Welcome to the…messy middle.

Her writing explores what happens when real life complicates our convictions: loving people while setting boundaries, changing our minds without losing ourselves, and caring about the world while still enjoying being in it. She brings candor, compassion, and humor to conversations that can get heavy—and makes room for discoveries that are simply worth enjoying.

Her first book, Confessions of an American None: A Credo of Sorts, explores one chapter of her own messy middle. Despite holding a Master of Theological Studies from Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, Rachel finds that neither “religious” nor “non-religious” quite describes her. She calls herself a “none.” Ask whether she’s religious, and the answer is “depends.” Apparently, a graduate degree does not guarantee a tidy answer.

That experience is one example of her larger interest: how to live honestly when the labels and answers available don’t quite fit.

Rachel lives in Dallas, has three grown children, and shares her home with Tito, a small dog whose confidence in his own judgment remains unshaken.