S17 BONUS EPISODE: Rachel Cargle on reimagining the life we want to live.
May 25, 2023
56:58
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Quick takeaways
Rachel Cargle emphasizes the importance of unlearning societal conditioning and questioning context to combat racism and white supremacy.
Cargle highlights the significance of rest, joy, and pleasure in the fight for equity, challenging the 'girl boss' ideology.
Reimagining her debut book, Cargle encourages individuals to define success based on personal values, rather than conforming to societal definitions.
Deep dives
Learning from failure and the power of unlearning
The podcast episode features an interview with Rachel Kargel, a public academic activist, and author who emphasizes the importance of unlearning. Kargel explores the ways in which society perpetuates racism and white supremacy, highlighting the need to question context and social conditioning. She discusses her journey of knowledge and shares her findings with an online community. Kargel also addresses the importance of rest, joy, and pleasure in the fight for equity and challenges the notion of the 'girl boss' ideology. She reimagines her debut book to ensure it aligns with her well-being and personal values.
Grief, gratitude, and the power of community
Kargel opens up about the emotional challenges she faces, such as coping with the loss of her mother and the upcoming release of her first book. She talks about the ongoing balance between grief and gratefulness and how these emotions contribute to her personal growth. Kargel expresses her appreciation for community and conversation, stating that they provide a sense of softness in her life. She also discusses the impact of her writings on others and the value of intersectionality in her work.
Reimagining oneself and the importance of personal values
Kargel describes the process of reimagining her debut book, which originally focused on exploring racism within the feminist movement. She explains how racial uprisings prompted her to shift her perspective and reimagine her work for self-preservation. Kargel emphasizes the significance of personal values and the need to align one's goals with those values. She encourages individuals to define success based on their own understanding and to embrace their chosen selves, rather than conforming to societal definitions.
Finding highest values and the power of self-knowing
Kargel discusses the importance of identifying one's highest values as a means of navigating personal goals and defining success. She emphasizes the significance of getting to know oneself and finding clarity in values, enabling individuals to make choices that align with their true desires. Kargel shares how knowing her highest values strengthens her decision-making and helps her navigate feelings of comparison and jealousy. She encourages others to consider their values as a lens for moving through the world and to find a clear lane for their work.
Failure as a conduit for growth and self-discovery
The episode explores Kargel's journey through failure, including her experiences with personal relationships, dropping out of Columbia, and her first attempts at business. Kargel reflects on the challenges and lessons learned from these failures, highlighting the importance of self-questioning, accepting criticism, and enduring discomfort. She shares how these failures have shaped her as an entrepreneur and a businesswoman, inspiring her to create a career landscape that aligns with her values and provides space for creativity and growth.
TW: A heads-up that we talk about racism in this episode, and that we mention the murder of George Floyd and how this impacted Rachel's anti-racism work.
Rachel Cargle is a public academic, activist and author. Her debut book, A Renaissance of Our Own, is out TODAY and asks us to have the courage to live life according to our own values, rather than the ones we might have inherited or been conditioned to believe in. She joins me to talk about her anti-racism work, the 'weathering' effect such work has on Black bodies and her new-found understanding ease and joy have to form part of the same fight for equity. We also discuss her upbringing as the child of a disabled single mother, her divorce, her decision to be childfree, what happened when she dropped out of conventional academia, as well as her failures in business and what they have ended up teaching her about who she is.
Rachel is one of those people I just want to sit and listen to for hours. I barely had to ask any questions because I realised, very quickly, that the most powerful thing was simply for me to shut up and hear her speak.
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Rachel's book, A Renaissance of Our Own, is out today and available to order here.
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How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Day. To contact us, email howtofailpod@gmail.com