Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Gostenhofer
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was an academic my entire life. I have a PhD in history and spent my twenties teaching, reading books, and traveling the world conducting research in archives throughout Europe. In 2015 my life changed when I met my future boss and mentor, Seth Schulman, a very talented and successful ghostwriter, at a Brown University alumni association conference. We became acquainted and I decided to leave academia for industry, apprenticing under him. I’ve worked as a ghostwriter ever since. It’s a very fulfilling career. Every day I’m humbled to work with politicians, businesspeople, academics and others improving the world, channeling and bringing out their best voices in books and other short-form pieces. I still teach for Brown on an ad hoc capacity and am also committed to volunteerism and philanthropy. I volunteer for underprivileged youth and hospice patients (though that has been suspended under COVID) and serve on the board of directors of the City Ballet of San Diego.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The voyage has been hard, punctuated by moments of happiness and joy. I’ll spare the reader my personal struggles and say that graduate school is hard. Anyone who has endured it can attest to this. And not for the reasons you think. It’s demeaning, you are broke for a large swatch of your peak earning years, and you are in a liminal space (neither faculty nor student) which is stressful and unsettling. It’s also competitive and full of complainers. I moved from Providence Rhode Island to San Diego in 2018 and that was also hard as its tough making new friendships and professional connections, especially during a pandemic.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a ghostwriter, I work with amazing people everyday. Most writers don’t have the background in research that I have. I also like to think they don’t have my same love of people and their stories, which is what really sets me apart.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Every year my family summered on Martha’s Vineyard. It was an idyllic place for children. We sailed boats, played tennis wearing all white clothes, and picked the blueberries that grew around the island. I still remember blueberry waffles, cobbler, and ice cream.
Contact Info:
- Email: rachel@providenceword.com
- Website: https://providenceword.com/
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