Resilience, according to Rachel Ann Roberts, is a habit of asking what the worst that could happen really is, and then moving forward one step at a time. In this conversation with Jeremy Van Wert, the creator of Coffee Talk explains how she handled three floods, reinvented herself online and learned to say yes to opportunities before feeling ready.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Rachel's approach to setbacks is to imagine the worst that could happen, picture herself handling it, and treat anything below that as no big deal.
- She says reinvention is possible at any point: you can stop being who you are if it does not make you happy.
- Rachel prays each night for opportunities and for the courage to act on them, and her motto is to say yes first and worry about the details later.
- When sadness comes, she tries to turn it around quickly rather than let it take over, using small joys such as sitting in the grass or smiling at strangers.
- Jeremy points to Gen X independence as a source of resilience: the sense that you are responsible for your own emotions and mindset.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠWhat resilience looks like for Rachel Ann Roberts
Rachel Ann Roberts is the creator of Coffee Talk, a morning show she records on weekdays and shares on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms. She also makes Rachel Roberts Recipes and says she is writing a cookbook called Eat Clean, Drink a Little Dirty.
Her definition of resilience comes through in how she talks about life. She says she stays happy, rarely feels unhappy and, when she does, tries not to dwell. Jeremy describes the result as an invincible mindset, the belief that there is always a way to pick yourself up.
If you would like a place to talk about change with people who are working through it, the Mindful Mutiny community offers real conversation and live Fireside Chats.
ᚢGrowing up with a mother who cooked every night
Rachel's mother was Italian and her father was a Texan. She says her mother cooked a full meal every night, the family sat at the table, and nobody told her what to make. She remembers her mother saying that she had taught Rachel how to eat well, so she would be able to feed herself and her family.
Her cooking advice is simple: use fresh ingredients, grow herbs if you can, and cook the tastes you like. Swap cilantro for parsley if you prefer.
Rachel lost both of her parents in 2012. She shares a belief that many people do not fully become themselves until their parents are gone, because parents carry expectations. This is her personal view and she says it with humor and love for her mother.
ᚦReinventing yourself online during COVID
Rachel says she spent years as a single mom and a soccer mom. When COVID began, her family stayed inside for about six months and she turned on her camera to stay connected with people. She did prayers in funny voices, joined push-up challenges and started cooking on camera.
People liked it, and it grew. She says Coffee Talk began under another name before it evolved into what it is now. Brian Sebastian of Movie Reviews and More had her on as a guest and later invited her to co-host.
Her message is direct: if you are not happy and want to be something else, reinventing yourself is possible. Jeremy offers a practical next step for anyone thinking the same way: a private 30-minute conversation about where you are and where you want to go.
ᚨThree floods and a skeleton waiting for FEMA
Rachel says her home flooded three times. She lost a car, the cats survived, and repairs meant living upstairs for about six months. To keep her spirits up, she kept recording, including a day she cooked with a microwave.
She also put a large Halloween skeleton in a rocking chair outside with a spray-painted sign reading waiting for FEMA. Rachel says it was picked up by the news and then by the New York Times, which is her account and has not been checked.
Jeremy notes that a person could easily feel defeated after one flood, let alone three, while Rachel looks for the opportunity in it. In her telling, a flood can mean new appliances and a chance to rearrange the walls. She is practical too: photograph everything and order a dump truck.
ᚱHow Rachel turns setbacks into opportunities
Rachel says the first thing to accept is that hard things happen to everyone, and the trick is not to fester. She also suggests replacing setback with opportunity. If a relationship is ending, she would rather list the good things than the bad.
Her mother taught her a habit that she still uses: when something goes wrong, think of the worst thing that could happen, imagine yourself handling it, and treat anything smaller as no big deal. Jeremy adds that resilient people often come back more prepared.
Rachel also shares beliefs about death and reincarnation that help her feel at peace with loss. These are her personal views, and Jeremy suggests that much of how a setback feels depends on perspective and conditioning. If this reframing would help you, individual therapy and ADHD coaching with Jeremy can give you a place to practice it.
ᚲSaying yes: prayer, courage and acting before you feel ready
Rachel does not attend church every Sunday, but she believes in God and prays every night. She thanks God for the day's opportunities and names something good that happened. Then she asks for new opportunities and for the courage to act on them.
Her observation is that people often have dreams, then push chances away because the timing seems wrong. Rachel says that opportunities may not come back, and her motto is to say yes to everything. If a role asks whether you can juggle, she jokes, say yes and figure it out later.
For her own routine, Rachel describes Pilates, clean eating and intermittent fasting, with nothing after five in the evening. She presents these as her personal habits, not advice.
ᚷHow to turn sadness around and find small joys
Rachel says sadness can attract more negativity if you stay in it too long, so she tries to catch it early and reverse it. She suggests sitting in the grass with your shoes off, smiling at strangers, saying hello to the people you pass and dressing in something that makes you feel good.
Both stress that she is not dismissing serious topics or therapy. Her point is that choosing something that feels good can help you through a hard day.
ᚹGen X independence and a message for her sons
Jeremy connects Rachel's mindset to Generation X: latchkey kids who let themselves in, went exploring until the streetlights came on and learned self-reliance. He describes it as a sense that you are responsible for your own emotions and mindset. Rachel agrees and says her mother, who organized group tours, once put her in charge of a group of several hundred people at age 11, which taught her to be confident with others.
Asked what she most wants her two sons to carry, Rachel says: be happy, remember it is no big deal, and keep going, one foot in front of the other. If her story makes you want to look at your own next step, Jeremy offers a straight read on whether therapy and retreat work suits you.
Rachel shares her personal experience and beliefs, including views on death and intuition. Her diet and fasting routine is hers alone and is not medical advice. If you are struggling with grief or low mood, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional or your local emergency services.
ᚨ Questions people ask
How do you stay positive after a major setback?
Rachel says to accept that hard things happen to everyone and not to fester on them. She imagines the worst outcome, pictures herself handling it, and then treats anything less as no big deal.
How can you reinvent yourself?
Rachel's own reinvention began during COVID, when she turned on her kitchen camera and shared her days. She says that if you are unhappy, it is possible to stop being who you are and become what you want.
Why does Rachel say yes to everything?
She believes opportunities may not come back if you push them away because the timing seems wrong. Rachel prays for the courage to act on them and says to worry about the details later.
What does Rachel do when she feels sad?
She tries to turn it around quickly instead of staying in it, for example by sitting in the grass, smiling at strangers or finding something that feels good. She says that staying in sadness too long makes it harder to climb out.