Given Rachel’s extensive production experience around the world, Glyph Tech knew a fitting partner when it saw one. Producing some of the fastest, most rugged hard drives on the market, Glyph is known for keeping your memories safe, so Rachel was delighted to partner with them and share in the power of memory-making (and storing memories along the way).
2022 Year in Review
From Rachel: Cheers to the close of a successful 2022! As another year comes to an end, I realize I haven’t done a very good job of either reflecting on milestones or sharing adventures on here lately. But in the end, it feels rewarding to look back on a year and say, “PHEW,” and also “thanks”—to both community and life itself—for all the adventures experienced & lessons learned.
Below are the 2022 accomplishments of which I’m particularly proud. This year, I:
— Produced all the main stage programming & anthem video content for YouTube's EduCon conference in NYC
— Completed assignments as filmmaker & photographer in places like Mongolia & Belize
— Wrote and published 10-20 articles for clients such as Afar Media covering destinations like Maldives, Oman, Spain, Vietnam, Puerto Rico & Germany
— Completed 30+ media hits as an on-air travel expert for news outlets across the country
— Coached 10 new consulting clients on topics including public speaking, brand-building & TV production
— Engaged in numerous public speaking engagements both IRL and virtually
— Became a published author via the Wanderess book
— Crafted KOL content for brand clients spanning the worlds of travel, fashion & lifestyle
— Connected with fellow storytellers as a podcast and blog guest
— Volunteered for the second year as a Board Member for Ecology in Classrooms & Outdoors (ECO)
— Completed another year as a USA for UNHCR Refugee Champion
— Led monthly financial education sessions for women professionals for a fourth year
— Traveled Italy, Netherlands, CA, UT & PacNW (including baby’s 1st camping trip, complete with cave hike!)
— Snowshoed, hiked & traipsed outdoors for nearly 1500 miles
— And did all of that while raising a new baby / learning how to become a parent.
What a joyful, expansive year it has been. I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store.
Thanks to each of you for sharing in the journey!
Rachel Mentors "Inside Hollywood" Students
As with every year since 2013, Rachel sat down with Miami University’s “Inside Hollywood” program, and provided insights into her career in storytelling. A mentor to the program since its inception, Rachel has consistently played a notable role in this immersive, three-week program known for granting students access to Hollywood’s sound stages, producers, celebrities, and more. Read on for one of the group’s fun experiences in 2023:
a chat with James Cordon at The Late Late Show
Rachel Pens Colorado Guide for AFAR & Visit Colorado
To make the most of winter vacation, AFAR Magazine asked Rachel to write a weeklong guide to exploring beautiful Colorado in the wintertime. Complete with skiing, museums, sleigh rides, and great eats, this itinerary is not to be missed.
A Weeklong Outdoor Adventure in Colorado’s Winter Wonderlands
Rachel Hosts National Media Tour
This week, Rachel enjoyed heading to Atlanta to record nearly *30* back-to-back media interviews for #NationalPlanForVacationDay, which graced TV screens and news segments across the U.S.
If you’re ready to plan your next vacation, here’s one of the segments Rachel recorded in partnership with Allianz, Discover Puerto Rico, OtterBox & Motel 6.
Rachel's Short Film Featured by UN Refugee Agency
👩⚕️ Doctors.
👨💼 Lawyers.
👩🚀 Astronauts.
👨🏫 Leaders.
Refugees and displaced people overcome unimaginable circumstances to reach their goals.
Check out a few of these inspiring stories in USA for UNHCR's story map--including the story Rachel produced about her new Syrian friends in the Pacific Northwest.
Rachel Travels Mongolia to Photograph Golden Eagle Festival
After daydreaming about traveling Mongolia for years, Rachel was thrilled to travel Mongolia on assignment for travel company Elsewhere. For this project, Rachel was tasked with documenting the Golden Eagle Festival—made famous by the film The Eagle Huntress—as well as sharing Mongolia’s other travel offerings, such as national parks known for mountaintop temples and wild horses, and a fashion-forward capital city filled with opportunity.
Check out some of Rachel’s coverage below:
Rachel Produces EduCon for YouTube
This summer, Rachel signed on with creative agency MAS to produce YouTube’s EduCon conference, an event that brings together hundreds of top-tier creators, storytellers, and technical minds from around the world to share content, conversation, and inspiration. In her role as Content Producer, Rachel produced and oversaw all of the content for the NYC event, spanning everything from the opening “anthem” video to the main stage keynote speeches (including one from Neil deGrasse Tyson!), and the interstitial videos to the breakout room panels.
Producing videos, coaching speakers, crafting copy, managing talent relations, overseeing the live run-of-show, and more, Rachel knocked it out of the park alongside her teammates from MAS, YouTube, and Google.
Rachel Discusses How to Get Your Own TV Show with The Professional Hobo
After both women spoke at Women’s Travel Fest in 2022, Rachel and “The Professional Hobo” Nora Dunn felt like kindred spirits. After swapping a few laughs and tales of adventure, Nora asked Rachel to join her for a proper conversation over a podcast record. With Nora’s blog notes reading things like “Practical, Profound, and Just Plain Funny. (Also, hot.)”, Rachel’s cheekily pleased to share this one. Give a listen:
How to Get Your Own TV Show, with Rachel Rudwall, Rachel Roams
Rachel Writes Puerto Rico Feature for AFAR
In celebration of San Juan’s 500th anniversary, AFAR Magazine tapped Rachel to write an article celebrating five centuries of history and culture in Puerto Rico’s capital city. Read the adventure- and culture-filled article:
How to Explore 500 Years of History and Culture in Old San Juan
Rachel Helps You Explore Alabama in This Piece for AFAR Magazine
Always a fan of traveling warm-weather destinations, Rachel was glad AFAR Magazine tapped her to dive into the American South while writing this 5-day itinerary about Gulf Shores, Alabama:
Travel Differently in Alabama’s Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
Rachel Speaks at Womens Travel Fest 2022
Rachel loved joining the Women’s Travel Fest speakers’ roster again this year to lead her fan-favorite workshop “On-Camera Hosting: How to Look Like a Pro But Still Feel Like You,” which teaches women how to look and feel their best when public speaking, shooting video content for their social channels, or building out their professional on-camera hosting path.
Rachel Publishes 4-Part Germany Series on AFAR
This fall, AFAR Magazine decided to compile a series of articles on Germany’s top cities to visit, and they tapped Rachel to write pieces on the rich and adventure-filled destinations of Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, and Bremen. To learn more about each of these cities, check out Rachel’s articles below!
Rachel Produces Short Film for U.N.
As a Refugee Champion for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Rachel consistently works to uplift the stories of refugees through her writing, social media content, and now a short film, which she produced for USA for UNHCR. Following the stories of Syrian refugees Alaa and Lujein and their two daughters, Rachel profiles a day-in-the-life of this remarkable and resilient family. Follow the link below to watch the short film and learn more:
Refugee family finds hope through resettlement and pandemic
Rachel Named UNHCR "Refugee Champion"
For all her work supporting the U.N. Refugee Agency, Rachel has been named a Refugee Champion. In the words of the team at USA for UNHCR:
Rachel… Thank you so much for continuing to share about and stand with all of us here at USA for UNHCR — we have lovingly begun referring to you as a USA for UNHCR Refugee Champion, a title you should wear very proudly, because we could not help nearly as many people as we do during times of crisis like this without your amazing support!
To learn more about how you can uplift and support refugees, please visit USA for UNHCR.
Rachel Profiles Ireland for AFAR
Rachel’s a big fan of all things Emerald Isle, so when AFAR asked Rachel to write an article on “slow adventure” in Ireland, she immediately said, “Yes!” Read below for Rachel’s guide:
Get to Know a Different Ireland
Rachel Hosts World Refugee Day Livestream for UNHCR
In celebration of World Refugee Day, Rachel hosted an Instagram Live conversation on behalf of the UN Refugee Agency, chatting with the powerful and insightful Chantale Zuzi.
Watch the Livestream Conversation here
Chantale is 20 years old, and originates from the Democratic of Congo. One of 10 children—and the oldest girl—Chantale was forced to flee the DRC at age 13 when her parents were massacred. After spending years in refugee camps in Uganda and Kenya, Chantale immigrated to the U.S. three years ago.
Now living in Massachusetts, Chantale is a motivational speaker and an advocate for human rights. She previously worked as a senior fellow with RefuSHE, as well as a mentor to refugee girls both in her former safe house in Kenya and to others resettled worldwide.
Chantale enjoys writing, telling stories, and spending time with her family in her spare time. While she has overcome a life full of loss and hardship, these forces have forged her path as a young woman determined to forge a future in service to others.
Rachel Speaks at Women's Travel Fest
For the third time, Rachel has joined the ranks of explorers from the around the world to speak at Women’s Travel Fest in NYC. This year, she spoke about staying safe while traveling alongside fellow panelists Tracey Breeden, Vice President, Head of Safety & Social Advocacy at Match Group, and Stephanie Zito, seasoned world traveler and humanitarian change-maker.
Rachel also led her crowd-favorite workshop “On-Camera Hosting: How to Look Like a Pro But Still Feel Like You,” teaching women how to look and feel their best when public speaking, shooting video content for their social channels, or building out their professional on-camera hosting path.
End of Year Recap: 2019
To cap off another year of adventure, Rachel made a video just for you, sharing her favorite experiences from the road. Keep an eye out for previously unseen footage from Finland, Norway, New Zealand, Thailand, and Western Europe—her favorite five destinations of 2019! Click through for the video. >>
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Rachel Attends TEDWomen
Last week, Rachel was honored to attend TEDWomen, a TED Talks conference known for shining a light on the bold, brilliant, change-making work of womxn and their allies around the world. Read on for details…
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