If you’ve ever wondered whether building a flexible career is really possible without losing yourself or missing the moments that matter most at home, this episode will feel familiar.

Join us as we talk with Rachel Johnson about going fractional, redefining identity beyond job titles, and choosing a career path that gives her more control over her time, her work, and her family life. From hard lessons in high-pressure roles to the wake-up call of realizing work had become too central to her identity, Rachel shares how she found a different way forward and why that shift changed everything.

We also get into the practical side of what this looks like day to day: setting firm calendar boundaries, protecting time for school pickups and cheer practice, creating contracts that support real life, and being present for the micro moments with kids that can so easily slip by.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet fractional marketer Rachel Johnson

(01:20) Rachel’s first fractional summer experiment

(04:19) Daughter’s surgery became the breaking point

(05:18) Putting motherhood above job titles

(06:51) Fractional work brought freedom and control

(11:52) Why micro moments with kids matter

(21:19) Setting client expectations

(25:38) How Rachel blocks her calendar

(27:55) Fractional work drama on LinkedIn

(29:25) Gatekeeping around the operator label

(38:52) VC pressure and startup hiring reality

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Connect with Rachel Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-m-johnson/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com