The Big Law Attorney Who Built a Wellness Brand From a Group Text
Picture your calendar full of back-to-back calls and ask if you’d still choose to work out today. Rachel Johnson, a big law attorney turned managing partner, does, because she’s learned a full day is exactly when she needs the energy most.
Rachel spent years as, in her words, “just a lawyer,” burning out in a Big Law parking garage before she ever felt full. Today she’s co-founder of J&O Law, a mom of three, and the founder of ah.mi, a wellness brand that started as a text thread with six friends and turned into a full online health club, helping one member lose 30 pounds in her first year.
Her motto, “greens, water, move, repeat,” is the whole philosophy: no overhaul, just small, repeatable habits stacked with a community that keeps you honest.
A Half Moon Hustle survey of more than 400 working women found 41% say their top career priority right now is figuring out what’s next, part of a broader shift Forbes has called the rise of the portfolio career, women trading a single title for a mix of roles that actually fit their life. Being a lawyer, an exec, an HR leader, can be your tree trunk. It was never supposed to be the whole tree.
TRANSCRIPT:
Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum. We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it.
Erica: This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com. Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone.
Erica: Do you want to live an autonomous life? One where you get to make the rules and live out your dreams. Rachel Johnson, former big law attorney, spent her early years dreaming of that life. But she didn't just dream about it. She took action and she made it her life.
Erica: From exiting big law and creating her own fun side hustle, Ami, which is a full blown business, Rachel Johnson is a busy mom with three kids who has figured out exactly what works for her. In this episode, she talks about how to get unstuck, get healthy, and how to take care of yourself while balancing all of life's demands. Rachel, welcome to the podcast from now to next.
Erica: How are you?
Rachel: Good. Very good. Friday, kids are at camp, so I'm feeling good.
Erica: You are the cofounder and managing partner for J and O Law, a fellow Gator grad, so I'm here for that. You are a wife. You are a mom to three little kids, including a newborn. You are on maternity leave and the founder of a chill wellness brand called Ami. Not to mention someone who manages to invest in real estate in your spare time.
Erica: So damn, girl. I gotta start off with, like, how the hell do you do it all?
Rachel: I don't know. I think that's the reason. It's definitely sounds like a lot when you put it like that. But I think I just started obviously as being a lawyer, and that is kind of my tree trunk. And then I look at everything else as, like, kind of branches of things that I enjoy doing, like to do, that fill up my cup.
Rachel: And it definitely wasn't that always, I think, for a very long time and at least for about six years, into starting J and O and then being a lawyer in big law. That's where I started my career. I was just a lawyer, and I didn't have kids yet. And I was just navigating big law life working for, you know, one of the biggest law firms in the world, and I didn't have anything else going on. And I would drive up to work, and I remember, like, sitting in the parking garage just looking at, like, scrolling Instagram, scrolling Facebook because I just did not want to go freaking inside.
Rachel: And I was just burnt out from it. And, I now, like, looking back, I feel like I've now filled my cup with so much other stuff that isn't just working, because I think a lot of us, especially us, like, high achievers, we would just get so wrapped up in work and trying to, you know, do everything, be everything to everyone. And I had to start doing other things because I knew it really made me happy, but it took a while to get here.
Erica: I love how you're like, oh, I was just a lawyer. That's it.
Rachel: That's it. Some people would say that's an impossible. Yes. I don't know. Rachel Johnson is here for
Erica: all the things, which you made such a good point that really resonated with me because as high achievers, we go all in. And if we do not have other things to do, we go all in on the work bucket which leads to burnout city. It's crazy. Yeah.
Rachel: Yes. And I think with a lot of people, like you say, like, being a lawyer, but I know people can relate to me here. There's probably a lot of lawyers, accountant, execs that feel like they have this big fancy job or something that they worked so hard for, but they still feel really unfulfilled. And that's okay, and it can feel scary. Like, I went to law school.
Rachel: I'm doing this big thing, but, like, why I feel like there's more out there for me. Like, I feel like there I could be doing something else. And I think you can. Like, you just have to figure out what that something else is, and try and, like, sprinkle it into your day. It doesn't have to be your tree trunk.
Rachel: Yeah. Like, your tree trunk could still being an exec, an accountant, a lawyer. But you can do other things, and I honestly feel like it makes you better at your, you know, job, your day job if you do feel like you're fulfilled, outside of work.
Erica: Absolutely. And I think it's so interesting because, again, these high achievers were constantly chasing after that feeling of success, and then we get there. Right? Like, we get the, c level title for you. We get the salary.
Erica: We have the house. We have the kids, but we still feel this sense that, like, this is it. This is all there is. Yeah. And then when you've done all those checkboxes, it comes to this, like, what the hell moment?
Erica: Like, what if this is all there is, like, why did I do all that to get to this point? Yeah.
Rachel: And I think there's a lot too. Like, some like, you could also just kill on your off time. And some people, like, don't wanna have another thing and don't want, like, an they wanna be able to watch other Netflix shows, and I, like, love my reality TV. And, like, that's okay if that's at your point of your life too where you're like, I freaking just like chilling after work. I don't wanna do anything else.
Rachel: I don't wanna be on a call. I don't wanna do a podcast. I don't wanna do anything. And I think that's totally okay too or to find something like a book club or being part of a band or, you know, people at J and O are part of, like, improv groups, Something that isn't necessarily, like, starting a business. You don't even do that.
Rachel: That can be really hard. But just something else that you feel like you're a part of that fills you up. And even if that's just, you know, watching every episode of, like, Indian Matchmaker on Netflix. That's fine. Like, that's your thing.
Erica: You don't have to do all the things all the time.
Rachel: Yeah.
Erica: Yeah. So let's back it up a bit. So you're just a lawyer. Like, what did this story look like that brought you to be not just a lawyer in BigLaw, but a managing partner and then also with your Chill Wellness brand and online health club?
Rachel: So when I was at BigLaw, I honestly knew I was never gonna stay there forever. And I just knew, like, in my gut even my mom would say when you were a summer associate with Rachel, I was like, oh, gosh. She's gonna, like, go into this life because it was really hard, and it was a lot of hours. And I've always been a hard worker, so I'm naturally inclined that if everybody around me is working really hard, I'm gonna work really hard too. I'm not necessarily competitive like I would be the person in law school in the back of the room, but I would, like, be studying my butt off by you know, it wasn't a big hand raise or anything like that.
Rachel: And even in big law, I would kind of, like, hide out in my office, and people would give me work. I wasn't, like, you know, out there just trying to get on all the big cases and all the big matters. I was never like that, but I think sometimes when you put your head down and just work, is when you can really find success. And so I always knew I had worked for lawyers when I was in law school, and I worked for two lawyers in Gainesville, Florida. Obviously, you know, to send us our assistance, and I really loved the autonomy of their lives.
Rachel: Like, they could come and go. And I worked for this awesome woman divorce lawyer who, you know, would be like, okay. Tell all the clients I'm calling on vacation. I can't be here this day and this day. And she was in charge of her life, and she was the solo practitioner.
Rachel: So, of course, I've built a bigger firm, and we now have a team. Like, I couldn't be like, okay. I'm just leaving for a week. I would have to make sure their system's in place. But I really love the autonomy over their life, and I feel like at BigLaw, I definitely didn't have that.
Rachel: And at J and O, it's something that we are trying to provide to our team that we could still be excellent lawyers, provide, like, really great service, and do really challenging work, but also have autonomy over our days.
Erica: I love it. And then what led you to Ami?
Rachel: So while I was at J and O, I had my second baby, and I gained a ton of weight. I just was not feeling good. I was kind of in this funk, and I wanted to get healthy. And I started kind of looking into what to do. And I would scroll on Instagram, see all these wellness people, and I'd be like, that shit will never be me.
Rachel: Like, that will never be me. And I just kind of gave up on it. And I looked into, like, Noom, Weight Watchers, some of, like, the celebrity nutritionist courses, and I would, like, buy them for $200 and then do, like, one module and never look at it again. And I realized, like, the secret sauce is I need people to do it with me and to commit with me. And I didn't want to, like, join something where then they would convince me to be a coach or sell a shake or, like, something sketchy.
Rachel: I just wanted something that was, like, fresh and open, and exciting. So I got, like, an old school text group together of six of my friends, and I was like, guys, will you commit with me to get healthy? And they're like, Rachel, are you drinking, like, salads? Like, what are you doing? And I was like, no.
Rachel: I was like, I just need people to do it with me. And three months later, we all, like, lost a ton of weight. I had lost 25 pounds. I was feeling good. I was, like, back to cranking at work.
Rachel: I was just happy. And I really changed my life by incorporating little micro habits into my day. Our motto is greens, water, move, repeat. And I just kept it really simple. I didn't go on some crazy, like, overhaul of my entire life, which is something I've definitely, like, done in the past.
Rachel: I feel like it's been like a roller coaster of, like, let me start this, go on this, and then be in a funk for a couple months, and then I'm searching for something else to do. And I feel like we all get that because we're busy people and we're like, oh, if I just do something else. But the truth is adding more to your plate is just exhausting, and they felt like I just needed friends and a community to commit with. So, naturally, people ask me, like, what the heck are you guys doing? Like, this sixth group of friends looks totally different, are now, like, ordering salads, going on workouts.
Rachel: And I just told them, I was like, I just started a text group and committed. Like, you can do it too. And I realized a lot of people didn't have those friends that were motivated enough. You know? I think we all have friends, but maybe they don't have goals like you do.
Rachel: Or they, you know, will leave you when they go on vacation for a week and be like, good luck with your, like, chat thing. So I formed a community called the health club, and it is an online community on a mission to really get healthy together. And it's made up of busy execs, busy moms, people that are in transition, people that are single, people that are navigating divorce, like, really all gamuts of life. But one, like, mission is that we all really wanna live this healthy life, and a lot of us have a lot of work to do and have to transform the way we're living, and it's really inspiring to see other people doing it.
Erica: Absolutely. And community is so big. Fitness is a passion of mine. It's actually one of my core values. I have historically been a personal trainer for years.
Erica: And what I have always worked on with my clients and where they've always really struggled is that fitness is such a personal journey because all of us are different. And so what works for all of those superstar fitness people that we see on Instagram and TV is not going to work for a normal person.
Erica: And what works for me isn't gonna work for you. And we just expect these if I do this cookie cutter thing, it'll fit easily into my life, and that's just not realistic.
Rachel: Yeah. And some people are just programmed differently. Like, some people are just healthy, and they navigate towards, like, working out all the time and eating healthy food. And, like, that just wasn't me. And it felt like a lot of people felt the same where they were like, that's just not in the cards for me.
Rachel: And so I hope that through our online community on me, and I'm already seeing it with the crazy transformations of our members and how they're living their lives, that, like, you can change your ways and don't, like, think it's impossible. You gotta try something, and you just gotta find that thing that clicks and that really speaks your language. Because I think there's so much out there in wellness, and a lot of it, like, truthfully isn't for me. And it's not my jam. And my jam is kind of the speed of Ami.
Rachel: We're, like, we call ourselves a chill wellness brand.
Erica: I love it. I love the concept because I think the majority of people are chill when it comes to these things. It does not have to encompass your whole life.
Rachel: Yes. Yeah. So Rachel that's kind of on the training again because I just had my second baby.
Erica: Third baby. Third baby. Third baby.
Rachel: Oh, third baby. Gosh. I just need to keep track of these kids. Oh, my third baby. And, you know, I have 30 pounds that I would love to lose, and I think that's okay.
Rachel: Like, we can talk about losing weight. It's not something that's, like, taboo. You can still be potty positive and love you know, everybody has different ideas of what they take to feel good. And for me, I know right now, I, like, wanna lose weight. So I'm really reeling it in, eating healthy.
Rachel: I'm doing our Ami summer of strength this month. We have challenges, you know, throughout the year to really engage and get people motivated.
Erica: I love it. I love it. But I gotta say, you look like you've got this Instagram worthy life. Right? You are a lawyer.
Erica: You've got this wellness club. Yes. You have 30 pounds you say you wanna lose, but, girl, I have no doubt that you're gonna lose it with everything you've gone. But you gotta tell me, like, is it as perfect as it seems?
Rachel: No. I mean, I don't think anybody's is. I think I have so much doubt. I still get into bumps even with, me.
Rachel: Like, I still there's still so many weeks that I'm not doing the things I should be doing. And that's when I look at and scroll our, like, Slack group, and I'm like, oh gosh. All these, you know, the wellness girls, and they're doing their healthy things and doing the things that make me feel good, and it motivates me. Like, now as a founder, this online community really motivates me because I still get into these funks where the last thing I wanna do is, you know, be healthy or work out or go to the gym, and I just wanna, you know, go to Outback and eat my good food or, you know, or get the spicy chicken sandwich from Chick fil A. Like, I still do all those things.
Rachel: I just try and really reel it in and not do them all the time. But there's definitely weeks that I'm not perfect, and I lean on me as much as all of our members do too. Yeah. So I
Erica: just had, like, this flashback of my personal training days. So to give you this picture of it, I was in UF as a college student and a personal trainer. So I was living the healthy life during the day.
Rachel: That's crazy.
Erica: Hitting that the swamp in the grog house
Erica: Right. I used to be
Erica: so insecure because I did not have what I envisioned to be the body of a personal trainer.
Rachel: Alright. Yeah. I can see that.
Erica: Does that do you ever get, like, I'm running this health club and I'm a lawyer. Like, I should be a certain way, or are you very confident with yourself and just like, this is me and this is our chill wellness brand?
Rachel: I think what makes it different is that, like, I am open and honest that my life is not twenty four seven health and wellness, and I'm not, you know, twenty four seven health and wellness influencer. I actually have all this stuff going on. So it's okay for me to not look perfect. And I think it's actually good for the brand for them to see that, you know, I am going through this transformation now like everybody else, and I have my off days and off weeks. And, like, the majority of my life is sitting on Zoom calls and going through email from 09:30 to six ish, with, like, the added chaos and joy of kids, but it's not always glamorous.
Rachel: And I think it's I even look at it as a benefit to Omni that I am not, you know, maybe to other people I look like it. But definitely to me, I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, there's so much, that I just try and keep real. Well, there
Erica: number one, we're always our own worst critic, especially as women when it comes to our bodies.
Rachel: Yeah. I think that
Erica: it is so successful for, me because it's a real story. And like you said, you are someone who this is part of what you do. You are also a lawyer. You are also a mom. You also had your third kid.
Erica: So you are just doing the best living life, which is really what we're all trying to do.
Rachel: Right. And, like, there's only, like, the small sliver of people in this world that are these twenty four seven health and wellness is their job. But most of us, that's not our freaking job. Like, we're lucky if we get in thirty minutes. So I think that's really different.
Rachel: We're all, of course, on Instagram. We think it's everybody else but us, but the truth is it's not. Most of us are just trying to freaking figure out how to live a healthy life.
Erica: Well, unless we're real, everybody in America loves a comeback story. Right? We don't love those stories
Rachel: of the people who always have six type abs even when they're six months pregnant because that's not us. We don't connect with that.
Erica: What do you see, like, in Omni that is the biggest just value add for the people? Is it that community?
Rachel: Yes. I think if you have tried everything and you're like, I am just sick of this. I can't buy another sixty day recipe worksheet or join some group thing at the gym. Like, I just can't keep doing this myself, or I just haven't found something I speak I've, like, could connect with. Find a friend, find a family member, find a text group, and commit with them.
Rachel: And if you don't have that person or you want something else, find an awesome community like, well, health club. Because I think that is the missing piece of doing it together and being in it with people together that have the same goal is for me, it was my, like, moment of, like, this is the work.
Erica: Yeah. Coming out of COVID where anyone who was in a gym couldn't go to a gym anymore, and then they're over there trying to figure out how to do it by themselves. Community is such a big piece of it, and I think that really just shows how important it is.
Rachel: Yes. And finding a community of people like our Slack channel is filled with modern busy moms and busy business owners and busy people that are getting married or going through a breakup. And it's really refreshing to see somebody posting at 7AM that they just went for, like, a quick two mile walk. It doesn't have to be, like, a hour circuit training workout.
Rachel: Something that seems manageable for you too makes it really relatable. Like, damn. You know? If she's doing it, I can do it too.
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Erica: So I wanna go back a little bit to, gosh, almost the very beginning where we were talking about how all of these different things really fill your cup. Because I can see how excited and, like, just passionate you are about this and how it fuels your life. When we're talking about all of the things in the day, right, do you believe that the energy you pour into Ami and all of the other things fuels your energy to do all of your other obligations and responsibilities that you have?
Rachel: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like I think the resounding is, like, yes. And I feel like a side step about me is it's actually a side hustle or this side thing I've built that is keeping me personally healthy.
Rachel: And when you feel good and prioritize feeling good, everything in life gets better. Your sucky job automatically doesn't become that sucky, and you're like, oh, this is fine. I'm like, you know, going to work. I can go for a walk on a call. Your relationships get better.
Rachel: Your friendships get better, especially when you find friendships of people that also are doing healthy things. I think that's, you know, really exciting. I feel like I've kinda seeped into my family and friends. Whereas, like, even my dad who loves, like, a load of baked potato and a steak will still, like, order a salad. He's like, oh, Rachel.
Rachel: Like, all me. He's in an assisted living place, and he sent me a certificate that he got, like, 15 fitness classes in last month. And it's just, like, little stuff like that makes me really happy that I can somehow, like, trickle Omni into other facets of people even if they're not members. You know? Like, Omni, I wanna stand for more than just that.
Erica: What I think is so powerful
Erica: and what I see when I'm talking to you and what I hear is that you're realistic, and I think that encompasses a lot of self compassion for yourself in that you embrace this I don't have to be perfect mentality, which I think is where a lot of women get stuck. How do you not get focused on the perfectionist? Like, it's gotta be everything all in. Yeah.
Rachel: I think our director of marketing will be like she, always says, like, Rachel, you just, like, put it out there. And I'm like, that's okay. Like, it's okay to sometimes be messy and not be perfect. Like, she definitely helped me, like, hone in our brand to be fresh and elevated. And I do want it to be something that people are, like, proud to wear when they go on the streets in, like, an Ami hat.
Rachel: But I think the biggest thing, and my therapist has told me this, that I let a lot go, and I just let it go. And she's like, it's very kind of Buddha like that you don't get too hung up on things and you let things go. And I think a lot of people let a lot stir up inside them and, like, just, you know, fight for no reason and are nagging. And I just don't. Like, I don't, like, nag with people, not even my husband.
Rachel: Like, I just let you go. And I feel like when you live like that, it just feels a lot easier.
Erica: Oh, absolutely. It's absolutely easier, but I definitely think it's hard. And as someone who would was a fitness person that would outwardly say, like, it's okay if you mess up. Pick it back up tomorrow. Girl, when I tell you if I mess up, I'd be like, well, as well take me to get some mixing and some margaritas and some ice cream because Yeah.
Erica: Really, it's all ruined for the whole week, and it could be a Tuesday.
Rachel: Yes. No. I feel like that's all of us. Right? Like, we think, you know, we go wait for the weekend, and it's, like, balls to the wall, conch fritters, key lime pie, and margaritas.
Rachel: And when we come back, we're like, there's no point in even starting. Like, I already kinda ruined all my hard work. And at AMI, it's different. Like, you see the chatter and people are like, okay. I'm back from vacation.
Rachel: I YOLO'd. I lived it up, but, like, I'm ready to get back to, like, the basics here and reel it in. So I think you just have to change your mindset. That's what it's all about. It's easier said than done.
Rachel: And the only way to do it is to start. Like, you can research all this stuff and, like, look for motivation, but motivation comes from starting and doing something.
Erica: There's this thing called the fresh start effect. Have you ever heard of that? No. Oh my so it's just like this term out there in, I don't know if it's psychology or whatever, but it's a term where we love the idea of a fresh start, whether that's a Monday or the first of the month or the first of a year. That's why whenever we have these milestones like birthday Oh my god.
Erica: Like, we're like, let's do our goals. Let's do our resolutions. And it really was about shifting the mindset of, like, you don't have to wait for a Monday. You don't have to wait for a birthday. Like, you every day is a fresh start.
Erica: Every hour is a fresh start. Like if you go out to lunch and you dive straight up into the queso and guac, that's okay. When you leave lunch, you can have a fresh start by going for a walk or doing something. And I think it's so important to start embracing that fresh start effect into literally every hour of your day. Yeah.
Rachel: Well, I love a first of a month. Like, that is I do. I don't need to know. Love a freaking first of the month because it just, like, feels fresh. But I go back.
Rachel: One of our members, Lisa, she had a really huge transformation. She lost over, like, 30 pounds during her first year with Ami, and she said what really helped her and what reminds me of what you're saying is I don't look at, like, the months or the weeks anymore. I literally take it day by day. And every day I wake up, I'm like, can I do all the healthy things today instead of, like, the month or even the week feels too overwhelming?
Erica: Yeah. Yeah. So what piece of advice would you give to somebody who does that feeling of overwhelm where they're like, it's I'm just too far away from anything. I can't even start.
Rachel: Yeah. I feel like the only way to get unstuck, and I feel like it depends what you're stuck in, like a sucky job, a dead end relationship, whatever it is. The one thing you can start tomorrow and decide you are starting or on a Monday or on a first of the month, like, you've picked out when you are starting is taking care of yourself and prioritizing getting healthy. And by doing that, you will get unstuck from that sucky job, that relationship. Like, our community is living proof of that.
Rachel: And I think the one thing you can do, if you're feeling overwhelmed, you probably aren't prioritizing yourself. And you should kind of stop everything else. Like, the job, you probably can't quit tomorrow unless you have, like, a huge nest egg or something else lined up. So, like, don't quit your job. Don't just, like, break up with your boyfriend right now.
Rachel: Maybe try to fix yourself and prioritize yourself. And it doesn't cost money. You know, you can just start it tomorrow and go do a healthy grocery shop and find some online YouTube thing to do, but or go for a walk. But I think that's the way a lot of us can get unstuck, and I, like, firmly believe in that.
Erica: Well and you hit the nail on the head when you said when you're feeling overwhelmed, it's because you are not prioritizing or taking care of yourself. And especially as women, we tend to put everyone ahead of our needs. Like the job, the mailman for God's sake. We will put everyone ahead of us and then there's nothing left to fill our own cup. And there's that whole cliche, like, airplane thing of if the plane's going down and the oxygen mask comes down, you gotta put yours on first.
Erica: But it's so hard.
Rachel: Yes. And I think, like, prior to, me and prior to me living like this, I would see a whole day's worth of calls on the calendar when I wake up in the morning and be like, okay. No way I'm working out. Like, f that. Like, I don't have time.
Rachel: And now when I see that full day, I'm like, okay. This is a day that I really need to work out because I need the energy. I know it's gonna be stressful. It's gonna feel chaotic, and so I need to work out today. So it just it really is changing how you look at your days and taking an inventory on your days.
Rachel: I feel like a lot of us spend so much time, you know, scrolling in front of the computer, all this stuff when we're not really taking an inventory of where our time is going.
Erica: Absolutely. And I tell people all the time, I'm a big believer in getting it done in the morning. That just works best for me, but that is because the rest of my day can go to shit. It really can. But then I at least end the day feeling like I have done something.
Erica: I have that sense of accomplishment and the confidence when everything else can go to hell in a hand basket. And I think that is that has been a critical thing for me to stay consistent and be successful. Yes. Well, Rachel, if you could go back to the Rachel who's just a lawyer for big law, what piece of advice would you give her today? What do you wish you had known back then?
Rachel: I think to know that your being a lawyer can be your one thing, and it can be part of you, but it doesn't have to be your whole thing, and it doesn't have to be everything. And I think to all the lawyers, you know, people out there that HR people, whoever it is that you feel like this can't be it, or I feel like I want more. I feel like I want something else. You don't have to quit your job. You don't have to start a business even.
Rachel: You just have to kind of start doing inklings of what you want and what you enjoy and what gets you, like, into the flow.
Erica: I'd love that. We are not one dimensional. We are so multidimensional, multifunctioning. I think that is so important.
Rachel: Yes.
Erica: Well, thank you so much for being here. I loved your energy, the conversation, and health and wellness, of course, is one of my favorite topics. Well, it's a pleasure to be here.
Rachel: Thank you so much for having me. Hopefully, I can kind of motivate everybody that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You can get off the roller coaster and just be realistic about it.
Erica: I am so glad that you tuned in today. If you want more content just like this, make sure that you follow me on all of the socials, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok. But here is your reminder that it is time to stop putting a ceiling on what is possible, and it's time to start breaking through it.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Join HER Collective, Erica’s community for women in corporate America who are done doing it alone.
- Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors, never miss an episode.
- Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, Erica’s book on smashing through the beliefs that keep you stuck.
- J&O Law: Rachel Johnson.
- LinkedIn: Rachel Johnson.
- ah.mi Health, Rachel’s wellness brand.
- Instagram: ah.mi.
RELATED EPISODES:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What is a “portfolio career,” and how does Rachel Johnson's story reflect it?
A portfolio career is a mix of professional roles and pursuits, rather than a single title, that together make up a full and sustainable working life. Rachel Johnson is a managing partner at J&O Law, the founder of the wellness brand ah.mi, and a real estate investor, and calls her legal career her “tree trunk” with everything else as branches that fill her cup.
How did Rachel Johnson's wellness brand ah.mi start?
Ah.mi started as a simple group text between Rachel and six friends who committed to getting healthy together using the motto “greens, water, move, repeat.” It grew into a full online health club and community, with members losing over 30 pounds in their first year.
Are more women choosing portfolio careers over traditional single-title jobs?
Yes. A Half Moon Hustle survey of more than 400 women found 41% say figuring out what’s next in their career is their top priority right now, part of a broader shift Forbes has described as the rise of the portfolio career among ambitious women.
MORE FROM ME
Follow me on Instagram @ericaandersonrooney and @joinhercollective
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Hi, I'm Erica!
In the last 15 years, I climbed to Chief People Officer, 6x'd my income, walked away from a culture that stopped matching my values, wrote two books, and built HER Collective to help thousands of women rise to power and lead in the age of AI. I've learned a thing or two about smashing ceilings and closing gaps, and Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors is where I open the playbook, the receipts, and the real stories to share it all with you.
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