Rachel Shepherd, LLC is very much a reflection of a process of exploration turned inward and paving of both a personal and vocational path that resonates most truly to who I am at my core. This seeking for a place and purpose for myself is not new to me in the slightest. Even as a young child, I struggled particularly with finding the meaning in the name that marks my identity as well as an overall purpose for my life. I remember contemplating often the origins of my name and how it fit into the story of my family.

​

To give you some context, I have an older sister named Christa Marie, whom I’ve been told was named for Christa McAuliffe – an American teacher and astronaut who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger mission when my mother was just a young teacher herself – and Marie, a middle name that runs in many families and has run in our own for several generations past and present. I also have a younger brother named Leonard Jonathan. Leonard is commonly referred to among our family and friends as “Leonard Five”, him being the fifth in a paternal sequence. And almost three years ago now, we welcomed “Baby Leo”, the sixth and my first and only nephew! Leonard Five’s middle name, Jonathan, is the name of our maternal great grandfather, the only one that I’m aware of but special nonetheless. So, it makes sense that I’d be curious about the inspiration behind my own name, right?

​

I’ve been told that  my father chose the name Rachel for one of his favorites in the Bible and just loved the name Jenay to go alongside it. As a kid, I loved to spend time searching the meaning of names and the significance of mine in particular. One day, I found that Rachel is synonymous with “ewe,” which little Rachel foolishly misinterpreted as eww, a word commonly used as an expression of disgust and disapproval.