Meet Rachel Bykowski | Playwright, Content Writer, Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Bykowski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, how do you think about risk?
In terms of personal finance and investments, I’m classified as a low-risk or risk-averse. I like knowing exactly what I’m getting into including the challenges, benefits, pros, cons, and potential devastation that could be waiting for me. My anxiety has developed a ritual. I must play out all the possible mishaps and tragedies that could occur when I enter a new situation. It’s now a personal superstition. If I don’t imagine everything that can go wrong, I am convinced something absolutely will go wrong.

I once shared this thought process with a colleague assuming that everyone does this. My colleague stared at me with a concerned look and said, “Are you seeing a therapist?”

My therapist has called this line of thinking, catastrophizing. Catastrophizing is obsessing about the worst possible thing that can happen, no matter how improbable it sounds. You often imagine a series of “what if” situations. For example, I’m heading into an interview for a new job. What if my Zoom link doesn’t work and I’m late? What if my internet goes out and I can’t join at all? What if the recruiting team made a mistake and they’re supposed to be interviewing someone else?

Just typing these scenarios out is exhausting.

However, putting a name to this cognitive distortion has helped me regain control. I needed that control when I took a leap into full-time freelance life and launched my podcast series, Murder, We Spoke.

I am a creative writer and content strategist. I live in the world of theatre and marketing. I’ve lived in both these worlds for 10+ years. I work nine-to-five jobs for agencies, consultancies, and brands. I write plays for the stage. I know these areas.

When the pandemic hit, I don’t think anyone knew exactly what to do. All I knew was that I had to keep creating. With stages closed, I took a risk. I knew absolutely nothing about podcasting. I knew nothing about writing a multi-episode series. I knew nothing about writing for a strictly audio medium. The second the seed was planted, “Maybe I could write a narrative podcast series,” the catastrophizing started.

The same thing happened when I found myself out of work. Since the age of 16, I have never experienced a moment where I didn’t know where my next paycheck was coming from. I was terrified. But I had to keep moving. I had to keep creating.

I took a few weeks to think about what I loved about marketing, content writing, and strategy. I looked at where I could strengthen those areas to make myself more valuable — I took online classes for SEO and content strategy and read as many pieces of brand content as I could get my hands on. I enhanced my resume. Updated my LinkedIn. Sent out an alert to my professional networks that I was open to work. Then, I got lucky.

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

My network offered me support and job leads. However, those leads were all freelance — cue the catastrophizing.

What if my podcast bombs? What if these companies hate my ideas? What if no one listens to the podcast? What if I get let go after one strategy meeting? What if the podcast gets nothing but one-star reviews? What if all my colleagues on LinkedIn are so embarrassed by my performance, they regret vouching for me? What if I can never get another job again? What if I could never create again?

To stop the flood of negativity, I called these thoughts by their name: catastrophizing. Then I started thinking, “What if it works out?”

I took the leap. I created Rachel Bykowski LLC and am now working with clients in SaaS, tech, and workforce solutions.

My podcast launched in February 2024 and everyday people are downloading episodes, listening, and leaving great reviews.

Of course, things aren’t always sunshine. Some of those “what ifs” from above have happened, but not on the scale my anxiety made me believe. Clients have disliked some of my ideas and criticized my work. Not everyone is into true crime so Murder, We Spoke is not exactly their cup of tea. People listen to an episode or two, then fall off. Yet, somehow, I am still here. I am still working and creating.

Taking a risk is still not my idea of a good time. I prefer knowing situations inside and out, but if you stay in your comfort zone, you won’t grow. Since launching the Murder, We Spoke podcast series and Rachel Bykowski LLC, my confidence is stronger because I am constantly working, moving, and creating. I am working for myself, bettering myself where I need to, and doing exactly what I love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a playwright, ​I write to explore the many facets of my identity and raise awareness to social issues. Since 2006, I have been writing plays that explore middle-class America, matriarchies, privilege, gender roles, and how women contribute to the legacies of their families. The question, “What does it mean to be a woman,” propels my characters on their journeys. All of my life experiences are tangled in these knots of words I call my plays. Every one of my character’s journeys helps me unravel the questions of life that keep me awake at night.

Before I sit down to write, I ask myself, “Why is this a play and not a book, movie, poem, or any other medium?” To excite myself, my collaborators, designers, and audience members, I challenge myself to include at least one “unproducible” element in each of my plays. I believe the “unproducible” is where theatricality is born.

As a content writer and strategist, I enjoy mixing my passion for the arts to develop bold and strategic pieces of content that manifest genuine connections with target audiences. I use my extensive training as a storyteller to generate compelling B2B, B2C, and C2C content that moves beyond selling products and services. My objective is to connect people to people and humanize brands.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The podcast series, Murder, We Spoke, could not have been possible without the amazing team at Tantrum East Theatre — Lisa Bol, artistic director, and Thomas Daniels, managing director. These two took a chance on my podcast idea and ran with it. They brought together amazing talent from all over the U.S. including brilliant actors: Mary Glen Fredrick, Maria Fernanda Diez, Hannah Karpenko, Luli Gomez Teruel, Tom Morin, and Jenna Zhu. Bol and Daniels also introduced me to Lila Rachel Becker (director) and Olivia Tymon (stage manager), two incredible artists who helped bring the Murder, We Spoke podcast to life. Finally, what’s a podcast without sound? I’m so grateful to Derek A. Graham for sound design and consultancy throughout the production process.

For my freelance content writing and strategy career, the thought would not have entered my head without my friend Natalie Koking. Koking is a daring entrepreneur with a passion for storytelling. She made a successful career freelancing as a writer and content marketer. I probably wouldn’t have taken a step without her leading the way.

I need to give a shout to my dad, Rich Bykowski, and my mom, Sandy Bykowski. I grew up watching my dad freelance for media, broadcast, camera, and set design. His hustle and work ethic rubbed off on me. It is because of him I keep moving and creating. My mom is one of the hardest-working people I know. She comes up against a challenge and immediately moves into solution mode. She spent over 20 years in radio and broadcast – nothing phases her. She’s seen it all and knows what needs to get done. She has always been in my corner whenever I took a risk.

Website: https://www.rachelbykowskiplays.com/

Instagram: @rachelbykowskiplays

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-bykowski-bb4092143

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelBykowskiPlaywright/

Other: Content Writing and Strategy website: https://rachelbykowskicreates.weebly.com/ Murder, We Spoke Podcast Series: https://murderwespoke.com/ Instagram: @MurderWeSpokePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556196394490