WE ALL GET KNOCKED DOWN IN LIFE, BIZ, FAMILY AND HEALTH! The key is to GET BACK UP AGAIN AND AGAIN! In Episode 54 of the Shining Brightly Podcast Show, I am joined by Rachel Rose, who had a near fatal snowboard accident where she sustained brain injuries. She has be putting her life back together in a transformative way. Come her this pending author, motivational EDX speaker and positive intelligence coach share her story of resilience and hope.

Mentioned Resources – 

• Website: https://rachelroselive.com/
• Journey Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_yYj78-OU
• Blueprint: https://rachelroselive.com/blueprint/ (free give away)
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Rachel555

About the guest – 

Rachel Rose is a Keynote Speaker, Mental Fitness Consultant and Positive Intelligence Coach® guiding individual clients, teams and organizations through NEUROSCIENCE based coaching, impacting performance, mental health and wellness, and relationships. After her infectious positivity led her to become a motivational TEDx Speaker and soon to be Best Selling Author with 2 books due out this December 2023. Rachel grew up in Detroit, studied art and fashion in NY, before moving to Chicago becoming VP of both a finance company and a Health & Wellness company. No stranger to life transformation, overcoming a near-fatal snowboarding accident, only elevated her passion and mission to impact, empower and inspire hope in others, taking their self, health and life to the next level through Positive Intelligence Coaching and her 5 steps to Radical Resiliency. Rachel shows you by her example how meeting challenges and setbacks offers you the priceless gifts of Knowledge, Power and Purpose to become your most powerful and authentic SELF! 

About the Host:

Howard Brown is a best-selling author, award-winning international speaker, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, interfaith peacemaker, and a two-time stage IV cancer survivor. He is also a sought-after speaker and consultant for corporate businesses, nonprofits, congregations, and community groups. Howard has co-founded two social networks that were the first to connect religious communities around the world. He is a nationally known patient advocate and “cancer whisperer” to many families. Howard, his wife Lisa, and daughter Emily currently reside in Michigan, and his happy place is on the basketball court.

Website: Http://www.shiningbrightly.com

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Hello, it's Howard Brown. It's the Shining Brightly

Show. Oh, I got a good one. today. We're heading into fall.

There's a lot going on in this world. But you know what? You

have to bring people on that just lift you up. And today, my

guest is Rachel rose. Rachel, how are you? I'm amazing. Thank

you for having me. I'm so thrilled from sunny California.

We need the sunshine more than ever. And oh, wait, do you hear

Rachel's story? Oh, my God, you will not believe it. So I'm

going to tell you a little bit about her. And she is Rachel

Rose is a keynote speaker, mental fitness consultant and a

positive intelligent coach guiding individual clients,

teams and organisations through neuroscience based coaching that

impact performance, mental health, wellness and

relationships. As she said before in the green room, it's

all about the mindset. So her infectious positivity led her to

become a motivational TEDx speaker. She has a book coming

out. We're going to chat about that. Coming out this December

hopefully, if timing works, right. And Rachel grew up in the

burbs of Detroit, Michigan, where I am here sitting at right

now. So I'm at the home girl, and I'm here I'm back back here

in the in the hood. And she's studied art and in the fashion

business. And then we're going to take her through her journey

of moving to from Detroit to New York to Chicago to LA. And then

we've got a big Gotcha. Okay, she had a near fatal

snowboarding accident. And oh, my God, did she have to overcome

so much? And this is what this show is about. It's about

overcoming and inspiration and motivation. And we're gonna get

into that as well. And I consider us both Humpty Dumpty.

Were both a work in progress. Right? We're trying to put them

back together again, we have so much, you know, we're aligned

that way. Right? Right. And so she will actually offer some

five steps towards radical resiliency. And she'll show you

how meeting challenges head on and all these setbacks, okay.

are really gifts to be able to power through and be calm and

find your purpose and become your authentic self. Rachel, I

am just so happy. We met a while ago. And we have a shared

friend. Let's shout out Maggie cook. Right? What's up Maggie

And she's amazing. And I just want you to share with the group

something that they might not know about. Yeah. If you're

willing to share.

Oh, well, probably that I box. You box like you got

oh, look that she's got a bag a heavy bag.

Oh, you're a toughy don't mess with Rachel.

She's got she's boxing. So that's how you keep fit. And

that's part of your workout. Oh, you're

And from the time I was 11, I just felt like I

needed to be somewhere else. My father invited me on a trip to

New York. And the second we landed before we got off the

plane. I looked at him and I said, I'm gonna live here one

day, I it was so crazy. It was like I landed and I felt like I

was home. And I did 18 years later, not even 10 years after

that. So good memories from Motown.

So let's, let's dig in a little deeper. So

fitting in, in the in the suburbs of Detroit. So just talk

to talk a little bit about that, because that's part of how you

know what shaped you and and wanted you to go to New York and

pursue fashion and all that sort of stuff. So talk about that a

little bit.

Yeah, just my dad ran one of the hottest fashion

stores in downtown Birmingham. And so I think that was my

invitation to fashion. I had a lot of art around me, my aunt

was at Cranbrook and my parents were artistic musically and, and

in the art world, but I just I always I just felt like I didn't

belong I wanted I wanted to be more of an individual and I

think I felt extreme pressure to fit in. More so than being able

to be who I wanted to be in every way, you know, by you

know, the way that I was raised and just living in the suburbs

of Detroit and and once I got to New York and everybody was kind

of had their blinders on and they were sort of in their own

lane and not really focused on what everybody else was doing

and I just I connected With that I connected with just like being

me in this big, amazing place of everyone doing different things

and just individual and crazy. And it just felt less judgement

and it felt like home.

Yeah, so you start to find yourself, and really

where your true happiness was coming from was art in fashion

in New York. And it's a big city that, you know, a lot of people,

that's a challenging city, but you embraced it. And it just,

it's sort of you grew, you grew from being in New York,

no question, no question. You know, and even in

Detroit, find, like finding those places in those outlets,

like going to, you know, eight mile and I went to centre for

Creative Studies for a minute down in Detroit way before they

were rebuilding it. I mean, a security guard would, you know,

pick us up at our car and walk us to the front door covered

with barbed wire? So, you know, so it just, it was a more direct

route, I think once I got to the, to the big city in New

York.

Right. And so then you're single, I imagine

enjoying everything New York is giving to you, right? And what

are some of the cool things that you remember about New York?

New York was just it was it around every corner?

Something else amazing. I went, I went to fashion school, I

lived in Spanish Harlem, you know, love taking the subway

asked her asked her Barber was like a really big thing back

then, where people were shaving their heads and punk rock and

alternative music. And I mean, so many things were happening

then that they're, they're not even around, but they set the

stage. And then I was a costume designer for a high school and

the night we were doing Play It Again, Sam, I walked out of my

apartment to take the train to rockville centre. And who was

standing on the street. Woody Allen. And he literally I mean,

we lit he walked me all the way to the train. I said we're

literally doing played against them tonight. So that was

amazing. And I served hot chicken wings to Brian Gumbel.

And I showed David Spade his first apartment in Jersey City

before he was famous. And I and my apartment was getting broken

into and I was waiting tables and I got to be really good

friends with the guardian angels and crazy crazy, like another

lifetime, but definitely a capsule in time. That was

amazing. And, and a lot of things grew out of that.

You came out of your shell, right? Yeah, you

really grew.

I you know what, whatever came, I was waiting

tables. I was going to fashion school. I was doing art shows

and making paintings for people. And it just it was there.

Whatever was happening. I did it. I just wanted to take

advantage of all of it. I actually yeah.

And so Okay, now. Now I think then you're going

next is Chicago. And this is sort of that's the mom phase,

would you call it? You got married and had kids? Right?

Yeah, but not initially, initially, it was 10

years in New York. And I felt like my art and fashion couldn't

support my art and fashion came out to California that might

have been when you were here, Howard. And it just it was so

much of an extreme after being in New York. It didn't resonate

back then. And my dad invited me to Chicago, he had moved there.

And I went to go stay with him. And I loved it. It felt like you

know enough of a city but with the with the Midwest, and I

loved it. And then and then my high fashion background was not

connecting with the Midwest. And so I finally landed the line of

speedo, if you know Speedo swim trunks. And then I said this is

not fashion anymore. And I actually found a job in

financing and that that was a whole nother experience amazing.

I did all the restaurants bars and nightclubs in Chicago and

was was grateful earn earn ended up running the office and

becoming a VP and with my art and fashion background, so don't

let anyone tell you what you're capable of. And that was

amazing. And that was a whole nother a whole nother chapter

and then in that job was Len I met the Cisco rep when I was

financing all the restaurants, he was selling all the food. And

that was where, you know, that was the next chapter of being a

mom.

Okay, and so you end up having three kids, right?

Three kids. I was the breadwinner. So I wasn't I

wasn't a stay at home mom, but I was a mom and ran the fashion

company. And then yeah, I mean, they're my greatest gifts. Of

course.

That's it's amazing. All right. So now this

is, this is the tough part. So this is really where you

actually had a near fatal snowboarding accident. So step

us through kind of what happened and kind of, you know, as much

as you can want to share, because I know they get the book

coming out. But share with us a little bit about that tragic

moment here that you faced.

So I became a single mom, and decided I was

going to learn how to snowboard and medicine aboard boyfriend

and went snowboarding for five days, was in good conditions in

Chicago. So actually went to Boyne. And it was a sheet of

ice, and I'm very stubborn. And at the end of the long weekend,

I fell 500 times but I had a helmet on. And I came back to

Chicago to mom and running the finance company. And one day I

got downtown and didn't know how I was there. How I ended up down

there. And only so my mom would feel better. Did I grab my

youngest get a CAT scan? And the doctor came out within 45

seconds and said, Do you have someone that can pick your son

up, please find him a ride home, kiss him goodbye. You're

bleeding front to back. And we need your will. And we have an

ambulance downstairs to take you in the trunk to the trauma

centre. But this looks like it's going to be fatal.

So you had suffered some type of concussion

and brain bleeding.

, it was a subdural hematoma was a traumatic brain

injury. And it was you know what Bob Saget and Natasha

Richardson. And if you saw the movie concussion, all the 12

Pittsburgh Steelers, so

most people don't survive. And so I'm so grateful. But I knew I

wasn't done when he told me that. But it wasn't for a few

days later, that I was still in ICU and, and, you know, realised

that I was still alive and still and still present. And that was

when the doctors wanted to follow the protocol, like in the

movie. And the outcome in concussion of all the players

was they all had committed suicide. And when I wasn't

amenable, they sort of let me go and say, and said, we can't help

you. And I found an angel, more holistic neurologist, about six

months later, maybe a little bit less. And he he got me back

where I needed to be and,

and got me strong, and we made a goal and and then I made a goal

to do a TED talk. And we as I was relearning everything I hear

I am and when we interviewed, that when we were being

interviewed, they asked how is it that we were able to you

know, have this outcome and he said it was 100% mindset. So

that was that was incredible to me because I know a positive

outlook is always going to get us a more positive outcome but I

wasn't expecting it to impact health as much as it as it as it

did.

So you had to work hard to kind of get your short

and long term memory back get your stamina back, you know, get

your mental and emotional well being as well as your physical

well being back right. How long did that how long did that take?

Wow, it's I would say it's an ongoing process. I know you you

understand and can relate. But initially it was about 18

months. Okay to get back to you know, I I have videos of people

teaching me how to use a calendar and the computer and

but

I was I was blessed to find this to be connected to

this. My angel Dr. And really helped me and continue a

continues to every time there's a new

Do something to try. He puts it out there. And definitely, you

know, moving again, was a big part of, of the growth in the

process.

So this time you decided to do the healing in the

warm weather in LA.

Yeah, it wasn't about the healing and the warm

weather. I mean, definitely the sunshine, it was more, I always

sort of thought I'd end up here again. But it was more something

I did for the time it for my son, sometimes we do things for

our kids that we wouldn't necessarily do for ourselves.

And he was feeling the same way I did growing up in the north

shore of Chicago, when I left Detroit, he was feeling like he

needed to kind of get out there and, and be who he needed to be.

So that was why we initially came out here, everybody was

against it, except for my neurologist. And what will could

benefit everybody is that when you put yourself another reason

to get uncomfortable, when you put yourself in uncomfortable

position situations, and you do things that you're not used to

doing, you actually, you actually gain more

neurotransmitters and you can increase your your brain

activity to another level by just even eating something

different for breakfast, going a different way to work sleeping

on the opposite side of the bed. So he said he was the only

person that could have told me not to go. And he said you need

to go because you're going to get as close to 99% as you can,

by putting yourself in this situation. And he was it was he

was right.

Right. So now you're basically you know, as

you said, it's kind of starting over. Right? You're getting a

chance, I always call it, you know, putting Humpty Dumpty back

together again, version two or three Oh, now for me. So you're

now you know, out there. So you you set a goal to actually tell

your story on the TEDx stage? Correct.

That was the original plan. That wasn't the

ultimate talk. But that was the original play on Yes.

Congratulations, though, it's still a beautiful accomplishment

as well. And tell me about a little bit, you're excited,

you're almost coming down the finish line of having to be a

published author and have a book coming out, right? Yes, yes,

it's taken a couple years of, you know, getting getting over

everything mentally, physically, emotionally. And this was a big

project. And I'm super excited because I, I finally feel like I

have the clarity to go forward and really make an impact and

hopefully show others what's possible and, and give them

hope, whatever situation or circumstance they're going

through, so that, you know, you have to get to the other side,

right to be able to see had the hindsight and let your hindsight

be someone else's foresight and hopefully, inspiration to keep

going and not give up. That's why That's why the snowboard

with the Big B is so always in in my in my vision somewhere so

that I can be reminded of the blessings and the lessons.

Absolutely the blessings for sure. And so now you've gone

through a little bit of a training and so mental fitness

consultant, Positive Intelligence coach, tell my

audience what that involves. That was amazing. It was

something that I was gifted. And it I took it on thinking of

anything positive is good, right? And it came from, from

Stanford, so no one's gonna say no to that. And I went through

some more set additional obstacles over the past eight

months. And that's when it came into my life. And it was so

profoundly impactful. And it kind of followed the same steps

and supported my radical resilience programme. And it's

about tapping in to the positive side of your brain, and actually

being able to see gifts and opportunities and possibilities

from any set of circumstances. We, we all have a judge, right?

And a negative voice inside of us that's, you know, driving us,

and it's amazing. You can actually train your brain to see

come from the right side, with positivity, even enough that it

would show up on an MRI, and so many gifts and possibilities

come out of every single situation.

That and circumstance that we're going through. And it's training

your your brain to be able to see the gifts and an

opportunity.

Well, you help help people now to do that from

personal lived experience, I do too. So I do say that, you know,

we all get knocked down in life and in family and in business,

and for you and I in health, and you, you have to appreciate that

darkness and learn from it, but you can't stay there too long.

And you have to get back up again, you have to get back up

again. And you and I are, are perfect examples of getting back

up again, and trying to rebuild, and to put put things back

together again, and and it can be done, it can be done. And for

many people, it's it's very, very difficult. But you and I

are living examples of doing that so well. And so it's just

truly a tribute that to be able to do that you've overcome a lot

and you are an inspiration. And it's truly, truly amazing. So

what we're going to do now, okay, is we actually are doing

the shining, brightly spotlight, so you are glowing like crazy. I

need sunglasses here. And I want people to, you know, know how to

get a hold of you. And then I'd love for you to share some final

comments with the audience.

Thank you, yes, I would love to be in touch with

all of you. And I have a blueprint to share that Howard,

I'll give you right at wit to reclaim your power and your

positivity and see all the possibilities. And so the

website is Rachel Rose live.com. And we can book a call, call

with Rachael rose.com. And I would love to uncover the gifts

that lie on whatever on the other side of whatever you're

going through. And I think something that I would love

everybody to consider is that and Howard, you're a testament

to this as well, is that health is not just what we feed our

Oh, it's it's really, really important.

Because, you know, what we've learned is that, that we've

body, it's what we feed our mind. It's what we say to

learned actually, that we can be a givers. And that, you know, we

were helped individually in our own circumstances, I'm so

ourselves. And it's for sure the people we surround ourselves

grateful to you know, that our caregivers and the people that

offered a prayer or helped us out. And now it's a way to take

with. So I'm grateful for you, Howard, and thank you for

what we went through and to share with others, and to

provide some hope, some inspiration

letting me share.

that they can actually get get their lives back as well. And

we've both proven that and truly amazing, truly amazing. I can't

wait for your book. I'm so excited. You're still working on

the title, right? You're trying to figure out

Yeah, the radical resilience or the the price of

perfection, but definitely not not a big book and easy to read,

and hopefully an opportunity to apply the lessons and the

blessings in to your own life. And, and again, you know, with

the inspiration of just positive mindset and, and hope that if we

can do it, so can you

absolutely and make sure that you're you're

checking out Rachel because she is a motivational speaker. And

she will come while your your group and be able to, to help so

many. And it's really just such a pleasure here. So I want to

thank you all. For me, you reach me at shining brightly.com and

everything you need to know about hiring me as a

motivational speaker, or a workshop or a panellist or an

emcee. Also, my podcast is on there as well as the shining

brightly book, and it's doing really well. And so please

contact me. And the world is just in a crazy spot right now.

But hopefully, this podcast between Rachel and we brought a

little sunshine to you. And we really appreciate you all and

thank you again, Rachel for sharing your story, just a

tidbit of it. And hopefully people will reach out to you and

we'll make a difference together.

I love it. Thank you, Howard.

Thank you. And so just remember, if you shine

brightly just a little bit each day for yourself, for others in

our communities, the world will be better place. Thanks for

listening. keep shining