Behind the Stack (BTS) is a community-driven space unpacking the stories behind the NAME of each substack newsletter. "BTS" for short.
This obsession actually started as a notes thread where I curated the writers with interesting newsletter names.
Follow me on this journey as I get curious about the writers who bless us with their words.
Rachel (
) is one of those writers whose work I can't get enough of. Every time she posts, I’m eagerly waiting to see what’s next. Even if I’m in the most inconvenient of situations—whether I’m taking a shower or caught up in a busy moment—I’ll pause everything just to read her latest. And soon, you’ll understand why.My favorite line from this episode was, 'There’s always new adventures with old enjoyments.'
Enjoy.
Q: The name of the newsletter used to be From the Desk of Rachel Leeke. What made you decide to change it to Love and Travel?
My objective with From the Desk of Rachel Leeke was to observe and document the world around me.
And within that, I noticed there's really two forms of exploration. There's depth where you become more familiar with a subject, and this form of latitude where you're introduced to a new topic.
I saw that duality, that two-sidedness of sitting with something and better understanding it, processing akin to love due to the presence given it. On the other side, there's that traveling beyond the comfort zone and stepping away from the familiar.
So, to me, Love and Travel isn't the title of the newsletter, it's a formula of growth for me.
Q: When did you realize that adventure is one of your core values and why?
I started claiming adventure about seven, or eight years ago. Like, I can't even believe it's been that long.
But it's really simply put, I best learn through action.
Either you win or you learn, and either way, there's no reward in being timid. So I'd rather proceed shaking and unsure, trying something new, going to a new place, than to not try at all.
Q: In your journey of exploring both the world and your inner landscape, what unexpected discovery have you found about yourself, and how does it show up in your writing?
I latch on to details. I pay attention to tone inflections and facial movements, moods, and the way footsteps hit the floor.
I like the way the wind swirls through leaves and the way flowers spiral out from their center.
These things are so immersive that I want the reader to be there with me. I want the reader to observe exactly what I'm seeing. I then transfer all of those details into my writing as well.
Q: Can you share a specific moment from your travels that profoundly impacted your understanding of love?
When I was heading to Cape Town, the second leg of the trip was overnight, 11 hours, and a direct flight from Heathrow down to South Africa.
I had a row to myself, and the night sky……….as we were flyinggggg, I don't know if it's because it was such a long flight from Europe to the tip of Africa, that we were so high up, or if it was just an incredibly clear night.
But it felt like I could reach out and grab the stars. It felt like the moon was only shining on our plane. It felt like, it was an amazing experience.
It was already an empty flight, and because it's the middle of the night, everybody's sleeping, and I remember just looking out at the window, not even there at the destination of my trip, but thinking, this is incredible, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to witness the night sky so clear and everything just luminescent.
And what that really told me about love is, it's about the journey, not the destination. I knew that once I touched the ground, whether I had a miserable time or a joyous time, I knew I already won!
I already gained something so invaluable just by showing up, just by endeavoring, and I find that love it’s a lot like that. You can't guarantee how things will turn out, but that courage to begin will always change you!
Q: You’ve really entertained the community with the 13 Weeks of Adventures. What inspired you to embark on this series, and which part was your favorite?
For me, it's all about leading by example. I so often hear people talk about they don't have time or they can't catch a flight, and it's really all about adventure doesn't even come that far from our front doors.
Like, if you like flowers, oh, have you been to every public garden in your city? Or you like wine? Cool. Have you been to the top five bar and restaurants in your hometown? It's all about finding ways to learn more about what you already enjoy.
So, this series, my top four are really history, books, food, and outdoors. And I took that, and I ran with it, because to me:
there's always new adventures with old enjoyments.
As simple as that.
There's always a way to find something new out of the old. And with that, my favorite place was Wave Hill, because of the scenery and silence.
Q: You’re helping the community redefine love through your “Love Is..” posts. Where did this quest come from?
Again, it's one of those ways of starting with myself. I know that there's a lot of truth to what you look for, you will always find.
And for me, I want to train my eyes to find love. I want to train my eyes to find beauty. I want to train my eyes to find joy.
And saying it, wiring my brain so that way it notices these things are not trivial to me. I think it's really important. It's a way of keeping love at the front of our minds. And I think we would be a better society if everyone practiced the same.
Q: The title of your poem, “My Favorite Cardio is running from my emotions”. It's so bold and intriguing. How do you balance adventure with confronting hard or uncomfortable truths you might encounter along the way?
Let's begin with the fact that adventure and uncomfortable truths are not mutually exclusive. There's no guarantee that when we leave our comfort zone, it won't be abrasive. There's the term growing pains for a reason.
What matters to me is being seen in that discomfort. Sharing it through my writing. Because the more I document it, the more I share that I've come out on the other side unburnt by my challenges. It gives others the evidence that they can survive discomfort too.
And that's all that matters!
Q: If You and Phil (her husband) could only travel to one destination for the rest of your lives, where would it be? And how do you think that place would shape your relationship over time?
That question feels antithetical to who I am as a person, so I won't answer it. But what I will say is, travel shapes our relationship because it offers us a step away from hustle culture and the task list and the to-dos.
We get to ask ourselves, how do we live life on our own terms?
It gives us space to imagine.
Hold the Torch:
(a segment where the current BTS guest answers a question from the previous BTS guest)
Robert’s Question:
Based upon the poem, Late Fragment, by Raymond Carver, did I get what I wanted out of this life?
Rachel’s response:
So far so good, but not entirely yet. There's just so much more to look forward to.
Pass the Torch:
(a segment where the current BTS guest asks the next BTS guest a random question without knowing who the guest would be)
Rachel’s question:
“What are you most proud of when it comes to the love you've added to the world?”
check out how Rachel is redefining love:
if you prefer, you can listen on Spotify:
