She Did What?! Rachel Pearson, Founder of Engage
This is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks and self evaluations and reflections of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.
My good friend Rachel is one of the most motivated people I know. She started ENGAGE, a non-profit that promotes the economic security of all American women and highlights bipartisan, commonsense solutions to the issues we face. But just like everyone else, she has overcome hurdles, setbacks and self doubt along the way. She reflects on the inspiration behind Engage.
In having a front row seat to the work of Members of Congress and senior legislative staff on both sides of the aisle, I – like everyone else – was beyond frustrated about the dysfunction in Washington. However, I knew bipartisan, commonsense solutions were being worked on. The problem was no one knew about them, and this frustrated me even more.
As I talked to women outside DC through Engage, I found they were just as upset. Not only did they see gridlock and inefficiency in Washington, but they were also largely unaware of the good bipartisan work that Members and staff were doing on their behalf. I was incredibly worried about the loss of confidence in this country’s ability to address challenges.
In reflecting about starting Engage, I thought to myself – does the world need another non-profit, and if so, would the mission resonate with American women? And what unique gifts would I bring to it that would set it apart from organizations that already existed? I also had to examine whether I had enough confidence – in myself and in what I felt was so deeply needed – to take the risk and put myself out there.
I truly believed – and still believe – that in order to effect change, political conversations about honest, bipartisan work aimed at making women’s lives better needed to be celebrated and discussed beyond the bounds of DC. I believe my unique ability to build consensus allows me to thread this needle and create the platform for it to happen. After all, movements do not start in Washington.
Rachel’s ability to self-reflect is so important for her and all of us in our own lives. This comes up throughout her story. Self-reflection is so difficult, but is vital, especially when starting your own organization. I also appreciate her honesty in asking herself what unique value she is bringing into this space. Instead of recreating the wheel, she looks for her niche and how her unique skills and abilities can contribute to improving her community. On how she stays focused on her main guiding principles she says:
My north star is that my belief in Engage and its mission is far greater than my fear of failure. And this is the first time in my life that I have felt that so clearly. My guiding principle is to try to stay rooted in the positive about what can be accomplished rather than resting in the fear.
Honestly, I still wake up every morning and take stock. I am very self-critical, so I’m really in the business of constantly reminding myself that I am, in fact, making progress and accepting that progress isn’t linear. I have plenty of really tough days. But overall, my progress is trending upward, and that’s what I strive to focus on.
It’s great to see Rachel acknowledge that fear is part of the process. We see this come up time and again on the She Did What?! Platform. So many women, when making a big change or taking a risk, have to face their fear and acknowledge that the passion and belief in what you are doing is bigger than the fear. It can be one of the hardest parts of our individual journeys.
On facing her fears, Rachel has found that one way to stay motivated is to focus on your strengths and accomplishments:
I pride myself in my ability and willingness to be humbled by how much I truly don’t know. I am lucky enough to be constantly surrounded by really talented people who I believe are smarter than I am. I am always seeking them out. These relationships have allowed me to learn and grow, and constantly challenging myself by what I don’t know only serves to make me better.
How I have grown has changed through experience – there is no substitute for experience. It’s just math in some ways. More years means more perspective and (hopefully) more growth. I stay motivated by how little time I have. There is so much I want to do and see, and so many ways I want to grow and be better, but I know I won’t have time to do it all. So, I wake up every day feeling pressed to tackle as much as I can.
Even with all her accomplishments and knowledge, Rachel still says there is so much she doesn’t know. It is easy to get overconfident. Staying humble helps us be more successful and helps us grow.
Oftentimes on this platform we hear stories of women who are leaving their jobs to create their own business or organization. This can be a challenging calculation to make and everyone comes at it from a different direction so I asked Rachel to give some advice for people looking to strike out on their own. She says,
Well, to put it bluntly, can you afford it? It can be a pricey change! Ha!
But in all seriousness, I think people looking to make these changes need to put themselves through their paces and do an analysis of their chances for success. Do you know how to make it happen, and do you have the network to allow it to happen? And if you do, you have to be prepared to go to the ends of the earth to succeed.
Thank you Rachel for your candid responses and time-tested advice. We have so much we can learn from your personal and professional story and we can’t wait to see what you do next. In pivotal moments, how do you self-reflect and self motivate so you have confidence in yourself and your choices? Tell us in the comments below!
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