Meet Rachel Drews

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

Hi Rachel, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
It is through my business that I am able to share my gifts and natural talents. My primary gift is to help people process their feelings, experiences, and perception of themselves. I offer support for sensitive, creative people navigating burnout, self-doubt, and life’s deeper turning points. My approach isn’t therapy, but it’s rooted in deep, reflective conversation and compassionate support.

The ideas for my business (ever-evolving) came from my personal experience with trauma healing, spiritual seeking, creative expression, and a background in managing visual effects artists. I’ve seen firsthand how high-pressure careers can lead to burnout, self-doubt, and creative blocks. Through my experience leading teams, I became deeply passionate about supporting individuals in finding a healthier, more balanced way forward.

I’m also the author of Wild Woman, a coming-of-age novel that follows the story of a young woman’s survival and transformation after escaping generations of domestic violence. Writing this book was an intensely personal journey, exploring resilience, self-discovery, and the power of reclaiming one’s life from trauma. The process of bringing this story to life deepened my understanding of emotional healing, transformation, and the importance of finding strength from within.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What I am most excited about are the people I get to work with, the folks who share themselves and their inner world with me. Being in the moment with someone, listening to their thoughts and feelings about themselves and their world, the story of where they came from and how they internalized ideas about who they are and what is “right” and what isn’t…this is what lights me up. Why? Because many times when someone is struggling, the desire is to look for what needs to be “fixed” within themselves. If a person is having a difficult time, and if they are self-aware enough, then I have noticed that those people tend to make themselves the problem that needs to be fixed. What I like to do is to help someone shift their perception of themselves as being this internalized idea of themselves as “the problem” to where they are able to appreciate and understand more of their natural processes and to trust their instincts. This is a way for the person to develop self-trust. It’s so cool to witness.

What sets me apart? Well, knowing that what I offer is unique mostly comes from those I have helped and from people I’m close to who have said to me over and over again — the presence that I bring, the insights that I have, and the safety that I generate — that it’s at a different level and worth sharing.

My career path led me to working in the visual effects industry, on large-scale productions with people from all over the world. I consider myself fortunate to have had those opportunities, because of all the different people I got to work with, not to mention two Oscar award-winning teams (The Golden Compass and Life of Pi). Such a creative and intellectually stellar group of people!

What was missing for me, on some level in that work, was my deep sensitivity and spiritual expression. It wasn’t that I turned off being a highly sensitive person, my empathic gifts, but they weren’t given priority. It was as though I was living at 30 percent of my capacity, and that’s not because I wasn’t showing up fully to my job and for the people I worked with.

The biggest challenge I have with my business is telling people what I do. I can say, “I wrote a novel called, Wild Woman.” So, that makes me an author. But to describe a client session and what I “do” has been the most difficult for me. It’s because what I “do” comes to me so naturally and has a depth that comes from being in the moment. It’s the intuitive downloads or hits I get when I am listening to someone I am working with. I have been non-therapeutically counseling people since I can remember. I have training in an active breathwork practice, so I offer hybrid sessions where I combine deep listening and grounded guidance time with additional time for the active breathwork meditation. But I am continuously redefining what it is that I offer in my business, the more I am able to see the impact I have on clients and their ability to value themselves as a whole person rather than from the perspective of their core wound.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my goodness! There is so much to do and see. Here are a few places to visit and places to eat.

We’d hit the beaches for sure! In Venice, we’d walk down Abbot Kinney for good coffee at Intelligentsia or Urth Cafe. We’d head out to the boardwalk for some further entertainment, people watching, and checking out the Venice Skatepark. From there, we’d rent beach cruisers and cruise up to Santa Monica to see the activities on the pier and possibly 3rd Street Promenade.

I’d definitely take any guest up the coast on the PCH to Point Dume, Malibu. We’d stop at Lily’s Malibu (woman owned Latin cuisine) for some of the best fish tacos before walking the trails along Point Dume to catch the surfers on one side and in hopes of sighting whales on the other side. I saw about 9 whales one day making their way along the coastline. Must have been the right time of year.

On another day, I’d take my guest to Mauro Cafe. It’s another woman owned, “neighborhood all-day cafe with Italian roots and California influence,” located on Melrose in West Hollywood. Whatever you eat there, you can’t go wrong. From there, we may hit the Hollywood Improv just down the way on Melrose or up to Sunset to The World Famous Comedy Store for great comedy shows.

For a view of the Hollywood sign, I would take my guest over to the Hollywood Reservoir for a cool view of the sign or up to Griffith Observatory. A couple of other attractions for my guest would be to head downtown to visit The Last Bookstore or back to mid-Wilshire to LACMA for Jazz on the Plaza.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a Shoutout to a special group of friends I have in L.A. whom I have received support, wisdom, love, and encouragement over the last 17 years. While their personalities, ambitions, and gifts vary, the quality of their hearts and the impact they have made on my life has been profound. Christina Beck, an Indie filmmaker, actor and director, writer and teacher, is one of those dear friends who believes in my gifts and encourages me to share them with others, aka my business. She is why I am doing this interview. What more inspiration do you need than to witness your friend make TWO independent, feature films? Please, see Christina’s films: Perfection and Hancock Park.

As far as books go: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Anatomy of The Spirit by Caroline Myss, Zone of Genius by Gay Hendricks, PhD, Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (a novel).

Also, be on the lookout for my friend, Ingrid Clayton, PhD’s, work on Fawning. It’s the 4th “F” of trauma responses, and her new book called, Fawning, comes out early September. Ingrid has been an inspiration to me through her own work and has referred folks to me for private Breathwork sessions.

Of course, there are a few of those from my LA friend group who aren’t as eager to be out in the limelight, but who have also gifted me with incredible insights and wisdom that, again, has been profoundly moving and meaningful to me. They definitely have my deep appreciation, and this Shoutout is for them, too!

Website: https://www.racheldrews.com

Instagram: @rachelmdrews

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheldrews/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RachelMDrews

Other: Substack – “The Mess and The Magic” – https://substack.com/@racheldrews
Copy of Wild Woman on Amazon – https://a.co/d/hRwewyB
OR can order from any Indie bookseller OR from my website:
https://www.racheldrews.com/store-1/signed-copy-of-wild-woman-a-novel-1