Rae Gibson Walker
La Jolla Cove coastline — turquoise water, a sandy cove, and palm trees under a wide blue sky
hi, I'm Rae — welcome in

Rae Gibson
Walker

A personal visual diary — desert light, honest reviews, mood boards, and the little systems that keep a life running soft and steady.

raegibsonwalker.com Southern California Vol. 01

my vision board

Everything I'm calling in

Tap anything on the board to step inside.

Proud Registered Cali · Proud Democrat

The shoulders. The standard. The next chapter.

Xavier Becerra — California's first Latino governor in generations. Proud Cali.
Keisha Lance Bottoms — first Black woman governor in American history.
Hakeem Jeffries — first Black Speaker of the House.
Deb Haaland — first Native American woman governor.
Texas flipped. James Talarico, U.S. Senate.
The people showed up.

California showed up

The ShopRecipes, digital goods and pieces from my world.

Secure checkout by Stripe. Digital items are delivered to your email.

The DiaryPosted like a Tumblr, kept like a scrapbook.

The Diary

Posted like a Tumblr, kept like a scrapbook. Tap a photo to see it big; tap a tag above to wander by mood.

Filed under · Last night

“I voted, I watched, I cried a little.”

I voted in person — stood in line, did the thing, felt the weight of it. Then I stayed up watching history happen in real time: the first Black woman governor in American history. The first Native American woman governor. A Latina governor in Texas. California's first Latino governor in generations.

I'm an African American and Panamanian woman, and I'm not going to pretend that was just politics to me. I saw representation I honestly didn't think I'd see in my lifetime. No scoreboard, no hot takes — just gratitude, and a blue-wave-sized lump in my throat.

GratitudeHistory

The mood, fully formed

Old Hollywood, but make it an elopement

Some girls dream in color. Lately I dream in black and white: a courthouse with a staircase built for a grand entrance, satin catching the light, a long train spilling down the stone like I planned the architecture myself. No ballroom, no big production — just the steps, the moment, and a getaway car idling at the curb like it is in on the secret.

Then the desert does its golden-hour thing on the way out to Palm Springs — palms, mountains, that hush right before the sky goes ember. A mini honeymoon after: slow mornings, a pool doing absolutely nothing beautifully, and every meal treated like an occasion. And all of it staged off-season, when the desert behaves and the light turns kind. A girl this glamorous does not melt for anybody. — on the run, in satin

Old HollywoodElopementDreaming

From my kitchen

Rae's Berry-Free Kitchen is becoming a book

It is official: my kitchen has a title. Rae's Berry-Free Kitchen — my digital cookbook — is in the works. Berry-free by necessity, not by trend: every recipe in it is safe for me, labels checked, cross-contact handled. No exceptions, no apologies.

Inside: the Sunday soup batch and the tea rotation that reset my whole week, the low-carb way I actually eat now, and the family table I cook with my whole chest. And my signature — Rae's Double-Protein Rule: when I cook for my family, the protein gets doubled. That is the standout, and it goes in the book exactly the way it happens at my stove. Coming soon — flour on the counter, pride on full. — she cooks, she writes it down

CookbookBerry-freeDouble-Protein Rule

The plan

Every weekend of next year is spoken for

I said I wanted meaningful weekends, and then I sat down and actually meant it — every single weekend of next year now has a plan. Free things and library days. Train rides up the coast. LA days with a list in my pocket. Desert nights where the sky does all the talking.

Not a packed schedule — a chosen one. Rest still counts, the floor still holds, and the candle still gets lit at the end of the day. The year isn't waiting on me anymore. It's already mine. — planned, on purpose

WeekendsOn purpose

The girl herself

Braids in, soft light on

New portrait, same girl. Braids, brown tank, gold circle sitting right where it should — some days the diary needs a face to go with the words. The when stays my business. The look speaks for itself. — xo

PortraitBraids

On the table

This bowl understood the assignment

@RaeReviewsIt field notes: chili oil pooled on top like it pays rent, broth with real heat — not the cute kind — and noodles that kept coming like the bowl had no bottom. Steam in my face, chopsticks working overtime. No notes. Well — one note: I will be back, and I'm not saying where or when. leave no coins behind

FoodRae Reviews ItSpicy

Concert Nights

The moment. The Band. The Man.

Jay-Z at SoFi — and he brought a whole live band with him. That's my caption from the night itself and I'm not improving on it. Some things you feel in your chest before you ever find the words. A stadium full of us, singing every single one back.

Concert nightsSoFiLive band

Home

Home base hits different at golden hour

The 5 AM wake-ups buy me this sky on the quiet end of the day. SoCal, you have my whole heart.

SoCalGolden hour

Note to self

The reset, in my own words

“3.1 miles daily. Six hours of sleep. Prioritize my home & self.”

Small daily systems over heroic pushes. Floors, not ceilings — and rest counts as part of the plan.

ResetNo pressure

Movement

5 AM club, reporting in

One-mile floor on the hard days, 3.1 when I've got it in me. Training toward a 5K start line — race day is circled in gold. This one's mine.

5K trainingSunrise

Desert Dusk

Desert Dusk: loading…

Twentynine Palms + Joshua Tree, one long weekend. The palette: terracotta, sand, sage, dusty gold. Golden hour at the rocks, stars after dark, and one very important roadside sign at the End of the World.

Joshua TreeTrip prep

Family

Bella, head of household

Fifty pounds of Jack Russell audacity — and yes, that's really her, in her red Christmas-lights sweater, serving cover-girl side-eye. Chief of security, VP of snacks, and — for the record — she is coming to Twentynine Palms. Pets stay free, and so does she.

BellaDog mom

Learning

New language loading…

Started ASL classes — Wednesday and Friday mornings here in SoCal, learning from a Deaf teacher, the right way. First sessions soon. My hands are slow. My heart is not.

ASLStudent era

Home & Reset

The soft reset, 7–8 PM

My new nightly hour: shower, full skincare with gua sha, hair, lips, tomorrow's outfit laid out, planner + gratitude, prayer. Sundays it stretches — nails and brows join. Mornings stay simple now: water, gym, school run. — and everything berry-free, always

Soft resetRoutine

Desert Dusk

The drive is part of it

Two hours each way, ~270 miles all weekend, one planned charge stop worked in like a coffee break — not an emergency. Window down, playlist up, nobody rushing anybody.

Road tripMojave

Filed under · How I work

“I like to understand the system and fix what is not working — for the client. I analyze the why behind the what.”

Fourteen years of customer experience and implementation taught me one thing: never put a band-aid over a bullet wound. Fix it at the level of the cause.

Operator notes

Quiet time

Before the house wakes up

Weekend mornings are my quiet hours — coffee, the planner, one page of gratitude. No agenda beyond that. The rest of the day can wait its turn.

JournalingSlow mornings

Desert Dusk

After dark in the desert

Saturday night of the trip: a park pull-off, night mode on, everybody looks up. Some plans you make for the itinerary. This one I made for the memory.

StargazingDark sky

Family

For Ava's 15th: Japan

My girl turns fifteen in the place she's been dreaming about. Her dream, my mission — saving, planning, and learning a few phrases early. She's worth the whole itinerary.

AvaJapan

Mood Board

Spotted: main-character energy

New corner of the diary: I'm pinning the vibes that raised me. Cozy coffee-shop chaos, plaid with a point of view, city lights after dark, and a table full of my girls. The full board is right below — tap through, get into it. xoxo

Mood boardAfter dark
Off DutyFlour and broth, candlelight, new languages, and the fandoms that raised me.

Off Duty

The off-the-clock curriculum — flour and broth, candlelight and new languages, little simulated lives, and the fandoms that raised me. Curated, obviously.

In the kitchen

The cooking classes

Aprons on, sleeves up. Baking, seasonal menus, techniques I get to be brand-new at — student again, on purpose, and loving every flour-dusted minute of it.

The Sunday ritual

My kitchen lately

The Sunday soup batch is sacred around here — one big pot simmering low while the week resets itself. And the tea rotation stays heavy: spearmint, ginger, and a golden turmeric moment to close the day.

The holy trinity

Coffee, candles, currently reading

Coffee in hand, candle lit, book open — my three favorite love languages in one frame. If I'm unreachable, this is exactly where I am.

Scent of the Week

Vanilla Amber

Warm light, soft room, discipline season.

Lit for the soft reset — all week long.

New language

Learning ASL

Hands talking, heart wide open. ASL is teaching me a whole new way to listen — and the community I'm learning alongside is the best part of it.

Cozy gaming

Little lives, big floor plans

Give me build mode and an empty lot and I'm gone for hours — designing the houses, running the little lives, keeping every system humming. I build worlds the way I fix systems: with love and a floor plan.

Lifelong fan

Anime, my canon

Foundational and not up for debate: Sailor Moon raised me, Dragon Ball Z set the standard, and Castlevania and Blood of Zeus keep the dark, dramatic side of me fed.

On repeat

Playlists & choreo

Playlists on repeat, choreography I study like it's a masterclass, hooks that live in my head rent-free. A K-pop lover — fully, and without apology.

The nightly ceremony

Korean skincare

The soft reset ends the same way every night: my Korean skincare ritual, step by patient step. Glass-skin patience is a personality trait at this point — no rush, just the quiet ceremony of unwinding.

Screen time, subtitled

K-drama & C-drama

Subtitles on, proudly — I keep up just fine, thank you. The slow burns, the cliffhangers, the one-more-episode lies I tell myself before a 5 AM wake-up. And the languages themselves are next: Korean and Mandarin are officially on my list.

Subtitles on — languages loading.

On the screen

Currently Watching

  • Sailor Moonthe blueprint; moon prism power, still
  • Dragon Ball Zfor the transformations and the three-episode power-ups
  • Castlevaniagothic, gorgeous, grown
  • Blood of Zeusmythology with teeth
  • K-dramas & C-dramason rotation, subtitles on, languages loading
  • The Jay-Z docuseriesstarting it; required viewing, obviously
  • Abbott ElementaryQuinta's classroom chaos; the staff room feels like family
  • Vision Questthe Ultron one (I think that's the name — don't get me to lying)
Concert NightsStraight off my phone. No dates, no receipts, just the nights.

Concert Nights

From my seat — SoFi, and one New Jersey arena — straight off my phone. No dates, no receipts. Just the nights, the way they felt.

Two nights that live in my head rent-free: a legend with a live band under the SoFi lights, and Tyler turning a whole New Jersey arena green. I keep the when to myself. The feeling, I'll share.

seventy thousand of my closest friends

The bowl at full roar. Halfway through I turned around just to look at us all.

the view from my seat

Banner up, house lights low. I sat down and already knew.

bigger than the building

That screen did him justice, and that is saying something.

that blue

The whole stadium under one color. If you know, you know.

me, in my seat, in my era

Tyler, the Creator, New Jersey. Blonde bob, white ovals, pink glitter headphones — the fit was part of the show.

the whole arena went green

Prudential Center from my seat — packed to the rafters and lit like another planet.

on our way up

Escalator to our seats, New Jersey — leopard cargos, loafers, and not one regret.

Mood BoardThe looks, the light, the vibe.

The Mood Board

The vibes that raised me — pinned, taped, and on rotation. Cool, a little edgy, always cute. This is the energy everything here runs on.

Pin 01 · The vibe: Gilmore Girls

coffee first, feelings later

Small-town cozy, big opinions, a book always within reach. My soft era runs on caffeine and rapid-fire conversation.

Pin 02 · The vibe: Clueless

as if I'd skip the plaid

Satin, plaid, and polish on purpose. The outfit is part of the plan — a look is a system, and mine is optimized.

Pin 03 · The vibe: Gossip Girl

spotted: me, after dark

City lights, satin gown, main-character energy. She doesn't chase the moment — she is the moment.

Pin 04 · The vibe: Girlfriends

my girls, my table

Sisterhood with a reservation: laughter loud, standards high, everybody eats. That's the whole aesthetic.

Pin 05 · The vibe: Rae, herself

big hair era

No reference photo needed — the inspo is me. Volume all the way up, gold hoop on, face card accepted everywhere.

On the HorizonReal plans, circled in gold.

On the Horizon

Real plans, circled in gold. The when stays my business.

Doomsday movie night

One very big screen, opening-weekend energy, and me in the good seats — the main event.

Twentynine Palms weekend

Joshua Tree, the End of the World sign, Desert Dusk palette — Bella rides along.

First 5K start line

3.1 miles, earned one sunrise at a time — all mine.

Japan, for Ava's 15th

The big one. A daughter's dream trip, planned the way she deserves.

A seal with my name on it

The notary commission — a birthday-season project. My name, my seal, my signature made official. Becoming, with paperwork.

The doctorate, resumed

My PhD is paused, not finished. I'm finding my way back to it — Dr. Walker has a ring to it, and I'm not done hearing it.

The main event · Opening weekend

DOOMSDAY

The countdown is on — one very big screen, and me in the good seats.

Thursday, December 17, 2026 · 5:10 PM — see you in the good seats.

Boots on the GroundCommunity first. Where I am showing up, and how.

Boots on the Ground

Community first — service is a love language around here. Where I'm showing up, and how.

Election nights

Democracy's frontline — I vote in person, every time, and I'm getting involved as a poll worker and election volunteer going forward: local, state, and federal.

Somebody has to run the big night. It can be me.

CERT

Community Emergency Response Team training is in the works — learning how to be useful when it actually counts.

Neighbors helping neighbors. That's the whole idea, and I'm in.

Showing up

No stage required, no spotlight needed. Community first, service as a love language — if there's a way to be useful, I'll find it.

That's not an event. That's just who I am.

TravelPlaces I am headed, places I return to, and one very big dream.

Travel

Places I'm headed, places I return to, and one very big dream loading. The when stays my business — the wanderlust is public.

Planned · The desert

Joshua Tree & Twentynine Palms

Desert nights done right: golden hour at the rocks, one very important sign at the end of the world, and stars that show up like they mean it. Planned, pictured, and loading.

Desert Dusk energy, always.

Planned · The climb

Palm Springs

The aerial tramway: desert floor below, mountain snow above, and a whole new climate in a single ride. Palm trees at the bottom, pine trees at the top — two worlds, one afternoon.

Layers packed. Obviously.

Dreaming · Far away

Japan

The big one — loading. Neon nights, quiet mornings, and a whole world I've been saving up for. Some trips you rush. This one gets the full plan, down to the snack list.

Worth every bit of the wait.

Returning · Roots

Virginia

Roots. Virginia raised me, and every trip back is a homecoming — familiar roads, familiar love, my feet on the ground that made me. Some places you visit. This one you return to.

Always a homecoming.

Day trip · By train

Santa Barbara by train

Coast by rail, window seat claimed. The ocean does the entertaining, the train does the driving, and I just sit there being transported — in every sense of the word.

Window seat. Non-negotiable.

Day trip · Easy days

San Diego days

Easy southbound day trips — sun, salt air, something good to eat, and home by dark. No itinerary stress, no overplanning: just a direction and a good mood.

The easiest yes on the list.

Day trip · The city

LA days

The city, in doses — a list in my pocket, a few neighborhoods at a time, and out before it gets loud. LA and I have an understanding, and it works beautifully.

In, out, unbothered.

Favorite · Backyard park energy

Disneyland

The original — and it still hits like home turf. Castle lit up, fireworks overhead, a churro I did not plan on and absolutely earned. Close enough to drop in, classic enough to never get old.

Backyard park. Main character park.

Someday · The big trip

Disney World

The big Florida one — a whole vacation city pretending to be a theme park. This is not a day trip. This is a proper trip: planned right, paced right, and done all the way up.

Someday, done properly.

Favorite · The Carolina coast

OBX — the Outer Banks

The quiet side of the beach: wide sand, soft light, porches made for doing absolutely nothing beautifully. No boardwalk noise, no rush — just ocean, air, and exhale.

Peace, with a shoreline.

Favorite · Virginia Beach

Ocean Breeze

Slides, splash, and full summer-day volume — the waterpark days I grew up on, right in Virginia Beach. Some favorites are fancy. This one is just pure fun, start to soaked finish.

Roots, with a waterslide.

Favorites · The San Diego run

The San Diego parks

The whole lineup, one coastline: SeaWorld for the ocean energy, LEGOLAND for the builder in me, the Zoo and Safari Park for the wild side, and Belmont Park for boardwalk classics by the water. Pick one — or be ambitious.

Four parks. Zero bad options.

Home turf · The SoCal coast

The California Coast

Laguna Beach from above: turquoise water folding into hidden coves, cliffs stacked with homes, hills standing guard behind it all. Coastline days, done the home-turf way — salt air, slow drives, zero agenda.

Home turf. Still showing off.

Loading · The mountains

Big Bear Lake

Mountain lake energy, close enough to chase: snow on the peaks, pine air, cabin mornings, and cold blue water doing its quiet show. When the tops turn white, this is the day trip that calls.

Snowy tops. Cabin air. Loading.

Planned · Close to home

Lake Days, Close to Home

No road trip required: big water ringed by golden hills, and when wildflower season shows up, the whole shoreline goes soft and gold. A blanket, a view, nowhere else to be.

Golden hills season. Loading.

Planned · Green days

Rivers & Creeks

The green kind of water day: creek shade, fern banks, river trails that stay cool under the trees. Close to home, far from loud — just moving water and a slower pace.

Creek shade, always.

Tea · Loading

Mexico City

Okay, the tea: word is there's a one-night stadium show there on my birthday. Rumored, whispered, pre-registration energy only — tickets aren't on sale, nothing is booked, and I'm just over here watching the rumor like it's my job.

Rumor status: delicious. Booking status: nonexistent.

Rae Reviews ItHonest reviews. No niche, no script-reading voice.

@RaeReviewsIt

Rae Reviews It

“Leave no coins behind — I can do both.”

My creator corner: honest reviews with no niche and no script-reading voice. Faceless-first, on camera when a deal is worth it, and I'm learning voiceover and editing as I go. One hard line: nothing here ever touches my career.

New chapter: the brand has a real business plan now — five streams, built in order, and one rule over all of it: every review earns its keep.

01

The soft-reset lineup

My full 7 PM routine, reviewed honestly — every product berry-free, labels checked.

02

Beginner voiceover gear

What I'm actually learning on, what I'd buy again, what goes back.

03

Desert Dusk road kit

Everything the Twentynine Palms trip runs on — cooler, snacks, Bella's bag included.

First drops soon. The diary gets them first.

A Little About MeSmall daily systems over heroic pushes.

A little about me

“I try to optimize my life — small daily systems over heroic pushes.”

I'm Rae: SoCal-based, MBA in hand, fourteen years spent in customer experience and implementation — the person who reads the contract, pulls the call, and fixes the thing at the level of the cause. By day I make complicated systems behave for the people who use them. By 5 AM I'm at the gym, by 7 PM I'm in my soft reset, and somewhere in between I'm learning ASL, training for a 5K, and planning the next adventure down to the snack list.

The short list of things I love: a candle lit as the sun goes down, coffee that arrives before the conversation does, and a good book that makes me stay up past my own bedtime. That's the whole personality, honestly — the rest is just planning.

This site is the scrapbook version: photos first, words when they earn it.

— xo, Rae

that's me — pink satin, red lip, main character
Home base
Southern California
Household
Ava · Bella (50 lbs, in charge)
Day job energy
CX & implementation — non-technical, all operator
Currently learning
ASL · voiceover · video editing
Things I love
Candles · coffee · a good book
Current era
The Reset — 3.1 miles, 6 hours, home & self first
Creator
@RaeReviewsIt — honest reviews, no niche
Non-negotiable
Berry-free everything (anaphylaxis is not a plot twist)
The SprintCareer and education, run as a sprint.

The Sprint

My career and education, run the way I run everything — as a sprint. No calendar on it: just what's done, what's moving, and what's queued.

“I like to understand the system and fix what is not working — for the client.”

Shipped

Done

  • MBA

  • BSM

  • Lean Six Sigma White Belt

  • Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt

  • This website

    Designed, built, and shipped by me.

  • 100+ systems learned

    Across a career in CX — if it has a login, I can learn it.

In Progress

Now

  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

    Final stretch.

  • Learning ASL

    A whole language, in my hands.

  • Rae Reviews It

    First reviews, in the works.

  • Notary commission prep

    My name, my seal — getting ready.

  • Training for a 5K

    One sunrise at a time.

“The life you want is on the other side of discipline.”

We Won, press playVictory lap to summer to jazz to Christmas.

We Won — press play

One long flow — from the victory lap to summer, into jazz, easing into MJ, and all the way home for Christmas. Tap a song and it plays through the music bar.

Pick a track to play

Victory

Politics

Summer

Jazz

MJ

Jackson Christmas

Christmas