582 : Saying "no" is actually makes you more successful at work. These essential strategies will help you set workplace boundaries with grace. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email:…
E908 · 4 Aug 2026 · 18 min
How TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie recovered from depression
909. Blake Mycoskie built TOMS into a $600 million brand and gave away more than 100 million pairs of shoes — then fell into a seven-year battle with clinical depression after selling the company. He talks with Rachel Cooke about why outward success never made him feel like enough , the limiting belief that drove him for decades, and the small, everyday practices — not the dramatic interventions — that finally pulled him through. He also shares what he's learned interviewing guests like Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Love, and Jewel (whose memoir "Never Broken" he recommends) on his mental…
E594 · 1 Aug 2026 · 9 min
How to think positive to be more productive
On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in April 2020. Episode 594: In times of crisis, negative thoughts lurk around every corner. Use these techniques to rediscover your optimism and bump up your productivity. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email:…
E907 · 28 Jul 2026 · 12 min
Be a goldfish...but only sometimes: when your team should reflect vs. move on
907. When should your team reflect on what went wrong, and when should you just move on? Rachel Cooke uses Ted Lasso's "be a goldfish" mantra to unpack the balance between looking back and looking ahead, then shares five questions—three that mine the past, two that aim at the future—to help your team do both intentionally. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts…
E654 · 25 Jul 2026 · 12 min
How to make your life effortless
On a road trip, tackling a summer cleanup, or just catching up on podcasts? QDT has you covered with Summer Saturday encores from your favorite shows. See the full Summer Saturday lineup on Spotify and enjoy this episode, which first aired in Jne 2021. Episode 654: Greg McKeown, bestselling author of Essentialism and Effortless , joins the Modern Mentor podcast to share his wisdom on making things simpler, smaller, and generally more effective. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern…
E906 · 21 Jul 2026 · 12 min
Why your team is exhausted and still missing targets
906. Leaders are frustrated that teams aren't delivering. Teams are exhausted and hitting walls. And the instinct is to pull harder. But the real work is finding the knots leadership has inadvertently tied, and undoing them one at a time. In this episode, Rachel talks about the unsexy work that actually unlocks speed. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts…
E581 · 18 Jul 2026 · 8 min
How to increase your productivity by managing your energy
Summer Saturdays: Best of QDT Encore Episode : This episode originally aired January 2020. 581. Running all-out all the time is the sure path to burnout. Productivity happens when you know how to use your energy wisely. 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! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on your podcast app or QuickandDirtyTips.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E905 · 14 Jul 2026 · 13 min
Are you successmaxxing?
905. Everyone's maxxing something now. Their sleep, their skin, their fiber, even their jawline. But underneath the ring lights, each of these trends is quietly teaching a real principle about getting better at something. This week, Rachel Cooke builds the trend nobody's named yet, successmaxxing, by stealing the smartest lesson from five maxxing trends and pointing it straight at your career. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected]…
E904 · 7 Jul 2026 · 12 min
Maximize your productivity in uncertain times
904. Most of us define productivity as doing more, faster — but when budgets shrink and the path forward gets murky, speed turns into a liability. Rachel shares five ways to boost your productivity during uncertain times, including how to make faster decisions, avoid duplicating work your team's already doing, and judge your choices by your process instead of the outcome — a trap that poker pro and decision expert Annie Duke calls “resulting.” Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern…
E903 · 30 Jun 2026 · 10 min
Your team needs recovery time — introducing the Breathing Room
903. Most teams have mastered pushing hard. Some are even getting better at rest. But there's a third thing — the active recovery phase — that almost no one is protecting time for, and it's the one that turns raw effort into real capability. Rachel introduces the Breathing Room: a standing block on the calendar built not for output, but for reflection, after-action reviews, and solving hard problems together. Here's why it keeps getting cancelled, and five specific ways to use it when you don't. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel…
E902 · 23 Jun 2026 · 9 min
Never waste a good workplace crisis
902. We already know what's slowing us down at work — too many priorities, meetings that go nowhere, no space to experiment, and processes that create drag on everything. So why aren't we fixing any of it? Rachel breaks down why we stay frozen on problems we could actually solve, and how to find the one move between all and nothing that finally gets things moving. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor!…
E598 · 20 Jun 2026 · 25 min
Productive, happy, focused—How small habits bring big success
Can small habit changes really lead to a more productive, focused, and happy life? They can! Author and podcaster Jeff Sanders's shares his secrets to forming habits that lead to success. Encore Episode: Episode 598 originally aired May 2020 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! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on your podcast app or QuickandDirtyTips.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E901 · 16 Jun 2026 · 9 min
The 3 conversations every team needs right now
901. Three challenges showing up in organizations everywhere right now. Rachel shares what she's hearing, what she's designing, and what's actually helping teams move. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on your podcast app or QuickandDirtyTips.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E584 · 13 Jun 2026 · 9 min
How to love your job even when it isn't perfect
Not every job is a perfect fit, but that doesn't mean you can't love the one you're with. Your job can be a whole lot more than just a means to a paycheck. Encore Episode: This episode originally aired in February of 2020. Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows: www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts JOIN THE CONVERSATION: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/ Newsletter: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentor Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email…
E900 · 9 Jun 2026 · 11 min
Career advice for new grads (that I wish I had)
900. Graduating into uncertainty isn't new. Every generation has done it. Rachel shares five pieces of career advice she wishes someone had handed her on the way out the door. Expert advice for navigating life after graduation — for new grads and the people cheering them on. From finances and freelancing to nutrition and knowing when to ask for help, find it all in our " Life After Graduation " playlist on Spotify. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email:…
E899 · 2 Jun 2026 · 9 min
How to make the most of an interim leadership role
899. Two listeners wrote in this month asking how to make sense of a temporary leadership stint. Rachel shares five practices for turning a short employment stretch into a meaningful career chapter, both for the team you're leading and the version of you who walks out the other side. Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke! Find more from Rachel at LeadAboveNoise.com . Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email: [email protected] Discover more from Modern Mentor! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on your podcast app or…
E898 · 26 May 2026 · 42 min
The hidden beliefs holding you back, with bestselling author and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal
898. We're drowning in information, advice, and self-help — so why do we still feel stuck? Returning guest Nir Eyal, author of the new bestseller "Beyond Belief," explains the motivation triangle most people are missing and why your brain is actively working against change. In a rare unscripted moment, Nir walks Rachel through an inquiry-based coaching exercise that surfaces a limiting belief she's been carrying for decades — and the conversation takes a turn neither of them expected. Nir Eyal's book, "Beyond Belief" Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast , hosted by Rachel Cooke!…
E897 · 19 May 2026 · 8 min
5 things AI can't replace, and why that’s your advantage
897. AI is changing work fast — but some capabilities remain deeply human. This week, Rachel Cooke breaks down five things AI still can't do well, from reading a room to knowing your stakeholders, and explains how to turn those into your professional edge. If you've been anxious about AI replacing your job, this episode reframes what to actually focus on. 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! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts available on…
E896 · 12 May 2026 · 9 min
A tough love letter to leaders
896. Leaders right now are working hard, caring deeply and still coming up short. And some of what they're doing is quietly working against them. In this episode, Rachel delivers a tough love letter to the leaders she’s coaching, calling out four patterns that are quietly undermining performance, energy and trust. If something at work isn’t working, this one’s for you. 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! Facebook LinkedIn Newsletter Transcripts…

About Modern Mentor

Modern Mentor is a English business podcast from QuickAndDirtyTips.com. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: QuickAndDirtyTips.com
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 11 min
Latest episode: 13 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id268557178
Rights: Macmillan Holdings, LLC

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