...Sometimes You Just Have To Break The Rules

Moving abroad for love was the easy part. Letting go of the guilt about leaving her family behind... that part took longer. In the first episode of By The Way, I sit down with my best friend of 30 years, Rachel Bracken, also known as DJ Cheeky. While I spent two decades building a life by the rule book, Rachel threw hers out. She left the South for New York, met a guy at a party in Spain, had their first kiss at Heathrow Arrivals, and married him in Vegas a few months later. She has called London home for 12 years. We talk about choosing a life your family didn't picture for you, and the guilt that can stick around long after the relationship heals. Why she stopped dressing to fit in once she found people who let her be herself. How she taught herself to DJ 15 minutes a day around a full-time job and motherhood, then played Kings Day in Amsterdam less than a year in. Why a life you designed on purpose still hands you weeks that fall apart. And her next leap: buying a piece of jungle in Costa Rica. Then Rachel turns the tables and asks me the question only a 30-year friend could ask. If you're standing at the edge of a big decision, this one is for you. By The Way is an unscripted, unprompted conversation with women who don't play by the rulebook. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to By The Way... 01:33 Meet Rachel: Smyrna to New York to London 03:33 The choice: Atlanta or a chance in Menorca 06:11 Following your gut when your family is hurt 08:27 Where the courage came from 09:46 Finding people who let you be yourself 11:19 What feels traditional now 13:07 Why work is last on her list 14:23 Making time for what fills your cup 17:41 Context clues: finding what lights you up 19:12 The Southern charm she kept 20:09 The guilt she still carries 23:47 Doubling down: moving to Costa Rica 25:49 What she'd tell her younger self 26:32 Rachel asks me the hard question 29:01 Playing Kings Day in Amsterdam at 40 29:43 When a designed life still falls apart 31:40 Thinking about a big move? Her two words of advice. Follow DJ Cheeky: https://on.soundcloud.com/dXEdM7wQl3FLFwgT8U WORK WITH ME Book a free 30-minute Clarity Call: https://www.bywayofgrey.com/booking 1:1 coaching, the 90-day Coaching Container: https://www.bywayofgrey.com/for-individual Grey Area Audit, under 5 minutes, free: https://audit.bywayofgrey.com FOLLOW ALONG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bywayofgrey The ByWay newsletter on Substack: https://bywayofgrey.substack.com Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Laura_Robichaux?sub_confirmation=1 Laura Robichaux, NBC-HWC board certified health and wellness coach, IIN certified, 200-hour registered yoga teacher. Founder of By Way of Grey, holistic health coaching and corporate wellness consulting. #Podcast #ByWayOfGrey #MovingAbroad #LifeRedesign