S03EP09 - Rachel Shelmerdine

Rachel Shelmerdine, a leadership and transformation coach with over 26 years of experience, opens up about the five people who shaped her life—from a turbulent childhood marked by survival and reinvention to the spiritual and emotional breakthroughs that define her work today.

In this powerful and deeply human conversation with Julia Duthie, Rachel shares how early trauma became the foundation for empathy, how music and friendship saved her, and how motherhood became her greatest teacher. From punk rebellion and John Lennon obsession to shamanic awakening and unconditional love, her story is raw, reflective, and profoundly inspiring.

🌟 Episode Highlights

📸 Rachel was told her dad was dead at 9 — then discovered in her 20s he was alive, living in Orkney with another woman and all the money.

🎸 The Beatles (especially John Lennon) “saved” her: they blew open her world, led her to philosophy, spirituality, even vegetarianism, and gave her a sense of belonging.

💔 She turned childhood abuse into purpose: healing from it is what pushed her into her life’s work — helping other humans understand who they really are.

👩‍👦 Motherhood changed everything: after swearing she’d never have kids, she became a single mum, homeschooled her son Max, moved to Italy on instinct, and found unconditional love.

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🌐 Find Rachel at www.alchemyinside.com