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Transform media engagement with Rachel Johnson, speaker, journalist and bestselling author. Rachel works with organisations to deliver compelling storytelling and media expertise, bringing credibility from her extensive career at the Financial Times, BBC, and as editor of The Lady magazine.


Rachel Johnson is a journalist and author with a career spanning over three decades. She began her journey at the Financial Times as the first female graduate trainee at the age of 23. Rachel has hosted her own radio show on LBC, reported for BBC Radio Four, and written columns for various national newspapers. She has published nine books and is notable for being the only former editor of The Lady magazine to have participated in Big Brother.
In 1989, Rachel joined the Financial Times, focusing on economic reporting. She spent a year on secondment with the Foreign Office before moving to the BBC for three years. In 1997, she relocated to Washington DC, where she worked as a columnist and freelancer, contributing to The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening Standard, and the Mail on Sunday, among others.
In 2009, Rachel became Editor of The Lady, a role that was documented in Channel 4's The Lady and the Revamp. After leaving in 2012, she produced the BBC Four documentary How to Be a Lady: An Elegant History. She has appeared on various television shows, including Question Time and Have I Got News For You, and has won multiple celebrity quiz show trophies.
In April 2020, Rachel launched her Sunday night show on LBC Radio and started Rachel Johnson’s Difficult Women podcast.
Her books include The Oxford Myth, The Mummy Diaries, and a trilogy featuring journalist Mimi Fleming. She also wrote A Diary of The Lady, detailing her editorial experience, and Winter Games, a story set in 1930s Bavaria and modern London. Her work Rake's Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis recounts her brief candidacy for Change UK in the 2019 European Parliament Elections.
Book Rachel Johnson as a speaker to gain insights from her extensive journalism experience and unique perspectives on media, politics, and culture. Her engaging storytelling and sharp wit will inspire your team, spark meaningful discussions, and provide valuable lessons on resilience and reinvention in today’s fast-paced world.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Rachel Johnson, email rachel.johnson@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Rachel's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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