Rachel Shukert

Tell us about you:

My name is Rachel. I'm a TV writer and producer in Los Angeles. I spend most of my time writing, watching TV (it's literally my job!), having Zoom meetings, reading the news, and playing with and caring for my 3-year-old son Theo.

What are the 2-3 biggest changes you want to see in the world?

I want us to radically reimagine our economy beyond this late-stage capitalism, where a tiny percentage of people feel entitled to pillage the wealth, talents and resources of everyone else. An end to racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. And I want all children everywhere to be treated as human beings worthy of respect, attention, safety and personal autonomy. 

How do you act to do your part to build the world you want to see?

I listen. I'm lucky to have a platform to add my voice to the conversation and to try to impart my values through my creative work. But our culture is one where people talk and talk and talk and lecture and dictate and think that's leadership. It's not. All the leaders and colleagues I've respected most throughout my career are the ones who talk last and least, and that's something I try to remember to do every day.  

What advice do you have for folks who want to step into advocacy but aren’t sure how?

I think people think of the scale of the problems we face and get overwhelmed. It feels apocalyptic. But you don't have to do it alone, and you don't have to solve everything.  You can start with small things. Wear a mask. Be a good neighbor. Listen to others -- and resist the urge to interrupt them the second you disagree. The rest will come. I had a teacher once in college who said: "Don't just try to do great things. Try to do small things with great love." I don't think I really understood it at the time but now I think of it constantly. 

Twitter: @rachelshukert