Meet Reynna Romo

 

We were lucky to catch up with Reynna Romo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Reynna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My purpose came to my attention in 2017 while I was experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder in Santa Monica. I held a strong sense of community by being generous with excess survival essentials (within my means) like food, water, and a safe place to rest. There are a lot of different plants on the coast. I started my herbalism journey identifying different plants and using them to help me with things like wounds, muscle tension, and stress. Interweaving community and plant relationships is one of my favorite things to do today.

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?

My day job is in the addiction treatment industry in Las Vegas. I started volunteering with a local nonprofit called Shine A Light Foundation. They specialize in helping the local homeless community find instant access to housing and treatment with long term case managers. After doing that for a couple years, I started working in addiction treatment and developed a small business. My small business is made around creating non toxic beeswax candles and body care products with herbs rooted in my Indigenous heritage and passion for folk medicine. I use that platform to advocate for things which matter to me in the Native and Recovery communities. Desert Rey’s Apothecary is an outlet for living in two worlds and giving my purpose to others.

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?

Being true to my word to myself and others, being innovative, and reconnecting to my ancestral wisdom has been the most impactful in my journey. Advice I have for anyone starting a journey of new beginnings is use your voice to express where you’re at and where you’re trying to go. It’s how I’ve found people to learn from and lift me up. Not every day has to be a huge leap in the direction you’re trying to go, but as long as your heart and feet are turned that way, it will work out better than expected.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I am a science-fiction fan. Frank Herbert’s Dune series is one of my favorite series I have read so far. It parallels a lot with environmental and ecological problems we see in the real world because of the powers that be. I love seeing how authors transmute their struggles with society, it makes me feel seen. One of my favorite lines in the series is:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” -Frank Herbert

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