Meet Rachel Noerdlinger — founding equity partner at ACTUM, one of the top 10 fastest-growing public strategy consultancies in the world, and one of the most powerful crisis communications strategists in the country. With 35 years in media and PR, Rachel has been behind some of the most historic civil rights cases of this generation.
In this candid conversation with BIG CED on My Friends Are Better Than Yours, Rachel opens up about her extraordinary career, her personal journey, and why she runs toward crisis when everyone else runs away.
💥 In this episode:
How growing up in chaos shaped her career in crisis management
Getting her start under legendary publicist Terry Williams
Her first clients: Johnny Cochran and Rev. Al Sharpton
Building National Action Network’s media presence from the ground up
The most historic civil rights cases of our generation
What ACTUM is, why it was built, and where it’s headed
Being the only Black female founding equity partner at a global firm
Her work in health equity and the current Medicaid crisis
Mental health, self-medication, and losing her mother to suicide
Her son’s redemption story and the next generation
AI, social media burnout, and the future of Black media
What she would do differently — and why scars matter
🌱 Rachel is also hosting a vegan wellness retreat in Costa Rica — tune in for details!
🔗 Connect with Rachel Noerdinger:
📱 Social: @RachelNoerd
🌐 Website: actumlc.com
🎙️ The Industry Cosign turns 23 years old on March 15th!
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0:00 Intro & Welcome
1:41 Rachel introduces herself — 35 years in media
2:25 What is crisis management?
5:20 Growing up in chaos — the origin story
6:09 Dropping out of Columbia & discovering PR
7:07 Learning from legendary publicist Terry Williams
7:38 First clients: Johnny Cochran & Rev. Al Sharpton
11:48 28 years with Reverend Sharpton & NAN
12:30 Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo & more
15:13 Getting close to victims — the emotional weight
16:44 What is ACTUM and why was it built?
18:27 Bipartisan strategy & ACTUM’s global offices
19:17 The goal: becoming a billion-dollar company
20:27 Being the only Black woman equity partner
22:20 Lifting as you climb — acquiring Sky Blue Media
24:09 Health equity work & the Health Equity Coalition
24:51 Vegan wellness retreat in Costa Rica
26:27 Fighting health disparities under the current administration
27:06 Al Sharpton + Newt Gingrich — strange bedfellows for change
28:05 Mental health in the Black community
29:06 Rachel’s personal story — losing her mother
30:54 Self-medication, sobriety & finding tools to cope
33:07 Midterms, rebuilding, and revolution
34:04 Dark-skinned Black men — power, targeting & identity
40:32 From entertainment PR to politics — the shift
42:43 Why entertainers aren’t as active today
43:34 The role of Black journalists and media voices
46:27 AI, robots & the death of entry-level jobs
48:02 How BIG CED came to accept AI as a creative tool
50:54 How ACTUM built their own AI tool
52:08 What’s next for Rachel & ACTUM
53:40 What would you do over again?
58:26 Closing — gratitude & how to connect
Connect with BIG CED:
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https://bsky.app/profile/bigced328.bsky.social
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigced/
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https://www.dailymotion.com/bigced
#RachelNoerdinger #ACTUM #CrisisManagement #BlackExcellence #TheIndustryCosign
#PublicStrategy #RevAlSharpton #NationalActionNetwork #BlackWomenLead
#HealthEquity #BlackMedia #CivilRights #BlackEntrepreneur #MediaStrategy
#BIGCED #MentalHealthMatters #LiftingAsIClimb #BlackPR #PoliticalStrategy
#VeganWellness #CostaRicaRetreat #BlackOwned #WomenInBusiness #MediaNarrative
35 Years: Rachel Noerdlinger on Crisis PR, Health Equity: My Friends Are Better Than Yours
