Hi, I’m Barbary.
I’m a coach, thought partner, and organizational designer who works with people and organizations who are leading change.
I help leaders make sense of what’s happening in their group system and find a way forward. I support them to build the confidence, relationships, and systems needed to truly embed change.
Connect with me:
Services
Leading is rarely as straightforward as we’d like it to be. Coaching offers a space to think aloud, understand what’s happening in the group dynamics beneath the surface, and find a way forward that feels true to you and the people you work with.
Generative AI is changing how organizations work, but there isn’t a single right way to respond. I help teams explore what’s possible, think carefully about the ethical and practical choices involved, and adopt AI in ways that reflect their values.
Every organization develops habits, structures, and ways of working over time. I help groups understand which of those are serving them well, which are getting in the way, and how to build strategy and systems that make everyday work easier and more purposeful.
A monthly gathering for people in and around Philadelphia who are curious about generative AI and want to learn alongside others. It’s a place to ask questions, share experiments, meet interesting people and think together about where this technology is taking us.
Check out my blog
The debate on generative AI, from supporters and detractors, is filled with breathless urgency and crisis deadlines. Both are constructed by people, and don’t exist in of themselves. Anthropic and Open AI, as they race to their IPOs, feed us stories of emergency, great leaps forward, and danger around each corner of the buildings they…
Thanks to Sarah Abdelatif, Helen Nonhoff, and Mirthe van der Heide for giving me a tour of Propel, a knowledge management platform for the humanitarian sector that turns scattered project insights into shared, searchable organizational memory. The platform is great. Intuitive, concrete and helpful. It caught my eye because I think a lot about the…
What clients are saying about me
Agency and leadership
Barbary is undaunted by the complexities of life and work. She brings a mix of skills — deep listening, a global and systemic perspective, expertise in adaptive leadership, and a fierce ability to get to the heart of an issue. I leave my sessions with Barbary feeling seen, understood, and equipped with some helpful Barbary-isms that give me perspective and remind me of my agency. Barbary has helped me to both feel, and to actually become, more capable of being a leader.
Current coaching client
Non-profit leader & trauma informed facilitator
Transformational clarity
Barbary brings transformational clarity to the work. She was our strategic planner over a multi-month effort while I was leading a nonprofit that was very effective, but stretched thin. Barbary helped us see our strengths and weaknesses clearly. She comfortably pushed into the uncomfortable spots, challenged long-held assumptions, and created room for us to be direct with each other about what was working and what needed to change. She’s wise, fun, and tough when needed.
Kevin Walsh
Lawyer, former non-profit executive and government watchdog
Consultation
Schedule your free consultation and we’ll find out if we’re a good fit!
Barbary Cook 