Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhea Mac.
Rhea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I got to where I am today by digging through mud, playing with pipets in a lab, chasing monkeys through the Amazon, pursuing a boundless quest to address systemic inequities, and following my passion to live and die in LA.
My life experiences have been shaped by the lens of my bicultural identity as a U.S. American of Indian ethnicity. My journey has been an iterative process, characterized by an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and social equity. Biology is the first love of my life. I still think mud is one of the coolest things ever! My affinity for biology translated to being a cell biologist which lead to being a primatologist to being a social equity consultant. The majority of my current purpose focuses on grant writing, fundraising, and strategy consulting to support systemic change to end homelessness and dismantle structural melanism (racism). My endeavors are focused within the non-profit sector in LA. Along with consulting, I am involved in various community initiatives including the Empowerment Congress, the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, and my local neighborhood councils.
Each chapter of my life story includes championing change towards creating a more equitable space for all Angelenos – especially for the youth and future generations from whom we are borrowing land, space, and time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would contend that “smooth road” is a subjective term. My road has been colorful, adventurous, painful, beautiful, heartbreaking, invigorating, and full of growth. My road has been characterized with peaks, valleys, and plateaus. Above all, my road has been a road inundated with love and the vulnerability of human beingness. My struggles have been both internal and external.
As I established my consultancy, my challenges included wondering how my consulting path would unfold. As I continue to grow my consultancy and expand my purpose, my most pressing challenges are related to the urgency for change. My professional work reflects my life’s passion. I often struggle with “turning it off” – as my being is constantly plagued by many of the injustices I seek to address to create change. I am ever concerned about the kind of world we are creating for our youth and/or how many youth will be left in our world by the time we create change, as so many of our inequities threaten the lifespans of our youth, especially our youth of color. I am also disturbed by the lack of human unity and am unable to reconcile having to navigate a climate and system entrenched with prejudices, one which is forced both upon myself as a brown woman and most of my fellow humans of color.
You can often find me ruminating over a cup of chai, on ways in which to address and overcome these challenges and struggles – one step and one breath at a time.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I established Rhea K. Mac Consulting as a service-driven Angeleno with a commitment to actualizing and emulating social equity throughout my personal and professional endeavors within the space of homelessness and social equity in Los Angeles.
My consultancy developed via my background in environmental conservation, which evinced my passion for combined environmental and social conservation, and further prompted my interest in equity policy. My previous personal, academic, and professional foci collectively motivate me to facilitate social and environmental sustainability. In particular, I am vested in mitigating homelessness and fiscal poverty at large within Los Angeles. Through my consultancy, I seek to establish a model that focusses on prevention versus treatment and am dedicated to a multitude of collaborations towards seeing such social equity come to fruition, including: a consulting career that supports various non-profit organizations dedicated to serving people experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness and bolstering social equity, in Los Angeles based communities; membership on various leadership councils, boards, and LA-based local government committees; and a passion for social equity-driven photography.
The services I provide at Rhea K. Mac Consulting include non-profit development, grant-writing, fundraising, and organizational strategy; corporate board management and organizational strategy; and overall capacity building and strategic restructuring. I am especially dedicated to serving organizations that seek to foster intersectoral collaborations and increase their donor portfolios.
I am also committed to sharing the narratives of fellow Angelenos experiencing homelessness to give visual form to the space of homelessness and expand solution-oriented awareness for fellow humans experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles County. I combine various mediums, including photographs, written accounts, and videos to present a comprehensive narrative of Angelenos experiencing homelessness and increase awareness, support, and social equity for Angelenos impacted by homelessness. I hope that these multimedia narratives debunk stereotypes, expose inequities, and shatter barriers of and for Angelenos experiencing homelessness. I publish my work using the hashtag and title #VisibleLA in an attempt to share the voice of Angelenos experiencing homelessness and dismantle the misconceptions of invisibility and negative stereotypes often forced upon Angelenos experiencing homelessness.
I am a proud Angeleno and am confident that my intersectoral experiences, education, and interactions have provided me with the requisite tools and skillset to create and implement longevous solutions; especially those that I seek for social equity.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by the success of my community and as the impact, I have in achieving my life purpose. An ancient Egyptian philosophy is analogous to much of how I define success. Upon death and departing this lifetime, Egyptians are asked two questions: Have you found joy in your life? Has your life brought joy to others? My life’s success will be my answers to these questions; answers which I hope will be elucidated by my impact in my own life, in the lives of my Angeleno community, and in the lives of fellow humans/humanity at large.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rheakmac.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @rheakmac
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