Rachel Thompson

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Mashable

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I am a leading sex and relationships writer in the UK who has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, The i Paper, ELLE, CNN, Refinery29, and many more. Since graduating in 2011, I’ve been working as a journalist at leading publications and I am currently the Features Editor at Mashable, where I manage the sex and relationships section. In 2021, my first book ‘Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It’, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House. My second book ‘The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World,’ was published in January 2025 by Penguin Random House. The Love Fix is an investigation into how the internet shapes our expectations, self-esteem, and search for intimacy as we date online and in-person.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I’ve always had a passion for writing and reading about relationships — this interest informed a lot of my module choices when I was studying English and French at Exeter. I initially thought I might want to get into book publishing, but after an internship at an academic publishing house, I realised I wanted to be a writer and needed to pursue that. It took a long time to get a foot in the door — journalism is a tough industry to break into. I love writing pieces about my own personal experiences that readers find relatable. Nothing beats getting a message from someone who’s read your work and found it helpful or impactful. I’ve had emails from readers of my books telling me that the book validated their experiences and helped them process what they’d gone through — these messages never fail to move me.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was part of Exeposé and the Feminist Society.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I loved my year abroad in France so much! That really perfected my fluency in French and took it to a whole other level. But I also made friends there who I am still close to! It really was a transformative experience, both in terms of studying but also in shaping my outlook on life.

What did you most enjoy about studying here?

I had a really wonderful time studying at Exeter, I loved the campus and how it didn’t feel like an overwhelming scary city. I look back on this time as really formative in shaping the person I am.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

I wanted to go to a red brick, top 20 university, particularly one in a nice city. I have family living just outside Exeter, so it felt like a home from home.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Essay writing helped me develop my writing ability. Reading non-stop broadened my vocabulary and encouraged my love of reading about relationships and human sexuality.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Don’t be afraid to start pitching freelance story ideas to editors. If you want to be a features journalist, you don’t need to wait to get an internship or traineeship. Keep pitching ideas and don’t be discouraged by rejection or silence (it’s normal, unfortunately). Read everything and take notes when you’ve read something you admire. What was it that made that piece so powerful? I applied for grad schemes, traineeships, internships and did not get accepted onto any of them. I started emailing my CV to editors at various publications and eventually got some work experience at the Telegraph, which turned into long-term freelance work. From there, I was able to get commissions at the Sunday Times Style and eventually got a staff role at Mashable where I’ve been for 10 years.

What are your plans for the future?

I’d like to write a rom-com novel. I’m currently taking a much-needed rest after The Love Fix came out earlier this year, but at some point soon, I’ll knuckle down and start brainstorming.