Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Saathoff.
Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2016, I founded Break the Norm Leadership while living in Beaverton, Oregon. I had recently left a Sales Director role and realized that I wanted to teach leadership in a way that inspired and uplifted people because, frankly, that had not been my own experience. I believed leadership development could be practical, engaging, and centered on helping people reach their potential.
I earned my coaching certification and began providing leadership training and coaching for organizations such as Columbia Sportswear and Adidas. While that work was rewarding, I felt called to make an even bigger impact, so I enrolled in the Organizational Leadership and Learning master’s program at George Washington University.
During the program, one assignment asked us to create a 10-year goal. I wrote that I wanted to start a youth leadership program. What surprised me was that my 10-year goal quickly became a one-year goal. I launched EmpowerDI, a youth leadership initiative that combined STEM education with leadership development through the Destination Imagination program. Our students went on to compete at the state level, and I developed a leadership curriculum that integrated teamwork, communication, and problem-solving into the experience.
When the pandemic arrived, we adapted rather than paused. We shifted to virtual youth programming and launched Break the Norm Outdoors, a cycling-based leadership program where students learned leadership lessons while riding together. Elementary students completed rides up to 20 miles, middle school students up to 60 miles, and high school students up to 100 miles, all while building resilience, teamwork, and confidence.
Around that same time, after completing my master’s degree, one of my professors encouraged me to bring the program to the East Coast. I visited Washington, D.C., and soon began winning contracts. I expanded the team by bringing on another professor and continued building youth leadership programs throughout the region.
As organizations emerged from the pandemic, the needs of the workforce evolved. We shifted our focus back to adult leadership development and entered the government contracting space. Today, Break the Norm Leadership specializes in leadership development, team development, and workforce development. As instructional designers by trade, we build customized curricula tailored to each client’s unique challenges rather than delivering one-size-fits-all training.
We are proud to have been awarded a federal contract with the National Institute of Corrections to develop and deliver leadership training for deputy wardens across the country. We have also partnered with organizations such as the Virginia Department of Social Services and Virginia Housing to develop middle managers and emerging leaders.
Today, our mission remains the same as it was in 2016: to help people become leaders who inspire others, strengthen their teams, and create workplaces where people can thrive.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is never a smooth road. If someone tells you it is, they probably haven’t done it for very long. Every business owner faces setbacks, uncertainty, and moments where they question whether they should keep going.
One piece of advice that has always stayed with me came during the pandemic. Like many business owners, I was wondering if it was time to give up and find a traditional job. I asked my dad what he thought, and his response was simple: **”Nope. Not time yet. Just keep going.”** That advice meant everything to me. It reminded me how important it is to have people in your corner who believe in you when things get tough.
I also have a philosophy that I share with aspiring entrepreneurs: **There are businesses and there are hobbies.** A business pays the bills and keeps the lights on. A hobby is something you spend more time and money on than you ever make back, it just happens to reimburse you a little. Building a real business requires making difficult decisions, focusing on sustainability, and treating it like a profession.
The biggest reason Break the Norm Leadership has grown is our willingness to stay agile. We started with executive coaching, expanded into youth leadership, pivoted to virtual programming during the pandemic, and then evolved into leadership, team development, and workforce development for government and corporate clients. Rather than resisting change, we’ve embraced it.
Success isn’t about having the perfect plan. It’s about adapting when circumstances change, continuing to learn, and refusing to give up.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Break the Norm Leadership is a leadership development and training company that helps organizations transform high-performing individual contributors into confident, effective leaders of people. Our specialty is developing middle managers and emerging leaders—the group that often has the greatest impact on an organization’s culture and performance but receives the least amount of development.
Our purpose is simple: **Helping leaders thrive so organizations can grow.**
We believe leadership training should do more than inspire people for a day. It should change how they lead the very next day. That’s why our niche is **turning potential into performance through practical leadership training that is engaging, relevant, and immediately applicable.**
What truly sets us apart is that we don’t sell off-the-shelf training. We are instructional designers by trade, meaning we build customized curricula tailored to each client’s challenges, culture, and goals. Whether we’re working with a government agency, nonprofit, or private organization, we design programs specifically for them rather than pulling a generic presentation off the shelf.
We’re also known for the quality and depth of our instruction. Our facilitators hold master’s or doctoral degrees in Organizational Leadership and Learning and have extensive real-world leadership experience. We often joke that attending one of our programs feels like taking your staff to graduate school—but without the student loans.
Our training is grounded in proven adult learning methodologies because we know that **anyone can create a training, but not everyone can create a training that sticks.** We design experiences that help participants practice, apply, and retain new skills so they can immediately use what they’ve learned back on the job.
While we are proud of the organizations we’ve served—from federal agencies to state governments and private companies—what we’re most proud of is our reputation for creating learning experiences that people actually enjoy and remember.
And, of course, no introduction to our brand would be complete without mentioning our **Chief Morale Officer, Elliott**, our miniature dachshund, who is famous for sleeping through meetings while somehow still boosting team morale. She may not contribute much to curriculum design, but she is exceptional at reminding us that great workplaces should also have a little fun.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was actually pretty quiet. I wasn’t the kid who wanted to be the center of attention—in fact, I had a lot of social anxiety and preferred to keep to myself. My mom, who has never met a stranger, used to get frustrated with me because she thought I was being rude when I didn’t talk to people. Looking back, I think watching her taught me an important lesson about the value of building relationships. Over time, networking became a skill I intentionally developed rather than something that came naturally.
Athletics were a huge part of my childhood. I played soccer seven days a week, and sports taught me discipline, teamwork, and perseverance long before I understood those concepts in leadership.
Academically, I struggled in elementary school. Learning didn’t come easily to me, and I had to work much harder than many of my classmates. Then, around seventh grade, it felt like the lights suddenly turned on. Things began to click, and I realized that success wasn’t about being naturally gifted—it was about consistently putting in the work.
That experience shaped my philosophy for life and business. Whenever I learn something new, I’m usually slow at first. It can be frustrating, but I’ve learned that if I keep working at it, eventually the lights come on and then it’s “go time.” Because of those early struggles, I developed a strong work ethic and the belief that persistence beats talent when talent doesn’t keep trying.
Ironically, the quiet kid who once struggled to talk to strangers now spends her career teaching leadership and building relationships. And these days, I have a secret networking weapon—our Chief Morale Officer, Elliott, our miniature dachshund. She has a way of attracting people at events that makes introductions much easier than they were when I was a kid.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breakthenormleadership.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsaathoff/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breakthenormleadership/?viewAsMember=true
