Meet Rachel Lee Perez | Founder and Co-Host

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

Hi Rachel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When we decided to start the Hashtag History podcast, the heart behind our mission was to make History entertaining and engaging for everyone. We wanted both people who self-identify as History Lovers and those that self-identify as History Haters to find common ground and to realize that History is for everyone and that there is something in History for everyone to love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We started the Hashtag History podcast in 2019 and have watched it grow from zero downloads to more than 125,000 downloads! We are really proud of the work that we do with the podcast. We do our best to share stories from History in engaging and entertaining ways but backed by loads of research. We are complimented often by our listeners for the level of research and fact-checking we put into each and every episode while also relaying that research in a fun format.

Independent podcasting is hard. Most independent podcasters do not podcast full-time. Therefore, my time is split between my full-time job, my many part-time jobs as a freelance writer and dance instructor, my family and my friends, and other life responsibilities. Keeping up with the podcast can be difficult when you are responsible for the whole project from start to finish (research, recording, editing, marketing, and more). But it’s worth it! The podcast means so much to both us and our listeners and that’s why we keep putting out new episodes week after week.

We have learned to give ourselves grace throughout this process. Podcasting is not our full-time job. And if we want it to continue to be fun, we have to give ourselves the grace to not stress ourselves out about it. It’s okay if an episode goes up late. It’s okay to have a shorter episode sprinkled in there every now and then. It’s okay to need a break between podcast seasons to recoup. The more grace you give yourself, the more fun you will have along the journey.

I would like the world to know that History really is fun and engaging and interesting when delivered in the right way. Even if you hated History in high school, we truly believe that you will love the Hashtag History podcast because we delivery History in a way that makes it relatable and understandable to everyone.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Sacramento is so much fun and has so much History! For anyone that has never been to the Sacramento area, we definitely recommend spending a day in the Old Sacramento historic district! There you can check out some of our best known museums and even take a tour of underground Sacramento!

Sacramento (and the nearby Elk Grove area) is also known for its rich beer scene! Be sure to check just a few of our local, award-winning breweries: Tilted Mash, Flatlands Brewing Company, and Waterman Brewing Company.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I could not do all that I do without the love, support, and encouragement of my wonderful husband, Alex. Alex is my rock and confidante and has been with me through every step of this podcast journey.

Website: www.hashtaghistory-pod.com

Instagram: hashtaghistory_podcast

Image Credits
Photos were taken by us: Rachel Lee Perez and Leah Walukones