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Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? How to Step Off the Hot Mess Express Once and For All with Rachel Henry

Would you rather A) be exceptional – like REALLY awesome – at just a few things or B) do #ALLTHETHINGS, but not very well? In this episode, Rachel Henry and I go deep on what it takes to focus on what matters most.

 

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Episode 24 features an interview with one of my favorite people that was recorded back in February when life looked a little bit different.

But – despite the differences, get ready to take in some impeccably timeless advice from Rachel Henry. She pulls back the curtain and dives deep into exactly how she does life, work and balance with a fulfilling career, family life and full schedule.

Meet Rachel Henry

Rachel Smith Henry is a wife, mom and full-time Tiger at Louisiana State University.

After graduating from LSU in 2006, Rachel jumped at the opportunity to continue to server her alma mater in a professional capacity and currently serves as the Director of Event Management & Marketing for LSU Auxiliary Services – that includes things like LSU Student Union, and go-to student services like the LSU Tiger Card, LSU Dining, Barnes & Noble at LSU, and so much more. Driven by her passion for creating welcoming and inclusive spaces on the LSU campus, Rachel successfully advocated for an Interfaith Prayer & Meditation Room and top-quality Lactation spaces in the LSU Student Union.

Additionally Rachel serves as the President of the LSU Staff Senate, Advisor to the LSU Ambassadors, and facilitator of the LSU Positive Lunch Hour, an hour each month that staff gather to spend time in God’s word while encouraging one another personally and professionally. Through each of these roles, Rachel takes advantage of every opportunity to invest in the personal and professional growth and development of LSU Staff and students. But wait – there’s more. In addition to her job and various leadership roles, she’s also a graduate student in the Leadership and Human Resource Development program.

Although Rachel is a proud tiger, her favorite rule is as wife to Chris, a budget analyst with the Fiscal Division of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and mom to Lily and Harrison. When she isn’t pretending to understand sports at Harrison’s many games or attempting to keep up with Lily on her journey to earn ALL the Girl Scout badges, Rachel recharges her batteries through running, baking, reading or rewatching Parks & Rec for the 20th time. – Rachel and I are both HUGE Parks & Rec fans, so be warned that there are many Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson references to come. Rachel admits that she is a recovering hustle-culture addict and balances the responsibilities of work and life through intentional planning, realistic goal-setting, firm boundaries, prayer and sense of humor.

In a nutshell – Rachel is inspiring, amazing, caring, driven, motivating, an example, model, mentor and y’all – she’s just the best.  I met Rachel for the first time back in the summer of 1999 on a trip to San Francisco and L.A. with the Louisiana Delegation of the Future Business Leaders of America. Eventually, Rachel and I went on to serve together as State officers – she was president, and i was a VP, for the Louisiana Future business Leaders, and she was or is? My big sis in our sorority. She also basically planned my wedding and was one of my bridesmaids…  So – you could say that we go way back.

In today’s conversation with Rachel, she shares

• The importance of saying yes, but to the right things

• How her family wins mornings, even though exactly 0 out of 4 of them are actual morning people

• She reveals the one thing she and her husband do every week to divide and conquer and set their whole family up for success despite very full schedules and demanding jobs

• And – the gut wrenching moment she realized she needed to walk away from what she thought was her “dream life” and say goodbye to that 24/7 hustle til you drop culture once and for all.

Sure – when this episode goes live, we might be staying at home, but the tactical tips that Rachel shares – that she puts into practice in her own life – are too good to not share with y’all right now. You never know what kind of takeaway you’ll hear that is exactly what you need right now. Timing is such a funny thing, isn’t it?

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LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Trello – the project management tool that Rachel and Anna swear by

• The “buckets” aka plastic drawer storage that Rachel uses to organize her kiddos’s school clothes to make mornings 1000% easier.

• Join the It’s About Time Podcast Community!