“As an Employment Counselor supporting individuals with disabilities in securing meaningful employment, I truly value initiatives that promote inclusive workplace practices. I found the workshop to be both insightful and highly engaging, thoughtfully addressing unconscious bias and stereotyping.

The session created space for reflection, honest dialogue, and practical learning—essential elements for fostering equity and belonging. Workshops like this should not be optional; they should be an integral part of onboarding and ongoing team development.

Building an inclusive workplace begins with awareness, and this workshop is a powerful step in that direction.”

— Anjali Tripathi, PhD | Employment Counselor & Workshop Participant

“The academic job market is notoriously tight. I was very fortunate to meet with Rachel for advice and consultation on applying for a teaching-centred position. Rachel knew the demands of the job and the needs of the hiring committee. More importantly, she understood my interests and career ambitions and helped me form a successful strategy to wed the two. We spoke at length about my application materials, the goals I would pursue in the position, and how I could effectively communicate these in the interview process. I walked into my job talk with added confidence as a result, and was offered the position shortly thereafter. I'd highly recommend her to anyone seeking a mentor, consultant, and advocate when navigating the job market.”

— Dr. Zach Richer, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream | University of Toronto

“This was a great experience for me! I really benefitted from the structure and the help with organization. I would wholeheartedly recommend taking advantage of this service to my junior colleagues.”

— Dr. Morgan Faeder, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology | UPMC

“Rachel’s ingenuity as a coach and a scholar are unparalleled. As a coach, she is insightful and kind. Because of Rachel’s guidance and perceptive questions, I am able to articulate my goals in ways that I would have not been able to on my own. As a woman of color, I deeply appreciate that Rachel attends all of her work with attention to equity, equality, and ethics. I know that when I work with Rachel that not only will she do the work well, but that she genuinely cares about the work she is doing. That kind of dedication is a breath of fresh air.”

— Dr. Jordan Lynton, Assistant Professor | Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures – Mississippi State University

“Dr. Rachel La Touche's session was so insightful, relatable, inspiring, and empowering. Will use some of the skill sets learned into practice.”

— Participant | Workshop - WCM

“Over the years, Rachel and I have collaborated on multiple projects related to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and her work is stellar. Recently, we developed an anti-racist departmental policy to address why faculty of color were leaving the academy. Using research-based methods, Dr. La Touche developed a multi-layered approach that investigated the issue and how we could remedy it. I would recommend her to any organization looking for EDI services.”

— Dr. Jerry Flores Assistant Professor | Department of Sociology | University of Toronto

“The exercises—especially the mad libs—helped me take my work a little less seriously, which took the pressure off trying to make my explanation feel “perfect.” This was my biggest takeaway. As serious as the work is, making it lighter actually made it more accessible—and that really worked for me.”

— Owning Your Story I Workshop Participant

“Thank you so much for tonight Rachel - you are such an incredible speaker. I will echo the participants who said you were inspiring! Truly appreciate getting to work with you “

— Chantelle Soares, Manager, Professional Programming & Events | WCM

“Rachel has a welcoming, accepting, and down to earth personality. She provides honest and matter of fact feedback and advice. She doesn’t hold back and she is unbelievably insightful. All of her advice and insight is delivered from a position of empowerment and solidarity that is extremely rare. I’ve learned as much from Rachel in a short period of time as my most trusted mentors. She remains my professional go-to when seeking advice of preparing for my biggest professional moments.”

— Dr. Mitch McIvor, Assistant Professor – Teaching Stream | Department of Sociology – University of Toronto – St. George

“I really enjoyed our sessions as it demystified the process, it gave me confidence in understanding where I was at in general readiness in going up for promotion[,] and helped with my understanding as well as the timing helped with my ability to organize/complete my necessary tasks. THANK YOU DR. LA TOUCHE”

— Dr. Darcy Moschenross, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry | UPMC

“As a racialized graduate student, Dr. La Touche’s advice on navigating the academic job market was invaluable. In the final year of my PhD, she offered one-on-one consultations to prepare me for the initial phone interview, job talk, and campus visit. For each consultation, she provided me with comprehensive oral and written feedback – all of which served to strengthen my tenure-track faculty applications and take me to the next stage of my academic career.

What moves me most about Dr. La Touche is her dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of candidates she works with. Dr. La Touche’s profound impact has much to do with how intimately she understands the distinct career challenges faced by Black, racialized, and First Generation students now applying for career positions. The entire process was clarifying and deeply rewarding.”

— Dr. C de Leon, Assistant Professor | Department of Sociology | Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)

“I loved how inclusive it was and so many considerations regarding people's needs were made. I loved that it was both interactive and educational and designed in a well balanced manner for introverts and extroverts in the room”

— HR Group Training Participant

“I truly appreciate the time spent for the services I required. I was very happy and impressed with Rachel's expertise, dedication and commitment to not only meeting, but exceeding my employment needs. I will definitely be reaching out in the near future for additional services, and also referring my friends and colleagues to Rare Talent Consulting. Thanks again for all of your help and support!”

— Dr. Tope Adefarakan (Featured Profile Coming Soon)

“I was fortunate enough to receive the guidance and support of Dr. Rachel La Touche as I was entering the academic job market. As a recent PhD grad, I had very little exposure to the academic hiring process and was looking for some direction to help me refine my application material. Dr. La Touche offered incisive and quick feedback that helped to sharpen my writing and highlight aspects of my experience that would appeal most to hiring committees. She was also very helpful in identifying some of the subtle and unwritten rules when it comes to academic dossiers (e.g. framing, formatting, and language) and these were things that I would not have been able to learn through independent desk research. I would highly recommend Dr. La Touche’s services to anyone looking for support navigating the ins and outs of academia.”

— Dr. Aaliyah Brown

“I really appreciate how flexible Dr. La Touche was with my altered schedule due to my maternity leave. I think this leave impacted my momentum on working on my promotion, but she was very gracious in working with me. I also had a really tight schedule; when I found the timelines or availability restricted, I was able to ask for more times/accommodations and she was able to provide. […]

Overall a great experience!”

— Dr. Robin Valpey, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry | UPMC

“ I wanted to share this with you - finally received that promotion!

I’m so grateful for your help with all of the material preparations. You were truly instrumental in helping me move forward. Thank you!”

— Dr. Jody Glance | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

“Dr. Rachel was so kind and clearly had lots of experience in her field. I really appreciated her authenticity and passion during the training session.”

— HR Group Training Participant

“I gained new clarity on the common thread across my work—bringing attention to under-valued, neglected, or oppressed communities.”

— Owning Your Story | Workshop Participant