Smarter Benefits Start With a Better Way of Thinking
Embark Benefits was founded on a simple belief: Employee benefits should work better for employers and the people they serve.
Our Story
Why Embark Was Created
In 2018, our founder Rachel McLauchlin launched her first benefits consulting firm, Thrive Benefits.
At the time, she was seeing the same problems across the industry:
Plans designed around carriers, not people
Employees disengaged from their healthcare
Employers absorbing year-over-year cost increases with little transparency or control
Rachel set out to design benefits differently plans that:
Incentivized employees to be smarter consumers of healthcare
Rewarded engagement and better decision-making
Balanced cost control with meaningful access to care
That approach worked. Thrive Benefits grew quickly and was acquired in 2021.
But the problems didn’t go away.
After the acquisition, Rachel realized something important: too many employers still weren’t getting the help they needed.
Traditional brokerages were still delivering renewals instead of insight, reacting to the market instead of reshaping it.
So she built Embark Benefits.
Our Founder
Meet Rachel McLauchlin
Rachel brings over a decade of experience in employee benefits consulting, advising mid-market organizations across a wide range of funding strategies, including:
Fully insured plans
Level-funded arrangements
Captive solutions
Self-funded plans
She has negotiated renewals, analyzed claims data, redesigned funding strategies, and guided employers through complex benefits decisions.
But what drives Rachel’s work isn’t spreadsheets or premiums.
It’s people.
As a working mother of four who has personally navigated complex healthcare challenges, Rachel understands how overwhelming, confusing, and expensive the system can feel both for employers trying to do the right thing and for families relying on their benefits every day.
That lived experience shapes everything Embark does.
Our Philosophy
Benefits Should Be Clear, Intentional, and Human
At Embark, we believe employee benefits should:
Be designed with purpose, not habit
Empower employees instead of confusing them
Support financial sustainability and real human needs
We reject the idea that employers should simply accept “this is just the market.”
There is always a smarter path — one built on transparency, strategy, and accountability.
Our Values
People First, Transparency, Accountability, Innovation with Purpose.
Our Mission
Our mission is to put employers and their people first—delivering benefits solutions that prioritize clarity, care, and long-term value at every step.
WHO WE SERVE
For CFOs
- Predictable healthcare spend
- Clear visibility into risk
- Fewer renewal surprises
- Confident funding decisions
For HR Leaders
- Clear, defensible employee communication
- Fewer last-minute fire drills
- Decision support you can trust
- A partner for difficult conversations