Rachel Hollis has Broken the Silence on Her Divorce, and She’s Already Selling You Her Next Book – Rise Podcast Update
Rachel Hollis has Broken the Silence on Her Divorce, and She's Already Selling You Her Next Book
I was scrolling through my Spotify account subscribed podcasts when I noticed there were new episodes of the RISE Podcast (Rachel Hollis’ solo Podcast). One was titled, “Embrace the Suck,” and is her first major platform posting since the divorce announcement by her and Dave. If you want my initial thoughts on that divorce announcement, read that post here after. I have a lot of opinions on their business strategies, and I’m going to be discussing inconsistencies, faux authenticity, and already pushing a new product by the Hollis Company in this post. This post, and likely additional posts, will deep dive into the business issues and personal choices with business implications by the Hollis Company. This is NOT a post about their divorce, their family dynamics, their children, or otherwise. Personal discussion about them isn’t something you’ll get from me. Please avoid discussing their personal dynamic in the comments. Divorce is deeply personal and I don’t believe that anyone is entitled to talk about the inner-workings of their family. Calling out problematic behavior and unethical business practices is what you’ll see from this website. So keep reading to hear what Rachel Hollis had to say on her first RISE podcast episode since the divorce announcement, and how the inconsistencies and hypocrisy are already piling up.
P.s.: You may be wondering why the hell I care so much? I listened to Rise Together until I realized the extent of which Rachel Hollis plagiarized/plagiarizes (at the time of posting this) and pretty much stopped all interactions with them after reading a library copy of Girl, Stop Apologizing in 2019. I was in the middle of my MBA when I found Rachel Hollis, really enjoyed Girl, Wash Your Face the first time I read it, but the more I got “involved” in the Hollis Company the more disappointed I became with how unethical Rachel & Dave are and the marketing strategies they use. All of this went on as I learned more about business, including from the digital marketing side. I graduated with my MBA later in 2019, and unethical business practices are something I’m passionate about. There is so much WRONG about this company/situation and I want to help consumers/followers understand why this is so problematic. Why I won’t comment on the personal aspects of their relationship. I believe there is plenty to cover in terms of bad business practices by The Hollis Company. If you enjoy commentary and want to know more about shady business, be sure to subscribe. I’m open to commentary that is positive or negative.
Podcast "Table of Contents"
I listened to this podcast twice to be sure I was listening to Rachel Hollis’ words in context before writing. There was a fairly natural flow of the conversation that can be broken into a few main chunks that I’m calling the “Table of Contents” but this is MY opinion.
0:00-2:30: Intro + We Tried
2:30-6:30: Personal Relationship Info
6:30-9:50: She’s Getting Off Social Media, But Will Put Out Content That You Can’t Comment On
9:50-13:00: Talking About Her New Book (yep.)
13:00-14:33: Drops Title of the Book, Talks About How She’s Editing It
14:33-End: Tells You this is for You, She’s Still Showing Up, Outtro
Those are the major breakdowns, and there were a lot of “quotable” things that I typed out but realized it was too long to mention my major points. The first half of the podcast is real, raw, and vulnerable. Unfortunately, Rachel Hollis then spoke possibly the greatest hypocrisy of her career.
The Hypocrisy & Already Marketing a New Book
“There’s an old expression that says, ‘never teach from your wounds, you teach from your scars.‘ You never teach about or write about something that is currently hurting you. You only talk about things that you’ve done the work to get past……BUT……I also knew I couldn’t release it authentically if I didn’t talk about what’s happened in my life. ” -Rachel Hollis
Please feel free to listen to the episode because I promise that I am in no way taking her words out of context. That 30 seconds is where the podcast went sour. Those words completely go against everything the RISE Together Podcast did, and the RISE Together Conferences. Those were two BUSINESS SECTORS that absolutely put them in the position to “teach” about marriage WHILE THEY WERE FAILING AT MARRIAGE. That is a huge problem! This wasn’t “just” bad advice. This was bad advice that was advertised and paid for as though they were knowledgeable. From there, the podcast became hard to listen to. It was not long after that she started to talk about her next book. While I think the context made sense, what felt wrong was her mentioning the title repeatedly. That is marketing. She has let you know that she is coming out with another book, and she has made sure you know the name. Maybe it wasn’t intended to come off that way, but I’m not inclined to believe there wasn’t some sort of motivation there. The Hollis Company still has to bring in revenue throughout all this, and they’ve likely lost two major business branches. The last section is where Rachel ties in her “toxic positivity” and reminders that this is for you. I don’t want to talk about the toxic positivity side because that again feels personal, but I will say that the final three minutes felt like her utilizing the parasocial relationship she has with her audience (aka, how she has always tried to make you feel like her “friend” in the way she writes, talks, shares etc). She then finishes up with reminding you to subscribe to her weekly email and that she’s “still here.”
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Major Takeaways
1st: Rachel Hollis is clearly in pain. There is no doubt that this is difficult, and I personally want to express my sympathy from that side. So my first takeaway is: have compassion for their family and particularly their children. Her kids have access to the internet. They could read ALL of these things. As I write this, I’m aware that their children could read my own words based on their ages. I truly hope to only critique the business practices and that others would do the same.
2nd: The Hollis Company is NOT taking any accountability for their actions in regards to the RISE Together Podcast and RISE Together Conferences. Until they do, I will not support them and encourage others to do the same. If you went to the RISE Together Podcast? Request a Refund. I do not believe the company will change unless they see a business reason to do so. The RISE Together Podcast is still streaming and bringing them income.
3rd: Despite the pain and evolving circumstances, Rachel Hollis is already selling you her next thing that she’s not an expert in but will position herself as one. Dropping the title and repeating it multiple times is a marketing technique. Did she intend it to be? Not necessarily.
4th: Rachel Hollis is stepping away from valid criticism. At 6:50 in the podcast, she says how she knew people would send her love on social media, but also say hateful and “ugly things.” From a personal standpoint, I can understand staying off social media. But others beyond myself have very valid concerns with their company, and unlike myself not everyone feels they have a platform to share these concerns with them. No one should say hateful things to them, but the “ugly things”? What they have done in their business is ugly. Taking people’s hard earned money by being an motivational speaker in an area you’re failing at? That’s ugly.
5th: By staying “off” social media but “on” her podcast and email list, the Hollis Company is priming and cultivating her most loyal fanbase to buy her next book. This was literally her first update and icebreaker since the divorce announcement and the end already felt like a sales funnel (mentioning that she is “working on” said product and then mentioning the name of the product are both sales funnel techniques whether you like that fact or not, and whether she meant it that way or not). Those are considered “touchpoints” in the digital marketing world. The average number of “touchpoints” before a sale is around 7-8 depending on who did the study. She’s laying the groundwork for a future sale even now.
Related: Why You REALLY Can't Trust The Hollis Co. After the Divorce Announcement
don't trust me totally? listen for yourself here
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Rachel is the creator and owner of Fresh Pine Co. and its subsidiaries, including allwavyhair.com = the #1 Web Source for naturally wavy hair information & tips. Rachel received a Breakout New Blogger Scholarship at FinCon 2018. She enjoys writing niche content about budget lifestyle, eco-friendly living, and mental health.
Love that you are able to critique a business without attacking the personal (and sparing her children). Hypocrisy always sees the light of day. Keep posting all the marketing/business practices that take advantage of consumers! This was eye-opening to me! It helped me organize the chaotic thoughts I had about the Hollis business and I hope others take the time to read it and digest it. Looking forward to your next post -Keke
Thanks for the kind feedback! I’m glad it could be helpful, and I hope others can also learn and bring up these valid critiques (while remaining respectful). Thanks again. -Rachel
I think you should research a bit more . They had one Rise Together conference and it was years ago. They said they would never do it again and did not. They have not once said they were experts in the field of relationships or otherwise and so hence you take what you want from the content. Just because they are divorcing does not take away from the information they’ve shared while they were obviously going through tough times in their own marriage. The idea that you think people are entitled to refunds because of their separation is laughable!
Also of course she is marketing her new book…she has a business to run. Is it tacky and a little ill timed? Sure! But I am the consumer and I get to choose how I respond. The fact that she is setting up a sales funnel matters zilch to that.
I was somewhat surprised by their announcement however I can look back and see the problems in their relationship. I actually think it’s incredibly brave of them to take this step to ensure they both get the best life for themselves. Too many people stay in dead relationships too long. I think this reinforces their message around living your best life.
I am not a die hard fan of The Hollis Co however I feel that your slant in your post is a bit off.
Thanks for your perspective! While I choose to disagree, I appreciate you taking the time to write this in a respectful manner. -Rachel