Meet Rachel Hankins

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Hankins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachel, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I have had the fortunate and unfortunate experience of being the only one in the room on numerous occasions. One of the most vivid memories I had as a child was when I was competing for a state competition as a classical pianist. I was around the age of 9 going up against the best youth musicians in the state of Alabama. Being the only young, African American, girl in this competition I knew I had a huge challenge ahead of me even before I placed my fingers on the piano keys. I played the beautiful arrangement “Blessed Assurance” and received a perfect score from the judges. As I child I didn’t understand the magnitude of this accomplishment and even today it seems as if it was a distant memory. The reason I was unable to take in this amazing moment was because when the final decision was made as to who won the state competition, it wasn’t me. The sadness and disappointment I felt in being snubbed after a flawless performance, I couldn’t fully understand how I didn’t receive 1st place. The moment I saw who won the competition over me is a memory I will never forget. It was a young blue eyed, fair skin girl who played the flute, not the piano, who received 1st place over me. I received 2nd place, and it was in that moment, I learned that my skin color could be one of many defining factors that would determine the trajectory of success I experience in life.

This experience was devasting and in my mind I made the decision to be the best, almost perfect version of myself to ensure I would never experience that feeling again. I was always different from everyone around me, my family, classmates, and acquaintances. Being that I was so different from my peers I never fit in with anyone. I made great grades, extremely athletic, and I was involved in many activities. Due to this, I was provided access to many opportunities that others around me didn’t receive. At the time, none of it made sense to me because it resulted in jealousy, resentment, and ostracization from others. I thought that by being the best in everything I did it would result in others wanting to see me succeed and make them proud of who I am. However, over the years I learned that I would be alone on this journey and that anything I wanted to accomplish I had to want it for myself.

I have learned from these societal isolating experiences that I let my work, creativity, performance, and uniqueness speak for itself. I refuse to give someone a reason to deny me of opportunities I rightfully deserve. The most successful way to be effective when you are the only one in the room that looks like you is to always be true to yourself and never change who you are to please others around you. If you are a light that is meant to shine, it will always burn bright no matter where you are and what you do.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am the owner and founder of Pryde Fitpire the 1st Nationally Trademarked LGBT athleisure and sportwear brand in America. We recently received our certification from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as a certified supplier and business. Our mission is to provide equal access to health, wellness, and leisure services to the LGBT community and its allies. Pryde Athletics is our fitness and sportswear apparel brand that provides inclusive and gender non-conforming apparel that places a focus on how you identify versus what society tells you you are. We are a gender non-conforming, LGBTQ, and black owned business that places an emphasis on improving the health disparities amongst the members and supporters of our community.

Our goal is to be a one stop shop for the LGBT community that will allows for us to feel comfortable in the apparel that we wear, and to improve the health disparities that plague our community. One of the newest campaigns that we recently launched is our sportswear design services. We provide sportswear design services to sports teams that are looking for inclusive sportswear for their organizations. We are also looking to launch our youth sports recreational programs to combat the mistreatment of LGBT youth who play sports. Our goal is to create programs that provide a safe space for everyone to live healthier and fulfilling lives without the discrimination and hatred our community faces on a daily basis.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities/skills that were the most impactful to me were:
1.) Having a vision for the future and refusing to allow anyone or anything impede on that vision.
2.) Refused being told no or that something isn’t possible.
3.) Being forced to be independent throughout my entire life without any help, assistance, or guidance.

One of the things I have noticed about our society is that we all have a dream or vision of who we would like to be from a very young age. However, life experiences, societal pressure, and illogical decisions are the driving force on whether we actually become the person we always wanted to be or not. The advice I have for those who are looking to be the best version of themselves is to unlearn everything that was taught to you, unmask the parts of you that you don’t want others to see, and release the societal constraints that are holding you back from being your true authentic self.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The challenge that I am currently facing is being able to find peace and balance in my life and the world around me. Each and every day our brains are constantly bombarded with information that we are unable to fully process. Whether it is with our own personal problems or the problems of the world that we are unable to resolve. It is hard to find joy in life when there is so much that constantly brings you down. For me personally, it is being an entrepreneur and working full time, being forced to make life altering decisions that will impact my physical health and figuring out how to become financially secure when everything is expensive than it ever has been before.

The steps I am taking to overcome these challenges is to not let my negative thoughts get the best of me. Self-sabatoge is a terrible trait that takes over when I am overwhelmed. Each day I battle with being my own worst enemy and I have to constantly remind myself that I am human. Sometimes I have to disconnect from the world, take a mental and physical break, and do the things that make me happy. Getting out in nature, working out, playing sports or video games, and finding something that makes me laugh is the best remedy to overcoming the challenges I face daily.

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Rachel Hankins

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