Poet and writer Victor Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” And Taylor Swift said, “People haven’t always been there for me, but music always has.”
My guest today is extremely thoughtful and has so much to say with her words and her songs, and it’s always a joy to have her on the podcast! Rachel Platten is an Emmy Award winner, author, and multi-platinum selling recording artist. Rachel joined me here on Episode 572 of The School of Greatness, and today, she’s back!
You’ll know her best from her powerful hit songs such as “Fight Song,” “Stand By You,” and many more! She topped countless radio and iTunes charts worldwide and has even written a children’s book based on her song “You Belong.” She released a new song called “Soldiers,” which is truly inspiring, and everyone should go check it out after listening to this podcast.
Rachel is always willing to open up and talk about some of the harsh realities that she faces as a mom, a wife, and a performer, while also giving gratitude for the opportunities, joys, and successes that she sees in her life every day. This is a really powerful interview, especially for anyone who struggles with panic and anxiety, motherhood, postpartum depression, and staying true to yourself, or for anyone who wants to take a deep dive into their own self-worth and identity.
In this interview, Rachel and I dove deep into her highs and lows as an artist. We talked about what she does to stay positive even when she releases music that takes a lot of time to gain traction, and we talked about the power of recentering on ourselves and using visualization to get what we want in life. I learned so much from this interview, and I think you will too.
Who Is Rachel Platten?
Rachel Platten is the Emmy Award-winning singer-songwriter behind such hits as “Fight Song” and “Stand By You.” She is a powerful and emotional songwriter, and her music has inspired millions of people to stay strong and fight through even the toughest circumstances.
Rachel released her first two albums, Trust In Me and Be Here, independently, but in 2015 she signed with Columbia Records and debuted her first single, “Fight Song,” which became the official anthem of Hilary Clinton’s 2016 Democratic Presidential Campaign. She also won a Daytime Emmy Award for her live performance of “Fight Song” on Good Morning America.
Rachel was born in New York City and raised in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. She began her musical career early by starting piano lessons at age five, and in high school, she picked up the guitar. After graduating from college in 2003, she moved to Greenwich Village and began performing with a Prince and Sly and the Family Stone cover band called Dayz of Wild. She also started performing her solo music and eventually started touring with her own music.
In 2010, Rachel married her husband, Kevin, and in 2018, they announced they were expecting a girl. In January 2019, she gave birth to Violet Skye Lazan, and Lauren has been rocking both the stage and motherhood ever since.
Rachel has faced her share of challenges on her way to the top. She understands the hardships of trying to generate traction around her music and continuing to be a working musician and a new mother at the same time. Her story is inspiring, and I absolutely loved talking to her again — I know you’ll love this episode, too!
Rachel Platten’s Overnight Success
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Rachel hit it big almost overnight — she spent years traveling around and making almost no money, and then she got a call from Taylor Swift. Within three short months, Rachel was playing to stadiums full of 60,000 fans who knew her song. What must that have been like?
“It was a very bizarre change of life from like playing in my van to ten people … to 60,000 people within three months.” – Rachel Platten
For a while, Rachel was on top of the world. She was playing to huge crowds, and she was finally living out her dream. She’s faced plenty of challenges since then, but that was the moment that really launched her to stardom. So how does Rachel remain grounded and authentic even though her life is very different now?
“I was doing so much work on myself. I was reading constantly things to fill my soul. I was meditating. I was journaling constantly. I was doing a lot of charity work. I was giving a lot, and … I had [an] amazing community around of my people reminding me, ‘Rachel, stop. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to go after. It matters what’s here now.’” – Rachel Platten
Let me ask you something: What are you doing to fill your soul? Are you spending time meditating? Do you keep a journal? Do you give back to your community? Do you have people around you to support you and keep you grounded when you succeed? Those things are essential. Rachel would agree — if you don’t have a solid spiritual practice to keep your mind and spirit grounded, you can find yourself straying further and further away from your truth.
Rachel’s definitely experienced that. She admitted to me during our conversation that there was a time when she was on tour in London when, to be honest, she started acting rudely toward her team. She canceled a lot of events that they had worked hard to prepare, and she wasn’t acting or speaking out of gratitude. It took a lot of self-work and spiritual practices for Rachel to get grounded again and relearn to be grateful for her experiences.
Challenges of Mental Health and Motherhood
Of course, not all of Rachel’s struggles have been self-inflicted. About a year ago, Rachel gave birth to her first child, Violet. But after giving birth, Rachel started to experience symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety. While she was on tour, she experienced regular panic attacks, and she struggled to cope with being a new mom and a touring artist at the same time.
“That was like my real dark night of the soul, last summer. The darkest it’s ever gotten for me was having panic attacks being out on stage with an arena full of people and having a panic attack right before I went on stage because I can’t control anything, and my breast milk is diminishing, and I’m going to have to give her formula and then guilt over that…” – Rachel Platten
Rachel went through some extremely difficult times, but something incredible happened. She started being honest about her struggles and sharing her experiences with postpartum anxiety with her audiences, and her authenticity resonated with many of the women who heard her message.
“I heard from thousands of women being like, … ‘Thank you so much for talking about your postpartum on stage. I’ve never heard it talked about in public. Thank you so much for doing that.’ Like, that was surprising.” – Rachel Platten
By sharing her difficult experiences with the world, Rachel was able to reach thousands of women who had experienced similar struggles. I truly admire her for allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of so many people — by showing people who she truly is, she’s making the world a better place.
What’s your story? What hardships have you overcome? I want to encourage you to share them with those closest to you, and, if you feel comfortable, a larger audience. You never know who you could impact or empower just by authentically sharing your story of overcoming resistance or difficulty.
