Clarity on Fire

As many of you know, Rachel and I went on a 10-day Euro-trip this past August, and it was absolutely amazing. We explored ancient castles, ate incredible food, and went on so many walking tours that I'm now in need of new sneakers (including a Harry-Potter-themed tour of Edinburgh because, obviously). Traveling back home, though, was … less than amazing. After waking up before 6am and sitting thro...

Terece Hahn had it all — the job she'd always dreamed of, a 6-figure income, a loving husband, the ability to travel and buy a home and do all the things she loved. And yet, she was miserable. Her job was making her burnt out, anxious, depressed, and totally unsure of herself. Her confidence took a nosedive, and she started questioning everything in her life. So what do you do when your dream job...

There was a time when Kristen and I thought we wanted to be corporate coaches.

In a way, this made perfect sense. Both of us had intimate experience with the mind-numbing bureaucracy of corporate America. We knew what the cube-people were secretly feeling — trapped, suffocated, bored, purposeless — because we had so recently been cube-people.

 We had a vision of being "corporate ninjas" … we'd g...

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, a monthly advice segment where we answer audience questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself. On this episode, we're answering questions from: Cath, who wants some advice about how to let things unfold naturally when dating someone new, instead of forcing...

For most of my life, I suffered from pretty extreme FOMO (fear of missing out). My parents will tell you that up until the time I was 7 or 8, I would  never admit to being tired — and not just out of normal childlike stubbornness, but because I was  terrified that if I took a nap or went to bed early, I'd miss out on something fun. The FOMO didn't go away as I got older; it just evolved to focus m...

A few years ago Emily Liou started to question her career in recruiting. Sure, she helped people get hired, but for every person she helped, there were so many more she had to reject. And the rejections were wearing on her. That's when Emily decided to quit her job, become a certified coach (she went to the same program as us!), and ended up starting her own business; one where she could leverage...

I recently passed an anniversary of sorts. It's been six years since I quit my first job (not to be confused with the second or third jobs I also quit, which happened shortly thereafter). It's also been six years since Kristen and I decided to start a business and six years since I enrolled in a certified coach training program. I know anniversaries are supposed to be celebrated, or at least fondl...

Hello from the other side … of 30. It's been a month since I left my 20s, and I'm (Rachel) honestly still processing this milestone. I didn't expect it to bring up so much grief – anger, frustration, sadness, and waves of anxiety and depression. And while I've been riding those waves, it's become obvious that a lot of people around me are also battling that same current, just for different reasons...

My client Dawn was in a major internal tug-of-war. Her boss had just announced he was leaving, which meant his job was opening up. As soon as the job was posted, several of Dawn's coworkers forwarded her the job listing with notes like, "You would be perfect for this," and "This has your name all over it." Dawn was flattered, but torn. She'd never considered applying for her boss' job, and she was...

Four years ago Teanca Shepherd was burnt out and craving a change. So she picked up and moved about as far away from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as you can get—all the way to Japan. She taught English in Japan for two years, but making a dramatic change hadn't suddenly solved all of her problems. She was still unsure of what she really wanted out of life, and the clock was ticking loudly on her remai...

We recently got a question that was intended for our monthly Dear Krachel segment, but it's a subject that I've been considering writing about for a long time, so I decided to tackle it at length in a blog, instead! Here's what Mary wrote: "Hi Rachel!

 You had mentioned on a recent podcast that you haven't had an alcoholic beverage in 3 years. I was wondering if you wanted to share what brought y...

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, a monthly advice segment where we answer audience questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself. On this episode, we're answering questions from: Sera, who is anxiety-ridden and depressed at her day job, and knows she wants to take a creative risk and publish...

I tend to get wrapped up in my own thoughts. A lot . As in, I've gone on solo road trips and not even turned the radio on for hours. I'm very comfortable with silence. Because of this, I've heard the same kinds of comments from people close to me for my whole life: "You got really quiet all of a sudden. What's going on? Or, "You have to tell me how you're feeling — I can't read your mind!" Or, usu...

Calling all fellow bookworms, library nerds, and general lovers of literature—it's time for another book club episode of the podcast! Whenever there are five Fridays in a month, we devote the extra Friday to a book that we can't get enough of. This time we decided to have a conversation about one of the best-selling books of all time (and for good reason), The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. We each pu...

I'm writing about something today that's going to seem really obvious in hindsight, but that never actually occurred to me for most of my life. I used to (still do, but I'm working on it!) go down these absolute spirals of existential angst. I wasn't always sure what triggered them. All I knew was that I'd start the day out feeling ticked off or moody, and by the end of the day I'd be in a heap of...

Are you as fascinated by assessments and quizzes as we are? (I mean, we created a quiz , so obviously we love to nerd out on this stuff!). It makes sense that most of us are so attracted to personality tests — there's something innately satisfying and powerful about feeling understood and not alone. When you see a result you resonate with, it immediately makes you feel seen and heard, which is som...

I vividly remember opening the front door of my old office building and feeling a wave of dread and exhaustion instantly wash over me. No matter how much sleep I got the night before or what upbeat music I listened to in the car trying to start the day more positively … the moment I stepped into that building, my energy was sapped away. I felt like a balloon with a slow leak, and by the end of the...

A while back, I happened upon a quote as I was scrolling through Instagram that felt like a benevolent smack in the face (if there is such a thing): "The true joy of life is being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances,...

Allow me to assure you: I love the world we live in. As screwed up as it can be, and as much work as it clearly needs (I'm lookin' at you, American politics), I wouldn't trade being alive in the 21st century for any other time. (You could tempt me with a time-traveling foray to ancient Rome, though. #historydork) The western world is decidedly imperfect, but it's hard to argue with equal rights an...

So, I (Rachel) am turning 30 in just a few days. And in true nerd fashion, I wanted to celebrate by having a deep conversation. It's a party in Ravenclaw tower, ya'll. BYOB. Bring your own butterbeer. ;) I insisted on being the "normal person" for this month's interview, because I'm always the expert (well, at least when you hear me on the podcast ... not so sure about the rest of the time!). Kris...

I hardly ever share this story because, well frankly, it's not my proudest moment. But here goes… I quit my first full-time "adult" job after only 5 weeks. I'm not a total jerk, so I did give 2 weeks notice, but that only put me there for a whopping 7 weeks total. (That was not a fun conversation with my boss, let me tell you.) Almost immediately after starting that job, I realized I'd made a big...

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, a monthly advice segment where we answer audience questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself. On this episode, we're answering questions from: Alyx, whose favorite team member just quit, making her realize that she actually hates working with the rest of h...

A while back I was catching up with one of my very first clients-turned-friends. (Random aside: This is one of the things I love about coaching. You get to connect with really cool people who often end up becoming lifelong buddies.) In our conversation she mentioned that an off-the-cuff (and definitely not super serious) analogy I'd made had actually really helped her to see life differently. So m...

About a decade ago Katie Mongelli's life fell apart—she got divorced, became a single mom, and had to move to a different state, far away from the accounting business that she had built on her own and which had become her family's livelihood. After losing almost everything and having to start over, Katie never took her survival for granted again. For the next 10+ years she built her business back...

A client of mine, Isabel, feels like her life is majorly in transition right now. She's looking for a new job, applying to graduate programs, and putting her house on the market simultaneously. All of these things came to a head at the same time this past week: She got two job offers, an acceptance letter for full-time admission to a graduate program, an offer on her house, as well as someone inte...