Teammates Show the Power of Community

For Rachael Welch, the journey is everything.

As a child, her family would tie a gift to a ball of yarn that had been strewn around the house.

 She’d follow the yarn to the surprise.

“It was never about the gift,” Welch reminisced. “The fun part was finding it.”

Welch has continued to gather these strands — knitting them together into a beautiful family and career in the Tennessee Valley region. But when her health started to unravel in 2021 after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bone cancer, Welch had to rely on her community — including her teammates at TVA.

“I found that my relationships with my colleagues weren’t just tied to work,” Welch said. “I felt cared for as an individual. When I was on medical leave in the hospital, I never had to worry about the status of work because my coworkers cared about me as a person and knew I was dealing with heavy stuff. It’s so important that everyone feels this sense of belonging. 

“And with the donated sick leave program at TVA, it allows us to put this sentiment into action.”

Welch recalled a group of coworkers who signed up to pray for her around the clock. People set up meal trains, donated gas cards for her trips to Atlanta for treatment and, most of all, they donated their time — in the form of donated leave and by handling her projects and events while she was away.

“I felt seen for what I was going through and valued,” Welch said. “The fact that my team knew what I was dealing with and could step in, protect my work and carry it forward — it was so humbling.”

Welch currently serves as the senior manager in organizational performance in human resources. A 22-year-long employee of TVA, Welch took a creative route to where she is now. She studied organizational business management and then started a freelance design company. After an internship at TVA and kicking off her career in Technology and Innovation, she was able to combine her talents into visual storytelling and relationship-building with local power companies.

Whether navigating career paths or life events, TVA celebrates growth and flexibility.

"Throughout my career at TVA, I've had opportunities to stretch that were never found on a job description, including many roles that didn't exist until I stepped into them. Being given a chance to try something new that matches your unique passions and talents demonstrates you are cared about as an individual — and all of this is driven by a healthy culture. At TVA, you can reinvent yourself while enjoying working at the same company."

Welch’s colleagues have been pivotal during this season — proving that reinvention is supported in all its forms. Welch has to be selective about how she expends her energy these days.

“TVA understands my needs, and I feel safe enough to express them,” she said. “I can say, ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘I need extra time’ because things look different for me now. And working from home has been a lifesaver. I couldn’t do all that I’m able to otherwise.”

Relationships and loyalty like this aren’t built overnight. Since 1933, TVA has continually built opportunities for the people it serves. And for Welch, commitment to the Valley region runs four generations deep.

Her grandfather was an accountant with TVA, and her son is a now mechanical engineering intern.

And when you rewind that proverbial ball of yarn back to the very beginning, you’ll find seventh-grade Welch in the offices of Sequoyah Nuclear Plant where her dad was the assistant manager. From building cooling towers for middle school science projects to planning leadership team meetings for the CEO — and every twist, tangle and turn in between — Welch is embracing the journey.