Rachel Clissold, the 406th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has an unusual gift.

Time and time again, strangers who meet her feel the urge to open up and reveal intimate experiences.

Part of the reason is that Rachel is an excellent listener; also, she asks thoughtful questions that give the other person a chance to speak their mind. But there’s often another reason – which is that many of us have things we need to say, but have never had the courage to do so.

It says something about humans that the mere act of disclosing information about ourselves can sometimes feel threatening.

When Rachel was younger, she felt a profound desire to massively impact the world. She’s been doing that for the past decade as a life coach who helps clients overcome internal blockages and gain clarity. That said, she knows she’s destined to help even more people in an even bigger way.

As a young adult, Rachel was a very shy person who had quite a bit of toxicity in her life. She realised that travel would give her the chance to leave that negative environment, while meeting interesting people and learning new skills. From the age of 26, she spent a decade travelling the world. By the end of her travels, she’d become much more confident and self-aware, and also learnt the importance of trusting her instincts. 

Rachel knows from her own experience and work as a coach that a lot of us carry around unresolved trauma. To resolve it, we have to be willing to open up – something that’s simple to do, but definitely not easy.