Rachel Robinson
My family history has deeply shaped who I am professionally. My great-grandparents fled the Holocaust and the Holodomor and were sent to Richmond at the height of Jim Crow. They were the only store that sold stockings to the Black community, which were like the gatekeeping for working - if you did not have stockings, you could not work. My father attended an all-black high school when it got segregated, and my great aunt wasn't allowed to use the water fountains. My papa became this big inclusive award winner and started all of this work as the Jewish federal president, but we did that all not based on race, but based on helping people. It's very ingrained in me that you have to help people, that we're not free until we're all free, and that by helping people that are being kind of knocked down, you're doing the best business. I work in technology, and I was involved during COVID-19. What drives me is my unwillingness to accept no - whenever somebody tells me I can't do something, not only am I about to do it, I'm about to do it 10 times better than they can, and I'm gonna come for their job next. Now I'm focused on opening doors to make this pathway better for the next generation within technology in our country.
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my unwillingness to accept no. Whenever somebody says I can't do something, or maybe asks if I want to take notes or something like that, I don't know what it does, but it makes me go - not only am I about to do this, I'm about to do this 10 times better than they can, and I'm gonna come for their job next and they're gonna be my secretary. That's really it. I'm also thinking about the future, because now at this point in my career, it's about how do I start opening doors to make this pathway better for the next generation, especially within our country and technology. Technology has become so political, and it's going to get way more political, so I want to create better pathways for those coming after me.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Background & Motivation
Raised by a single father (entrepreneur + chess player).
Influenced by strong family figures, including a high-level attorney.
Driven by a mix of entrepreneurial and disciplined upbringing.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Advice & Mindset
Rachel’s advice to young women:
“If they tell you you can’t do it, it means you can do it better than them.”
Emphasis on confidence, leadership, and not being intimidated in male-heavy fields.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Technology has become so political, and it's going to get way more political. That's one of the biggest challenges we're facing. I saw this firsthand during COVID-19 - they never tested the vaccine on women, which is why when I found out that women taking the vaccine would get 2-month-long periods, it made sense, because we never thought about what this mRNA vaccine would do to a woman's body. The intersection of technology and politics is creating real challenges, and I'm focused on how to navigate that while opening doors for the next generation in technology.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is that you have to help people. My family's history taught me that we're not free until we're all free, and that by helping people that are being kind of knocked down, you're doing the best business. It's very ingrained in me that helping others isn't just the right thing to do, it's also good business. I believe strongly in women supporting each other instead of competing. I see all the time where there's a job that comes up and two women are battling each other for it, and I think - sweetie, neither of you are getting the job, because there's a man who's already making $25,000 more a year than you who's getting that job. My big push is, hey ladies, if there's a boys club, why can't there be a girls' club? We need to stop fighting each other and start supporting each other, because these men don't need our help - they're already making more money than us.
Locations
Rachel Robinson
170n federal hwy 209, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304