Bonus: Consistency Is the Name of the Game Featuring Robert Hartwell

I feel calmer, I feel less rushed, I feel more abundant, I feel less stressed, I mean, there is nothing better. Please don’t think that movement is just for losing weight or just for skinny white women in yoga pants. I have to tell you, please don’t let them take movement, right? Movement is for everybody in every kind of body.

You want to make more money? You are in the right place. Welcome to the Hello Seven Podcast, that’s seven as in seven figures. I'm your host, Rachel Rodgers. On this show, it’s all about you and your money. We talk about how to maximize your earning potential, how to make better financial decisions, and how to find your million-dollar idea, that genius business idea that’s going to make you a whole lot more money. I’m here to show you how to expand your income and expand your confidence, power, and joy.

If you are a woman, a person of color, a queer person, if you’re a person living with a disability, or you don’t fit the stereotypical image of what a millionaire is “supposed” to look like, this show is for you. No matter who you are or what you do for a living, you could be earning a lot more than you currently do. Your journey to wealth starts right here. 

Robert: Okay, for those of you that don’t know, I’m Robert Hartwell, I’m Rachel Rodger’s best friend. And I am here today on the Hello Seven podcast because I have a question, okay? And I have a question for you, Rachel, because I have been a long time subscriber, cheerleader, supporter, rallying the podcast. And then I keep going back to Spotify and I’m like, “Yo son, where is the podcast at? Where’s the podcast?”

And so I like to do my research so I went back and I looked and I was like, “Friend, it’s been since June 2021 that the people have been blessed with an episode.” So I’m just here to start off today with a little honesty box. What happened? What happened? Where did we go?

Rachel: Listen, don’t be coming for me. You supposed to be my best friend. You supposed to have my back, okay? It’s so funny.

Robert: I’m just curious. I’m curious in these streets.

Rachel: Listen, it’s hard out here, okay? A woman is booped and busy, all right?

Robert: Yeah.

Rachel: So listen, it’s so funny because Robert actually recently visited me and we stopped by my interior designer’s office and when we stopped by she was like, “When is the podcast coming back?” And I was like, “You too?” When people in your real life start harassing you for your podcast  you know you’ve been gone for a minute.

So first, let me just start off with an apology. I’m sorry y’all, it’s been a lot these last nine months, a lot has gone on. A lot of identity shifts happening. However, I think really what happened is I just burnt myself out. I launched a book and we really started promoting the book and doing all the marketing. Like the minute I was done writing and editing I was like right into marketing.

And so we started, I want to say, when was it, October 2020? And so all the way through June 2021, and I mean beyond that too. So many podcast episodes that I did for other people’s podcasts. I mean I was on like 60 different people’s podcast, tons of press. And so I just wore myself all the way out. I did not pace myself.

You know how you just have a vision and a dream? And I just felt like this book deserved my highest and best attention and effort to get it into as many hands as possible. So I went so hard and I mean, we even recorded, like I created the We Should All Be Millionaires Course, I created the Growth Scale Course.

I did all this stuff in that same timeframe in addition to launching this book. And so by the time June came and the sun was shining and the beach was calling I was like, “Bye y’all, I’m done. I done wore myself out.”

Robert: Correct, yeah.

Rachel: Leave me alone.

Robert: Yeah, but here’s the thing, can I say first off, let’s just give all of the flowers, all of the roses okay, no carnations, y’all don’t be coming up in here with your carnations, okay? But send the good flowers, let’s give you your good flowers right now.

Because what I love is that there is not a day that goes by that I don’t see on your social another group of women, another group on underrepresented people that we haven’t seen truly represented in books, and really represented in, I would also say just community of building each other up. And I love that so many people are rallying behind this book still.

So I want to know, what do you think is the magic?

Rachel: You know, I think the magic in writing a good book is just being your raw honest self. I think people respond to truth. And I think when you are your raw honest self, you’re sharing your human experience and what you’ve experienced, what you’ve learned along the way, any wisdom that you’ve gathered that you have to share.

And I think when you’re doing that in your own voice, you know, like I’m speaking in that book the way that I talk to you, Robert. You know what I mean? I’m speaking the way that I talk. And I will drop stats in our best friend conversations along with kiki-ing, and laughing, and dropping too many F bombs, and everything else.

Robert: Correct.

Rachel: So all of that is in this book and I think that's what, and I also think, honestly, you know, it's honestly sad but I think we just hear from so few Black voices in this way with written books. I think there's some stat about how like, 80 to 90%, 90% I think, of all books are written by white people, literally, of all books. So it's like, it doesn't matter how many Black books you see, you know, there's always like a little table at the bookstore that has all the Black books on it. You know what I mean?

It's like, no matter how many Black books you see, let me tell, you as a whole there are so few. And so I think it’s just so refreshing to see ourselves reflected. It’s the same reason why I absolutely loved Insecure. And I literally would cry at episodes because feeling seen, it's like, oh my God, I feel like my life experience is being reflected back to me and validating that, and that's so rare. And I think that's part of the magic of the book as well.

Robert: I want to go back for one moment, because I know that there are people listening right now that are birthing something right now, right? Like it has been nine months and you are no stranger to motherhood, okay, let's give it up for all of your beautiful children, okay?

Rachel: All of them. All of the many of them.

Robert: Okay y’all, she got 50 million kids, okay? No, but they are lovely and they truly are like my little nieces and nephews and I love them. But what I want to know is what happened over the last nine months? How did you begin to recover? Because as a friend watching you, Susan, and I just kept thinking, “Oh, okay, she's back.”

But it was like, no, when you burn yourself out, when you go so hard on that dream, and that dream happens, and you hit the bestseller list, and you do numbers that you didn't even know you could do. And here they are still happening. What happens when like two weeks after resting, you're like, “Oh shit, I'm still tired.” What did you learn in that healing process?

Rachel: That's so real and I think that's the reality is we think like, you know, because you have to realize, I think, to be honest, that the book launch and that burnout was just sort of a culmination of 11 years of working really hard, you know? And it's not like I never rested along the way. I take pretty good care of myself, I go on vacations, I work out, I eat really healthy.

And still, like I'm taking care of a lot of kids, I'm managing a business, I'm creating, which is also a lot of output. And so I just think it was kind of like once I allowed myself to really stop and be like, “Okay, I'm not doing nothing, like everybody go away.”

Robert: Correct.

Rachel: And I think the other thing that happened is I bought a beach house. And once that happened, I think what I realized is once you reach whatever your current dream is, and all of our dreams are valid and important, and they matter. But I think when you reach those dreams, you realize, like reaching this dream is exciting and important, and it's validating, right?

And at the same time what's also true is that there's nothing I love more than just sitting on the couch with my loved ones. You know what I mean? And so it's almost kind of like getting that dream almost brings you back to, actually, all I want to do is spend every weekend at the beach house receiving guests. You know, like having family and friends visiting every weekend, laying on the beach.

Literally, I don't know what it is about the beach, but you go out there, you set up your umbrella, you get laid out, you got your music, you got your snacks and like literally you just don't move for six hours.

Robert: I'm so sorry, you just said something that was highly offensive to me. You just said, “I don't know what it is about the beach house.” Bitch, have you seen that beach house? Okay, I know what is up at that house, okay? I have been there. First off, it's gorgeous, right? There is nothing, like I remember the first time we went and just driving onto the property and just seeing, oh my god I could cry right now, just seeing the level of relaxation on your neighbor's faces.

Rachel: Nobody is doing nothing.

Robert: No, they look at complete ease, right? They really look at ease.

Rachel: Yes.

Robert: And you just said something a few minutes ago that hit me, because just real talk, a few weeks ago I was going through a really hard moment. And I went back to a podcast episode of Hello Seven, and it is the episode of you saying, “Friend, have you really done everything that you can do? Are you really telling me right now you've really stretched as far as you can go on this goal?” And you got me together so quickly.

And what you said just a minute ago was the idea of, yo, this was 11 years, right? And so I know that something that I used to think when I was starting out as an entrepreneur was shouldn't this be happening faster, right? And in other communities, you know, other communities that I've been a part of I've seen, oh my goodness, people think, “Oh, I should be having Rachel level success right now, but I started my business six months ago, two years ago, three years ago.”

Can we take a moment right now, and just what would you say to someone right now that is feeling weary on the course? Because these last two years have felt like five years and so I think we want to see an acceleration of results. But the reality is the road is the road.

Rachel: Mm-hmm, exactly. And honestly, the road is beautiful, right? Because if it takes a while, what happens is you gain a lot of experience. And so that experience is where so much confidence comes from and it's a really beautiful thing. So I feel like sometimes we just hate the journey and we just want to speed it up.

And I know that feeling, I've been there. Now that I'm on this side of the journey, I'm very, very grateful for all the days and nights that I was willing to keep going, and keep sticking with it, and show up the next day and put one foot in front of another. So I think consistency is the name of the game.

And I'm not saying you can't accelerate it. I don't want it to take 11 years for everybody else, right? I want it to go faster. But what makes it go faster are two main things. One is belief, do you believe that this is going to happen? And if you don't, what are you going to do about that? Are you going to get some therapy? Are you going to do some life coaching? Are you going to get yourself in a community of people who are believers so that you can shift your thinking?

Because believing is key. If you don't believe, you're not going to put in the work and the level of effort that is often required in order to achieve your dream. So I think we won't go all in if we don't believe, so I think belief is important.

But then the second thing that's super important is consistency. Are you going to keep showing up? And for how long? And when it gets annoying, and to me when people are like, “I am pissed that I'm not there yet,” because I can relate to that feeling, trust me, you on the cusp. You about to be there. Like when you are mad, okay, that's how you know it's coming, when you are pissed about the fact that you ain't already there. Okay?

Robert: Ooh, shout right now saints. Shout right now, okay. You mad? That's a great place to be, okay?

Rachel: Listen. And you know what my pastor used to say, he used to say, “Don't get mad, get even.” That's what he used to say. He would preach that from the pulpit. Listen, don't be jealous of what other people are out here doing because you ain't in the game. Get in the game and get even, match their effort, right? And see if you can get those same results for yourself.

And I promise you, you can. But you got to be willing to show up. Even past the point where it's annoying, even past the point where you're irritated that you haven't achieved, like why aren’t y'all paying attention? I'm sharing some goodness over here. You ain't paying attention, right? A lot of people discovered me in the last two years, and I've been at this for 11 years, right?

Robert: Come on.

Rachel: So there's always more, there's always more to unfold if you will stick with it, if you will be consistent. You will see those results, right? They will manifest and they'll get bigger and better and even more exciting. And what you also have to do is celebrate along the way. And that's really what I did.

I bought my beach house, that was like your new how Susan, Susan Hyatt is our good friend and she talks about pre-capping. You know, like writing a letter to yourself before the thing happens to say, here's all that happened and here's how I celebrated. Well, my pre-capping was buying an expensive piece of real estate. That’s how I pre-capped.

So I bought my beach house in April, right, and the book came out literally like two or three weeks later after I bought the beach house. But it was almost kind of like I achieved a high level of success and therefore I increased my level of self-care significantly, and increased my level of peace and rest. And that's what the beach house really was.

And look, can we normalize that? Because I think we need more of that. Like I need to change a scenery on the weekends. I already know, listen, I'm looking at my schedule. What is it March right now? It's going to be April, May soon. I know as soon as that weather starts getting warm here in North Carolina, I told my assistant, Bethany, I was like, “Don't schedule me nothing on Thursdays because you know on Thursday afternoons I'm going to be out and I ain’t coming back until Sunday night.”

Robert: Bye BB.

Rachel: Exactly. I already know I ain’t working, you know what I mean? Like I'm going to need a break. So I think it's important that when we ask more of ourselves, and I think putting a book out into the world and marketing it heavily is, you know, you're asking more of yourself. And then you also need to increase your self-care to support that new level of output that you're putting out in the world. It's so important.

So that's basically what I was doing. And I was, you know, buying the beach house, resting, but also buying art, and investing in other people's businesses. Like just discovering these other parts of myself outside of just the identity of business owner and author, right? And so that was nice, too.

Robert: I’ve got to say, it's been so inspiring watching you protect your space more and really upping your boundaries, right? Like you have become such a protector of your space and of your time. But I think also, what's been beautiful, is seeing how that has translated to even more trust in your incredible team at Hello Seven.

So I would love to know, what is something that you're proud of your team? Like what have they been up to?

Rachel: Yes, I'm so proud of my team. Because really, you know, I not only was not doing a ton of outward facing stuff in terms of creating lots of content, you know, I took a hiatus from this podcast. But I also have been out of the day to day of Hello Seven. Not since last June, but I would say like, you know, it started sort of in September, we started phasing me out.

And then in January really was the first time that I really was like, don't come to these meetings, get out of Slack, right? I had like one meeting a week, that's all I do. I get a CEO report that tells me what's going on in the business and I talk to my COO. And that's what was really exciting, is that we built a leadership team.

And so we've always had leaders on the team, but not enough of them. And so we expanded the leadership team, we now have an HR director, we've got a great marketing director, we have our new COO. Which is Britney Martin, who has been by my side running this business for the last four years. And so she was promoted to COO and now Britney is running things, right?

And, you know, there are places that I'm involved that are really specific and targeted, that make the most sense for my talent, and skills, and how I can best contribute to the business. And there's a lot of things that happen in that business that I have no idea what's going on. I find out on Fridays when I see the CEO report. I'm like, “Oh, that's what happened? Ooh, that's dope.” So it's really exciting.

Robert: It's just I know that there are so many people that are probably listening right now and they're like, “How in the world do you get to that place?” Right?

Rachel: Yeah.

Robert: And I want to tell y’all there is no secret formula other than what Rachel said, consistency.

Rachel: That’s right.

Robert: Like having been in your life for six years, watching you grow as a mother, and a wife, and a friend, and a business owner, it has just been such a beautiful journey to watch. Because I think so many people think just like, poof, and then it hits. No, it is the practice of consistently showing up and then one day, it just starts to shift. And when that shift happens, that's when that snowball just starts going.

I just, I can't tell you enough, I'm just so proud of you. And I'd love to ask, what is a million-dollar decision that you have made recently?

Rachel: Ooh, I love this question. Gosh, I make so many that it's hard to keep track.

Robert: You’re like, “Do you see this wallpaper?”

Rachel: I mean, exactly. So, million-dollar decision, I think I'll say it in two ways. I think I've been very intentional about what spaces I find myself in. So really curating my space at home and in my office. And that includes adding artwork to it so that I'm seeing beautiful things and I'm just seeing depictions of Black people and Black art in my space that is very inspiring, reading books that inspire me. So that's been really important.

And then also another part of that is like going on vacations. I feel like I have been obsessed with being on vacation since last June. I basically have gone on 8,000 vacations basically with you, Robert, and like also with my family, where I've just been on this like perpetual sort of semi-vacation at all times.

Robert: We work. We work.

Rachel: Listen, we do work, but we also go on long weekend trips and we make sure, like I'm making sure that I'm seeing my good friends more often. I'm taking that fabulous vacation with my family for Christmas, even though it's expensive during that time. I don't care, I want to go and I want my family to go, so we're doing it, and bringing my niece along with us so we can do that. Like all of those things.

And like at the top of the year, my most exciting thing was getting on the phone with my sister and getting all the people coordinated and being like, “Here's the dates that we're going away,” you know, where we're all talking schedules and we're mapping out all the vacations and all the time we're going to spend together. Because at the end of the day, that's what it's about. It's about these relationships.

And I think that's what people will regret, is not spending more time with their loved ones, not having those experiences. I mean, this is what the last 11 years of hard work was for. So I'm going to enjoy every second of it. So I think my million-dollar decision is really about curating my space.

I don't think we realize how much our physical environment impacts how we feel every day, what we think is possible for ourselves, whether or not we're inspired. As entrepreneurs we're creators, we need to maintain a certain level of inspiration. So I think I've allowed myself to spend more time and put more effort into making that happen.

Robert: I've definitely seen that. And when you think of curating spaces, I think of three things right now that really resonate around your life. And they would be art, they would be your equestrian passions with the horses, and then also travel. And now that you are in this new season, you're going into spaces that sometimes you are the first, right?

Rachel: Mm-hmm.

Robert: You are going into spaces, like I think of that art, you know, that big bidding war you got into with all of those incredible art pieces that you just acquired, right? And the people that you were, no, but they're Black artists, but the people that you're bidding against are not Black, right? They are not people of color. And then the artists are like, “Whoa, Rachael Rodgers, a Black self-made multimillionaire, that's where it gets to go? Not just stockpiled in some European’s art collection.”

Which there's no problem with that, but like, my god, that our faces get to be reflected in our spaces. So I'd love to know, as someone who, and you know what? I got to take it one step further. The first time that I came to the beach house, the private community, the first time that we went into the country club together, there is nothing but white families everywhere. And because I know you as intimately as I do, I saw this like protective mother, like it turned on real quick, you know?

But there was, I could cry again, there was this strength that you had of walking into this space with your beautiful Black husband, your gorgeous Black children, your Black gay best friend, and we just walked into that space. That's the first time that space has seen that. That's the first time.

Rachel: Oh yes.

Robert: You know, you going to go buy all of those those horses, that's the first time that that's happened with a lot of those folks. So what would you say, as a person who literally came from zero money and are now living in this space? So many of us feel, do I deserve to be there? What would you say to that person?

Rachel: I say we deserve nice things. We deserve waterfront real estate, we deserve sunshine, we deserve beautiful art. Right? I think, you know, any space on Earth, right, any public space, why shouldn't we be able to enjoy it or buy real estate there or whatever it is?

So, I mean, and honestly I feel like I have experienced this since I was a kid because I am biracial, there are members of my family who are white. And I remember going to their house, and me and my sister were the only black people there. My father would sometimes go, often he wouldn't. And I feel like even growing up I had experiences where I was the only, often.

And so I've just decided that I'm not going to cut myself off from certain spaces. And I'm willing to be the first so that none of us will be the only, right? I'll be the first. And when people see me, like they come to check out real estate in this beautiful waterfront beach town, and they see another black family with black children, they'll be like, “You know what? Okay, we can buy here.” Then they'll join, right? And so then there will be more and more of us, right.

And so I think we just have to be willing, if we want to, to be taking up spaces. And I also understand the opposite of saying, I only want to be in spaces with Black people right now. It's a lot, it can be a lot. Yeah, and sometimes you need a break from it. And trust us, we need breaks from it sometimes.

But for me, I don't know, I guess I just almost feel like it's become my calling in life to bridge that gap, right? And to say, like, “All right, I'll walk across first.” And be like, you know what? I'm creating some space for us here. And I will talk to people, and the thing is I want you to know that I don't go in these spaces and be a wallflower. I don't go in these spaces and be different. I am my loud, Black, demanding ass self in these same spaces.

Robert: Wait, you’re demanding?  I've never seen you make a demand. Wait, what? Wait, what’s happening?

Rachel: Listen, I did not allow racism to take place in my presence without commenting on it and speaking to the person who did it. You know what I mean?

Robert: Right.

Rachel: Like, I will address it, I will go there in these spaces where I'm the only and I have no problem with that. And it is a lot of output. And there are times where I'm just like, “Why I always got to fight? Why can't I just go and enjoy myself?” And you know what? I don't know, it's just part of what I'm doing, it's part of my work to create a better world for my children. And so I am going to fight because my children are going to inherit this space and they won't have to do that fight, I would have already done it. You know what I mean?

So that's sort of my intention there. And I don't know, that's just my lot in life and I'm okay with it. I'm also very blessed. You know what I mean? So I'm okay with that output that is required sometimes.

Robert: Speaking of output, being the recipient of an output of love from you on a daily, weekly, literally all the time basis, it has shown me truly like what success is and why we want to be successful, right? And when you talk about bridging the gap, and crossing that bridge so that the next person doesn't have to be the first, that you will have already done the work for them. I'm here to let everyone listening know that this woman practices what she preaches.

Every time, Rachel, that you get somewhere, you are the first person to turn around and to say, “Hey, Robert, this is the strategy that got to this point. This is the person, this is…”  You know? And it's like I have seen my friends that are finding the most success in life are gracious with their information, and gracious with their time, and gracious with their connections. And it is such a gift and I just want to say thank you.

And I want to ask you, who was that person for you? Or was there a person, a head that said, “Hey, here's some tea.”

Rachel: Well, there's so many people, right? Like, there's so many that I could think of. I mean, for me, my sort of mentor in my head is this person right here. This is Madam C.J. Walker. A friend of mine had it illustrated, Alexandra Franzen, she's so sweet because it's like my favorite picture. But it's Madam C.J. Walker in her nice whip with her friends. Like, where was Instagram, okay? Because she was ready, okay.

Robert: She was ready.

Rachel: She was like, listen, I'm stunning in my fur with my girls, you need to capture this, okay? Capture this moment. But I mean she’s doing it at a time, like right now, right now, and especially now when I feel like we can talk about racism and we can talk about the Black experience so freely. We used to only have these conversations when white people weren’t present right?

Like only among Black people in the comfort of our homes or whatever would we be having these honest conversations that we are now having on a national stage. We are not holding our tongues as a collective anymore. We are calling it like we see it. And I think that is so, that creates so much freedom, right? Like you don't have to hide what you know to be true anymore.

So I think of Madam C.J. Walker as somebody who absolutely opened doors and I think of people like Arlan Hamilton, who's creating so much funding available for Black women founders. And there were a lot of, frankly, there were white women and white men that opened doors for me as well, right? Some that I later called out for doing some really shady stuff, right? So like, they both opened the door, but they also slammed it when I got too big. You know what I mean?

So, but I think there are a lot of folks out there who are doing things like Luvvie Ajayi, and Bozoma Saint John, and Issa Rae, like there's so many people that you see out there doing big things and just showing Black excellence and going from YouTube to HBO, that you now are like, “Oh, that pathway is available to me? Oh, I could do that.” You know what I mean?

Robert: Yes, yes you can. Yes, oh I love that.

Rachel: It’s so important.

Robert: So I have another question, so we're talking about the million-dollar decisions, okay, Amen. I want to know, has there have been a broke ass decision lately?

Rachel: Yes. Yes, always, right? We always make broke ass decisions. And I think it kind of starts with belief, like every now and then I also get into scarcity. It's so funny because I read this interesting study that was talking about like no matter how much money you have, so I just want y’all to know, I think we think that once people have a certain level of financial security, they never ever have to worry about money again.

And there's a lot of shit you don't have to worry about. I've been poor so I know the difference. And yes, I prefer this, okay? Let's be crystal clear. However, it doesn't mean that you never worry about money anymore. And so it's interesting, it's just shifts, right?

So I think what we do is we spend a lot of our time worried about making money, making it, getting to that place of financial security, paying debt, feeling like we don't have to stress to pay our bills, that kind of thing. Having some money to enjoy life, enjoy life's pleasures.

And then on the other side of that, you worry about losing it, right? So, you know, no matter what your net worth is, they did this study in, I can't remember the magazine, I'll have to find the stat. But it was basically saying that if you have a net worth of a million dollars, you prefer it to be 2 million. And if you have a net worth of 10 million, you prefer it to be 20 million. And if you have a net worth of 100 million, you just wish it was 200 million.

It's like they surveyed all of these millionaires at all these different levels and they were like, “Well, if I just had double what I have now, I'd feel really secure.” And it's like the truth is you won’t, right? There's always that fear that oh, all of this hard work over years of time, I'm going to lose it all. So I think that that fear can sometimes cause you to make bad decisions.

And so one of the things I've been doing is diversifying, right? Investing in real estate, investing in startups, investing in art, investing in the stock market. And one of the investments I was going to make recently, I think, is from that place of scarcity where I'm like, “Well, I feel like I should make this investment because I need to get as much money into real estate as possible. I need to like really diversify, and blah, blah, blah.”

And so I was going to invest in this thing that sounded great. But as the deal kept going, it's like there was like a little yellow flag waving. Now, there's another one. You know? And it's like there are just all these flags planted along the path. And it wasn't until I got pretty far down the path where I've spent, and also I want you to understand, in order to do deals at a really high level, you have to spend money just to explore the opportunity to do the deal.

Robert: Oh, say that again right now. Whoa, whoa, yo saints, yo saints, pick your wig up off the floor, okay? Say that one more time for the people in the front row and in the back row, okay, and sitting underneath the pew. Okay, can you just bring that down one more time?

Rachel: Listen, if you want to be doing big deals, you are going to be having to spend some money just to explore the opportunity of the deal, right? Like there's so many that has to be put down before certain people will even have a conversation with you, right?

Robert: Sacrifice.

Rachel: And that money is not refundable, okay? So that is what this looks like at certain levels when you are exploring different investments that you want to make that are great opportunities, right? Some are not, right? And it's about identifying which is which. And so yes, some money has been sacrificed. Not an amount I can't afford to lose, right?

But I did sacrifice some money, and ignored those yellow flags along the way until they became a red flag. And then I was like, “Yeah, no, I'm done. I'm pulling out.” But of course, I had continued to spend, you know, sums of money that were not insignificant in order to explore that deal.

And so I think just like fine tuning that voice that when I see that yellow flag and just recognizing there's another deal where that came from, I don't have to hold so tightly to this deal. There's other opportunities, there's lots of ways to make money. If this deal ain’t it, that's fine. Let's take this money and put it into something else.

And so I think it's just about abundance, but it's about a new level of abundance, right? Recognizing there's always another deal. I had this happen even with press opportunities, right? And now my publicist wants to kill me on a regular basis. God bless her.

Robert: I was hoping you were going to talk about this because you know what I'm thinking about.

Rachel: She's so damn patient, dear Lord. But, yes, but there's so many press opportunities that come up. Sometimes like incredible opportunities where my publicist is like, “You want to turn this down? Hold on, say that again, you want to turn this down? Is that what you're saying to me?”

And I'm just like, “Listen, if it's not the right time, then yes, I want to turn it down. And I believe this will come back around. Or if not this, another opportunity will come. This platform, this big media outlet, there will be another opportunity with them in the future. I don't have to take everything when it comes.” You know what I mean? I could be like, “Now's not the right time,” and let it pass me by.

And I think I can be such an opportunist, to be honest, and that's sort of how I taught myself to be an opportunist as a kid. Literally, I remember doing this as a kid, like always looking for an opportunity to get ahead, to make money, to whatever, like move forward, and get educational opportunities. And I would try to take advantage of all of them. And there comes a point where like, now there's a flood.

And that's kind of what's happened on the other side of the book. And so you have to just be more selective and it's okay to say no, and it's okay to let a great opportunity pass you by. That deal might be something that two, three years from now I look back, and I'm like, “Oh, I would have made a lot of money.” And that's okay, I'm okay with leaving that particular money on the table. You know what I mean?

Robert: Oh, I'm so sorry, friend, to go back for two seconds. But no, no, no, because I'm really hoping somebody gets helped today. Because you were just talking about your book deal. And a moment just before that you were talking about the idea of us needing to invest in opportunities to meet the right people that can help shepherd whatever it is, right?

Rachel: Yes.

Robert: And I remember a few years ago you called me and you said, “Yo, there is this event where we are going to get the opportunity to sit at a table with other people that are writing books, other people that are brokering deals right now.”

Rachel: I actually forgot about that, Robert. I forgot I went to that event.

Robert: Yes, and I'm not going to lie, that amount of money at that moment in my journey, it shook me, right?

Rachel: Yeah.

Robert: I wish shooketh. But I knew you being at that table, something was going to happen, right? And because you invested, you met the people that you met, you end up writing the book. And your exact words just a minute ago, were like on the other side of the book, all of these opportunities.

But on the other side, there was sacrifice, right? There was obedience of like there is an opportunity ahead of me that is going to require a deposit of faith in myself, of faith of the good, good work that I can put out into this earth. But it's going to require more than me just believing in me, there's a deposit that's required. And I see it all over your life.

Rachel: Listen, yes, a deposit of faith. I love that. And that's exactly right. Like I went to that event, it was 15 grand, and trust me, I was shook. And I was like, okay. And I had like half of it, but I didn't have all of it in cash at the moment to spend. And so what I did was, I booked a VIP day with a coaching client and I raised my price to 15K and booked a client. And that client paid like half at the moment.

So that enabled me to pay for my event, then I got the other half on the other side of it. And so it's just like there's always a way. If you want to make it happen, there is a way and that's where like that consistency, that belief, it comes in so handy because what it creates is that commitment and then you're like, this is happening by hook or by crook. So I'm all in and I'm going to find a way. You know? That's the energy you got to bring.

Robert: Right, right. So as we are bringing back the Hello Seven podcast, hey, hey, hey, I want to know, what can listeners expect to hear? Because, you know I'm going to be on Spotify waiting for the drops.

Rachel: Yes, yes. Well, I'm very excited. We're going to have solo shows like we've had in the past where you're going to get a pep talk and, you know, a little tough love, little love punch from me. So there will be that, I will be bringing on various team members from Hello Seven to have different conversations.

Like I'm excited to have a conversation with my COO Brittany about why meetings suck and what can we do about it? Like how do we fix it in our businesses? How do we maximize our time as a team? And, you know, Keisha, our program director is going to come on and we're going to coach some of our clients right here on the podcast.

And, of course, you're also going to have interviews with entrepreneurs that are making millions and having a lot of success and really unpacking their success. So all the same things that you used to enjoy, coming back fresher and just from a different perspective. Because I don't know if y'all heard this, Robert has heard me say this now about 11,000 times in the last 60 days.

I'm 40 now, so now I have a different perspective on things.

Robert: Oh my God. Oh my God.

Rachel: That’s what else happened in the last nine months, is I've turned 40. So now I’m just older and wiser, y'all. I'm like officially an elder.

Robert: Y’all, she's literally officially like intolerable. It is truly an entire other level. Y'all need to send me flowers and cookies, okay? She's on a whole new level of fabulous and we all just better catch up.

Okay, so quickie round. Quickie round, quickie round, here we go. I want to know what is bringing you joy right now?

Rachel: What's bringing me joy right now? Art. I mean, I know I've said it a million times, but I'm obsessed with art. And I mean, wait till y'all see what I just purchased recently. I haven't shared this yet, but I cannot wait till I'm allowed to share it. It's about to be in a big show in the Middle East, but this Black artist, I have been… Like, you know what it is? It's like you have to sit and wait, I know this was supposed to be quick, I'm sorry.

But you got to sit and wait. Like you got to find the artists that you love and then you got to sit and wait for them to have a show. And then when they have a show, you got to be quick. Like you got to figure out who's their agent, who's representing them, you got to get on the gallery's list, you got to make contact with that agent before the show. Because otherwise you ain't going to be on the pre-order list.

And if you're not on the pre-order list, listen, by the time the world sees that piece, it’s gone, it’s sold, okay? Red dot, it’s sold. So it's a whole strategy, like I'm telling you, it's a whole strategy finding the art that you love. And so I'm so excited about this piece that I just purchased from an amazing Black woman artist, who is not very public.

She will not talk to you. She going to share her pieces, and she’s going to be like, “Go away.” So I'm so excited about this piece landing in my home, and I'm trying to decide where I'm going to put it. But I literally want my home to be like a museum and I want it to inspire everybody who comes in and I want everybody to be just blessed and surrounded by incredible Black art.

Robert: Oh my god, I think there's also an episode in what I've learned collecting art.

Rachel: Yes.

Robert: Because there's a word, like there's a word right there. There is some juicy bits to unpack.

Rachel: It's true. I'm telling you, it's a whole fascinating business. And there's a lot for us to learn, I agree.

Robert: What has moving your body in such a beautiful way this year done for your mind?

Rachel: Oh my god, I have to say there is like no better thing to do. In January I did this Peloton challenge where I worked out every single day. And then I was just like, “I'm just going to continue because this is absolutely amazing.” I love it. I've discovered all these different ways I love to work out and my brain is clear. I feel calmer. I feel less rushed. I feel more abundant. I feel less stressed. I mean, there is nothing better.

Please don't think that movement is just for losing weight or just for skinny white women in yoga pants. I have to tell you, please don't let them take movement, right? Movement is for everybody in every kind of body, right? There is so much benefit to find a way to move. And sometimes movement can also be like meditations as well, which I've been doing those too.

I absolutely love it, so I'm obsessed. And if you follow me on Instagram, you know you see my sweaty selfies all the time. Sorry, y’all. Sorry if it annoys you, but it's not going to stop.

Robert: No, it’s here. No, it's so funny, so my friend Nikki, who you know, Nikki Kimbrough, she always says, “Rob, I got to tell you, when I see Rachel in the gym in the morning,” you know, Nikki trains Olympians, right?

Rachel: Yes.

Robert: And like your posts are inspiring in an Olympic trainer. So keep up. You know what I mean? Like just let that sink in. And y’all, that, gym that you see, that is in her home. Y’all, listen, okay? All right, so I was talking to Dallin, who's our Director of Operations, and I said, “Hey, Dallin, I'm sitting down and getting the opportunity to talk to Rachel, what is something that you would ask her?” And it shook me, and I go, oh, so this is what I would love to close with.

You have answered the call of so many huge universal assignments. So many have happened, so many have come to beautiful fruition. But truly, what is next for Rachael Rodgers?

Rachel: I love that question. You know, I ask myself that same question sometimes. But what I actually find that I'm doing is kind of saying less, do less things, but do the things that I do better, right? So what's next for me is committing to this podcast on a different level, I think is really important. Like I feel like I've always had times where I've gotten busy and couldn't commit the way that I really want and need to, but the response that I see from it, I'm like, “Oh no, I got to show up better.” So committing to that.

And then the other thing that I'm working on that I think I've shared in a lot of different settings is I'm working on a possible TV show. So that's a big thing that I'm working on that I'm very excited about. And then I'm also in the process of writing book number two. So lots of things, but that's enough, right? Like that is enough.

Robert: Right. So here's the thing, I know that you have got to run to a flight because you have a big event that you're going to get prepared for. But I just want to close with this, and I hope that everyone listening hears this and knows that I'm speaking to you as well. Somebody is watching. Somebody is watching and somebody needs you.

And you have been that person for me. You have been that person for the Hello Seven community. You have been that person for every single person who felt like giving up that has picked up a copy of We Should All Be Millionaires. And the person that I think truly excites me the most that you've been that person for is your daughter, Riley.

And the last time that I was at your house a few weeks ago, I just watched her watch you. And I thought to myself, that's why we do what we do.

Rachel: Correct.

Robert: And so I reached out to Riley this morning.

Rachel: Oh my God.

Robert: And I said, “Riley,” I said, “What does mommy mean to you?” And she’s got this message for you?

Rachel: Oh no, you’re going to make me cry. You know I hate crying on video.

Robert: I know, I know. Here we go.

Riley: I'm proud of my mom because she runs an amazing business and still has time to hang out with us. And she's the best mom ever.

Rachel: Oh my goodness.

Robert: She loves you. And I just love that what she said that hit me the most is, yes, you run an incredible business, yes, you’re the most incredible mom. But she said she always makes time to hang out with us. So I want you to know that these shifts that you have made in your life are truly impacting all of us, the future generation. And I just want to say thank you for bringing the podcast back. Thank you for being who you are. We will always be in your corner and we love you.

Rachel: Thank you, Robert.

Robert: Truly.

Rachel: Listen, don't be coming on here being all sappy, you know I don’t like that. 

Robert: I know you don’t.

Rachel: I have to keep my hardened exterior, I don’t want people knowing and that I'm a sap inside.

Robert: No, she's such a softy inside, y'all. Listen, on this book cover she got her hands on her hips. Y'all, I want y'all to know she's just as sweet as pie, you know, but she tried to put that hard New Yorker. Uh-huh, North Carolina has softened you just a little bit.

Rachel: A little too much. I need to go spend some time in New York with my people.

Robert: Yeah, so is there one last thing that you'd like to share with your people as we sign off today?

Rachel: Yes, I would just like to say we back y'all and I'm so excited. Yay! I'm so excited to continue this journey and this conversation. So let me know, hit me up on Instagram, give us a review on this podcast. Let me know, because I read all of it. I want to know what do you want me to cover on this podcast in the next few months? And I will make sure I do it.

Robert: Hey, so we're going to make up a song that’s called we back, yo. Hey, we back. Hey we back, put your of back into it. No? Okay. All right, we’ll see y’all on the podcast, bye.

Rachel: Bye y’all.

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