“You are braveR thAn you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” Winnie the Pooh

Hello, I am Rachel Cashman, founder of Survive and Thrive, the Fearless Facilitator Method® and Pukka People® For more than 20 years I have supported people to steer through the most complex human relationships, contentious policy issues, and increasingly polarised public and organisational debate.

I am known for building trust and navigating complexity in high-stakes environments such as government, healthcare, defence, and the life sciences. I create the conditions for honest dialogue, helping boards, governments and clinical leaders address difficult issues and make decisions that withstand scrutiny.

My approach combines strategic insight with deep human understanding, qualities honed through lived experience and an unwavering commitment to courage, integrity, and clarity in leadership.

Rachel Cashman, Founder

Born into a travelling circus in Australia and raised in Edinburgh, my unconventional upbringing shaped an early commitment to advocacy and integrity. At sixteen, while working in a nursing home for people with Alzheimer’s disease, I confronted poor practice directly, a formative moment that set a lifelong standard: leadership is the line between harm and dignity.

That conviction led me into community work and social care, working in drug rehabilitation units and homeless shelters, before broadening into roles that spanned government, defence, healthcare and the life sciences and frontline political environments.

Whether in Edinburgh shelters and rehabilitation centres or more latterly briefing Ambassadors and Defence Attachés for deployment, the constant has been a commitment to building trust, navigating complexity, and equipping people to face challenges with clarity and courage.

Over the last two decades I have worked with the leaders of some of the largest material and life sciences companies, charities, Government departments and public sector bodies and led national public programmes worth billions in the NHS, working at the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, where I established the Academic Health Science Networks and the national NHS Genomic Medicine Centre infrastructure.

I am often asked to step in when human relationships and systems are faltering. My work has revived failing programmes, shaped national policy, and enabled senior leaders to act with confidence in environments where political, regulatory, and reputational stakes are high. Based on all of this experience, I have written a White Paper, Leadership in Complex Times up can read it here: Leadership in Complex Times

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Fearless Diversity podcast

I am also the co-host of the Fearless Diversity podcast, an Apple Chart Top Ten and rapidly growing series exploring the most challenging conversations in modern workplaces and public life. Blending psychological-safety science, behavioural insight and real-world leadership experience, the show helps leaders contain complexity, protect people, and navigate uncertainty with confidence. You can listen to Fearless Diversity on all streaming channels or download it here: Fearless Diversity

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