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If you are lucky, a few times in your life you will cross paths with someone who has real wisdom. These people have the ability to cut through clutter and point out things you hadn’t noticed, so you walk away from the conversation seeing things in a new way. My friend Rachel is one of these people.

I first met Rachel Cole when she was awarded a fellowship to Taste3, an amazing food and wine conference held in the Napa Valley that I was lucky enough to help organize. Rachel was full of energy and ideas and excited to be there. She was also in the process of finishing up a Masters degree in Holistic Health Education and already working in the world of sustainable food.

Fast-forward five years and Rachel is a certified life coach. She’s taken her educational background and her life experience and folded it into a career that taps her talents and enables her to help people. Because I have a fascination with people who are pursuing their passions and building lives that suit them, I wanted to share a little of Rachel with you.

Some of you may remember Rachel. I’ve written about her before—about her morning breakfast ritual, and her book The Porridge Manifesto. In the past two years Rachel has built a business for herself and channeled her skills into meaningful work—and she’s using them to help other people craft their own fulfilling lives. I find that really inspiring, and I thought you might too.

The other thing that deeply inspires me about Rachel is that she’s struggled with and ultimately overcome an eating disorder. She has walked a very rough path, and puts all that hard-earned wisdom and compassion to good use. Through her work she helps women create well-fed lives for themselves—fed with joy, connection, community, laughter, love. I recently had a chance to talk with Rachel about how she helps people find what they are truly hungry for.

When we first met you were working with food. How did you become a life coach?

I took a coaching class in grad school and enjoyed it, but I filed it away for when I became a sweet old lady. I was already working in the sustainable food world and it didn’t make sense to do a career change. But in the work I was doing, I was always wondering and asking people what they are really hungry for. What are their passions?

Then it just became time. I was laid off unexpectedly, and even though I was shocked and crying, I heard a little voice that said Thank you. I had already been studying for my coaching certification and planning to out on my own eventually. It was sooner than I planned, but this is what I was put here to do.

There was definitely a learning curve—I had to learn how to use QuickBooks and figure out how many clients I needed, but it’s just one thing at a time and it becomes easier as you go along.

I seriously feel like we are here to serve and to deliver some form of medicine. This is what I do, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What would you tell people who want to pursue their passion but might be scared?

You have to believe that it’s possible. My clients always ask if I believe in them—and I tell them that I do but that’s not the most important part. They have to believe.

For those clients who are trying to leave their jobs and go out on their own, it helps to build a bridge—to build up savings. Maybe you do the work on weekends to start, then transition to full time. You can take things one step at a time.

What does your work as a life coach look like?

I have a shifting roster of clients I see in person or on the phone. We have two sessions a month of an hour each time. We work on forward motion towards a fulfilling life—and that is different for each person. What does that looks like for you, and what are the beliefs that are getting in the way? When it’s a good fit, magic happens.

I also do one-off sessions—a ninety-minute kickstart of perspective and wisdom. And I write on my website and share my worldview. If people resonate with my writing, they’re probably a good fit for coaching.

Why do you feel called to do this work?

Women are starving—literally and metaphorically. I can see it on a really big scale. We’ve been brainwashed into feeling our hungers are not trustworthy, that they have to be fed in private. So we seek to fill ourselves up with other things—money, food, shopping, drugs, sex. I talk to so many people who feel so alone and have so much shame. I think our job this lifetime is to be the fullest expression of who we are. I want to help people achieve that.

What is the most rewarding part of what you do?

I can clearly see the lives that are better because I’m doing this work—and there’s nothing better than that. I wish everyone could have that feeling.

It’s also incredibly rewarding to see that the darkest, most painful parts of my life, which spanned many years, have been turned into gold. And I don’t mean financial gold. They’ve been turned into medicine, into healing for other people.

What would you tell people who want to move forward in their life, but who are scared?

I’d tell them the good stuff is on the other side. That there’s no point in waiting and denying. There are so many people who are feeling dead inside. Most of my clients are scared, but they also feel called.

I’d also tell them to be patient and go slow. Maybe open that box a little at a time. Do it with someone who makes you feel safe. Find someone who has gone before you. You’re not imprisoned indefinitely.

In the spirit of Rachel, today I’m thinking of what it is that I’m truly hungry for. Here are some of mine: more time outdoors, home/stability, adventure (always), love (from myself and from others), dancing and frilly skirts, intimacy, to swim in warm waters, to acknowledge that my desires have worth.

How about you?

If you want to hear more, check out Rachel’s website.

You also have the chance to experience Rachel in person. She’s currently doing a series of workshops she calls Retreatshops. You can see the schedule below, with links to learn more. I’ll be at the Seattle event next month, excited to be inspired and guided by Rachel’s wisdom, insight, and humor.

San Francisco: March 24
Seattle: April 7
Chicago: April 14
Minneapolis: April 15
Los Angeles: April 21
Tassajara workshop: June 4-7

**All images courtesy of Rachel Cole

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