Rachel “Raquel” Leviss opened up about what would make her return to Vanderpump Rules during an interview on Wednesday.

As the series remains on pause ahead of its 12th season, the 29-year-old contemplated her television return while also speaking of former friend Ariana Madix, 39, what she learned from her time on Bravo, her thoughts on dating, and more.

“It would take all-expenses paid therapy,” Raquel told Us Weekly on August 7 of what would make her return to Pump Rules. “I would need a therapist on call and therapy sessions after every single filming session!”

According to Raquel, she doesn’t think the show is “healthy” and wants to protect her mental health.

“I actually don’t need the show and I’m healthier without it. There’s other ways that I can pursue my soul’s purpose in life without the show … I don’t see myself returning because there wouldn’t be anything positive coming from that,” she added.

Although Raquel wouldn’t return to Pump Rules, she said she could see herself doing a competition show.

“I think that’s the extent of it. There’s something with anonymity and privacy that you don’t really appreciate until you lose that privacy,” she noted, also shooting down a role on The Valley.

“I don’t live in the valley and I don’t have a family,” she explained. “That show is just intense. There’s a lot of drama.”

When asked if she’d reconnect with Ariana, Raquel said, “I think we’re both moving on in our lives and I wish her continued success.”

As for the rest of the cast, Raquel said she “of course” misses her friendships.

“I haven’t heard from anyone. I think the most heartbreaking part of all of it was feeling betrayed by my friends. I know how that sounds because I was somebody who betrayed a friend. But in my darkest times, I just thought that these were my true friends and they would love me no matter what and would want to hear me out. That just wasn’t the case,” she revealed. “It was heartbreaking realizing that the people I was surrounding myself with — a lot of them were quick to turn on me … so that was a really difficult time.”

“[But] I feel like I was in that dynamic and that dysfunctional friend group for so long that that did feel normal to me,” she added.

Looking back at season 11, which she was not a part of, Raquel admitted it was “hard” to watch the series and not have a voice in conversations pertaining to her affair with Tom Sandoval, 42.

“It was a hard thing to watch the show this past season and have them talk about me constantly. I was not there to defend myself and that was hard,” she explained.

Regarding the biggest lesson the show taught her, Raquel signaled “external validation.”

“It would make sense why someone who gets external validation finds themselves on a reality TV show. Ultimately you want to be seen and you want to be heard by others and you want to be valued,” she confessed. “So I think the biggest life lesson for me is to validate myself from within.”

Since leaving Pump Rules last summer, Raquel has made big changes to her life.

“I think the biggest is not living in L.A. anymore [and] not drinking anymore,” she revealed. “It was almost like I had to reach this unhealthy level of toxicity in order to make a change in my life. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to step out of that.”

As for her decision to get sober, Raquel said she started off by committing to staying alcohol-free for one year.

“I accomplished that and I’m just continuing going this route because I realized that I don’t need alcohol. Also surrounding myself with positive people. Those are the real life-changing lifestyle choices that I’ve made,” she continued, stating that she’s now living in Arizona with all new friends.

“I found my group in yoga and there’s just so much love there and it’s so easy to get along with everybody. [It’s] so drama-free and everyone has just been super welcoming,” she gushed.

As she prioritizes “female friendships,” Raquel is being “very cautious” about dating.

“I am open to dating now but I did take a year off. During that time I was like, ‘I am never dating again. I have no interest in men. I never see myself dating again.’ But I feel like I’ve reached a place in my life where I’m healed enough,” she explained. “[But] I am prioritizing different things going forward with dating.”

One major sticking point for Raquel? That her potential suitor has a healthy relationship with their family.

“Childhood is where you’re learning so much about the world and that’s structuring who you are as a person and I just think that that translates well into a functional adult,” she reasoned. “So just making sure that that person is healed — and looking for the red flags — I’ve worked a lot with my therapist to be able to recognize those red flags. Then making sure that I’m not like falling head over heels immediately with somebody right before getting to know them.”

Raquel also said it is important for her to find someone with a “steady career.”

“If that’s fueling their soul then that’s something that I find very attractive,” she shared. “Someone who loves nature as much as I do, someone who’s kind of respectful and not a narcissist. If you are not a narcissist, that’s a green flag.”

Since engaging in a months-long affair with Sandoval from 2022 to 2023, Raquel said she hasn’t dated much.

“I haven’t dated many people since he who shall not be named. It’s important to me to get to know a person privately before others are chiming in,” she revealed. “That was a huge boundary for me and I made it clear to [the last man I dated] and unfortunately, he didn’t respect that. But I’m glad that I kinda made that decision early on before I got too attached because it was easier.”

As for the biggest misconception people have of her, Raquel said fans forget she’s “human.”

“We’re all going to make mistakes in life. The important part is how you handle it, how you grow from it and how you feel, so you don’t hurt other people,” she stated. “That’s the best way for me to take accountability. I’ve been doing my best and I will continue on this journey of showing up for myself every day. That way I can show up for other people in the way they deserve to be treated.”

Also during her interview with Us Weekly, Raquel said that after attending three months of therapy, she feels “completely transformed.”

“The dark times were so dark and it felt like there wasn’t a way out for the longest time and I just buckled down and [focused] on figuring out how to take care of my mental health and getting my life in order,” she explained.

Raquel also decided to make better choices because the way she was living was “not working.” And while it took some time to integrate everything she learned, she believes she’s now in her “era of freedom.”

“With the show being over … there’s a newfound level of freedom for me now,” she shared. “Before, I was still very hyper-vigilant about how other people thought of me and all of that stuff and now it’s like, it is what it is and you can take it or leave it.”

As for what’s next, Raquel said, “I’d love to host a wellness retreat.”