Alumna’s Book Provides Tools for ‘When Life Happens’

Before Rachel Goldman met Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mel Robbins and the like, she was the college-bound daughter of two New Yorkers living in Leonardtown, Maryland, swearing that she would never follow in the footsteps of her mom by majoring in psychology; they were already similar enough.

However, after spending her freshman year at Goucher College studying dance science—and seeing firsthand a phenomenon she had never witnessed as a competitive dancer in her hometown—Goldman could no longer deny her calling.

“Until I went to a predominantly dance school, I did not observe disordered eating behaviors. I remember calling my mom and saying ‘This is odd. I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I want to know what’s causing this. I want to understand the mind-body connection,’” she said.

Goldman’s fascination with the mind-body connection—which she has since turned into an impressive, nationally recognized career—was first nurtured at the University of Maryland, where she decided to transfer for her sophomore year after hearing about her hometown friends’ experiences at their larger universities.

“I decided to major in psychology and fully immersed myself in it,” Goldman, who became a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority and eventually president of the Psi Chi International Honors Society for Psychology, said. “I found researchers, mentors and professors that were doing the things that I was interested in, and three of them really helped shape that work that I do.”

Though her official major was psychology, Goldman tried to design her own area of study, “health psychology,” by taking a mix of psychology and health classes. School of Public Health (SPH) Associate Professor Emerita Donna Howard led the first health education class that Goldman ever took, and then-Department of Psychology (PSYC) post-doctoral fellow Roxann Roberson-Nay—who worked with former PSYC professors Debi Beidel and Samuel Turner, co-directors of the Maryland Center for Anxiety Disorders—took Goldman on as a research assistant. The stress management class led by former SPH faculty member Glenn Shiraldi had such an impact on Goldman, it even made it into the acknowledgements section of her new book, “When Life Happens: The Mindset Shift You Need to Manage Stress, Build Confidence, and Break Free.”

In “When Life Happens,” Goldman presents readers with ways to reduce stress in their daily lives, drawing on her expertise in a therapeutic approach called cognitive behavioral therapy. She provides examples of unhelpful thoughts and ways to reframe them into helpful ones; examples of long-term goals that can be broken down into smaller short-term goals to reduce feelings of overwhelm; examples of unhealthy and healthy coping mechanisms; examples of both external and internal exercises that people can tap into when they are struggling; and more.

“I hope that people feel seen and heard and that they know that they are not alone. Life is hard,” Goldman said. “I hope that this book gives people the tools to be able to handle life, and whatever is thrown their way.”

It also provides ways for readers to start thinking differently about their bodies in particular, an area of expertise Goldman honed as a graduate student.

After earning her B.A. in Psychology in 2002, Goldman moved closer to New York City and started gaining research experience at the NYU Child Study Center before applying to Fairleigh Dickinson University’s doctoral program in clinical psychology.

Goldman had to complete a pre- and post-doctoral fellowship, which she ultimately pursued at the Medical University of South Carolina with a focus on helping individuals who were undergoing bariatric surgery. Soon after, a position opened up at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Center for Obesity & Weight Management, and Goldman landed the job—as well as a faculty position at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Goldman has been in New York and an affiliated faculty member of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine ever since. After more than five years of working at Bellevue Hospital, however, she decided to leave that role and launch her own private practice instead, meaning that her current workload entails running a private practice, meeting with patients, teaching classes and supervising NYU psychiatry residents, promoting her new book, reviewing articles for academic journals, serving on the Verywell Wellness Board, and being a wife, mother, and friend.

“I think one of the ways that I am able to juggle it all is that I love what I do. If you love what you do, it’s easier to show up,” Goldman said. “Another is that I literally use the tools in my book, and I am even more intentional about using those tools during really full seasons. When I was launching the book, for example, I didn’t want to wake up early and go to the gym, but I needed to for my mental health and for my sanity. Routine is even more important during times of stress.”

Goldman also stays busy by sharing her expertise on her Instagram account, @drrachelnyc, which now has more than 40,000 followers. She said the account really started to grow during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I remember people asking me ‘Wow, what are you doing?’ and I would just say ‘I’m a mental health provider sharing mental health tips and providing support for people that really feel isolated, lonely and confused right now,’” Goldman said.

Being invited to speak on the platforms of celebrities who have even larger followings has only grown Goldman’s account further—as have her contributions to special projects like consulting on the film “The Whale” and appearing in season 1, episode 7 of “Love Thy Nader.”

As much success as Goldman has found, she wants current UMD students to remember that her current reality isn’t always what she imagined her life would look like, and that’s OK.

“You don’t have to have it all figured out yet; I changed colleges and I changed majors! None of us have it all figured out yet, myself included. People ask me what I’m going to be doing in five years and I have no idea. Hopefully I’ll be doing the same thing I am doing right now, but you just never know because life happens,” she said. “Just remember that you can make it work. I tried to create my own area of study at the University of Maryland, and I think that mindset is what I would want students to have: You can make it work, sometimes you just have to have a flexible mindset and look outside the box.”

Learn More About Rachel Goldman’s Book, “When Life Happens”

Published on Wed, Jun 17, 2026 - 10:13AM