Today we’d like to introduce you to Arielle Rebekah
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?
When I was in high school, my therapist outed me to my family as trans and convinced them I was doing it for attention. This led to years of invalidation and rejection of my identity by those closest to me.
After graduating, I wanted to help build a world where no young person would ever have to know the pain and isolation that I did. While my family eventually came to support me, many young folks do not share this experience.
In college, I began applying for internships in LGBTQ+ advocacy, and landed one at a national org doing communications and rapid response work. I spent the next few years building my skillset and learning everything I could about communications work. While doing so, I began building Trans & Caffeinated – first as a blog, next as a podcast, and finally as a communications and project management consulting business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In some ways, yes. I’ve had the gift of really incredible mentorship and leadership along my journey. Many folks have seen seen and cultivated skills in me that I wouldn’t have seen in myself which helped bring me to where I am today.
But… then there’s the world. Y’all have seen the world, right? It’s a pretty exhausting time to work in progressive communications with neoliberals and conservatives both organizing in opposition to the world we want to build. I’ve burnt out more times than I can count. My community is the reason I am able to keep going; their love and support carries me through the hard times, even when I want to give up.
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?
I’m known for being extremely organized and skilled at systematizing processes! Folks love to bring me in to help get their business or organization in order—usually folks who have big ideas but aren’t sure how to operationalize them. Helping bring big exciting visions to life is my absolute bread and butter, and seeing the client’s face and feeling their gratitude is its own reward.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’m much less committed to deadlines than I am to the vision and the people with whom I’m partnering to bring that vision to life. I love my people, and I love dreaming and building a better future with them. Cultivating relationships and building trust allows us to push and support each other to bring our work to the next level. These relationships are not simply tangential to the work—they are central to our ability to create the world we deserve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.transandcaffeinated.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transandcaffeinated
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transandcaffeinated
