Meet Rennee Johnson

We were lucky to catch up with Rennee Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rennee, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Before we address the question, let’s first define resilience. Resilience refers to a person’s ability to adapt to or recover quickly from illness, adversity, and significant life changes. Let’s break down the definition. Regarding illness, I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease after three years of experiencing undiagnosed symptoms such as pain and temporary vision loss, along with multiple visits to urgent care. Despite this, I still managed to function and juggle various responsibilities, which I attribute to the grace of God. When it comes to adversity and life changes, I’ve faced numerous challenges, including becoming a mother of two as a teenager, battling suicidal thoughts and attempts, experiencing homelessness, and losing my mother in my early twenties. Furthermore, in 2020, I tragically lost my grandmother, grandfather, niece, and nephew within 45 days. Despite these life-altering events and many others, I’ve learned to rely on my faith and overcome tests and trials. It’s not easy, but my mother instilled in me the importance of leaning on family and never giving up.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am proud to be a co-owner of Robin and Rennee’s Catering. Our business is a small, family-owned, women-owned, and black-owned catering company that specializes in Soul Food. We are known for having the best potato salad. Additionally, I am the owner and founder of Inspiring2Live. This organization helped me through my healing process in 2020, and I hope to encourage and assist others through it. We offer a variety of products, including ABC affirmation cards for ages five and up (faith-based with African American characters), bilingual ABC cards for ages five and up, a perfume named Rennee’, and a newly released t-shirt titled “I Have A Voice.” This shirt is not just a piece of clothing; we encourage those who purchase it to send us a Reel sharing a testimony or story about a faith-based situation to let people know they have a voice. I personally share my story about Crohn’s disease, hoping that by doing so, I can educate others and show them how to advocate for themselves.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that have been most impactful in my journey are the ability to endure adversity, relying on faith, and understanding the truth of “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” My advice for anyone starting a business is to carefully consider the costs, understand that success doesn’t come with a blueprint and takes time, seek guidance through prayer when making business decisions, and surround yourself with honest and transparent advisors.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
“I am seeking to collaborate with individuals who are passionate about making a positive impact in people’s lives and recognize that this can only be achieved through Christ. I believe that popularity is fleeting, but the impact we make can have a lasting effect on someone’s life. If this resonates with you, please reach out to me on Instagram at @inspiring2live and check out my Linktree.”

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