Keisha Blair
I reached out to Rachel to do a short and Q&A for an Aspire-Canada feature as she was one of the first Aspire-Canada mentors on board and has been a staunch supporter of mentorship and entrepreneurship. Rachel’s core passion is to make a difference in people’s lives with the events she produces, strategic marketing campaigns she launches and projects she manages. She has worked with extraordinary people making real impacts on today’s culture in wellness, peace initiatives, women’s rights, education, philanthropy and entertainment.
Her company, Agent of Change is now three years old, and they have produced some life-altering events. Agent of Change has produced events for some of the most acclaimed non profit organizations including VDAY, The Lower East Side Girls Club, Define American, The Headstrong Project, Equality Now, Somaly Mam Foundation, Pencils of Promise, The Blue School, Walkabout Foundation, RUSH Philanthropic, as well as Marie Forleo’s annual Rich Happy + Hot Live conference. Rachel has also led literary campaigns for some of today’s most respected health authorities, serving as Campaign Manager for Mark Hyman, MD’s New York Times best-seller The Blood Sugar Solution, Alisa Vitti’s WomanCode and as a Strategic Consultant for Kris Carr’s New York Times best-selling books Crazy Sexy Diet and Crazy Sexy Kitchen.
Prior to this, from 2007 – 2010, Rachel was the Director of Program Development of the Urban Zen Foundation, founded by Donna Karan. The focus of the organization is to advance well-being, empower children and preserve cultures. Rachel produced the Hope Help & Relief Haiti Fundraiser which raised money for Partners in Health, Habitat for Humanity and Yele Haiti. The event was hosted by Mary J. Blige, Donna Karan, Andre Harrell and Andre Balazs and featured special performances by Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean and Whoopi Goldberg. A three-day event called the 2009 Well-Being Speaker Series: A Focus on Nutrition which featured Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. James Gordon, Dr. Neal Barnard, Kathy Freston, Kris Carr and Mariel Hemingway. In May of 2008, she produced a three-day event for Spirituality for KidsTM in which Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were the hosts and Patti Labelle performed. In 2007, Rachel produced the inaugural ten-day Urban Zen Well-Being Forum which included yoga medical training and panel discussions led by medical and healing industry heavyweights such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Christiane Northrop, Dr. Alejandro Junger, Robert Thurman, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Kathy Freston, Kris Carr, Richard Freeman and Rodney Yee.
Q & A Interview with Rachel Goldstein: Founder & CEO of Agent of Change
Q:What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?
A:I was tired of working for other people’s dreams and wanted to utilize my production and marketing skills to impact the world.
Q:Do you feel like entrepreneurship is really a viable path for kids graduating out of school now?
A:Absolutely! Don’t sit back and let your dreams drift away. If you have an idea.. follow thru with it.. make it your reality. Own it!
Q:Tell us the inspiration behind Agent of Change?
A:I truly love the feeling of people walking away from the events I produce feeling better or more enriched in their knowledge. Its the only high I like to ride on.
Q:How do you feel about the importance of mentorship for youth in today’s economy?
A:Its huge! I wish I had proper mentors growing up that showed me structure and gave me guidance on my career aspirations.
Q:What would be the key piece of advice for young entrepreneurs today?
A:Intern… volunteer.. intern.. volunteer – get out there!