Meet Rachel Perkins | PERKS Lifestyle Management, CEO & Founder // Lifestyle Manager for Professional Athletes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Perkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what matters most to you?
When it comes to my life, both personally and professionally, the #1 thing I value is trust. Whether it is establishing trust with yourself, your clients, or your colleagues, trust is the first step in developing authentic relationships. Every relationship takes work, and being an entrepreneur means being in a 24/7 committed relationship with yourself and your business. The highs are high, and the lows can be lonely. Most people, even friends and family, won’t always see your “behind the scenes” or the grind it takes to build a company, but don’t let that discourage you. Wake up every day and remind yourself why you started, the problem you are figuring out a solution to, and the impact you want to make for others.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
PERKS Lifestyle Management is a full-service consulting company for Professional Athletes. We assist clients by addressing the main stressors and obligations in their lives in order to minimize distractions so they can focus on their job, family and overall mental, physical and emotional well-being for the longevity of their career. We provide our clients with unique lifestyle assistance because we know they have extremely unique lifestyle experiences. At PERKS, we care about the needs and wants of our clients, and know how important it is to have someone in their corner that they can trust. Going back to the original question, I feel that this is what makes us so different from other agencies or companies. We don’t tell clients what they want to hear in order to “close the deal.” We listen to their story, understand their personality, are genuinely passionate about helping them become the best versions of themselves…not just on the field/court/track/course, but off of it as well. We truly make sure that it is a family atmosphere and care about our clients and their families on a personal level while always staying professional along the way. We UNDER promise and OVER deliver, every time. Trust me, this isn’t always easy. In fact, most of the time it’s extremely hard. It would be easy to sell a potential client a dream. It would be easy to take shortcuts or conform to an industry of snakes and sharks, rather than aim to stand out. It would be easy to have a turn-key system that we take every client through and do the bare minimum day in and day out. It would be easy to give up and go into another profession with a stable income, health benefits, job security, and free nights and weekends without having to step out of birthday dinners or miss out on quality time with family and friends. However, we don’t choose EASY. We choose to wake up and remember why we started and the people we are trying to help. We work with a wide variety of clients in age, interests, and lifestyles so we customize our role to each person specific to their needs and expectations rather than a “one size fits all” approach. Our goal is to be a resource that helps guide clients throughout the course of their days, weeks, months and years of their career by creating and executing a structured approach to their overall lifestyle so they can perform at the highest level and achieve optimal results.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a true “ATLien” born and raised here, I have become very familiar with the hot spots around town. If I were to show a visitor around the city, here are some of the top spots I would choose from, based on location! Buckhead: – St. Regis Bar – The Blind Pig Parlour Bar (speakeasy) – Hal’s Steakhouse – King + Duke West Midtown: – JCT kitchen (brunch) – Public 404 School – The Consulate – Jeni’s Ice Cream – Little Trouble – Marcel – Ormsby’s – Taqueria Del Sol – Optimist Beltline – Walk/Bike along the BeltLine and stop at various restaurants and bars – Ladybird – New Realm Brewery – Ponce City Market (Skyline Park Rooftop, Shop around and eat at the “food court” – Beetle Cat – Barcelona Wine Bar The Battery (Braves Stadium) – Punch Bowl Social – PBR – Sport + Social – Antico’s (Best Pizza Ever) – Holeman & Fiinch

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First off – my parents. Momma and Papa Perk. Ever since I was little (and the biggest tomboy in the world), they have always encouraged me to be my own person and to not care what other people think. They taught me the value of a dollar, and the importance of working for it. They taught me that no one will ever be there for you like your family. They taught me that when I have problems, most of the time I need to “figure it out” on my own, but that they will always be there as a resource if and when I need it. And that has been the basis of my life, both personally and professionally. A lot of my job is finding creative solutions to VERY unique and complex problems that professional athletes face on a day-to-day basis. My clients know that I will provide them with the tools and resources to “figure it out” for themselves when possible, but that I will also be there along the way to advise them, support them, and assist them while they do. My clients also know that I won’t always tell them what they want to hear. I won’t be a “yes (wo)man.” I know that they won’t always LIKE me or my suggestions of how they should handle a situation, but at the end of the day they RESPECT me and know that anything and everything I do is with their own best interest at heart, never my own, because I see their potential and won’t stop until they see it for themselves. I have my former high school teacher and current mentor/friend, Tim Rondeau, to thank for establishing this quality in me. Growing up, I was constantly insecure and dumbing myself down. Thankfully, Tim (Coach Rondeau) saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself at the time. I had big dreams and goals for myself, but was focusing way more on trying to “fit in” than on trying to “stand out.” My priorities were out of line, so he sat me down and pushed me to realize my potential. From that day forward, I held myself to a higher standard. I worked harder. I worked smarter. Speaking of working smarter, I’ve realized how important it is to have good mentors, and I have been lucky enough to find that in a guy named J.R. Tolver. Although I regularly give him grief for being a “washed up athlete,” I cannot give him enough credit in the world for the growth I’ve experienced as a business owner over the last year. Although we only met at the very beginning of the Pandemic last March, virtually of course, we immediately clicked on a professional level and haven’t missed a beat since. He has taken me under his wing over the last 12 months and encouraged me when I needed it the most, supported me when I didn’t know which way was up, kept me grounded when I would get wayyyyyy (and I mean WAY) off track on a very regular basis, and most importantly he’s shown me what it means just to be a good person. One of the first things he realized in me was that I was giving so much to everyone else that I was running out of fuel for myself, FAST. I was so close to burnout when I met him, and he saw that. So he pushed me to take time for me, and to “put my oxygen mask on before I can put it on for others.” He has pushed me to realize what I wanted in my business and in my life, and how to balance the two. He has helped me in more ways than I can express, and I am forever thankful. Little does he know, he’s stuck with me for the long haul. Lastly, and most importantly, my Faith. That is the only thing that keeps me going on this crazy journey of entrepreneurship. At my highest highs and my lowest lows, I know that God is the one constant in my life. I know that no matter how lonely I feel in the world, or how unproductive I feel in my office, that I can talk to him and 100% of the time feel more confident, more purposeful, and more encouraged than before. To wrap this up, I have one piece of advice. Sometimes, the people around you won’t understand your journey. And that’s okay. They don’t need to. It’s not for them. It’s for YOU. But don’t forget to lean on the ones who do understand it and are there for you, no matter what. You’ll need them far more often than you think.

Website: perkslm.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelperkins/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachellperkins/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachperkss

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.perkins.716

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTqtsNNvh8H_thni1LG0fw

Other: PERKS Lifestyle Management Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perkslifestylemanagement/ Blog: https://perkslifestyle.com