Heart Healed, Purpose Revealed - Rachel McCord

In this inspiring episode of Living Testimonies, I sit down with Rachel McCord—media entrepreneur and founder of the TV show The McCord List and Holy Spirit Vibe Clothing—as she shares her powerful journey of healing and faith.

Growing up amid challenging circumstances, Rachel always sensed God’s hand guiding her life. But it wasn’t until a series of life-changing encounters with Jesus that everything began to shift. He brought emotional healing, and just as she started walking in newfound freedom, Rachel faced another trial—open-heart surgery.

One year later, Rachel reflects on how God’s presence became undeniably real during that season. Her journey didn’t just bring physical healing—it sparked a new vision: Holy Spirit Vibe, a ministry dedicated to spreading the love and presence of Jesus.

You’ll be deeply encouraged by her testimony of restoration, purpose, and surrender. Tune in and let your faith be stirred by the incredible things God can do when we trust Him through every season.

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Ways to connects with Rachel:

HolySpiritVibe.com

TheMcCordList.TV

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Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:04

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. I'm grateful for your support and for being part of this community. If you've been enjoying the podcast so far, I'd love it if you could take a minute to leave a review. Your feedback helps me reach more people and share these inspiring stories with others. Let's spread the word. Please share this podcast with your friends and family. And if you haven't already, be sure to like and subscribe for new episodes. To stay connected and up to date on all the latest news, updates, and exclusive content, head over to my Facebook page, Living Testimonies. While you're there, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. The link is on the page. Thanks again for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode. Welcome to Little Testimony Stories of Faithful Adaption. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope everyone that's listening is blessed and doing well today. With me today I have my sister Christ. Her name is Rachel McCord. And Rachel is the fucking stuff to the audience.

Rachel McCord: 1:27

Yes, of course. Well, first of all, Israel, thank you so very much for having me. I'm super honored. And hello to everyone listening. I am originally from Georgia, a small town in Georgia, actually. I moved around like 32 times before I was 16. So I kind of claim the whole beautiful state. But I actually moved to LA in 09 when my sister joined the show 902 and 0 and was doing mini projects and entertainment and felt a little overwhelmed from our small, humble roots homeschooled and moving into a crazy city with lots of paparazzi stalking our house and following us and doing all this crazy stuff. So I moved out and started launching companies and just moving in closer and closer to what I'm most passionate about. So it's been a it's been a wild ride for sure, but right now I am joining you from Marina's Already. I'm looking at the beautiful ocean and I'm just so grateful to be here.

Israel Caminero: 2:29

Nice, beautiful ocean, and it's raining and cloudy over here in Cleveland, Ohio. Sorry. That's all right. That's all right. I mean, she's here to share her testimony, and I can't wait to hear her testimony. But before we get started with that, I'd like to pray over us and I'd like to say, Heavenly Father, we thank you for this moment and for bringing Rachel here today. Lord, we ask that you fill her with boldness, peace, and clarity as she shares her testimony. Let every word that comes from her mouth glorify you and minister to every listener's heart. May your Holy Spirit move through her story, bringing healing, encouragement, and hope to those who need it. Protect her mind and spirit as she speaks truth and remind her that her testimony carries power because of what you've done in her life. And it's in Jesus' mighty name that we pray. Amen.

Rachel McCord: 3:22

Amen. Wow, thank you for that. That was so beautiful.

Israel Caminero: 3:26

You're welcome. So, Rachel, the platform's all yours, and I can't wait to hear your story. So, if you can share a little bit about when you were younger, a day in the life of the McCord household.

Rachel McCord: 3:40

Yes. Well, I went through a a lot of significant trauma as a child. I went through a lot of abuse. So all three shades. I don't like to say it all because I think we get it. And it started when I was four, kind of continued on. I think when you've been abused, sadly, you can find yourself gravitating towards other abusive relationships. And I did that. I um a lot of the stuff that happened was within my family. And so I didn't really know what it was like to kind of have that safety. I, you know, I I've I've marveled to be honest over stories of people um later on, and definitely the mom that I try to be to my my son Jews. It's so different from how I grew up. But I think as a child, you really just adjust. I remember being a little peacemaker in my home and try like when there were these shouting matches and things, I would slide little notes, I love you under the door to both of my parents, and um just try to bring love wherever I could. But it was pretty scary, you know. I think when you uh there's a scripture verse about it would be better for you that a millstone is tied on your neck and that you would lead one of these children astray. And and so for I think a lot of people that could really turn you off to God. But I think for me, the reason it's so different is because I know that that is not who God is. Um, you know, sadly in these worlds, in this world, we have false prophets, we have people who say things standing on platforms, and it's not always true and it's not always right. Sadly, we also have a lot of judgment, especially in the faith world, because of course we hold our platforms, hopefully, we we hold them with reverence, with humility, and with gratitude, because it was given by God, it can be taken from God, and it's here to glorify Him. But I also think that there's a piece of it that maybe a lot of people miss when they are um hurt that deeply by someone who represents themselves in the church. And I think what that is is we forget uh that we don't battle against flesh and blood, but about principalities and spiritual um high priests and heavenly places. Like we we actually battle spiritually. So, you know, when you look at the world today and you find yourself discouraged and you find yourself lost and you wonder, like, how are we here? How does this happen? Like tragedy, loss, pain, hurt, confusion, frustrations with the world, the government, all the things. Um I think we have to understand that there is huge power in prayer. And when we bring it to God, like he actually changes the game. And we cannot sit here complaining and judging and looking at our lives from a victim mentality. We have to see ourselves victorious because of what Christ did for us, because you know, it's easy for me to look at people and be like, wow. I mean, I've made two therapists cry sharing my story in the past. Like it's it's too easy, in fact, to point our fingers at everybody who's hurt us and to let that be where we stay. But I believe that Jesus gets in the dirt with us, in the mess. He sees us in the places where innocence has stolen, pain has ravaged our lives, and depression is all we know. And he gets in there, but he loves us so much. He doesn't leave us there. And so um, you know, that's really my story is that God has had his hand over my life forever. And, you know, I could make you sad probably with some stories of what happened. Um, it makes me sad thinking about the little version of me. Who like came into a world thinking that it would be so very different, you know?

Israel Caminero: 7:51

Yeah.

Rachel McCord: 7:52

But um, but like God is so like he's so faithful that he takes that hurt and he doesn't waste it, you know. I I still feel so connected to my emotions because I believe that that's my purpose in this life is to bring purpose to the pain and to show people that you that life is not like it's not like on a graph where we see, oh, you went up or you went down. You know, it's like like we were just talking about Israel before we came on. Like you can face those moments and it can feel like, oh no, like I remember for myself, like I faced and battled, man, I really battled major depression, suicidal ideations, PTSD, all the things so much that I didn't even know what it looked like to not have that, actually, until you know, until God started really breaking through and changing everything. But it's easy to hold this fear within us if we face depression specifically, in my own experience, that you think that cloud is always gonna get you, that it's just right there waiting for that moment when you're weak, and it's just gonna come in like a storm and you're gonna be knocked off your feet, and everything that you've invested in, time and resource-wise, is gonna fall apart because you can't sustain it and it feels like it's all too much. I've seen myself in those places where I've built momentum and companies and then suddenly found myself like in the floor, like feeling like every person was like a voice, like yelling, asking for things, and I'm like, I'm not capable to do all this. And then I started learning how to live a spirit-led life. And so I say that life is not like this graph where you're like going up and down, because life is genuinely like a walk through valleys and mountains. And the key, in my opinion, to all of it is just learning to truly abide with Yeshua Jesus, like all the time. Like if you can just abide with him, like you have the chaos, you have the yelling kids, the banging, the fighting, the all the things that we deal with, even if we didn't face trauma, even if we're not highly sensitive people trying to navigate a highly scary world at times, if we can just find ourselves so close to him, that even if the mountains were to fall away into the sea, that we would not be rocked, because God says, be still and know that I am God. He causes wars to cease, he changes outcomes. We cannot live this life without understanding that at some point, whether you're a believer in God or you're not, at some point you are going to hit something. There is going to be a moment that comes where it feels like the bottom falls out from beneath you. I face this in every scenario of my life. I faced it financially, I faced it spiritually, emotionally, physically. I had open heart surgery last year. I mean, I've had my heart has been brought back to life twice from the time I was I was born. God brought my heart to beat. And then on March 14th, my heart stopped. And God's the one who decided to start it again. So I'm telling you, as someone who's like genuinely hit so many rough bottoms, that like I know how to swim there and I know how to swim back up. And that's because of the power of God. That's who Jesus is. That's the Holy Spirit living within you, transforming you, changing everything. And when we try to do this life without Him, what actually happens for most people, to be honest, like because I have a television show, I interview people all the time. What actually happens so often is that when the worst case scenario happens and the bottom falls out, you actually start to encounter Jesus because you start to open your eyes because you're so desperate for something that you start to see the little things everywhere. And just during my open heart surgery season, I started seeing hearts everywhere, like literally everywhere. This morning I was brushing my teeth and I looked in the like in the sink and I saw toothpaste in the perfect shape of a heart. And if I did not have pictures to back this up, people would think I was a lunatic. But genuinely, like I'm walking and there's like a heart carved into the concrete, or water will fall into perfect hearts. I see it everywhere. It's the joke. Like anyone who hears me speak, they've heard me talk about this. And now I have people will send me pictures of them. They'll send me pictures of I've seen like little plants growing up from concrete that are in the perfect shape of a cross, but most of the time it's hearts. And I say that because I believe that God is always speaking to us. He is drawing us to him. He loves us so much. Even if like someone listening like hasn't accepted him yet. Like the truth is that if they make that choice and they look back, they're actually going to see a God who, before he laid the foundation of the world, he knew them, he thought of them, and he planned on them. He knows how many hairs are on his head, their heads, and he knows that he knows them from the inside out. The greatest desire we have in life is to be seen, known, and loved. And that's already here for us. But we have to open our minds and our hearts to it. And so when I think about my childhood and I think about what I've been through and all the times I've moved and faced all this adversity, you know, what I could tell you now, looking back, is that God has had his hand over my life. The song for my life is The Goodness of God. If you haven't heard it yet, please go on YouTube, go somewhere, listen to the goodness of God. That has been my story.

Israel Caminero: 13:24

Yeah, that's a good song, by the way. Oh wow. You just dropped the bombshell all up all together like that. Um, I have I have some questions here. You said in your childhood you experienced abuse, but if there was ever a time that you could have doubted God was right then and there, how did he bring you back from experiencing that trauma? Probably from you not wanting to go to church because there was a lot of resentment in your heart. How did he bring you back to him? I'm talking about God, Jesus. How did Jesus bring you back to him?

Rachel McCord: 14:01

Yeah, that's a beautiful question. You know, I I never really went away from him per se. I think when I moved to Hollywood when I was like living a very like different lifestyle. Um, I was probably like mainly, if I'm being honest, was kind of like, God, I know you're real. I'm gonna get to you in a minute. Like maybe after I'm married and I'm chilling, like, you know, I I had a very um non-faith-based life. But if someone would have asked me, like, oh, are you a Christian? I would have said yes. So I think that's its own challenge, right? Like, like we can sometimes think that we're like a believer, but like maybe like, because if you read the Bible, it's like if you love me, you follow my commandments, right? I wasn't living in that lifestyle. So I I actually um it was August of 2018. I had most of my memories of the the physical abuse that's a little, I don't like to say that word, especially like to a thick, because I never know who's around, but um, you know, the the abuse that was a little bit like more intense, I guess is probably gonna be how I'm gonna allude to it.

Israel Caminero: 15:07

Rachel, just to interrupt you real quick, you can say whatever you feel led to say. There's no filters on here whatsoever. That's what makes your testimony is I tell everyone, you can share as much as you want to share, as much as the Holy Spirit leads you to share, because that's what makes you the person you are today. You're not that person anymore.

Rachel McCord: 15:26

Well, thank you. I I appreciate that. Yes, I guess it was that it was that type of trauma that I had suppressed. Like I remembered being physically abused, I remembered like the fear and the verbal abuse, but it was the other stuff I couldn't really like. Um I just had flash memories of. And so I had a really wild situation. I mean, it was like it was just so crazy. And then God like was very clearly speaking to me. Now, mind you, this is before I'm having a spirit-led life. Okay, like at this point, I'm going to church and I'm I'm, you know, I'm living him at a like at what I think most of my friends at that season would have experienced God too. It's like almost like a one-dimensional phase where you go to church on Sunday.

Israel Caminero: 16:15

Yeah, I was just gonna say that. So you you followed God, but you just didn't have a relationship with him.

Rachel McCord: 16:20

Exactly. Follow God didn't have a relationship. I was just kind of doing the things. I wasn't reading the Bible, I wasn't, I didn't understand a spirit-led life at all, actually. I didn't, I didn't even know that that was a thing. And so what happened over the next 24 hours was like crazy wild things of God like like ordaining my footsteps in really, like, really strong ways, like, do this. I mean, it was very weird, to be honest. It was very weird. And then from that, I ended up going to and I was my husband and I were scheduled for a two-day marriage therapy session. And I went there to do that. And day one, I told my therapist, I'm pretty sure my sister remembers these things happening. And my therapist was like, Well, what do you want to do? What do you think? And I was like, I mean, I look, I've already I already know about the abuse I've been through. I've been abused in that form when I was 13 by someone else. So, like, I am not interested in any more, we don't need to collect any more drama, like in trauma. Like, I'm good. Like, you like my cup runneth over with trauma. I'm fine. And so um day two, I had had these wild visions and like that I thought were just normal dreams. And then I was like seeing all these different things, um, just like driving, just weird stuff was happening. And I was like, I I mean, I I couldn't even comprehend it at that point. So by the time I got to my second day of the therapy session, my husband was dealing with some work stuff, so he was really distracted, and I was like, Well, I would like to go into these memories and found out that my sister had done EMDR, which is uh, I can't remember what it all stands for right now, eye movement, rapid therapy, something like that. It's basically like where you activate both sides of your brain so that when your emotional side of your brain would normally cut you out of a memory because it's getting flooded by emotions and it doesn't want to fill them because it's afraid that it's too much for you and you might break down. Um, by activating the logical side of your brain, it's almost like the computer side of your brain, like fully, like pulling out file cabinets, like, oh yes, this happened and this was this. So it was a very, it's been very effective in trauma therapy for people who have suppressed memories based on the intensity of them. It was weird because I told the lady and she was like, Oh, I do that. And I'm like, what? And she's a Christian therapist. So we basically like blessed my husband and say, don't deal with your work stuff. I'm gonna um, I'm gonna tackle this. And I went out to the waiting room while she was just kind of talking to my husband before, and I open up the Bible and I see everything that's been in darkness will be brought to light. And I was like, whoa, that was probably the first time that I was like, okay, I'm opening the Bible and fully, God is fully speaking to me right now. So I go into the room and God takes me on the craziest spiritual journey of my life. Um, he like I had the two flash memories from my childhood, which I mentioned earlier. So we just kind of went into those memories by being like, okay, like let's see that picture. And what do you remember that day? Well, we were moving and these people were over. And so it's just little by little, you're kind of clicking away at all these details. Um, we prayed before we did it, and it was like wild because I saw, like, just in my mind, I'm like closing my eyes, praying. I'm like, God, please reveal whatever's true, like block out anything that's not true. Like, you know, everything is just black. And I'm getting kind of frustrated because at this season of my life, you know, I've been on the journeys of business where you're like trying to um. You're basically like trying to earn love. So I was like collecting accolades. I had started a company, sold it at 24, had a big show on Bloomberg television, was on a big JamboTron in Times Square. Like I was checking off all these boxes since I was 13 and started working. So it was like it was weird for me to be in this scenario and I can't control it. And so I was getting frustrated at first because it was just black. And then I saw like this little light come. And I literally saw Jesus taking my hand as a little girl and walking me around one of the houses that we lived at where most of my memories were at. And then I just started like remembering just everything in like this. And by the way, I couldn't remember anything in my childhood before this. This is like pretty monumental for me. Like if you like, I it was all black. Like between before I was 13 years old, like I couldn't, I could not remember hardly anything. It was like I had like a couple staple things, maybe like let's be like let's be generous, and say 10 things. I remembered one house, I remembered one thing, you know what I mean? So it was very shocking to suddenly like be telling this therapist a story of my life that I couldn't have remembered before then because I wasn't strong enough. And then after the memories, like the concrete memories, God took me on a spiritual journey, which was really crazy. I spiritually saw myself laying on an OR table with like him being the main surgeon and these nurses all around him assisting him. And meanwhile, this is 2018. I didn't even know I was gonna ever need a major open heart surgery until December of 2023. So it like just so beyond. I was like almost seeing a flash of that that was going to come. And I saw him pull me out of the well of depression. It was just the craziest thing. After this experience, I was filled with more joy than I can possibly describe to you. So my husband, knowing that I had gone into this experience, had all this work to do. So he's out like on these calls and everything. The therapist says, Okay, if you feel ready, we'll bring him back in. So I called him to come back, and he comes back into the room. And when he walks in, I'm bean, like I'm smiling, I'm happy. I mean, I genuinely felt like my spirit had left my body. It was the craziest journey ever. And I was like totally rocked by it in the best kind of way. And so when he walks in the room, it felt so long ago that I was processing traumatic memories. All I had been experiencing for the past, like, I don't even know how long it was, but maybe in in like like time in the in the world that we live in the physical world, it was probably 30, 45 minutes of like my spirit like going up into heaven and having this whole experience and like just being completely transformed. Um, when he came back in the room, I was so happy. He was like, he looked at me and he was like, Oh, so it didn't happen. And I didn't even know what he meant. He was talking about the abuse that I was trying to like go back into. But I was like, huh? I was like, oh that, oh yeah, oh yeah, all that happened. Oh, but it's okay. I think it's okay. He was like, this lady is crazy. And that was the beginning of my spirit-led journey. And then in um May, on May 17th of 2019, so like about you know, six months or so later, seven months, I was at this small group event, and it was in Georgia. And then I really got rocked. I got inner, I got prayer like for inner healing by this woman there, and had another spiritual encounter. I didn't feel like my spirit left my body, but I I had a major vision with Jesus, and he just like healed so much of me. And ever since then, I've kind of been a hardcore evangelist. Like the next day, I was like in my Uber, like talking about Jesus. And all that's happened over the years is I just gotten closer and closer to the Lord. And so um my career was excelling. I was like kind of continuing to grow, my show was was booming and all the things. And then in December 2030, uh 2023, after eight years of fainting, difficulty breathing, having a hard time going upstairs, really struggling, passing out in between giving birth to my kid, like all the things. I had a doctor tell me do a different test with me for my heart and confirm that I needed to undergo open heart surgery. So that was like really wild because suddenly I've got a three-year-old son. I have no idea what this all means. I start researching it, I start doing the appointments with surgeons, and it becomes very real very quickly. They're like, Do you want us to saw through your sternum or go through your ribs? And I'm like, What? And I'm I remember being on the call one time with uh with the practitioner who was assisting the surgeon. I was like, by the way, it's so cool. Like, how do you guys operate on someone with their heart's beating? Like, that's remarkable. I'm like in the middle of saying this. I'm at home, by the way, on the phone, and she's like, Oh no, no, no, no, we stopped the heart. And I'm like, I I was lit, I remember that moment like yesterday. Like, I just kind of like coughed without any sound. It was like I couldn't breathe. And I just like slid down the wall, and I was like, as she's like just medically explaining, we're gonna cool down your body, like they like freeze your body at a certain level, like not freezing, freezing, obviously, but like a certain level so that you don't have as much of a need. They put you on a bypass machine, your lungs aren't functioning, your hearts. And I'm literally like, my kid's in the other room, and I'm like, what? I'm like, you know what I mean? So I just like start, I'm here I am a spirit-led girl at this point. I'm just like, God, you can you can do this, man. You can heal me like you're a miracle-working God. I've seen it, I've read it, I know that you greater things than these, right? Greater things than Jesus did, would we see and do by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us with faith? We can move mountains. So, all right, mountain move. And it didn't move. And I'd be like praying and praying, come on, God, like please, like, please say yes. I know you can. Like, you know, you let you heal the guy who came through the roof because his friends believe. Like, I believe this is strong. I believe, like, like, do this. And then I went to my like I go to these like Holy Spirit conferences like every six months, and I had already booked it from the last time, and then I looked at the week and I was like, oh wow, it's like this week. So I kind of didn't really want to go because I was really just living in fear in this moment. It was like it was like a weekend to knowing I needed surgery, but you know, there's no place I want to be other than like a Holy Spirit conference. So I would go by the end of day one. God is just like completely spoken to me in every single way. Every I was literally like looking at the audience, like, I feel bad for all these people because obviously this whole sermon is for me. Like every speaker, every word, every prayer. It was like God was literally like, I see you, I'm with you, like you're not alone. By day two, I um I was just rocking. I was like giving it back. I was totally, I was like, if I need to do surgery or if we don't need to do surgery, I have peace. Then come Wednesday, I did a huge interview with Daily Mail, like an exclusive about the surgery that was coming up. And I was so happy and peaceful that he was like, so like, you know, he's like, ah, it's so hard what you're going through. And I was like, oh, I know, golly, like what a bummer. I was like, he's like, wait a minute, like you're having open, he's like, he literally goes, finally kind of interrupts the energy. He's like, but like you seem like really kind of chill and happy. And I was like, well, I'm gonna be honest with you. I've been at this Holy Spirit conference and I just know God's with me. And so, you know, if he like I want him to heal me supernaturally, of course, I don't want to have to have surgery, but like, you know, I just trust him. So this article comes out, it gets really big. I have tons of people start reaching out to me. One of which is a robotic, like a cardiothoratic surgeon who does it robotically. And he goes, by the way, I read your interview, I saw your interview, and I I don't know if you know this, but you can you can fix this robotically. So I'm in the middle of running this huge conference that we do and with my company, the McCord List, and my husband is so sweet. I'm too busy to even think about it. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, right? This is Monday. I've got like six days to go. My husband is trying to solve this problem and get me the surgery robotically because it's very, very sad when you see what people go through with open heart surgery. Like the pain inside of your body, like my body, even just right now talking to you, is very is is like it's a lot. But but when people have to saw through your sternum, like your the bone in your chest, or like break your ribs to go through your side. I mean, it is like it is brutal. Like I did a lot of research, and I was that was the part that I was the most like heartbroken about, no pun intended. I was just like, what? Like that just that just felt like such a journey. And having a three-year-old son, like I did not want to walk that out. So when I heard that like a robotic surgery was a possibility, I was like, what? But then I was so busy, I was like, oh well, whatever. Well, my husband is like, no, we're getting this. So he's calling everyone, he gets, I don't even know how he does it, but he's done it for me before when I was in a really dark state. Mentally got me like the top psychologist for UCLA, and then in this case, got me at the top, like the the chair of cardiology for Cedar Sinai, which is like, I mean, the biggest, the biggest, the biggest. And just this wonderful woman who is like just crushing it. I mean, she, I mean, like, if you read her resume, you'd be blown away. He ends up getting them on the phone and agreeing to meet with me that Friday. Now, again, this is Monday. I'm gonna meet with the most like sought-after heart surgeon in the world who does robotics on Friday, as long as we can get these scans over to her. And my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday traditionally, okay? So my husband's like calling up, stuffing gift bags for this conference, and I'm like, babe, I don't have time. He's like, Rachel, get these scans. So I'm like, I'm in like a garage, like a gym, a garage, like on my computer, like, okay, where do I find these scans? So I send them all over and we get in on Friday, and I I was like, just I was sad because my hope was obviously that they were gonna tell me, actually, you don't need surgery, you know. But we kept on getting confirmations that I was gonna need the surgery. And I was like, Well, look, I'm praying. I know they thought it was crazy, but I was like, I keep praying, so just promise me that before you cut me open, you check my heart one more time. Because I I would like to see my valve fixed. Um, but anyway, so um I'm in her office and we start talking, and um, I type up an email while I'm waiting for her, and it's to the other surgeon to cancel my Tuesday surgery because now it's like two business days away. And I ask her, I'm like, Dr. Chickwe, if if I need to get this surgery for sure, will you take me on? Can I cancel this other surgery? And she's like, Yes. So I was like, oh my gosh. So I literally in the ninth hour, guy comes through. I cancel the crazy surgery, and now it's still open heart, but it's robotic. And then sure enough, we confirm on Monday it's very severe. I'm marching towards heart failure. So it was absolutely the miracle was how many years I've faced this, and God has just sustained me. And then a month later, I was getting surgery. And I remember the two weeks before the surgery, I was praying. I was in this room, and there were like people all around. And I just started thinking, wow, there's so many beating hearts in this room, like so many beating hearts, and you know, our hearts are just banging away right now as we say this and we listen, it's like just minute by minute, they're just beating, and God is determining our heartbeats and the breadth of his life in our body, and we just take it for granted until it's taken. And I had two weeks to prepare, and I was like, have I been a good steward of my heartbeats? Like, have I loved my husband enough to leave him? Like, you know, if I'm going to heaven right now, like have I have I taught my kid everything I need? Have I been bold with my faith? And the truth was I hadn't been bold with my faith. I'd have these Holy Spirit encounters. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was real. But if someone didn't give me an invitation to talk about him, I really wouldn't. And so I was literally like, I'm done with that. Like, if I get whether I get an I's shot at life or I just have two weeks left on this planet, like I'm gonna proclaim the name of Jesus and I'm gonna break chains for people and I'm gonna help them see the power of God. And it doesn't matter what you've been through, it doesn't matter the mess, the trauma, the choices, the sin, the dirt, like it doesn't matter. It's all level at the cross. All you need to do is give your life to him and ask him to do what only he can do because he's so real. Like people ask me, like, how like, but why Jesus? I live in Hollywood. It's like, why are you talking about Jesus is so decisive? I'm like, or divisive, but I'm like, because Jesus is real. He's real and his word is real, and you can hear near-death stories and and near-death experiences where people have like like crossed over and come back, and they're here to tell you how real he is, because at one point at the end of this life, you absolutely will come face to face with the one who created you. And we live our lives wondering what we're here for, but we'll never like Rick Warren says, Pastor Rick Warren, you'll never know what you're here for unless you go to the one who made you, who put you here, right? Like if I showed you a massive invention that you've never seen before, you wouldn't know what it did if you didn't read the manual, you didn't go to the person who created it and asked. So God is us. We are in we were on this planet for a purpose and a reason, and God uses the nastiest of masses, he uses the messiest messes, the most heartbreaking things. He will take you down to I mean, he will he'll use the stuff that takes us down. We live in a broken world. Like God created a perfect world for us to live in. So when you question God, you question like if there's a God, then why why war? Why pain? Why loss? It's like, no, like it's like when you see the darkness in the world, you can also see the light. Because where light is, darkness cannot be. So we have to stay connected to the humanity of this life and the humanity that that God has put within us, and we have to go back to him. Because, like, if I could sit here all day and telling my story, but like and we overcome by the power of testimony and the blood of the lamb. So I love your show. I love what you're doing, Israel. I think it's incredibly important. And it's so beautiful. And I want this testimony to lead the person listening to their testimony because it's really about what God will do specific for your life. It's like I think about it with my companies, right? Like, if you told me your problem with your business, I could like do an accelerator, build a TV show and and and and fix it for you, right? But uh if but if I just put you in a box with a package, it makes it beautiful, it's awesome, that's great. But like if I actually sat here and said, Well, Israel, you've got this and you need this, and you went through this, and this happened to you. And so, you know what I feel like that's what God does. Like that's like that is what God does when we give our lives to him and we allow him to do what he can do.

Israel Caminero: 35:25

Amen. Amen. Wow, that was good, you know, and what you said 2018, you saw that vision that God gave you that vision of being on an operating table. And 2023 is when it happened. Wow. So it's like he was almost showing you and preparing you for it, even though you didn't know all those years. Like you said, he was sustaining you through you said you were fainting and feeling weak and everything like that. Your your heart could have gave out anytime.

Rachel McCord: 35:54

A hundred percent. And we I actually it's been so it's been just over a year. It was March 14th, 2024. So I found out I needed it in 2023, and it was 2024 that I did the surgery. And, you know, I think about how so many people walk around with broken hearts. Like, like so many of us, our hearts are broken, you know. But when we choose to open our hearts, hopefully not in the sense that my heart was first open, but we spiritually open our hearts and we just ask God. I mean, I actually recently was hearing like Tucker Carlson talking about how he just started reading the Bible without any, like he's like, I don't know if I believe this or not, but before I judge it, I might as well read it. And he is his life was transformed for the living word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword. And so here he is reading the Bible to be like, what's all this about? And that's what I challenge people to do. I read the Bible in 90 days. Um, I listened and read it like because it's like 13 to 15 chapters a day while I was running the super like media row with Super Bowl um in Phoenix, and I had a million things going on. I was running this big conference as well, and it was all just this wild season. But I started in January, finished it in March, or the whole Bible through. And I'm not the same person because even after having all these Holy Spirit encounters, I was still living with fear. And then God, I felt like God made it very clear that He wanted me to read this Bible in 90 days because multiple people were like coming to me with it. I actually randomly had the book and someone asked me, like, hey, have you ever heard of this? And I'm like, Yeah, that's a like it was so weird. But when I started just flooding the goodness of God and the stories and his redemptive stories and the miracles over my mind, I was suddenly like, oh, what are we talking about? Because I had like had pass out symptoms. So I was afraid to drive on highways and I wouldn't. I would drive like an hour and a half to avoid a 30-minute drive on the highway. And I remember one day being like, Well, Rachel, like, if you have faith in God and you know that nothing can happen to you that doesn't pass over his hand, why are you afraid of the highway? Why are we, why are we yielding to fear? If we are a believer, then we have to have faith. Now, that doesn't mean that we do reckless, dumb things like, oh, look, because God says do not test me, you know, don't test the Lord your God. But what I'm saying is that like if we're being crippled by fear in our finances, then there's something to look at. I remember one time I was like talking to my husband because it was like one of the ups and downs of being entrepreneurs. And I was like, oh my gosh, money's tight. And I was trying to explain to him what I had read in some self-help book about how, you know, money for some people represents freedom, and for other people, it represents uh security. And I told him, for me, I get it that for you it's freedom, but for me it's security. And I heard the Lord so strongly say, why does it represent freedom? I mean, why does it represent security for you? And I was like, oh yeah, why? Why is money, why am I putting my security in paper when it's really the Lord? So again, God gives us proverbs to be wise and to be good stewards. He tells us what will happen if we aren't good stewards in our finances and our relationships, being foolish or wise. But we we have to do everything we can in our human strength, but then we need to yield fully to the Lord and have faith in him because the enemy torments our souls with fear, with shame, and self-doubt. So if you're getting hit in those three areas, it is a spiritual attack. It's not God. Well, I don't want to speak for God, but in my own life, it has not been God trying to make me feel afraid, right? I don't think God moves like that. God moves within peace and he he actually kind of directs your footsteps. I pray over everything. The best shows, the best things I've ever done, that the most exciting projects I've ever been given. In fact, when I sold a show to Hulu, I said, God, if it's not your will, please block it. And guess what? He does it. And then you are saved from things that are not for you because the worst place you can be is where God does not have for you. Even if it's scary, even if it's hard, He's called me to do things and move places. I was told to move somewhere as a family. We were set to move somewhere. It was like Wednesday. We were moving on Sunday, and God told us to move. Back to LA instead of where we were planning to move. And we did it. And I was scared and I was upset. I was like, I spent like three weeks trying to grieve it. And guess what? If we hadn't done that, a thousand other things that God had for us would not have happened because blessing is on the other side of obedience. But we have to move in faith. I believe that's what it means in the Bible when it says faith without works is dead. A lot of people think, oh, well, that means like you can't just trust God and wait. I'm like, I do that all the time. I think, I think faith without works is dead. What it's alluding to, if you read the scriptures around it, in my my interpretation personally, is that if God tells you to do something, if you say you have faith in God, but you're not willing to make that move, you're not willing to be obedient, then you probably don't have that much faith because God makes it clear when he's speaking to you. And and I think it's really funny, like in my life, when I've been like, I don't know if that's really you, God. I don't know. It's like it's funny when God's telling you to do something you want to do. Like, like, there's no doubt that that's what God's saying. But if God's telling you to move your whole family to LA and back to LA and you don't want to, you're like, I don't know, I don't know. Are you sure? Like, let me just pray on this and meditate on this. Like finally, there was a moment where like, okay, actually, I really think that that's God.

Israel Caminero: 41:11

Yeah, God has a funny sense of humor, I tell you that.

Rachel McCord: 41:16

Isn't that the truth, man?

Israel Caminero: 41:17

He does. And I love your story, and I love how you're just sharing Christ all over the place now. And thank you. I have a question as far as I I kind of might know the answer to it because of your Holy Spirit vibe that you have, but you can share a little bit about about that. But um, what do you feel God is calling you to do now because of what he brought you through?

Rachel McCord: 41:43

Oh, that's a good question, Israel. So I actually was struggling with this recently. So after my surgery, I was recovering and you know, I had my company, which I mentioned earlier, the McCord list. But I was really wrestling with it because I was like, God, I don't want to do the McCord list. I want to do the Jesus list. I don't want it to be like Rachel just like talking about Jesus. I want to be like fully immersed in you. And so I was praying and praying and praying, and then I was in a John of Juice, literally like grabbing some food on the way to get our son baptized at that big Baptize America, baptize California event that they were doing where like 14,000 people got baptized in one day in the oceans. And I was like, okay, like I was just looking out the door and I saw on someone's back Holy Spirit vibes appear on their back. And I was like, oh my gosh, like the exact font and everything. And I was like, that's it. I'm gonna start an apparel brand called Holy Spirit Vibe. And so I did that, and then I felt very led to go to this conference. I meet a woman there, and she's like, I'm exhibiting at magic. And I was like, that's crazy. I used to run magic. And she's like, So you should bring your sweatshirts and let's just see what happens. So I saw like hundreds of sweatshirts. My husband is like, we need proof of concepts. I don't know what you're talking about. Like, we need to see, you've never started an apparel brand before. I'd worked with thousands of brands, especially like running magic, but this was definitely a new thing for me. But I was like, I don't need a proof of concept. I just had a vision from God. So I'm just like running with faith, you know? And um, so after the conference, Rick's like, okay, yeah, I get it. Okay, that's that makes sense. Then I did another conference, like a woman's conference, and um, we sold out on like all the normal sizes that we put like had, and it was like we we were making charm necklaces and bracelets sold out of all that. It was like, okay, like I guess we're we're moving. And then that's when I felt like we got the word to move back to LA. Things kind of turned up with the McCordless. We were, I mean, it's a crazy story, but we suddenly had a studio like drop in our lap, uh, a distribution deal. So now I have a morning talk show that we're premiering on Amazon Prime called the McCordless Today. And oh the wow, I'm kind of wrestling with it, to be honest, because I'm like, wait a minute, yo, like I just said I wanted to like only do ministry. I'm doing Holy Spirit vibe. I'm like archiving all my old client folders and all my work. And then suddenly all this favor starts coming to me, and I'm praying hard. Like, God, is this just like a distraction trying to hold me back from what you're calling me to? And every time I pray, God, if it's not your will, please block it. What happens is just more favor and more doors you're opening. What I feel like he's really pulling me into right now, that I'm starting to just kind of wrap my mind around, is that you know, God uses us where he puts us. And I think that's what he's doing. And it kind of makes sense if you think of people like Paul, right? Paul was kind of one of the most, well, he was Saul. When he was Saul, he was this leader who was a Pharisee, right? It's sad you see, he was persecuting the church. He's like, he's a Roman um citizen, you know, he's all the things. And then on his on his way to Damascus, God comes through and blinds him and then has and then heals him through a believer who was scared to even come near him because he's like, dude, I know this guy. He's killing everybody. This is, you know, and God's like, no, do this. And what did he do? He he changed his name, right? He made us a new creation, which is what I saw in that vision when I was on that OR table. God pulled me out of myself, pulled me out of the depths of depression and despair, and he made me a new creation. So he pulls us out, he changes our name, he changes our call. Jacob became Israel. So there's something that shifts, but many times when you hear testimonies, and I'm sure you would know even more than me because you do this every day with your podcast, but I see that God like really uses people where they're at, and sometimes he puts them somewhere else. So I'm not sure exactly what the road looks like. I will tell you that like I seek the Lord all the time. I just try to follow where the spirit leads me to be. And I know that every chance I get when I'm wearing a Holy Spirit vibe sweatshirt or hoodie or crew neck or one of our little things, you know, it's like I get to talk about the Lord in like a Trader Joe's, right? Which is just so special and different. You know, I've had people wear them. Justin Bieber was given it, it was on his social media, just like really crazy things have happened. So I don't know what God's doing is like the long, like the short version, the long version is what I just gave you. But I will say that like I even just as recently as this morning, I prayed. I was like, God, like anything that I'm doing that's not exactly where you have me, please take it away. Um, and that's it, that's not hard prayer when you start to really like your life. When you start to really build up little sand castles, and you're like, oh, look how pretty this looks. It's got a little window and a balcony. No one's done that before, you know. And then, and then you're like, oh wait, like this is all fake. It's all fake life because our real life is being stored up in heaven where moth and moths don't destroy, rust doesn't destroy, and thieves can't break in and still. So if he puts me in a room, I'm gonna talk about him, whether that room is in front of a camera on my show, or it's a different thing. But I don't think that we could possibly comprehend what he's doing because his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. But I would say that to anyone listening to this, if you feel like God is telling you something or moving or pushing, like just take one step, right? Like just pray and lean in and and and and and rest in that. And again, like we said at the very beginning of the call, we don't battle against flesh and blood. So sometimes your your emotions can be deceiving. I remember one of my friends said one time, like, get the devil out of your emotions. And I was like, what? That's like a real strong statement. But then I was like, oh, I mean, yeah, that's that's pretty good advice. Like we have to be mindful of where self-doubt is pushing us against what God's calling us to do. And now with the McCord list, I literally get to accelerate, develop, amplify, and distribute shows and build platforms around people who are changing the world through impact. And most of the people that I'm actually doing this with organically are believers. And so God is allowing me to use this background, this history, my family being in entertainment, including my uncle, my cousin, who has produced epic shows like Equalizer and Castle and Hawaii 5.0 and like really big projects. Like it's almost like God is like pulling together all these things that I have that He's given me. It's all His, right? Like He puts us on platforms, He puts us in front of people, and He puts us in front of kings sometimes. It just really depends on what His mission is for us. But we all have a mission. And if your mission is solely the children who you give birth to, that's a hugely important mission. And if the if your platform has two people or it has 200 million, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you show up every single day. And the way I started the McCord list years ago, I was feeling so much self-doubt. And my husband said, if you could help five people who have been in the floor of their closet with a handful of pills and wanting to give up on everything, and you could minister to their hearts and keep them from that. Would those five people be worth it? And I was like, five humans? Are you kidding me? Like five whole people? Yeah, yeah, dude. I'll do it for the five. And we have to think about that, like scripturally, right? Like you bring your fish and loaves, and it's five. And it's not your job to feed the five thousand, it's just your job to bring your fish and loaves. That's what our friends Dallas and Amanda Jenkins, they created the chosen. They that's their story. That's what that's what they learned along the way. And I'm learning it again and again every day. But that's the gift, right? That's the gift, is that we get to to share this message with the world and and just continue to show up.

Israel Caminero: 50:07

That's right. You know, our our boldness is our testimony. When we when we're bold, it sends a message, and when we face temptation, we just have to stand in faith. And you're saying you don't know what's next, as far as the TV show goes, but you never know. Because God orchestrates everything, and you're not gonna know until He reveals it to you. You never you you never know what this show might turn into, and you bringing Christ to the show and sharing it with the world, because if you're on Amazon, a lot of people are probably gonna be watching it, is my take on that. So that's a good thing, Rachel.

Rachel McCord: 50:42

Thank you. And I would just say, like, I appreciate you saying that. It's very encouraging for me. I literally felt chilling when he said that, but I would just say, like, the best way to to like hear the voice of God and to know that it's his word is to get into his word. You know, if you want, like, you can't say that you're in a relationship with someone and you never hear them speak and you never speak to them. That's not a relationship. You might be going to church every Sunday and hearing people talk about him. But don't be surprised if by Tuesday it's worn out and you catch yourself yelling at someone that you love because you're rushing, trying to keep up with the world, that I don't mean to be mean, but it doesn't really matter. I'm not trying to be mean. I actually I think that the world is so beautiful and we're so blessed to be here. But the the challenges that we face every single day, rushing to make it for this call and that call, we it's it's not what how we were created to be. I truly believe that. I truly believe that when we are spirit-led, you might be 15 quote un quote unquote 15 minutes late for that flight, but the person you talk to on the way, and one time I was like walking through the airport, we're in Holy Spirit Live, and this woman grabs me, she's like, Wait, I've been seeing this on social media. And we start talking, and God told me very clearly, pray for this woman. I could see like that she was battling a lot of darkness. And I was like, I asked her something, and then I was like, Hey, could I pray for you? She's like, Yes, would you please? Oh my goodness. So right there in the airport, we start praying. I start praying for her, and like the Holy Spirit just like drops down, and it was so powerful. And we walk away, and my husband is so funny because usually I'm the person who's like like playing strains and automobiles on time, but as I've become more spirit-led, I've become more flow. And he's like, Wow, Rachel, and he's like, he literally says, We need to plan more time for these divine encounters. And I looked at him and I started laughing. I was like, pretty sure if it's a divine encounter, God's already planned the time for it. Like, you know what I mean? And sure enough, the flights delayed. You're on time, you still make it. Just go where God sends you. When it doesn't work, just know that man plans, but God directs our footsteps. So get into the word, soak with the Lord, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Like, seek him first, seek him most, seek him always. Love him first, love him most, love him always. Abide in him first, abide in him most, abide in him always. If you live your life like that, you will have the transformation that you will feel peace that passes understanding is lifeless on an OR table. You will find peace that passes understanding when you kiss the face of your sweet child and you say, I'll see you on the other side. As you're about to check into a hospital, not knowing what the other side is, and not knowing if he's gonna remember you, right? Like, like the things that I face in my life, someone like I think it's like the most beautiful part of it, Israel, is that no one can say that I haven't faced enough reasons to doubt. No one can say that. You know what I mean? Like, you can see traumatic trauma in my story, but God, right? You can see a person who ran out of rent money and was walking down the street and being like, okay, God, well, this is the thing I was most scared of. Here it is. And then boom, within an hour, God's provided. Like, but God, and I'm not saying God's like a genie in the bottle, boom, he provides, because maybe you're not supposed to be where you are. And so things aren't working because you're not supposed to be there. But that's the joy in getting close to him. Draw close to him, he will draw near to you. He is real, his love is real, his power is real. It's greater than you could possibly imagine. And if you allow him to, he will show up big and show up huge in your life. And what he does for you is intended to be done through you. So don't let it stop with your transformation. Go out and transform others. Go out and love others. Go out and testify for what he's done in your life because there's someone right now, most likely with statistics, who was like me, ready to give up, either begging God to end their life or is right there or has made an attempt or is about to. That's the reality of the world that we're living in. So we have to go out there and we have to share messages of hope. And guess what? Worst case scenario is someone thinks you're crazy. That's okay. That's worth it. That's worth it to love. I was at a in a restaurant one time and God told me to give this woman, we we give out these little olive tree crosses from Bethlehem to every person who like uh that that orders our stuff. And I was literally like, I was told to give it to her, and I did. And you know, I could have sat there and been like, oh no, like I don't want to do that, I don't want to look dumb. But guess what? She'd actually just lost her daughter. And here she was, like starting to now cry. And I was able to tell her to get plugged into church and celebrate recovery and find transformation. But that's the thing, right? If we're so afraid to put ourselves out there for what? Jesus died for us. He died, he rose again to give you salvation. It is here, it is sitting right in front of you, and all you need to do is open your heart.

Israel Caminero: 55:46

That's right. That's absolutely correct. Thank you for all that.

Rachel McCord: 55:50

And I'll have God bless me.

Israel Caminero: 55:53

God bless you too. I'll have links to her Holy Spirit vibe clothing line.

Rachel McCord: 55:58

Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 55:59

I'll have links to all that on the description of this podcast also. Go show her some love. Go get some of these uh sweaters, t-shirts, whatever, jewelry, I believe, is on there too. I like I'll have links to that on the and then anything else that she's gonna share on the description of this podcast. But as you were saying, you know, when when the Lord is at the center of our life and we give him our attention, he blesses us and he surpasses anything that we can expect in our flesh. Sometimes there's doubt, but God always surpasses that doubt. Like you were saying, back before I was saved, I always used to say, I don't need to go to church. I have God in my heart. I would pray every night, but then I would wake up and live in my flesh. I would go out and do all the dumb, stupid things and just you know, that's how I was because I didn't have a relationship with him, as I as we stated earlier. But now that I have a relationship with him, it's totally different. It's not the same. It does. We're getting ready to close, but before we finish, I always ask my guest two questions. And my first question is was there a life verse? I know you shared quite a few verses, was there a life verse that stuck with you throughout your life or scripture that you read that you can always go back to when you're having a hard day or a hard time, and what that scripture is and what it means to you?

Rachel McCord: 57:23

Yes, for sure. So mine is Romans 8 28. Um, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and who've been called according to the purpose. I held on to that during my surgery because I knew that God was gonna work it for good, and I could have faith in that.

Israel Caminero: 57:38

Amen. That's a good one too. Now we're going to the back to the past section of the podcast. And what my back to the past section is if the Rachel of today can go back in time and talk to the younger Rachel, what would you say to her that you didn't know then that you know now?

Rachel McCord: 58:00

I would just say to trust God, to move with an open heart and be spirit-led because the pain that you're gonna face is gonna have a purpose and it's gonna make an impact and it matters, and you're never alone, even when it's really dark and feels real lonely. You're not alone.

Israel Caminero: 58:19

Amen. You know, not to be funny or anything, but I have heard you say heart a lot of times throughout this podcast, and that's no pun intended, huh?

Rachel McCord: 58:30

Nope, nope, he he's done a lot of work in my heart. I begged him to heal my heart, and um he's done it in more ways than I bargained for. But um, but in the best way possible. Thank you so much, Israel, for having me on your show. I'm super, super honored.

Israel Caminero: 58:45

Well, thank you for being on the show and taking the time out of your busy schedule and and life to just bless everyone and share your testimony. I loved it, and I love what you're doing, and I wish you nothing but the best. I pray that God keeps blessing you and that you keep spreading his word through all these platforms that you have. Before we close, do you want to pray us out?

Rachel McCord: 59:06

Yes, absolutely. Uh thank you. Uh, Father God, I just thank you so much for your love, God, your patience, your kindness, your gentleness, God. I pray in the name of Jesus that you would take these words, Father God, and just use them to glorify you and advance your kingdom, Father God. Let all things that that I've done that are good point to you and let the things that point to me fade away in the in the background, Jesus, and just remove that, God. Like let let your word come through, Father, and open up the hearts of the people who are going to hear this so that they can be they can be moved and touched with your kingdom, God, and they can be healed, Father, from where they're facing. I thank you. In Jesus' name, I pray God.

Israel Caminero: 59:50

Is there anything else that you might want to say? That's all.

Rachel McCord: 59:55

I'm just super grateful and excited to continue to support your podcast. Thank you for Having you again.

Israel Caminero: 1:00:01

Thank you for being here, and I just want to say thank you to all the listeners that have been showing all the love and support. I thank you for that. Like I said, it's Rachel's story, but it's it's for God's glory. I always say that, that's my motto. The story is glory. And I just want to say thank you, and until next time, God bless you.