Her Story
About Rachael
I finished high school early, graduating from a charter school about a year and a half early because I was able to work at my own pace. I went to college at 17 and was a technical and professional writing major with a minor in journalism. About 6 months before I was going to finish my bachelor's degree, my dad's dementia progressed pretty severely, and I dropped out of school. I was working as a barista at Starbucks for a while, and I wound up in Starbucks leadership, but at the end of the day my heart just wasn't in it anymore. So I went and explored in the corporate world, and that's how I landed in sales. In my last position, I implemented and organized a conference for the first time for my company, and we got that done in less than 2 months on an incredibly tight deadline, and it was a great learning experience for me. I just started with my current company in January as an Account Executive. Before that, I was with an umbrella called Salon at healthcare where I was leading three different teams.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rachael
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I'm a very disciplined person. I get up every day at 4 in the morning, and I go to the gym, and I do the weights, and I try to do cardio and do self-care before I start work, and I feel like that sort of leaks into every part of my life. I am determined to be better than I was yesterday, every single day.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
If you're gonna do it, do it scared. If anything worth doing is worth doing scared. I get rejected for a living, right? I work in sales, so you just kind of... if it gives you a feeling in your chest, it means you're doing something that is ambitious. And it gives you a kind of anticipatory anxiety, but it means it could push you forward. I've taken a lot of risks in my career, a lot of big ones, and a lot of big pivots. But despite it being scary and unstable every single time I've done something scary, it's been... it's paid off in spades.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to speak up, and bring amazing ideas to the table, and shake the table, and sometimes break the table, because your voice is needed in every industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think no matter what, it's hard to be the only woman in a room full of men sometimes. But I think things have shifted, and I think they're going to continue to shift across industries. So, despite it being sort of a boys club in tech, the companies that are challenging that, and that are letting women into these spaces, and encouraging that, are setting themselves apart in a big way.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency, consistency, discipline, and authenticity are the values most important to me. I'm a very disciplined person who gets up every day at 4 in the morning to go to the gym and do self-care before I start work. I'm also an active community member. I think the greatest thing you can do is be a member of your village. If you want a village, you gotta be a part of it.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Washington
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.