Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel-Jean Firchau.
Rachel-Jean, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I lived on Oahu for the first 17 years of my life. Growing up, I spent most of my childhood fascinated by performing arts, and by the dream of moving to a big city someday and being ‘somebody.’ When I was a kid, I thought that the only path for me was to ‘make it’ as a model or an actress. So, I did everything it took. I danced for ten+ years, I took acting classes, I had a modeling agent, I went to high school to study the performing arts, I even had a brief stint doing pageants.
When I moved to LA, I came to the somewhat painful realization that I may not be the most cut out for that lifestyle or profession (not tall enough, not skinny enough, too stubborn to take criticism well, yadda, yadda…). Not really knowing what else to do with my life, I studied international business during my first semester of college and feeling so stressed out and unfocused. A few months in, I decided to pivot completely and apply for a PR/Film major, knowing very little about the film or PR, mind you. In order to make such a drastic pivot, my university required proof that I had the chops (or at least a sincere interest) to write and work with media.
Coincidentally, it was around this time that social media and blogging was in its infancy, and I found my way into it by taking on free internships in social media in order to prove to my university that I wanted the gig. Serendipitously, I ended up falling in LOVE with blogging, email marketing, and social media so much, that I actually spent five years after that working in content marketing for a handful of men’s and women’s fashion brands! It wasn’t until the fifth year of doing that and writing for other brands, that I realized that I could do it for myself too. In some ways, I think I was meant to be doing exactly this, sort of as a way of proving to my younger self that just because I wasn’t going to be an actress in Hollywood, doesn’t mean I couldn’t rewrite my narrative. I still get to work with cameras, make art, and be creative every day!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I first started my blog, I made the mistake of writing the exact same way I would write for the SEO-focused eCommerce companies I was working for. Think ‘5 Ways to Wear a Sweater’ and ’16 Reasons To Re-Organize Your Closet.’ Sure, maybe not bad article ideas, but they felt SO inauthentic and stale because I made them for the wrong reasons, although I didn’t know it at the time. I was writing for SEO and what I thought would bring in traffic, but I was just cranking out content with no substance to add to what was already out there on the web. I wasn’t writing about ME, or what I knew. Within a few months, I had grown sick of every single post I’d published, and by the end of the year, I’d deleted my content entirely and un-published my website on WordPress. Literally trashed EVERY last blog post to my name. It took over a year after this mishap before I finally logged back in to try again. In those 13+ months, I thought long and hard about what my voice was, apart from the brands I worked for, apart from what Google told me would ‘work.’ It took me trying and failing and waiting a LONG LONG time before I feel like I could finally try it again with fresh eyes.
I think the beauty of where we’re at today is that, with the internet and this new desire for online community, if you decide that you want to do something, you can find the resources and the support to do so, pretty much instantly. There’s really no excuse NOT to pursue a dream anymore, because you can find steps A-Z with just a quick Google search. My best advice is to learn as much as you can, but above that, to just go for whatever it is you want, even if you fail the first time. You might succeed the second time, or you might discover something entirely new and change your path completely. I was listening to a podcast interview with Brian Chesky (CEO of Airbnb) earlier who described this perfectly by saying that you’ll never know how great your C can be if you don’t first try and fail at A and B. Stop waiting, make an action plan, and move forward (even if it’s micro-nano-itsy-bitsy baby steps!).
We’d love to hear more about Rachel Off Duty.
My brand and blog, Rachel Off Duty, is all about two key things:
1. Encouraging women to curate a lifestyle they are in love with, and
2. Inspiring women to get out explore the globe, even if you work a 9-to-5
The concept for it was born out of my own personal love of travel, my desire for discovering my purpose, and honestly, my stubbornness and impatience for creating a lifestyle that best suits my interests right here, right now. We all hear the mindset – work hard when you’re young so you can retire early and travel the world. Well, I’d rather work for decades doing something I enjoy and see the world as I go, and I know there are other women out there who think just like me. And this way of thinking? It’s not an easy one. I balance a full-time job on top of this blog, and managing my vacation days, navigating my workload, and even negotiating things as silly as deciding between traveling with someone or traveling alone can be incredibly daunting. I write to share stories and tips for on-the-go (and aspiring on-the-go) women to get out and enjoy their lives without compromising their hustle.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Books –
Extreme You: Step Up, Stand Out, Kick-Ass, Repeat (Sarah Robb O’Hagan)
How to Make Sh*t Happen (Sean Whalen)
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (Sheryl Sandberg)
Podcasts –
Problogger
How I Built This
Startup
The Influencer Podcast
Side Hustle School
Revisionist History
Other –
I keep my entire world, career, social life, and relationship alive exclusively via Google Keep and Google Calendar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.racheloffduty.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/racheloffduty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelOffDuty/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelJeanF
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/racheloffduty_/
Image Credit:
Jacob Sigala
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
