Rick Cohen

Rick Cohen

I am

I built Worthy Cause, a Melbourne social enterprise that funds real, paid jobs. I speak about the lived experience behind it, and the gap nobody funds: keeping people in work.

Book Rick to speak See signature talks
Rick Cohen speaking into a microphone at The Funding Network pitch night
Rick Cohen presenting with a microphone at a community speaking event
Rick Cohen on stage presenting to an audience with his slides behind him
Rick Cohen gesturing with both arms mid-talk in front of an impact slide
Rick Cohen presenting beside a slide at a community venue
Rick Cohen at the microphone beside the fundraising total on screen
Rick Cohen raising a hand to make a point during a talk
Rick Cohen speaking on stage with his portrait on the screen behind him
Rick Cohen gesturing at the microphone in front of a Worthy Cause slide
Rick Cohen addressing a seated audience at a community event
Rick Cohen celebrating with arms raised at the pitch night
Rick Cohen presenting at the front of the room to a full audience
Rick Cohen presenting from a lectern on stage
Rick Cohen speaking to the room at The Funding Network pitch night
Rick Cohen speaking to an engaged audience at a community talk
Rick Cohen presenting a slide on stage to the audience
Rick Cohen smiling at the microphone during a community talk
Rick Cohen presenting beside the screen at the pitch night
Rick Cohen speaking with a microphone at a community event
Rick Cohen addressing the audience at The Funding Network pitch night
Rick Cohen presenting to a full room at a community venue

As featured in

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Experienced charity founder

Social entrepreneur

Thought leader, speaker, and mentor

Fun and great to be around

What I am building now

Worthy Courses

Worthy Cause proved that the right support changes what people believe they are capable of. Worthy Courses is how I take that to scale: an online employability platform for young Australians aged 14 to 24, written in plain language, grounded in Australian workplace law, and built so every paid course funds a free place for someone who needs it. Get the Job. Keep the Job.

See what I am building Visit Worthy Courses

What audiences hear

A founder who has lived through severe trauma, family violence and a mental health collapse, and who turned that into a paid employment program now backed by Australian Unity, The Funding Network, Burgmann College and the AMP Foundation. A compassionate operator: direct, human, mission-led and relentlessly practical. Every talk lands on something the room can do differently next Monday.

Lived experience to social enterprise

What family violence, a psychiatric ward and two years in recovery taught me about workplaces that actually work for people the system gave up on.

The skills that keep people in work

We spend a fortune getting people into jobs and almost nothing keeping them there. Communication, interpersonal skills, financial literacy and above all confidence: the curriculum no one owns.

From one life at a time to scale

Worthy Cause changes about 30 lives a year, and it is expensive. The honest question I keep asking on stage: how do you take what works for one person and make it reach the thousands the system never gets to?

See the full topic list and signature talks →

Recent and notable

Impact Boom Episode 557

The fullest podcast account of the trauma-to-purpose arc and the vibe-check decision filter (April 2025).

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Australian Unity Enduring Grant

$75,000 per year, 2025 to 2027, to fund the paid training program.

Full timeline →

The Funding Network 2024

$50,000 raised, wages funded for 15 participants, six of seven completers moved into employment.

Full timeline →

Three ways to work together

If you're hiring a speaker

Keynote, panel, fireside or workshop on inclusive employment, lived experience and the access-to-opportunity model.

Book a 30-minute discovery call →

If you're hiring a consultant

I work inside your social enterprise, impact business, charity or ESG function: innovation, legal structure, business development, AI, work integration and social entrepreneurship.

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If you're hiring an operator

Productised offers: inclusive procurement audits, WISE program design, founder advisory.

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Latest writing

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Get the digest

One email when there's something worth sending. No marketing automation, no drip sequence. Just the thinking behind the work, sent on Rick's schedule.