Reclaim your energy, your voice, and your workday.
I’m Ellen Whitlock Baker. I help people make clear, grounded decisions about how they work and lead—without burning out or losing themselves in the process.
I’ve spent 20 years inside complex organizations leading teams, navigating change, and working within systems that are both deeply meaningful and deeply flawed.
I understand the pressures, the politics, and the impossible expectations—because I’ve lived them.
Modern workplaces are demanding, complex, and often misaligned with how humans actually function—especially if you’ve ever been told you’re too much, not enough, or somehow both.
If you want to lead with more clarity, less chaos, and integrity—whether for yourself, your team, or your organization—I offer thoughtful coaching, workshops, and practical tools designed for real workplaces.
Work with me if you want someone who will:
Tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable
Help you make decisions that honor both people and reality
Hold you accountable to yourself—not to broken systems
Support sustainable change, not performative fixes
Learn about coaching, workshops, and ways to work together.
I help professionals make clearer, more sustainable decisions about how they work and lead.
Client Partners Include:
Support for Individuals
The options below are designed for individuals looking for clarity, support, and sustainable ways to navigate their work and leadership.
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Clarity Session
A single session for immediate clarity
If you’re dealing with a specific challenge or decision and want a one-time thought partner, the Reset is a 90-minute coaching session designed to help you untangle what’s weighing on you and identify next steps.
This is best if you want focused support without ongoing sessions.
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Ongoing 1:1 Coaching
For deeper, sustained coaching
If you’re navigating a bigger transition, stepping into leadership, or ready for ongoing support, longer-term coaching allows us to work more deeply with patterns, habits, and decision-making over time.
We’ll start with a conversation to see if this kind of partnership is the right fit.
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Momentum Sessions
A short series for focus and next steps
Momentum Sessions are a three-session coaching experience designed for people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of what’s next.
Together, we create space to think, get clear on what matters, and identify grounded next steps you can actually follow through on.
Support for organizations and teams
I also partner with organizations, teams, and professional communities through workshops, retreats, and speaking engagements focused on burnout, boundaries, leadership, and sustainable work.
If you’re exploring support for your team or organization, I’d love to talk.
Podcast Appearances
Client Testimonials
“I recommend Ellen as a skillful, supportive thought partner and coach”
Ellen helped me hone in on some of my key interests, superpowers, and goals for my process ahead. I appreciate that she urged me to have grace for myself in the difficult work of transition, and modeled it with her warm, no-nonsense, we-all-could-be-more-kind-to-ourselves approach.
Becky Kelley, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor, Washington State
“[Ellen] is great at asking the questions that go a little deeper to untangle the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’”
I’m delighted to recommend EWB Coaching as I’ve had the pleasure of clarifying my professional values, identifying my job strengths, and envisioning what more I want out of my career with Ellen over the past six months.
Rebecca Denk, CFO, KEXP Seattle
“We all deserve our own personal cheerleader and Ellen lifts you up while also adding practical guidance.”
Ellen has a gift for deep listening and tailoring the work and content of the sessions to your personal goals for your life and your work. She is sincere, genuine, and supportive.
Executive, University of Montana
Free Boundaries at Work Toolkit
Setting (and keeping) boundaries is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from burnout at work. Our workplaces will keep on taking (and taking) unless we do something about it. But it can be hard (especially for women in workplaces that don’t work well for us) to speak up and stand strong. In this free guide I’ll provide you with scripts for those boundary-setting conversations and email templates so you’re prepared and confident in putting your needs first.
Be part of the conversation with the Hard at Work Podcast.
Hi, I’m Ellen
I’m your real, experienced guide — here to help you push back on the outsized expectations of modern work and build a career that actually supports your life. I don’t teach perfection. I practice this work imperfectly, right alongside you.
With a blend of empathy and honesty, I help leaders see their own brilliance in a world that often tells them they’re too much, not enough, or somehow both.
I’ve spent 20 years inside workplaces—from the inspiring to the exhausting—and I know the cost of burnout firsthand. That experience is what led me to become an ICF-certified executive coach, a speaker, and the host of the Hard at Work podcast, where I say the quiet parts out loud about what really needs to change. My work has also been featured in Forbes, where I write about leadership, equity, and healthier ways of working.
My goal is simple: to help you thrive at work without having to sacrifice your time, your voice, or your values.