An inductee into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, Rachel Platt is recognized from her years at Good Morning Kentuckiana and remembered for her truthful and compassionate reporting style on topics that matter.
When Rachel was offered a weekend co-anchor position with WHAS11 in 1989, she knew she was saying yes to a career she loved. “Passion has always been in my vocabulary,” Rachel begins. “Journalism was always, to me, a purposeful profession.” And it was in this space she found both a fulfilling career and a city she calls home.
Growing up, Rachel was a child of the military. Her father was in the Air Force, which meant a great deal of moving around. “I was one of those kids who called America home,” Rachel says. While all this moving could lead to resentment or insecurity, Rachel came to see her transience as a help: Being the perpetual “new girl” later assisted her in her reporting. She found she was comfortable speaking with strangers in part because of how she grew up. “It really taught me how to be less fearful in those situations, and it was good training for being a journalist,” she says.
Rachel knew that journalism appealed to her as a career, especially as her sister was a newspaper reporter. Then, a speech teacher at the community college she attended for two years helped set her on the path into broadcasting. “He saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself,” Rachel says. After he introduced her to professors at the University of Central Florida, Rachel pursued a bachelor of science degree in radio/television. “I loved it, and I never looked back,” she says.
When considering her retirement from WHAS, Rachel knew she wanted to do something different. She was fearful there might not be anything else out there, but when the Frazier Museum approached her about a new line of programming called Bridging the Divide, she was ready. “I loved my career as a journalist, but I felt I had something else to offer that might offer me more longevity,” she says.
Bridging the Divide began in 2019 with the goal of creating community conversations in a safe space at the museum, particularly focusing on issues that impact the Ninth Street Divide, where the Frazier is situated, and the adjacent Portland and Russell neighborhoods. Rachel has facilitated panels and discussions on everything from race relations to mental health to gun safety, as well as exploring and educating on historical events such as 1968’s the Black Six, the Pack Horse Librarians of the New Deal, and the story of Joe Guyon, a Native American who played football alongside the legendary Jim Thorpe and who coached football at St. X.
“Those have been so rewarding to moderate and certainly feel the most natural to me with my background as a journalist,” Rachel says. “Any time we can help move the needle of discussion and change in a community, I am all in.”
Now as VP of Mission at the Frazier, Rachel also helps oversee curatorial and exhibits, education, programming, and fundraising. So far, she reports the role has been a perfect fit and such a gift. “It feels like everything right for me because I’m a believer in lifelong learning and engaging,” she says.
Rachel says she’s waking up with passion and purpose for what she’s doing, and that’s important. “That’s what really fulfills me,” she adds. She takes the personal insight she’s gained and reminds her kids that it doesn’t necessarily matter what they do as long as they’re doing what they love. Leaning into “passion and purpose” helps you get up in the morning on those harder days.
If you’re considering making a second chapter change but are nervous about what that entails, Rachel encourages pushing past your fear and ‘doing it afraid.’
“You have to be engaged,” she says. “You have one life to live, so ask yourself: Why am I holding back?”
An extra Q and A with Rachel:
Favorite weekend activity?
My husband and I love to go to The Parklands and walk. I love having time away from the phone and getting in tune with nature.
Favorite meal to cook?
My husband and I split the duties, and I’m finding as I’m getting older that picking up a salad works really well. When my kids come home, I cook one of their favorites, Chicken Piccatta—it lures the kids home.
A book you loved recently?
I’ve Got a Home in Gloryland: A Lost Take of the Underground Railroad by Karolyn Frost. It’s the story of an enslaved couple from Louisville who found freedom in Canada. Learning about real stories I didn’t know has been a wonderful reawakening.
Favorite family activity?
Getting together and having family time because it’s so savored. We love to play Yahtzee, and recently we all went to Europe, which was one of the best gifts.
By Tonilyn Hornung | Photo of Rachel Platt by Randy Daniels
P.S. The Great (Local) Parklands Of Floyds Fork Are Calling…And You Must Go
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