Meet Rachel Burch | Podcaster & Comedian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Burch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, how do you think about risk?
Conservative with investments, paranoid about my physical safety and a very comfortable inhabitant of my comfort zone, I never really thought of myself as a risk taker. But my life and career choices definitely paint a different picture. From a very early age, I “knew” I wanted to be an attorney. That’s probably where my risk aversion started – from that part of me that craved law and order and the ability to understand the language. But after 10 years in the law and achieving my dream position (General Counsel), I took my first big risk and left the law completely to pursue other things. What other things, I wasn’t yet sure (another risk), but I knew that I was not happy as an overworked lawyer.

And then, I stumbled into the world of coaching and built a successful coaching business. It seemed my risk had paid off. And then after 8 years as a coach, I felt that familiar nudge to do something else. And again, I had no idea what that was. So I slowly stopped taking new clients and quietly shut down my coaching business. I felt drained from that work and knew that I needed a little space to figure out what was next. This also felt risky, but more than risky, it felt necessary. It almost felt like there wasn’t a choice.

Pretty soon after creating that space, I got the inspiration to relaunch my old podcast. Through a series of synchronicities, I ended up launching an inspirational comedy podcast about relationships and dating. I had no intention of ever sharing my personal dating stories, but again, I felt led. It almost felt like a divine calling. Something that I couldn’t explain. And this risk has also paid off. The podcast has been on top podcast charts around the world and is currently ranked in the top 1.5% of all podcasts globally (and climbing).

I feel like the key for the success of these risks for me has been to “not look down.” Meaning, it’s like looking down from the plane you’re about to skydive out of. If you know this is your calling, if you believe you’re being lead to take this risk – don’t look down, just jump. Focus on your faith (in yourself or God or the Universe), not your fear (of failure).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I never considered myself as a creative person. That is until I read The Artist’s Way. At the time, I was a practicing attorney with little time for hobbies or creative pursuits, but I was interested in personal growth and my coach had recommended the book. Julia Cameron (the author) talked about how we are all creative and how the key is to “let yourself be a beginner.” As a full time perfectionist, this concept was transformative but also hard to adopt. I started slow. At the time, I had begun performing stand up comedy and so I allowed myself to think of myself as a creative person in connection with comedy writing. Over time, I fully embraced the idea that I was creative and that opened the door to where I am now.

I consider myself a writer of inspirational comedy. I had heard the term “transformational comedy” but that didn’t exactly fit what I was doing and so I kind of invented a genre. It might already be out there. As with all things creative, there usually isn’t only one mind that “creates” the same idea.

Anyway, my podcast is my art. It’s part reality show, part rom com, part Ted Talk. I found way to marry my love of comedy and my love of personal development. I use the Hero’s Journey to craft my story and the story ends up creating a path of personal development and spirituality.

I guess I’d want the world to know that there’s a place for your voice and your art and if you can’t find that place, make one. That’s part of the creative process.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend just finished cancer treatment and wants to come to Dallas as a bucket list/celebration trip, so I’ve spent some time thinking about this actually. We are both huge fans of live music and live sports, so the itinerary will definitely include a Country music concert at Dos Equis Pavilion and then either a Cowboys or FC Dallas game. We’d stay at the Ritz Carlton and grab dinner at STK. We’d spend a lot of time sitting at the bar and chatting up new and interesting people and drinking champagne.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Books. I would shout out books. They contain the wisdom of the world and are accessible to practically everyone. Some of the books I recommend the most and that have impacted me (and my clients) the most are The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment (Michael Singer), Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill), Codependent No More (Melody Beattie), The Audacity to Be Queen (Gina Devee) and anything by Rhonda Byrne.

Instagram: @therachelburch

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovebefore100

Other: Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/Lovebefore100

Image Credits
Wendy Yalom and Lea Prokopowicz