hi, i’m rachael. i study people, figure out what they want, and help brands understand why.

I’m a strategy-driven thinker with a love for scratching beneath the obvious. I use research (numbers, nuance and everything in between) to make sense of people, culture, and the systems quietly shaping the choices we make.

I take what’s visible on the surface and push past it—until something more honest shows up. Research is just the entry point.

What I’m really after is understanding: how people make sense of things, and what actually shapes their decisions.

I’m less interested in what people say they do, and more interested in what’s driving it. I look for patterns, tensions, and the gaps between intention and action.

That’s where the real story is. And more importantly, that’s where the most useful insights come from—the ones that give ideas a reason to exist.

By working with me, you’re getting someone who:

  • thinks like a strategist but asks questions like a detective

  • is professionally curious (and personally a little nosy)

  • can go from big-picture patterns to tiny details without losing the thread

  • actually likes people—and pays attention to them

  • won’t stop at the first answer (there’s always a better why)

Education

Boston University

BS in Advertising

Minor in Business

Research Experience So Far

COLORANT (NYC-based luxury retailer sourcing from designers and wholesalers who use natural processes)

Consumer Insights Strategist

Sales Associate

AdLab (largest student-run ad agency in the US)

Strategist

  • Blue Man Group

  • Celebrity Cruises

Commonwealth Corporation (quasi-public agency focused on workforce equity)

Community Insights & Comms

Helping a SVP, Strategy

Research & Strategy Project Assistant

  • BU Wheelock College

  • Innovate@BU

Embodied Experience So Far

House of OM (holistic yoga school and community)

I completed my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Koh Phangan, Thailand as part of a solo-travel trip across SE Asia which made me fall in love with cultural research and immersion.

CorePower Yoga (franchise and corporate-owned yoga studio)

I completed by 50-Hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training in Boston, MA and now teach yoga sculpt classes.

Skills

Research
Qualitative research design
Ethnographic observation (in-person & contextual)
In-depth interviews
Survey design & mixed-methods synthesis
Behavioral and cultural landscape analysis

Analysis & Insight
Thematic analysis
Insight development (behavioral + emotional drivers)
Audience segmentation & archetyping
Cultural tension identification

Strategy
Consumer insights & brand strategy
Positioning & narrative development
Opportunity identification & framing

Human Perspective
Cross-cultural observation & community immersion
Understanding identity, behavior, and decision-making
Strong interpersonal intuition and empathy