America’s lead sorority rush coach Trisha Addicks has been all over the press this late spring and early summer. Her hot pink book The Rush Bible reveals insider secrets of sorority rush, making it a hit with young women and their mothers across Historic Brookhaven and the country.

 

While she offers advice on everything from confidence building to clothing and make-up for sorority recruits, this Farmington Lane resident is the mother of two adult sons. Her expertise comes not from walking daughters through rush, but from the way she turned her own freshman rush with no bid in 1986 into a successful sophomore rush experience. She used what she learned to advise friends’ daughters for 20 years and ultimately started her consultancy It’s All Greek to Me in 2017.

 

“I had informally done this for 20 years, and then I had an aha moment,” she notes. “I could create this full-service rush consulting space.” The consultancy was born using Trisha’s research and connections, and providing advice in a methodical, organized way.

 

Trisha and her husband Greg moved into Historic Brookhaven in 2014, when both of their boys were still at Marist School and Trisha was a stay-at-home mom with a part-time photography business. She photographed families and young women for rush photos. Prior to moving to Historic Brookhaven, the Addicks lived in Dunwoody.

 

It might seem appropriate that this expert on Greek life met her husband at a fraternity party. Trisha and Greg were both students at the University of Georgia (UGA), where Greg was a Chi Phi and Trisha a Chi Omega. “It was a band party,” she says. “We’ve been together ever since.” They were married in 1993.

 

Greg is from Atlanta and attended The Westminster Schools. He has a bachelor of business administration in marketing from UGA and earned a masters in finance at Georgia State University. He began his investment banking career at Nations Bank and then spent 26 years at Voya Investment Management, where he last served as managing director for the enhanced middle market credit and private fixed income and alternatives group. In 2023, he co-founded Soundview Capital Partners, a private credit firm serving middle market companies.

 

Trisha grew up in Charlotte and attended Charlotte Country Day School. She graduated high school with a 2.6 grade point average and says she headed to Georgia “because I could get into UGA.”

 

Despite no prior knowledge of UGA sororities’ reputations or personalities, she went through fall rush in 1986 and ended the process with an empty bid card. She knew she wanted to be part of the Greek system, so she entered rush again as a sophomore in 1987 and pledged Chi Omega that fall. Her journey from no bid to successfully traversing the system a year later, obtaining a bid, and spending three happy years as a Chi Omega had a huge impact on her life and shaped her business.

 

It also led her to write The Rush Bible, in which she shares her personal experience as well as tips culled from nine years as a recruitment consultant. Trisha details the do’s and don’ts of sorority recruitment, including what to expect each round and how to make connections prior to rush, dress, act confident, prepare the perfect rush bundle, redirect when cut, and more.

 

With The Rush Bible released in May and sorority recruitment starting soon, Trisha has been busy promoting the book and prepping female high school graduates for fall rush. Every day she is in town, she walks around the neighborhood.

 

When not working, Greg enjoys playing golf at Capital City Club (CCC) and fishing. The Addicks are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church and Trisha sits on the advisory council for the Ronald McDonald House.

 

Their now grown sons, Michael (27) and Charlie (26), both live in Atlanta. Michael is an associate at private equity firm Resurgens Technology Partners. Charlie is a CPA who moved into finance with Alvarez & Marsal after two years as an auditor at Deloitte. Michael is married; his wife Maggie also is a CPA and works in financial planning and analysis at Carters Inc.

 

Michael and Charlie both played football at Marist. Michael started as a fullback for the Vanderbilt University team, but was injured in his first year and transferred to UGA where he pledged Fiji. Maggie was a Phi Mu. Charlie attended the University of Mississippi.

 

With two sons at SEC schools with strong Greek traditions, did Trisha consider branching off into fraternity rush? The answer is no. “People have asked me to do it but I don’t think there is a need for my services for fraternity rush,” she says.

 

As a family, the Addicks like attending UGA football games and playing golf at CCC. They also love going to concerts, particularly The Eagles. “Music is central to our family,” says Trisha. Greg and Trisha share their Historic Brookhaven home with Captain, the family’s year-and-a-half-old Golden Retriever. They lost their 17-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Olive in May.

 

When asked their favorite thing about living in Historic Brookhaven, Trisha notes the sense of community. “I love it,” she says. “I also love to walk around Brookhaven and see all the beautiful houses and wide streets.”

 

 SIDEBAR TO FAMILY SPOTLIGHT

HEAD = The Addicks’ Favorite Things

 

Restaurants: Haven Restaurant, F&B Atlanta, Capital City Club restaurants

 

Vacation Destination: Sea Island, Georgia

 

Sports Teams: Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, University of Georgia Bulldogs

 

Music: Country

 

TV Show or Movie: Beat Bobby Flay, Your Friends & Neighbors

 

 

 SECOND SIDE BAR TO FAMILY SPOTLIGHT

HEAD = From Rush Reject to Leading Expert on Sorority Recruitment

SUBHEAD = Historic Brookhaven Resident Trisha Addicks Shares Tips for Surviving Sorority Rush, and the Source of Her Insider Knowledge

 

 Farmington Lane resident Trisha Addicks released her book The Rush Bible: Secrets to Crush Sorority Recruitment and Find Your Forever Greek Home in May. It’s based on her own experience with recruitment as well as years of advising young women on sorority rush and the behind-the-scenes secrets she has learned in the process. Almost immediately following publication, Legendary Television optioned the rights to turn the book into a series. In 2023, Trisha was featured in the HBO Max documentary Bama Rush. She recently chatted with Stroll Historic Brookhaven about all of this and more.

 

SB: You started your consulting business in 2017. Why a book and why now?

 

TA:   Our consulting services are expensive. I wanted this information to be out there for everybody. When I was in the Bama Rush documentary, I was fine with how I was portrayed but I didn’t think the documentary inserted things people wanted to know about recruitment. I started writing the book in May 2023 when the documentary came out.

 

SHB: The news release for your book says you have unparalleled access. What?

 

TA: I have a network of people – old clients, current clients, alumni. I anomalously interview all over the United States, asking what is happening this year, what are sororities looking for, what has changed, what are this year’s expectations.

 

SHB: Who else is on your team?

 

TA:  It depends on the year, but I have between 24 and 30 mentors who work directly with clients. They are all really involved in sororities at their schools and they each take a significant number of clients each year. They each have a really big network of people all over. Some were rush counselors, rush chairs of their sororities, in panhellenic as well.

 

SHB: How many girls do you help each fall?

 

TA: It’s in the 100s range. When I started, it was just me. Three years in, I started having mentors. That was prior to the MAX documentary.

 

SHB: In the book, you say it’s never too early for girls and their moms to start thinking about sorority rush. Elaborate, please.

 

TA: It’s not too late for someone to start this in July. I’d say senior year of high school is a good time to start paying attention. The book is good for girls in their junior and senior years.

 

SHB: What about northern schools where Greek life is not as prominent or the Ivys or granola universities?

 

TA: We got two Berkley clients this week [mid May] and we have a lot from the Ivys. It’s all about being able to communicate or connect. You still need to be able to do these things. Dartmouth, for example, has sororities that are local as well. Some of the rules are a little different, but we can still help with the societies and local sororities.

 

SHB: In the 1980s, sororities weren’t allowed to reach out to recruits before or during rush. It was called dirty rushing. Does that exist anymore?

 

TA: Now there’s the promotion of the sorority experience (PSE) where sororities communicate with incoming freshman. They are promoting Greek life, reaching out to explain how it works. They’re not supposed to say anything bad about anyone else. They’re really trying to keep the experience relevant and engaging.

 

SHB: What’s your best advice for someone who doesn’t get a bid and wants to try again next year? How strategic should they be with friendships and activities?

 

TA: If you don’t get a bid, start working on connecting and getting to know people and joining other organizations where your application is accepted automatically. You don’t want to go through another process of rejection. Sororities are looking for well-rounded and involved people. Also, read the book.

 

SHB: In the book, you tell parents not to stress. Please elaborate.

 

TA: Your job is to support your daughter and not give her advice. Leave the advice to the experts and read the book.

 

SHB: I liked your advice to girls to be genuine and fall in love with Plan B if they are cut mid rush by what they consider their top house. Are recruits doing that?

 

TA: It’s a big thing we work on with clients. If you go in with a lot of expectations and those don’t come to fruition, then what do you do? You have to be prepared for that.

 

SHB: Tell me about the TV series with Legendary TV and Eva Longoria’s company Hyphenate Media.

TA: I’ve been approached over a hundred times to do a reality TV show. I thought it would exploit girls and wouldn’t help them with rush. I chose Legendary and Eva Longoria’s company because I love their commitment to doing quality stuff. They are going to do it right. It will be like Friends in a sorority setting. It’s fictional and will be in development in the next couple of months. I’m executive producer. I don’t know where it will be filmed.

 

Editor’s Note: For nearly 25 years, Trisha Addicks, founder of It’s All Greek to Me and author of The Rush Bible, has helped thousands of young women build the confidence, conversation skills, and authentic presence needed to succeed in sorority recruitment and beyond. Through personalized one-on-one mentorship, the nationally recognized Mock Round experience, and the new First Impression Studio, Trisha provides expert guidance tailored to each student and her school. Learn more at trishaaddicks.com or email directors@itsallgreektome.org.