Oh hey there 👋🏽
Photo: Elena Mudd
I’m Rachel, a professional writer and editor living in Manhattan. Service journalism is my jam, and my main beats are wellness, home, friendships, weddings, and the path to self-actualization. I’m interested in how we care for ourselves, our loved ones, our belongings, and the world around us. I’ve written two books: The Art of Showing Up and Dot Journaling―A Practical Guide.
I’m currently the Editor-in-Chief of SELF at CondéNast. (I also have a blog and newsletter, but I stopped updating those after I got the SELF job.) Prior to this, I was Deputy Editor, Life at VICE and a Senior Editor at Vox. And my digital media career started in earnest at BuzzFeed, where when I was a Senior Lifestyle Editor for four years, a role that included managing a team of writers and video producers.
I’ve also written for the New York Times, The Hairpin, HuffPost, SELF, The Knot, and A Practical Wedding, and I’ve been a guest on Good Morning America, The TODAY Show, CNN, ABC News, NPR, and WNYC.
If you want to get in touch, send me an an email! (If you want to set up an interview relating to either of my books, please email Jennifer Hergenroeder.) You can also follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
Below, you can find my best writing, the best pieces I’ve edited, and links to TV and podcast appearances.
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The best things I’ve written
Even on my worst days, putting on clean, cozy clothes always made me feel a little bit less bad, a little bit more human.
What ‘counts’ as resting, and when are we simply swathing toxic productivity in soft pants and a robe?
Some people will never admit wrongdoing. It’s still possible for you to move forward.
“I feel like the universe has sent me a gift, and I’m ready to take it.”
A save-the-date card is not a subpoena.
If you're questioning your heterosexuality and/or interested in dating women for the first time: You've come to the right place.
If you're not Black but want to support BLM, having fraught conversations with your kinda (or definitely) racist loved ones will likely not be fun, but it’s a very worthy undertaking.
Arbitrary wardrobe rules can be oppressive and terrible...unless you’re the one setting them.
As drag has gotten more mainstream, it’s gotten further from its DIY roots—and performing on the biggest stage is becoming prohibitively expensive.
Yes, it’s wrong to punch someone in the head—but not because it validates negative (racist) stereotypes.
Viruses don’t operate by potential carriers’ best intentions. They operate exclusively by our actions.
If you love your iPhone, Amazon Prime, and Warby Parker glasses, you'll probably like the Quip.
A way to keep it all together when things are falling apart.
Ah, wedding season: a time of laughter, love, tears, drunk uncles, and a whole lot of confusing rules and expectations.
Let's talk about your filth.
🔥 7.1 million views
Showing up is at the core of creating and maintaining, strong meaningful bonds with friends, family, coworkers, and Internet pals. It’s what turns the people you know into your people.
Here's the most inspiring and practical advice that I took away from the KonMari book nearly four years ago, and that I still use.
🔥 1.5 million views
When it feels like the world is falling apart, literally putting something back together is powerful.
The Bad Season is the annual 2-4 month period of the year when you just feel sad, mad, uncomfortable in your own skin, and angry at all of your clothes. Here are some things that might help you cope.
If you’re thinking about or planning on spending Christmas alone or alone-ish and have some questions/concerns, I’m here to talk you through it!
Learning that I needed glasses again, 10 years after Lasik surgery, made me realize that the things you inherit from your parents aren’t always within your control.
Turns out, the app that is mostly used to pay for your share of Ubers and bar tabs is also a fantastic way to be there for someone when they are in crisis.
Doing chores on Friday nights changed my damn life.
Vaginas EVERYWHERE!
I, for one, would like to see more women’s magazines devote as much space to the topic of friendship as they do to romantic relationships. “101 Ways to Please Your Friends This Weekend!” “Exactly What To Say to Blow Your Friend’s Mind Tonight!”
Remember to let yourself grieve.
If you're trying to eat healthier, keeping your core list of staples small(ish) and putting your effort into low-maintenance but flavorful dressings, sauces, and toppings can help you add variety without wasting a ton of time, money, and food.
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The best things I’ve edited
2023 was the worst year to date for anti-trans legislation, and much of it focused on children's sports. In this SELF package, we presented the case for letting all children experience the wide-reaching benefits of organized sports in a fun, safe, and nurturing environment, without having to compromise who they are.
🏆 Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Excellence in Journalism Award
We hit up a recent WNBA game to chat with the sport’s next wave of (very wholesome) superfans.
This book calls you a dumb, lazy pig just a few pages in. It sold millions of copies.
During World War I, hundreds of young women went to work in clock factories, painting watch dials with luminous radium paint. But after the girls — who literally glowed in the dark after their shifts — began to experience gruesome side effects, they began a race-against-time fight for justice that would forever change US labor laws.
🔥 2.8 million views
After my husband died, my father died, and I lost my second pregnancy — all in the span of six weeks — everyone wanted to know how I was doing. And everyone heard the same thing: "I’m fine.”
My parents' San Francisco wedding cost about $2,000, which in today’s money is roughly $10K. What it would actually cost to throw their wedding in 2017 is a whole other story.
🔥 1 million views
As told by a two-time champ.
🔥 1.4 million views
It’s one thing to know your son is gay — it’s another to see the proof.
Even in death, everyone is striving for that perfect no-makeup makeup look.
Humans have often feared that the apocalypse is nigh. So why does it feel like things are worse now than they’ve ever been? And what, if anything, can we do about it?
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