Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Pizzolato.
Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a Mythbuster on MythBusters Jr. with Adam Savage on the Discovery Science Channel. The last few years have been extremely exciting, and I have met many interesting people visited dozens of cities, and I have also been fortunate enough to be part of one of the most iconic shows in television history. Since I was a little girl, I have been extremely focused on my academics and athletics pursuits.
Also, I have developed an interest in dance, art, and studio performance, in addition to a love for fashion and beauty and science. I have been extremely lucky to have two very supportive parents, and I want to say, “Thanks!” I have also been fortunate to have the support of my teachers, coaches, and friends to whom I cannot begin to thank enough. However, I want to shout out a big “Thanks!” to all of them for the love and support that they have shown me over the last few years. I really enjoy working to further my education, participating in athletic events, working as a fashion model, and participating in beauty pageants. Winning is not the goal; however, it usually is, and it should be, an amazing experience. What is most important is learning how to find the answers to problems and learning from your successes and failures. I firmly believe in the old saying, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!” Without giving yourself the opportunity to fail, you may never experience success or realize your true potential. Failure is very important because when you fail at something, you gain insight into why a certain outcome occurred. Failure and persistence go hand in hand, and with persistence and patience comes success. To find the answer to a problem, perform a skill at an elite level, or even walk a fashion runway, it is extremely important to train your mind and body to perform certain tasks so that they become, virtually, second nature.
With enough practice, your mind and body will just perform the task automatically. It is through many trials and failures and tiny adjustments to your performance that those high-level skills are truly developed. I believe that it is extremely important for everyone to develop good educational study habits, quality athletic training habits, and explore as many extracurricular activities as possible. That way, you will be able to find things that interest you and allow you to build a set of skills that will stay with you throughout your lifetime. Those skills will, ultimately, play a big part in how you perform in school, your job, and even your relationships with others. I am extremely lucky to have the support of those around me. Having someone who supports your dreams and desires can have a tremendous effect on your ability to obtain your dreams. I want to encourage everyone to go for their dreams and dive headfirst into the deep end. I want to share my experiences of success and failure and get to know those who have the same dreams and desires as I do. There is no better way to connect than to share what is important to us and work together to reach a common goal. Your biggest dream might be getting an A in a subject that has been difficult for you, or it may be just barely passing something that seemed impossible just a few weeks back. There is no right and wrong dream. What is important to one person may not be as important to another, and that means that the straight-A student’s dreams are not more important than the person who dreams of just passing. What matters is setting goals and working to obtain them.
For some people, certain skills come a little more naturally to them, but that does not mean that a person who has less natural ability cannot obtain the same lofty goal. What is important is being persistent and working through failure. I have heard my dad tell me hundreds of times, “Everything is not going to be easy in life.” He has told me that I am going to get hit, and I am going to fall, but he tells me that if I don’t stand up and brush myself off, my dreams and desires will be just that, DREAMS! For our dreams to become reality, we must face adversity and look failure straight in the eye. Sure, there are times when we will reach a short-term goal with little or no perceived effort, but that is because we have trained our minds and bodies to work like a fine-tuned machine, and along the way, our skills have become honed to the point that many skills are second nature. Short-term goals are extremely important because they are like building blocks that we stand on to reach our loftier goals. Nevertheless, we should not be content with those short-term goals, but we should use them as a tool to obtain our dreams that are beyond our grasp. Therefore, we should always set our goals a little bit out of our reach. In that way, we are forced to use everything at our disposal to find a way to achieve the goal! We should not fear rejection or loss, but we should embrace it because by failing, we can find out what does not work, modify the process, and continue to forge ahead on our journey – Success is a journey and not a destination! Also, remember to always “DREAM BIG!”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been very lucky to have family and friends who support the things that I do. So, even though there have been roadblocks along the way, the journey, up to now, has been lots of fun. I feel that the most important things that have happened to me along the way were that my parents encouraged me to dream “BIG” and to follow my dreams and passions. My parents have supported me from the moment I first started taking dance lessons, training for trampoline and tumbling competitions, working on my inventions and competing in science fairs, and modeling, walking in fashion shows and acting. I guess the best part of it all is that we are always doing something that is a ton of fun! My dad loves to drive, and anytime we get a chance to go somewhere for a Comic-Con, fashion shoot, or science fair, we are instantly in the car and on a road trip across the country. It is so cool to see new places and meet new interesting people. Plus, my dad takes every chance he can get to make those trips learning experiences. We are always visiting museums, national monuments, or some obscure roadside attraction, and we are always looking to find a cool spot to watch the Milky Way in the night sky. As a matter of fact, I actually came up with the idea for my first science fair project during a roadtrip to Long Beach, California in 2012. That was the first time I saw a wind turbine up close and personal – and my life actually changed forever. That trip resulted in my turbine inventions receiving national and international recognition which eventually led me to be cast as one of the Mythbusters on Discovery Science Channel’s hit show “Mythbusters Jr.” Since then, I have caught the acting bug and hope to pursue a career in screen and television while continuing to model work in the fashion industry.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For the past few years, I have been inventing and designing and testing prototype vertical axis wind turbines, and I am currently working on technology that will reduce the incidences of concussions as well as reduce, or possibly, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. My future plans are to obtain a degree in aeronautical engineering. My research has led to numerous awards, and I will be attending the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in New Mexico during April 2022. I was recently selected as one of the “Top 300” young scientists for the Regeneron International Science and Talent Search. I also won the Greater New Orleans Science Fair Grand Award in Biomechanical Engineering and will be attending the International Science Fair in Atlanta, Georgia in May 2022. My work has led me to be cast as a Mythbuster on Discovery Science Channel’s “Mythbusters Jr.” In addition to my scientific work, I currently host booths and do panels and stage shows at comic cons throughout the United States – I’ll be at the San Diego Comic Con in July! When I’m not studying and doing comic cons, I walk fashion runways and do photoshoots for National and international fashion magazines – My most recent cover was the August 2021 issue of GMARO magazine. I also compete in beauty pageants, and I am the reigning Miss Teen Sportsman’s Paradise. One of my big dreams is to compete in the Olympics as a trampolinist. I am currently working toward that dream. I also try to give back to the community by volunteering my time with various charities and helping with fundraisers. I have been working with the “Be Strong” movement which promotes anti-bullying and I am a board member for “The Driven Athlete Foundation,” and we will be hosting the “America’s Strongest Teen” contest in June in Concord, California. I have also been pursuing an acting and modeling career.
The thing that I am most proud of is my planet…I actually have a planet named after me (Pizzolato 33187). Sometimes when I have nothing to do, which is very seldom, I sit back and watch it do its thing on The Minor Planet website. It is so cool to know that I have a planet named after me out there in space!
I think the thing that sets me apart from others is that I have so many interests, and I am willing to work hard to perfect my skills in all of them. I feel that I am having fun, and I don’t consider what I do to be work. I am willing to put as much time into designing and building my inventions as I am willing to work out and train to keep my body in good shape to walk those fashion runways and compete at the highest levels in gymnastics.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
In order for us to excel in any endeavor, we must be willing to step outside of our comfort zones and take a chance. We become accustomed to living a certain way and might want certain things, but many of those things require work…Lots of it! The work is not the only thing that must be taken into consideration when striving to achieve something big. We have to be willing to spend hours training, studying, and working without the help of friends and family who probably are doing something that is completely different from what we want to accomplish. The fear of failure is something that many people use as a reason for not trying something, but failure should be looked at as a good thing! It allows us to analyze what we did, why it didn’t work and develop a strategy to achieve a better outcome the next time. We learn through failure, and we should embrace it. As a Mythbuster, my motto is “Failure is always an option!” Taking risks allows us to experience life. The risks should be calculated, and we should definitely weigh our options, but we should never shy away from trying something new because of our fear of failure.
Contact Info:
- Email: rpbeauty2112@gmail.com
- Website: Beautyandbrainswithatwist.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandbrainswithatwist/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.pizzolato.56
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/braintwist2112?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNlnI6hQO3pVHswmGYvQxA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachel_pizzolato
Image Credits:
GMARO Magazine – Shot by Lance Houston Headshot- Shot by The Headshot Guy Mythbusters Photo 2 Page Spread – Shot by Matt Valentine
