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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 15 September 2018
'Girl, Wash Your Face' writer Rachel Hollis ready for more

By LEANNE ITALIE Rachel's lifestyle blog, The
Associated Press Chic Site, is where she truly
NEW YORK (AP) — How began building a follow-
to kick butt at the office. ing. Her "Girl, Wash Your
How to kick butt as a par- Face" is her seventh book,
ent. How to kick butt, so to if you count a novella of
speak, in your marriage. long ago. She has crossed
There's no shortage of genres, from a novel about
books, podcasts, blogs and three young women mak-
social streams of people ing their way in Los Ange-
dispensing advice, moti- les, with two follow ups,
vation, home tips and the to a cookbook and soon,
idea that personal growth, "Girl, Stop Apologizing," out
happiness and health can in March.
be achieved if one just fol- As podcasts have taken
lows and believes. hold again, the Hollises
So what's a life guru to do? have scored there, too.
Well, write a book that Rachel started alone with
lands at the top of just "Rise," but as the two have
about every best-seller list, become a self-help power
for starters. Love her or trash couple, they've added
her, Rachel Hollis has done "Rise Together" to focus on
just that with "Girl, Wash marriage. Both podcasts
Your Face," a collection of have made it into the Top
lies she once told herself 10 on iTunes. They've also
and how she turned them made a feature-length
around. documentary, "Made for
Hollis, 35, is the little engine More," about last year's
that could as she reaches This image released by Thomas Nelson shows "Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About "Rise" conference. The film
for more every day of her Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be," by Rachel Hollis. was a Fathom event shown
life, mostly from the ru- Associated Press for two nights in theaters
ral spread on the outskirts earlier this year that sold
of Austin, Texas, that she Rachel's "Girl, Wash Your more bang for their busi- to get control, so I started 100,000-plus tickets around
shares with her newly mint- Face," from the Christian ness buck, buying an old to do therapy and I started the country.
ed business partner and imprint Thomas Nelson, church they're converting to read books and I started This new life, Dave said,
husband of 14 years, Dave was released in February. into office space. to listen to podcasts. I was "feels like a calling," and if
Hollis, their four kids and a It just passed the million- So how does one go from like a sponge for this infor- that sounds like God talk, it
mini schnauzer named Jef- sold mark after a slow start, food blogger to event plan- mation." is. These are people of faith
frey. climbing its way up the lists ner to running a lifestyles Rachel is not Gwyneth. who are unashamed but
The Hollises do more than through word of mouth. site to best-selling writer? While an admirer of all not terribly Bible-thumpy as
sit home in Austin. They She doesn't hold back, de- "What sets this book apart is things Pinterest perfect, she they dispense the self-help
run, a lot. They blast out scribing the suicide of her — this sounds so lame to say is not interested in putting that has worked for them,
livestreams. A lot. They re- brother when they were — is my voice. I'm not an a Goop gloss on who she both as individuals and as
cord podcasts in their clos- teens, her tense childhood expert. I'm not a guru. Any- is and what she says. She a couple.
et and organize life-affirm- as the daughter of a Pen- thing I've ever done, the slams back her coffee like "Mogul" remains Rachel's
ing conferences for mostly tecostal preacher in the work I've done, has always a boss (dosing it with cinna- power word, just as "Ally"
female audiences who sticks of Southern California been like your girlfriend tell- mon after she gave up milk does for Dave.
cheer and scribble their (yes, there are sticks) and ing you what worked for and sugar), admits to yell- "I refuse to live as half of
dreams on paper as Ra- the sometimes debilitating her," Hollis said. "Even as a ing at her kids (not so much myself just because you
chel waves her arms and anxiety that has plagued food blogger, which is how anymore) and thoroughly can't handle all of me,"
jumps around on a stage, her through the years. I got started, I was just tell- appreciates the taco joint Rachel said. "I have a high
urging them on. She hops on Instagram to ing what worked for me. near their Texas home. school diploma. When I
The Hollises drink water, a greet her "tribe" before cof- 'Hey, this is the casserole I So where does Dave fit into started out I was not well
lot (half their body weight fee, jokes about her hair made that got my kids to all of this? Well, he's got a connected. I didn't know
in water a day) and want and eyelash extensions and eat dinner the other night.'" tattoo that reads "Ally," to anybody. I didn't have the
you to do the same, per- deals with her young brood Over the years, her content go with the one his wife skill. I didn't have anything.
haps while you're following while engaging fans, chid- changed as she "evolved already had, "Mogul." He I'm self-taught in every re-
Rachel's lead on prepping ing one of her three boys to as a woman," as her boys was head of distribution for spect. That's why the word,
healthy meals and snacks stop peeing in the yard, for — now 11, 10 and 6 — grew Disney, where Dreams are to me, was so powerful."q
for yourself and your kids, instance, or laughing as her out of toddlerhood (the officially Made, for seven
training for a half-marathon kitchen knife gets stuck in a couple also has an adopt- years and worked there for
and simultaneously writing squash on camera. ed 18-month-old daugh- 17, until he recognized he
a new book and promoting Where did Hollis come ter) and as she realized she was in a corporate rut while
the last one at the same from? Well, Weedpatch, needed to fix the things Rachel was home reaching
time. California, of "The Grapes wrong in her life. for more.
These two are Made for of Wrath" fame, in the be- "I was having massive anxi- "I finally one day said, 'Fine,
More, one of their slogans, ginning, with a move to ety attacks. I was abusing I don't trust it. I think that
and they're just about the Los Angeles to make her alcohol. I was making re- there's some snake oil in
cutest duo working in the dreams come true at age ally poor choices, and I this personal development
space today, whether you 17. Hollis, 43-year-old Dave thought, gosh, I don't want space but it's worked for
can make it happen for and their kids decamped to go through the rest of my you. I have to at least see
yourself or not. to Austin last year to get life like this," she said. "I want what it's about,'" he said.