Rachel Leviss Is Leaving Hollywood 19 Months After Scandoval — and She's Dating a Rocket Scientist (Exclusive)

"He's an incredible guy," a source tells PEOPLE of her new man. "Really smart and kind and down to earth"

A year and a half after Rachel Leviss was thrust into the national spotlight when her relationship with her Vanderpump Rules costar Tom Sandoval was made public, the former reality star is stepping away from Hollywood and back to a quieter reality — and one that includes a new man.

Leviss, who was known to audiences for her former moniker "Raquel," announced on the Thursday, Oct. 17 episode of Rachel Goes Roguethat she would be walking away from the spotlight and from her podcast.

Listeners may remember that Leviss only just launched the podcast in January 2024, using the weekly show as a way to give her perspective on the fallout between her and her former Vanderpump Rules costars in the wake of the romance that would rock the Bravosphere.

Scandoval, as fans dubbed it, led to the end of a nine-year romance between Sandoval and his ex, Ariana Madix — who also happened to be Leviss' former friend.

Soon the whole world seemingly turned on Leviss, dubbing her a homewrecker even as she ended her own relationship with Sandoval. She spent 90 days in a mental health facility and chose not to return to Vanderpump Rules' eleventh season, instead processing her pain on her podcast in regular conversations with psychological and self-help experts.

Related: Tom Sandoval Claims Rachel Leviss' 'Carelessness' Led to Revenge Porn Suit, Accuses Her of Acting in 'Bad Faith'

Many of the conversations on Rachel Goes Rogue have been focused on looking back, the star healing her emotional wounds by atoning for past mistakes made and clarifying other misconceptions viewers had about her role in Scandoval. And while some on the Vanderpump Rules cast slammed her for constantly discussing the show — while, consequently making money off her storyline — Leviss persisted on, hoping that the lessons that she learned through her experience would help others.

But now, Leviss says, it's time to start looking forward.

"I've made the decision to take both feet out of the Vanderpump Rules universe and focus on myself and my healing," Leviss, 30, said on the show that published Thursday, adding that she was "choosing a life that is fully aligned in my values and who I want to show up as every single day."

Part of that life, now, includes time spent on new friendships she's been able to form over the past year, ones she said are built on a strong foundation of honesty and trust where emotions can be shared in a healthy and safe way.

"It was kinda scary just... starting over and forming new friendships and really putting myself out there," Leviss said. "But one thing that I've discovered with that is it's like night and day when you have friends that want to hear how you're feeling and want to get to know you for you and are loving and accepting and aren't going to react in a way that is going to minimize you as a person."

"It's very disturbing to me that that was my normal, those types of friendships and the the way that...we would interact with each other. Because that's not actually healthy, but it it was my normal to me," she added. "And not to place blame on anyone else, because I'm aware of how I am as a person and how I end up becoming more like the people I surround myself with. But now I know better to choose people I really do admire for the values that I wanna be more alike."

There's another thing that Leviss has in her life these days: a new relationship.

She said on the podcast, while speaking with Psychologist Dr. Hillary Goldsher, that she's in a "very healthy" relationship, boasting that her beau — whom she is not naming — is "very normal."

“He’s just such a supportive person, and I just feel really happy,” gushed Leviss, who was previously engaged to her Vanderpump Rules costar James Kennedy before her tryst with Sandoval.

"The reason why I'm choosing to share it with you guys now, with the permission of my significant other, is because it is a success story, and there is hope for the people that are listening who are struggling with relationships and and really can't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel yet," she added. "When you do course correct and and choose a different lifestyle for yourself and prioritize different things in your life and...put all that energy back into yourself, then you really will begin...to attract a different caliber of person."

A rep for Leviss did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment about her man, but a source close to the star tells PEOPLE that he's a rocket engineer.

"They met through mutual friends and just hit it off," the insider says. "He's an incredible guy. Really smart and kind and down to earth and, most importantly, disinterested in social media. He’s not even on social media. So his priorities are really in the right place."

As for what's next for Leviss, the source says she'll be continuing to split her time between Arizona, where she has a house, and Idaho, where her parents live. "She loves the health and wellness field, with therapy and learning, so she’s going to put her focus there," the insider says.

And though Rachel Goes Rogue is ending, the podcast will be getting a new title and a new host, a second insider tells PEOPLE.

"The podcast is going to go on, but there’s still going to be Vanderpump content to discuss," the source says. "Rachel won’t a part of it, but there will be someone new ready to go rogue."

Leviss did issue PEOPLE a statement about the end of her podcast, saying: "I am so grateful for my experience and to my iHeart team. I loved speaking to the fans and am proud of our successes."

"In 65 episodes, the listeners propelled Rachel Goes Rogue to the top 100 podcast shows several weeks in a row and garnered over over 6 million downloads," she added. "I’m looking forward to moving past Vanderpump Rules and continuing to nurture my relationships new and old."