We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Burch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I believe we can live this life and fulfill the many purposes that we are called to. Some people take longer than others to determine what their true purpose is in life. I have had so many incredible people in my life who have shown me how to live out my purpose. I grew up with an amazing family, support system, and community that always told me to pursue my dreams and provided me with words of encouragement. I think that finding your true purpose and happiness stems from within. Nobody is responsible for your happiness, but you. I think the same is true for your purpose. We can have people around us that influence us to take the leap and jump, but ultimately, seeking out your purpose is for you to discover. When I was younger, I always had an innate desire to help other people. Truly, I am surrounded by people in my life who are natural helpers. My parents, my siblings, my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, and my friends. Even in my job, my goal has always been to provide encouragement, support and help to people. I think that I wanted my purpose to embody everything that I experienced when I was growing up. People who helped shape the person I am today, people that have been a shoulder to cry on, people who have been by my side through the fear, anxiety, depression and grief, and people that showed up for me in the good times. I wanted to take what I learned from others and use that as a catalyst in my own life. I wanted to be the person that someone could depend on, lean on and talk to if they are going through deep waters or if they are soaring. No matter the place you are in life, there will always be the people who stood by you and supported you along the way. The thing about purpose is that we can always grow in that. God is always calling me to a higher purpose and guiding me to look within to say, “how can I grow and how can I challenge myself to be better when walking in my purpose.” How am I treating other people around me and how am I making them feel? Do they feel valued, loved, and heard? Do they feel vulnerable to share their story and to confide in me? Am I someone who can provide valuable insight into their situation and be someone who truly listens to them?” God calls me to be a person who is always pursuing faith and being in constant pursuit of my purpose. That only grows deeper and deeper with each day. I am still finding my purpose, but being fueled by my passion and continuing to grow in grace and truth everyday. This helps me to fully seek out my true purpose in life.
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 feel as though I wear many different hats as far as my job and career goes, however, I am a full time Behavior Technician at the moment. I work in a school with brilliant kids and staff who are gifts to this world. I am placed there as a therapist for kids with Autism. I practice Applied Behavioral Analysis and work closely with two specific kids to try and help them excel in their education and social environments. When I moved back from Nashville in June 2023, I was looking for a different job, one where I was out of the education system and onto a new career path. But, then I realized that I have a lot more to do in this field. I heard God calling me to continue on and make a difference in kids lives. I love what I do, even on days when it is so hard and I don’t understand and I am still learning from others. The love the joy that I receive is so rewarding to me and changes me to see the world in a different light. One where the lens isn’t so focused on what you have versus what you don’t or the constant pressure to perform and compare to the people around you. My job is to make the kids I work with feel happy, loved, heard, and secure, and to me, that is the best job I am grateful to grow and learn in. Apart from this specific job, I also tutor with a tutoring company, which is an amazing educational service that has given me an opportunity to only grow and expand in education, teaching, and Applied Behavioral Analysis. In addition to that, I am the owner and founder of “Pop & Pour Bar Cart Rental Service,” and “Light to Life Jewelry.” “Pop & Pour” is an LLC that I started with my twin sister this past summer. I was looking for work and something that would bide the time while I continued to search for a full-time job. The “mobile bubbly bliss” champagne cart caters to festive events such as, weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, birthday parties, bridal showers, bachelorette parties and any kind of celebration/milestone event. The mission of Pop & Pour is to celebrate life’s special moments in style and elevate your event while creating unforgettable memories. We do offer champagne and/or wine, decor, glassware, and garnishes, upon request and in addition to booking with us. We are able to customize our services to meet the clients needs and preferences.I also own “Light to Life Jewelry, ” which is a small business I created over a year ago, when I was in a dark place in my life. I felt that life was taking over and I no longer had control over it all. That’s when I created “Light to Life,” gold-filled and sustainable jewelry that is created to be as beautiful as you and add light to your life. One of the biblical quotes that is on the back of my business card is from John 1:5, which says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” I really clung to this verse when I was going through a hard time in my life. I told myself that darkness is temporary, and the light always shines through eventually. That, even in deep waters, there is hope, truth and light. I found a passion and outlet that allowed me to create and create for others. It gave me so much freedom back, freedom to gain control over the things in my life that were controlling me. I am so thankful for these opportunities. I am so thankful that I get to work, give back, and be present in this world. All I want is to make people happy. All I want is to shed light where there is darkness. And all I want is for others to see how beautiful, seen, heard and loved they are, in a world that can be unfair and cruel to them. In a world where we can feel the deepest sorrow, pain, grief, trauma, and darkness, we can trust in God and the plan He has for our lives. We can trust that we will come out on the other side.
The businesses are still in infancy and slowly growing, but I am excited about what is to come! We have instagram for both businesses @popnppournc and @lighttolifejewelry. If you would like to follow, we would love your support. Thank you so much for hearing a little bit about our story!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have impacted me in my journey have been faith, trust, and perseverance. Faith has been prominent in my life ever since I was younger. I grew up going to church and developed a relationship with God that has been my strongest, unwavering relationship throughout my life. Without my faith in God, I don’t know where I would be. He has given me so much in my life and an opportunity to look at life through a clearer and more precise lens. God has created this incredible path for me on my journey and He has strengthened my mind and my heart through it all. I have learned to let go and let God in times where I didn’t have control, and in times that I desperately needed a shoulder to cry on. He has helped me continue on in my journey and inspired me to continue to be the best version of myself possible. The next thing is trust. Trust is something that I have struggled with in my life. It can be hard to dive in and fully trust people and their intentions. I have been burned and hurt in the past in numerous ways, and this is where my trust wavered and where I began to lose my faith and trust. But faith and trust go hand-in-hand with one another. In order to be all-in with my faith, I had to tell myself that I will choose to trust and believe that everything will work out. Trust is something I’ve had to work on and curate independently, even in my darkest moments. Trust is something that I’ve lost and have had to rebuild over the years. I noticed that without trust, I began to spiral into a world of self-depreciation, doubt, anxiety and fear. But what I learned is that, when you learn to trust again, you learn to heal from all of the broken parts of your life and that you learn to be vulnerable with the world around you. You stop caring what other people think and you begin to focus on your calling and the path set before you. The last is, perseverance. In a world full of comparison and competition, it is so hard to constantly be in that mindset of “oh I have to look a certain way,” “I have to be the best in my job or at this skill,” or “I am not doing what he/she is doing, so I must not be good enough.” It is the constant lies we tell ourselves that truly hinder us from reaching the best version of ourselves possible. For years and years, all I could see in myself was someone who was often rejected and “not good enough.” I kept telling myself that I wasn’t good enough and I started to believe it. That’s when it started to affect my career, my relationships, and my mental, emotional, and physical health. We can create and perpetuate these thoughts in our head, and then it spills into every crevice of our life. The longer you tell yourself the lies, the longer you hold on to toxicity, fear, anxiety and doubt. Learning to trust my heart has been a pivotal part of my journey and has helped me to grow deeper in the relationships in my life and the world around me.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
One significant obstacle/challenge that I am currently facing is feeling “ok” with the place I am currently at in life. When I was younger, I set goals and dreams for myself that I thought I would achieve at a certain age. For example, in high school, I sat in yearbook class, on Pinterest, planning my dream wedding. I found the dress, the venue, the flowers, and all of the things I thought a “wedding” should be in that moment in time. And I wanted all of it to happen by age 25. I would meet the love of my life and we would plan this dream wedding. I would have a stable career with financial stability, and beautiful house with a few kids running around. Well fast-forward to 29 years old, and I do not have those things. But, what I’ve learned over the years, from storytellers, artists, musicians, influencers, friends, and family is that it’s ok to not be where you think you should be. Life is completely and utterly far from perfect. Life is extremely messy, difficult, good, bad, happy, and sad. It is not everything always working out at once. We have good days and we have bad days. We have wins and we have losses. We have sunshine and we have thunderstorms. We have ups and we have downs. This is how life goes. It is not a straight line, but a zig zag. The thing that makes life sweeter is learning to celebrate the people around us who are winning and cheering them on. It is learning to show ourselves grace in hard times and growing in gratitude. It is being grateful for the support we have right in front of our eyes and not taking a single second for granted. It is setting new goals and chasing dreams we have for ourselves. I think life itself is an obstacle. It’s not always clear and easy to navigate. But, we have so many resources and people around us who can guide us and help us on our journey. I think the beautiful thing is that we have the choice and the freedom to set the path before us. We have the chance to live another day and choose the life we want. If we constantly compare and look at where we should be, we will miss out on the very thing happening right in front of us. We will truly miss out on the joy of living in the moment. I choose to live in each moment presently, to grow in grace and gratitude and to surround myself with people who I can celebrate my wins with and people who I can lean on in my losses. God calls us to persevere and run the race we are called to. One of my favorite verses is: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rachleigh_burch
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-burch-719224a0/
- Other: https://nc-pop-pour-llc-c7dl1.zensmb.com/about @lighttolifejewelry @popnpournc
Image Credits
@dvolkcreative for champagne bar cart picture with the arch
