Her Story
About Rachel
My journey as a speaker and advocate began from my own survival story. I am a survivor of domestic violence, not once, but twice. I was strangled twice by my partner, and I'm one of the lucky ones who survived. My daughter was the first surviving child out of that situation, and I'm one of the first 10 surviving people connected with the Family Justice Center, a national and international organization out of San Diego. I've had laws passed using my case to help fight strangulation in California. For about 21 to 22 years since 2004-2005, I've been speaking on domestic violence at different venues across the country. I've spoken in front of President Bush's Domestic Violence Council and Obama's council, and in front of Janet Brewer, former Arizona Governor. I've spoken in Florida at the Family Justice Center in Tampa in 2024, in Texas working with Dress for Success, and at various other locations. I was working on starting my own nonprofit when I found out I was pregnant with my youngest son in 2011. He was born with a very rare heart condition and had two heart surgeries within 2011. Unfortunately, my mother was murdered by my stepdad, and I speak about that as well. I've been part of an organization through the Family Justice Center called Voices, where we give voices to the living through our stories and also be a voice for people who have perished, like my mom. I've applied for two different conferences for domestic violence through the Domestic Violence Hotline. Beyond domestic violence advocacy, I advocate for kids with rare congenital heart defects. I started a nonprofit for kids with congenital heart defects and have raised money for kids with cardiac issues here in Jacksonville. I've worked with kids with special needs in various capacities and volunteered at Make-A-Wish. Right now, I'm a single mom of three kids - two grown adults and one who is still dealing with medical issues. My son has CHD (congenital heart defect) and has had three open-heart surgeries total. He now also has liver issues as part of his condition, and we're getting a second opinion for his heart condition. My first ministry is my son - to advocate and keep him healthy. While I would love to have a nonprofit healing center for battered women and speak nonstop to groups of women, hospitals, and domestic violence shelters, my son's health makes it hard for me to hold onto a full-time job working outside the home. I've been pivoting and working on another nonprofit, but it hasn't come to fruition because some days my son's health doesn't allow it. I've also spoken at some pretty big churches in San Diego. My dream, if I could separate myself from being a mom and my son was able to manage his own health, would be to speak nonstop and go into domestic violence shelters. At the end of the day, my family is my legacy - not money or finances, but leaving a legacy of good humans. My children are the most important people and the best legacy I could leave.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rachel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think the biggest thing is my faith in God. Seeing that there's hope - hope and faith, those two words can change anybody's life. When you have someone coming alongside of you and giving you peace, saying 'okay, Rachel, I understand what you're going through,' and sometimes being silent is also very strong. Finding a niche is important. The biggest challenge as a parent is that I have not been able to do what Rachel wants to do - you have to sacrifice. The other thing is being content where you are. You have a drive, and I got invited to go to Europe after speaking in San Diego, but I cannot leave my kids because they're my first ministry. So to answer your question, faith in Jesus. And then the two strongest words - faith and hope. Giving hope to someone and just inspiring them not to give up.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One thing that's always stuck with me is what Einstein said: It's 10% the problem and 90% how you react. That perspective has really shaped how I approach challenges in my work and life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say you have to have stability. This world right now that we live in, we're so inundated with stuff - I would say simplify. Live in a simplistic way and focus on your priorities. There is strength in silence. Don't let 20 different knockouts define you - you define the knockout. I've never been in a position where someone ripped my life in the traditional domestic violence sense where the husband is the breadwinner taking the money, so I can't speak on that. But what I do understand is: don't lose yourself. Have a core group of family, friends, church - make them your foundation. And then don't forget about yourself. Love yourself. Acknowledge what you're going through. Practice self-care. And I think perseverance is key. Allow yourself to grieve, but get back up. Don't let the knockouts define you. Without God - and I've been a Christian my entire life - God has been the single thing that's kept me going. Of course I've cried, I've fallen apart, but you can't fall apart forever. Allow yourself to grieve, but get back up.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The thing that's really hard is getting paid for this work. There's not a lot of money in domestic violence speaking and advocacy. When you get into domestic violence work, a lot of times they try to change your story. They try to minimize what you've been through because they don't want to rehash the trauma for the newly domestic violence person. So you have to be careful about who your audience is. I don't want to turn anybody away, but I would love to educate. The stories have to be so impactful but not make people feel awful. You have to do it carefully. I was supposed to be doing lots of stuff in Florida, but someone wanted to take my story and change it for their purposes, and they gained lots of money using my story and I didn't get anything out of it. I don't want someone to gain from my struggle.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
At the end of the day, I'm a single mom of three kids - two grown adults and one with a cardiac condition. To me, my family, they're my legacy. It's not about money, not about finances. It's about leaving a legacy of good humans. My children are the most important people and they are the best legacy I could leave. My first ministry is my son - to advocate and keep him healthy. While I would love to speak nonstop and have a nonprofit healing center for battered women, my son's health is my priority. I've had to sacrifice what Rachel wants to do for my children. Being content where you are is important. I also believe strongly in authenticity - I wouldn't want anyone to downplay and lose the authentic side of who I am. It's my story, and I don't want someone to gain from my struggle.
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