Rachel Elam
Rachel Elam

HELLO

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I HELP PEOPLE AND BRANDS TELL THEIR STORIES

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Working Together

An acclaimed writer, Rachel’s work has received recognition from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and appeared in New York Magazine, American Writers Review, and more. As the founder of Bright Light Portfolio, Rachel brings 18+ years of experience across tech and social impact to bring ideas to life. More on LinkedIn.

Publications

Rachel’s work has been published in Mother Tongue Magazine, American Writers Review, and more. She was been named a semi-finalist for the 2026 American Short(er) Fiction Contest and a runner-up for the 2023 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize. Rachel holds an MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars.

Brand PARTNERs

Known for bringing ideas to life, Rachel’s current and past projects include working with Expedia Group, Dropbox, and more. During her 8+ years at Facebook (pre-Meta), Rachel launched Social Good Brand Partnerships, with Dove’s self-esteem program featured in the UK parliament as an example of tech for good.

 

Testimonals

“Rachel is simply one of the best, brightest, and most professional colleagues that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my 26 year career. Clients adore her, colleagues flock to her. Her demeanor, attitude and thoroughness are legendary.”
— Bob G., New york
“Rachel is inspirational: her passion for this space is contagious, and she has inspired Unilever and captured their imagination. She has been a visionary partner to Facebook as a whole as we forge new territory and imagine what real brand partnerships look like across Social Impact.”
— Kate b., London
“Thanks Rachel for leading and launching the well-being initiative across Community & Impact Partnerships at Facebook. Our team needs leaders to bridge this important conversation and help the team live healthier, happier lives!
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— Katya K., san francisco
“No words to say how I feel about what gift you have given our community. Been putting off starting and so surprised how it flowed. You inspired me to figure out how to share what is so deep in my heart. ”
— Nanette S., richmond
 
 
Pinching myself that my words appear in print in @mother_tongue_magazine, one of the most venerable, chic pubs of our time. Biggest thanks to the talented editors @goldingtontown @nat_rach, who have created something deeply important. Link in bio to
Pinching myself that my words appear in print in @mother_tongue_magazine, one of the most venerable, chic pubs of our time. Biggest thanks to the talented editors @goldingtontown @nat_rach, who have created something deeply important. Link in bio to order Issue 10.
Summer was alright, but it’s time for a new season. 🍃…thank you to the magical, talented 📸 @cristinafisher_ for this first photo⚡️🔮
Summer was alright, but it’s time for a new season. 🍃…thank you to the magical, talented 📸 @cristinafisher_ for this first photo⚡️🔮
It’s cool to notice the flowers in bloom. 🌻
It’s cool to notice the flowers in bloom. 🌻
May your new year be filled with light. 💫🌟🌙 I’m both obsessed with change and terrified of it. I’d be lost without friendship. ☺️🙏
May your new year be filled with light. 💫🌟🌙 I’m both obsessed with change and terrified of it. I’d be lost without friendship. ☺️🙏
Not pictured: insomnia, coffee, intermittent numbness, more coffee, self-doubt, cutting back on caffeine, reaching for certainty, attempting to write my way through stuckness toward clarity, and of course, the moments in between.
Not pictured: insomnia, coffee, intermittent numbness, more coffee, self-doubt, cutting back on caffeine, reaching for certainty, attempting to write my way through stuckness toward clarity, and of course, the moments in between.
Page one // a new direction.
Page one // a new direction.
The closest I’ve come to truth lately is in fiction. 🫶 @benningtonwritingseminars 🤗 What a ride the last two years have been. @ rachelelam.com
The closest I’ve come to truth lately is in fiction. 🫶 @benningtonwritingseminars 🤗 What a ride the last two years have been. @ rachelelam.com
So I leaned over the edge of the cliff, waiting for the sea to catch me.
So I leaned over the edge of the cliff, waiting for the sea to catch me.
This is my cousin Aviv and her friend Noya. Aviv, who is like my sister, embodies the meaning of her name: Spring, as she gives and blooms from the heart. In addition to being a talented musician and a social worker in the IDF, she has spent the last 18 days of war worrying about everyone else. Attending funerals and shivas for people who have no family left. Baking cookies for grieving families. And more. On our most recent phone call, she was most worried how the war in Israel was impacting us in the states, asking how SHE could help US. Her friend Noya’s cousin, Mia, is missing. Mia is an artist. Mia is one of two hundred captives still missing as an act of hatred, as a way to taunt Israel into action. Amid Noya’s family paralysis of waiting, Hamas released a video of Mia, shot and severely injured, pleading to be released and returned home to her family. On the 18th day of a war against hatred, may we listen to Aviv and Noya’s beautiful voices as a much needed salve for our broken hearts. In the Jewish tradition, the number 18, חי “chai” means life. It’s a way to wish blessings and good luck. We all need blessings and good luck. Aviv and Noya are singing a song by @jb_band called איך אפשר. It’s a song about love: “How’s it possible not to fall in love with you How’s it possible not to fall in love How come everyone else in this world aren’t in love with you as well How’s it possible not to fall in love.” How is possible that the captives, from babies to Holocaust survivors, are still missing? How is it possible not to mourn the loss of thousands of innocent civilians, victim to the reign of Hamas? Now, their lives and homes have also been destroyed because of the Hamas’ strategy to kidnap as bait for war after the violent massacre. Now, with the scale of Hamas tunnels underground, under innocent Palestinians homes, under the shields of people who don’t deserve to die, which is why Israel called for an evacuation, we witness a scale of strive. Where are the hostages? Where is Hamas? How can we find strength in the collective fear? How can music heal and hold us as we mourn the loss? How can we to return to love when we need it most?
I remember the gumball machine and the plastic table where we’d eat freshly picked figs. Dod Nissim smoking a cigar and the raspy voice of Doda Evelyn. The memories aren’t only from the Summer of 1988, but from a shattered, once-colorful
I remember the gumball machine and the plastic table where we’d eat freshly picked figs. Dod Nissim smoking a cigar and the raspy voice of Doda Evelyn. The memories aren’t only from the Summer of 1988, but from a shattered, once-colorful mosaic that I’m trying to piece back together. I remember the flour-coated table where we rolled out dough to bake pitot. Neighbors at the moshav coming over, unannounced, to play shesh besh. And over Passover, my Sephardic family tossed brown eggs across the table and sang a Seder of songs with laughter and percussion. A holiday that marks the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. A pursuit of freedom. A path toward redemption. Right now, it feels as if our world is enslaved by polarities: right vs. wrong, mine vs. yours, good vs. evil. In the Summer of 1988, I sat on this tractor with my brother, on a moshav where a close knit community anchored their livelihood on harmony and respect. My mind is overwrought with questions. My heart, aching for answers. Where did we go wrong as humanity? How can we explain prejudice and misunderstanding? How many more deaths will it take until this nightmare of a war will come to an end?
Pinching myself that my words appear in print in @mother_tongue_magazine, one of the most venerable, chic pubs of our time. Biggest thanks to the talented editors @goldingtontown @nat_rach, who have created something deeply important. Link in bio to Summer was alright, but it’s time for a new season. 🍃…thank you to the magical, talented 📸 @cristinafisher_ for this first photo⚡️🔮 It’s cool to notice the flowers in bloom. 🌻 May your new year be filled with light. 💫🌟🌙 I’m both obsessed with change and terrified of it. I’d be lost without friendship. ☺️🙏 Not pictured: insomnia, coffee, intermittent numbness, more coffee, self-doubt, cutting back on caffeine, reaching for certainty, attempting to write my way through stuckness toward clarity, and of course, the moments in between. Page one // a new direction. The closest I’ve come to truth lately is in fiction. 🫶 @benningtonwritingseminars 🤗 What a ride the last two years have been. @ rachelelam.com So I leaned over the edge of the cliff, waiting for the sea to catch me.
This is my cousin Aviv and her friend Noya. Aviv, who is like my sister, embodies the meaning of her name: Spring, as she gives and blooms from the heart. In addition to being a talented musician and a social worker in the IDF, she has spent the last
I remember the gumball machine and the plastic table where we’d eat freshly picked figs. Dod Nissim smoking a cigar and the raspy voice of Doda Evelyn. The memories aren’t only from the Summer of 1988, but from a shattered, once-colorful
 
 
 
 

WORKSHOPS

Past and current engagements: Creative Writing | Philanthropic Legacy Letters | Nonprofit x Tech Signature Program Design | Storytelling Development