The Rachel Hollis Podcast

924 | I MOVED to New York!!

January 8, 2026

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  • Rachel Hollis moved her family from Los Angeles to the Hudson Valley, New York, after experiencing dissatisfaction with LA politics, a difficult home remodel, and a lack of community. 
  • The decision to move was accelerated by a series of realizations, including the need to prioritize her family's well-being over long-term plans, the realization that her LA house purchase was not the right long-term choice, and her husband's strong desire to live in the country. 
  • The move was fast-tracked from a two-year plan to a few months after her son Sawyer agreed to finish his senior year in the new location, and the family secured housing and school placements rapidly after visiting the area in October. 

Segments

Dreaming of Ranch Life
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(00:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Hollis maintains a tradition of writing dreams on champagne bottles to celebrate when they come true, including the long-held dream of owning a ranch with land, animals, and a garden.
  • Summary: The speaker keeps a tradition of writing dreams on champagne bottles, one of which is ’the first night at the ranch.’ This dream involves owning land, animals, a vegetable garden, and chickens, a vision previously planned for a decade in the future.
Announcing the Big Move
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(00:01:38)
  • Key Takeaway: This bonus episode of The Rachel Hollis Podcast addresses the numerous questions following Rachel’s announcement that she moved from Los Angeles to the Hudson Valley, New York.
  • Summary: The episode serves to explain the journey of relocating across the country after spending nine months remodeling a house in Los Angeles. The speaker acknowledges the surprise of the move, which happened shortly after completing the remodel project.
Reasons for Leaving Texas
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(00:03:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Hollis began considering leaving Austin, Texas, due to struggles with the state’s politics, particularly concerning the environment for her gay oldest son attending school outside the city limits.
  • Summary: The family previously lived in Austin, Texas, for about five years, but the speaker grew uncomfortable with the local politics. This concern was amplified by experiences her oldest son encountered at his school outside Austin.
Return to Los Angeles
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(00:04:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Following the unexpected death of her ex-husband in early 2023, Rachel moved her family back to Los Angeles to be closer to family support.
  • Summary: After her ex-husband passed away, the speaker decided against staying in Austin and moved back to LA for the necessary family support system. She initially appreciated the Southern California weather and access to amenities.
Private School Revelation
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(00:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Every private school the speaker researched in LA offered a scholarship program, a fact she was unaware of, highlighting that tuition payment is not the only entry path for parents seeking private education.
  • Summary: The speaker enrolled her children in private school in LA for the first time to better support her youngest child’s learning needs, noting the drastic difference in class size (32 students down to 8). She strongly advises listeners to check if local private schools offer scholarship programs, as many students attend without paying tuition.
LA Remodel Nightmare
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(00:09:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The decision to buy and remodel a fixer-upper in LA, intended as a long-term investment, became a stressful indicator that the city was not the right long-term location.
  • Summary: The speaker bought a Spanish-style fixer-upper in LA with the intention of remodeling it over several months, but the project turned into a six-month nightmare with non-functioning bathrooms and a bad contractor. This stressful experience, coupled with her intuition, signaled that the move was incorrect.
Feeling Unsafe in LA
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(00:16:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Working outside the home in LA exposed Rachel to feelings of unsafety on city streets, contributing to her desire to leave the urban environment.
  • Summary: When Rachel started working outside the home in an office on Sunset Boulevard, she frequently felt unsafe walking to get coffee due to chaotic street activity. This experience, combined with the two-hour traffic delays for short school pickups, compounded her desire to move to the country.
Post-College Realization
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(00:20:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Her oldest son leaving for college triggered a ‘holy crap’ moment, forcing Rachel to realize her life had been entirely structured around her children, prompting a reevaluation of why she was enduring city life.
  • Summary: Watching her oldest son leave for college made the speaker confront that every choice for 18 years was centered on her children’s needs. This realization led her to question the necessity of remaining in the city, especially since the expected family support in LA was not materializing.
Husband Challenges ‘Someday’
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(00:23:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel’s husband challenged her consistent use of the word ‘someday’ regarding her dream of moving to the country, pushing her to stop delaying the desired lifestyle change.
  • Summary: During a date, her husband pointed out the irony of her coaching others not to say ‘someday’ while she perpetually used it for her country living aspirations. This confrontation helped her realize that the intense city life she was maintaining was not the best environment for her children either.
Vision for Country Life
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(00:26:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The primary rule for the future country move was proximity: the location needed to be within two hours of a major city to ensure access to large airports for work travel.
  • Summary: The vision for moving to the country required the location to be within a two-hour radius of a major city for necessary work travel via large airports. This requirement narrowed potential locations to areas near Santa Barbara, Chicago, and upstate New York (Hudson Valley).
Martha Stewart Inspiration
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(00:28:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The Hudson Valley became a strong contender for the move because it aligns with Rachel’s long-standing fantasy of having a farm similar to Martha Stewart’s property.
  • Summary: Rachel’s greatest fantasy is owning a farm like Martha Stewart’s, which she has studied extensively via documentaries and masterclasses. The Hudson Valley location also offered the benefit of being within a short flight distance to London for her husband to visit his family.
Fast-Tracking School Research
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(00:30:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Upon identifying the Hudson Valley, Rachel immediately contacted admissions teams for potential schools for her children, pushing the timeline forward from two years to immediate action.
  • Summary: After visiting the Hudson Valley in October and touring schools, Rachel immediately contacted admissions for both high school and elementary levels, bypassing the planned two-year waiting period. She found the East Coast schools to be impressive, noting the high quality of education available.
Convincing the Senior Son
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(00:37:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The decision to move immediately, rather than waiting two years, was contingent on her adventurous son, Sawyer, agreeing to finish his senior year in New York, which he enthusiastically supported after meeting a school representative.
  • Summary: Rachel presented the idea of moving immediately to her son Sawyer, who was about to start his senior year, emphasizing that if he felt it was too disruptive, they would wait. Sawyer, being the most adventurous, was excited after meeting an admissions officer in LA and agreed to apply for senior year in New York.
The Rapid Move Execution
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(00:45:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The family made the decision to move in November, applied to schools, secured a fully furnished long-term rental, and successfully moved to the Hudson Valley by December 28th.
  • Summary: By compressing the timeline, the family moved heaven and earth to execute the move quickly, securing acceptance for all children. They found a furnished rental house, allowing them to avoid moving their furniture immediately, and all children started school on the same day in late December.
LA House Legacy
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(00:47:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel believes the purpose of buying and remodeling the LA house was to restore its beauty so it could be sold to the right family, rather than being destroyed by a developer.
  • Summary: The speaker feels her legacy with the LA property was to restore its 1928 Spanish style with modern elements, preventing its likely destruction by a developer. She views the house project as the necessary catalyst that propelled her family toward the move to New York.
Settling into New York Life
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(00:51:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite minor adjustments like not knowing where the nearest Whole Foods is, Rachel is feeling restored by her new home environment and observed magical elements like seeing a bald eagle on the same day she found a snake skin.
  • Summary: Rachel is excited to explore the Hudson Valley, including local markets and the city, though she is currently navigating the lack of a familiar Whole Foods. She contrasts the negative experiences in LA with the fresh air and lack of traffic in New York, viewing the move as a necessary choice away from monotony.