Rachel Sklar
Rachel Sklar – Life, Career, and Voice
Discover the life and legacy of Rachel Sklar—Canadian lawyer turned media innovator, advocate for women in tech, writer, founder, and thought leader. Learn her story, major contributions, and inspiring ideas.
Introduction
Rachel Sklar (born December 8, 1972) is a Canadian lawyer-turned-media entrepreneur, writer, and champion for gender equity in media and technology. While trained in law, she ultimately built a career at the intersection of media commentary, advocacy, and network building, becoming a visible voice on feminism, media culture, and diversity in tech. Her path illustrates how professional identity can evolve, how legal training can inform public discourse, and how one can use platforms to uplift others.
Early Life and Education
Rachel Sklar was born into a Jewish family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario, where she was active in student life—serving as Vice-President Communications for the university’s Students’ Council and contributing to the campus newspaper The Gazette.
Sklar then attended the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, graduating with honors (LL.B. 1998). She was valedictorian of her class.
After law school, her first legal job took her to New York City, marking the beginning of her transition from legal practice toward media and commentary.
Career and Contributions
Rachel Sklar’s career is multifaceted: she has been lawyer, journalist, editor, founder, advocate, and network builder. Below is a summary of her key roles and contributions.
Transition into Media & Writing
Though trained as a lawyer, Sklar moved into media and commentary early on. She became a full-time freelance journalist, writing on a wide variety of topics including media, culture, politics, technology, and gender. The New York Times, Glamour, Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Village Voice, and others.
She also co-authored (or was involved in) the book A Stroke of Luck: Life, Crisis and Rebirth of a Stroke Survivor (1998), reflecting her early engagement with human stories and advocacy.
Sklar took on editorial positions: she was Media & Special Projects or at The Huffington Post, managing and editing its “Eat the Press” section. FishbowlNY, a blog about the media industry. The Daily Beast.
Advocacy Initiatives & Entrepreneurship
Sklar has founded and co-founded several advocacy and media platforms, particularly focused on women, equity, and social giving:
-
Change The Ratio: A campaign and platform aiming to increase visibility and representation of women in new media and technology.
-
-
The Li.st: Launched in 2013, The Li.st is a networking and media platform for women, intended to amplify women’s voices, connect women professionally, and share insights in various domains.
Through these projects, Sklar has played a role in building community, spotlighting women’s work, and influencing discourse about equity in media and tech.
She also serves as an advisor or board member for multiple startups and nonprofits—examples include Vox Media, DonorsChoose, TeachAIDS, She’s the First, and others.
In media spaces she is also known for blending feminist critique, cultural commentary, and lived experience.
Recognition & Influence
Rachel Sklar has been recognized in multiple industry lists and awards. Some of her honors include:
-
Inclusion in Silicon Alley 100 across multiple years, for her work with Change The Ratio and The Li.st.
-
Named among “10 Women in Tech Who Give Back” in 2012.
-
Her #changetheratio movement was cited by Forbes as a viral empowering hashtag.
-
She has also earned writing awards, nominations (e.g. Mirror Awards), and public acknowledgment in feminist and media-industry circles.
Within feminist media networks, she is seen as a connector, amplifier, and voice for structural attention to representation.
Themes, Style & Impact
Rachel Sklar’s work is animated by recurring themes and patterns:
-
Equity & representation — Many of her efforts focus on the gender gap in media, tech, and visibility. Her advocacy is not just rhetorical but built into infrastructures (platforms, networks).
-
Media literacy & critique — As someone who analyzes media from within, she draws attention to bias, silences, and narrative framing in journalism and culture.
-
Intersection of law, media, and public voice — Her legal training gave her a foundation for rigorous argumentation, which she applies to media commentary.
-
Community building & platform thinking — Rather than only criticizing, she builds tools (The Li.st, Change The Ratio) that offer alternatives.
-
Authenticity & lived voice — She often engages candidly about motherhood, single parenting, feminism in practice, and how personal experience intersects with public roles.
Her stylistic voice is outspoken, direct, witty, and grounded in personal as well as structural critique.
Memorable Quotes
Here are a few quotes and statements attributed to Rachel Sklar or reflective of her public voice:
“I’ve always been righteously indignant about things that don’t seem fair.”
On the media and women:
“Double standards in media coverage triggered my feminism.”
On platforms for women:
“Whatever your interests, you can form a network, create and participate.”
While she is more known for commentary than pithy maxims, her frequent articles and essays reveal many sharp observations on power, gender, and media.
Lessons from Rachel Sklar
-
Professional identity can evolve. Sklar shows how a legal background can pivot into media, commentary, and entrepreneurship.
-
Build alternatives, not only critique. She moves beyond analysis to establish platforms and networks that embody her values.
-
Voice matters — but amplification matters more. She works to amplify others (especially women) as much as amplify her own voice.
-
Leverage structural leverage points. Change The Ratio and The Li.st target visibility, not just isolated gains—seeking systemic shifts in media/tech culture.
-
Personal experience as a lens, not a limit. Her writing often weaves her lived identity (mother, feminist, immigrant in media spaces) into broader cultural critique.
Conclusion
Rachel Sklar’s journey from Toronto law student to media entrepreneur and advocate is a rich example of how one can reinvent professional trajectory, harness voice for justice, and build infrastructures of inclusion. She demonstrates that influence need not come only from power or platform—but from purposeful building, thoughtful critique, and consistent visibility.