Seven years of friendship between the Editor-in-Chief of ÜP and the upcoming cover star, Rachel McGourney, makes for one of the most interesting photoshoots and interviews of all time. To say the least, there is not a soul to compare to that of McGourney as she possesses such a deep love for the joys in her life. When she loves, she loves hard- as you will see throughout her responses in the following issue.
September is a revival month, a statement piece to fall if you will. Students are returning to school, leaves are changing colors once again, football appears on the television (maybe you got lucky and are free from the constant broadcasting); moreover, this means a different season most likely in a majority of our lives.
Why do we have to force ourselves to adapt in times of our lives? Pause. Wait. Think.
Adjust can be the linking arm to “adapt”, but either way, we make changes within ourselves- whether it be physical or mental- to change for the better. Your change may be for yourself or someone else. When you take the second route, be cautious with who you are altering your life for. Only benefits should appear from the change. The depth of your relationship should reach even further through the heart if you make the proper decision.
McGourney sat for a long time with herself. No distractions to harm her inner work, but that does not mean the process is all entirely rainbows and butterflies. “I realized how hurt my internal being was.” Silence brought her reassuring conclusions for the decisions she had to make for herself, especially during a time like the lockdown for COVID-19. Silence was all there was for many hours of the day, so she took the opportunity and ran with it.
“During quarantine, I was constantly looking for validation and projecting my own insecurities outward which led me to feel and think very poorly about myself for so many years.” Beil stops in the tracks to see what true motivator embedded itself into her story. Continuing, she vulnerably provides a beautiful verbage of the trail of thoughts within her mind. “The thing that made me want to improve myself the most was coming to the realization that the only person I’m ever going to have one hundred percent of the time is myself, and once I realized this it was both terrifying and freeing.”
Her independence preserves through her job, running errands, taking herself on food outings, holding responsibility for her plans and organizing her schedule. Outside of the interview, the two could talk for undoubtedly hours about the topic of morals. Knowing that if she wants something, she has to do it herself, which anchored her in this growth period of her life at just eighteen years old. She started along this transition even before her birthday in May, which would have made her only seventeen years of age. To have this abundance mindset, the mindset that would allow her to realize her peace is directly related to her own everyday decisions, is a movement unknown to most teenagers or young adults. She thoroughly emphasizes, “There will always be outlets of support, but no one will ever do the work for you – whether that is studying for a test, literally going to work, going on a run, etc..”
Then grew a side to her that comforted her own uncured feelings with compassion: “I understood that all the events in my life led me to feel so small and alone were not necessarily my fault, however they were my responsibility to cope with and heal from. And it was freeing because from that point on I have slowly been able to learn to let go of the opinions of others, release the need to be understood, set boundaries, and communicate more effectively among many other things.”
Our cover star treats her body, in simple terms, like a temple. With the unreasonable amount of stimuli we have on this Earth, there are few and far in between tasks we have control over, but those are debatably the most important. McGourney tells us that “it seems so obvious that you only really have yourself, but it’s much deeper than how it sounds at the surface. Every thought you latch onto, every micro habit you have, every food you put into your body, every song you listen to, it all contributes to how you think and feel about your own being, mostly subconsciously.” As an outsider, you can truly detect the intricate knowledge that shuffles in her mind day to day.
“Just the other day, we were sitting on the floor in their room after a beach day in Ocean City, Maryland and she starts informing me about the health effects of technology and other issues our society faces. She had the choice to mindlessly scroll while relaxing after being sun-drained, but she continued with her personal evolution without boredom or complaints or worry if she thought I was interested (I could sit there for all of time and listen to her disperse the tiniest fact, but know how crucial it is to my life and my mind- I adore the consistency with educating herself. It’s truly second-nature for her to take advantage of the vast knowledge available- which not many realize or seem to bother with,” Beil adds.
Our September face finds the importance in rationalizing this process, “The past year, by no means, has not been a walk in the park, but I’ve been able to find stillness in all of the chaos which has brought so much peace into my life and hopefully the lives of those around me as well.”
As you can tell, if you have reached this point, the pair do certainly talk for quite some time. “If time was distance, we would be talking marathons,” Beil concludes, “with her it is so natural.”
Apart of her ever-developing brand, “Sowellrooted”, comes an abundance of tips for all into health and wellness. Not just the “health and wellness” we have come to despise as a society, but the real “health and wellness”. You retrieve an instant gratification from her appearance on social media as an advocate for healing the heart and mind before anything else. She prioritizes her voice on this platform as her knowledge is much needed for her steadily-growing followers.
Beil gets an inside look at what sparked the account’s foundation:
“When people come across my Instagram, first and foremost, I hope they feel seen. Aside from that my biggest hope is to show people that you are the creator of your life. Life does not just happen to you, it happens for you. Of course I also want people to be able to gain insight and knowledge about making healthier lifestyle choices and understanding that health is not just diets and working out. True health and wellness encompass all aspects of life- social, financial, intellectual, occupational, sexual, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental. To balance all of these areas in a way that serves the individual most is to live a life of fulfillment and joy. Lastly, I want individuals, especially teens, to realize that how you take care of yourself now, affects your health later on in life. By prioritizing your well-being from a young age, one can learn exceptional skills about balancing work, play, and coping with stress. Working to improve your own well-being only helps to improve the collective well-being, raising the overall quality of life. A quote that has stuck with me by Ram Dass- psychologist, author, and spiritual teacher – is “I can do nothing for you but work on myself. You can do nothing for me but work on yourself.”
Beil appreciated the length and mindfulness McGourney took for this response, for not many understand their “why”. That is the first step in developing a name for yourself or a business. You must search within all courts of your mind and soul to grasp your mission. Serving those who listen or interact with your content and information is all about authenticity.
Do you need to borrow a feminine dress from a friend? The model has you covered. Do you need to borrow a more masculine button-up? She still has you covered. The mixture of gender-typed clothing makes for a diverse, flexible closet. As you may relate, deciphering your mood goes hand-in-hand with what you wear. When McGourney has a reason to go out, she will make the conscious choice to adhere to her desire to dress more feminine or masculine. The two share a laugh after she makes it a point that “the reasons I do not like to have a huge wardrobe are I do not go out enough to need a full selection and I prefer spending extra money on new experiences over material items.”
An extra, but most-certainly important, point to the clothing conversation brewed; “I prioritize shopping sustainably and avoiding fast fashion…” Thrifting continues to be a main source for her greatest finds in an attempt to recycle clothing rather than buy from a company that does not focus on their materials or employee terms. According to the UN Environment Programme, “the fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.” (earth.org)
From Pinterest board collages to introspective notes in her posts, she creates an image of what a dream life appears in her reality. With the extra time on her hands she discovered she can be considered an “introverted-extrovert”, also known as an “ambivert”. This specific group of people, which tends to be the most populated, as many are not either or, flush out their overstimulation with access to a calming source- being in nature, participating in a physical activity, journaling, reading, binging a series or movies, cooking, writing, etc.. A compliment to Rachel’s personality specifically ties to nature. Her ability to remain still and be slow with life gives her the ultimate advantage to breathe in every curing aspect of natural life.
ÜP stems from “A Dream Realm”, so in accordance, we wanted to know her dream realm. Coinciding with her passion for raw moments, she mentions, “A life full of laughter, love, thrill, adventure, peace, and connection is a life well lived in my eyes.” Yet, there is no rush for such a contentful life when she brings awareness to the fact that timing is not in her control. “I believe that the energy I put out into the world will return to me in some way or another, so by focusing my attention on my own attitude and actions, I believe opportunities that are meant for me will present themselves with divine timing.”
Not many harp on the tougher side of dreams, the pits, or as Rachel gives voice to, “the shadows”. Without such an experience, one would never comprehend just how beautiful, amazing, fulfilling their peaks are. “Being aware of that is the dream,” a statement that glued into Beil’s mind throughout and following the interview.
A moment down memory lane eased the intensity of the conversation on growth and maturing. Our cover star shares a personal remembrance of her passed Nana, a woman that “spread peace, love, and wisdom.”
“One moment that sticks with me is sitting at my Nana and Pappy’s kitchen table making various shapes and molds with bread dough. My Nana emigrated to the United States from Italy in her middle age years and brought with her an abundance of knowledge in broad topics ranging from gardening to cooking. Instead of buying play dough from the store, she would make an extra homemade batch of sour bread dough and give it to my cousins and I to get creative with.”
A true Italian way to cleanse a child’s boredom, food! From Rachel’s extravagant recipes, there is a clear lineage of talent in the kitchen. She knows exactly how to add flavor, and, as she says, “I like crunch.”
On a more serious note, she harps on the impact of that memory with such admiration, “Although she is no longer physically with me, I can feel her presence gently comforting me in times of need.” With precious experiences comes a forever gratefulness, synonymous to our cover star’s dream realm.
With season two of Outer Banks releasing just last month, Beil needed to know what Rachel gives her attention to. As assumed with the immense amount of self-discovery and learning, she honestly does not consume as much as the every-day person. Even boredom becomes a factor in that decision; “I would rather relax in a different manner such as reading, taking a nice steamy shower, or practicing yoga.” She admits, “Although, I did just finish the show Manifest on Netflix. That was the first show I watched completely through since 8th grade. At the beginning I thought it had a great plot, but after a few episodes I was no longer interested in the storyline. I only continued diving in to find out what happened to each of the main characters.” Conflicting feelings arise from the show “Manifesting”, ÜP is curious about the craze and the indifference.
A majority of her day, when not working or committed to certain obligations, revolves around fulfilling a hobby or applying herself to a self-care act. Anyone who comes within distance of McGourney receives an opportunity to learn just what appreciating life is. All cards dealt, she handles every moment with great awareness of what her mind and body needs at that exact time. Knowing that television does not serve her the way her mind and body naturally need, she disperses in alternate, life-affirming pursuits.
Wrapping up the interview was quite hard, with such an interesting soul like our very own. She offers such wisdom and truth for those who are looking for a more in-depth approach to life. To open up the month of September, Beil took over the beach with the muse, McGourney. Waking up at five in the morning is not for the average young adult, but so they did. “We had to have enough time to dig a hole and shoot before very many people came down to set up camp for the day,” Beil raves, “the hole did not take as long as we thought, so we were running on minimal sleep for the sake of beautiful photos with a clear beach.”
Beil, in control of creative directing, imagined a certain scheme of colors for the time-lapse of the sunrise. “In the very beginning, at five O’Clock in the morning, I had the cover star in neutrals to match the still hidden hues of the scintillating star. But, she had to change with the sun. We needed perfect timing to paint as well, and the process could not have gone smoother.” Beil can not stop talking about the serenity of the shoot. Despite the load of work to be done in such a brief period, “McGourney allowed me to poke and prod at her in the early morning to get the exact images I needed,” the creative director heaps praises on.
McGourney makes finishing statements related to the process of shooting the September Issue for 2021; “During the shoot, feelings of inspiration and admiration arose in me. I felt truly inspired by Hannah’s creativity and motivation for her work. Her light energy complimented my own so effortlessly which is why I believe we have such a deep connection. Furthermore, I deeply admire her dedication for this project; even at five o’clock in the morning, her passion could clearly be felt. Overall, it was such a fulfilling experience, and I’m so grateful to have been able to be apart of it.”
For the first time in ÜP history we grant “The Woman of Authenticity” to Rachel McGourney, with great praise and regard.