Meet Dina Renee

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dina Renee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dina, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

As a child I only remember hating myself. I would have so many inner negative self- talk and it became overwhelming at times. I did not believe in myself, but I also had this inner feeling that told me I was supposed to do something big and pursue music. I felt it strongly from the age of 3. I remember teaching myself piano by ear and trying to prove to my family that I had a gift, but I also felt very unheard because I expected my parents to be stage parents like the idols I looked up to. I wanted to be pushed instead of actually pushing myself.

It wasn’t until I read a self help book at 13 that something clicked in my brain of “Wait you’re not supposed to hate yourself?!” The book talked about self love and how you should tell yourself positive affirmations everyday. That moment was the beginning of rewiring my brain to stop hating myself and start trying to grow my confidence. I cared so much what people thought back then, and I also cared about what I looked like a lot as well.

I had no idea that I would lose my beloved mother to stage 4 colon cancer 14 years later. Watching her pass away in front of me changed everything for me. I still do not believe she’s actually not here. My mom’s name was Diana which means goddess. She was absolutely beautiful inside and out- the most caring loving most wonderful person I’ve ever known. When she passed, I saw her body change before my eyes. I had a huge awakening of how much the shell we are in truly means nothing at all. It is what is within that makes us beautiful. Her body was no longer her and it meant nothing seeing it there. How could it mean nothing? The person’s body I love most. All these thoughts came to me and everything forever changed. My mom had so many gifts she didn’t get to purse. I kept thinking how short life is and how unfair and you have to do the things you are scared of now and start changing the negative self talk inside to “I can do this”. After my mom passed I started performing live and releasing my music. I learned it is not until we are uncomfortable that we are really living and stepping out of comfort zones. This is what builds confidence and provides happiness.

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 a pop singer and songwriter. I just released my new single “Love Bomb” and have more singles releasing this year.

I have my own a creative space called Hollywood Pastel Palace. It is Barbie themed and a place for creatives to take videos and photos. I do fashion photography as well.

I own a karaoke business called Dream it Karaoke. By business runs over 10 weekly shows all over Los Angeles. I love to celebrate other’s voices and give them that platform to believe in their own voice the way I wish someone would have believed in mine growing up. I truly love discovering new talent and making music that resonates with anyone going through heartbreak to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have a designer clothing rental business called Runway Revolve in which you can rent unlimited designer pieces weekly delivered to your door.

My brand is to dream it and do it and hopefully inspire a few people along the way.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Empathy for others. I consider myself an empathetic person and strive to see every side of a situation. I try to seek understanding in everyone and everything I do. It helps to build connections with others when you have empathy for what they are going through. A lot of my songs are inspired from people I’m close to because I truly felt what they went through as if it was my own experience.
2. Practice Self care – one self care decision I made is to focus on my health and never drink alcohol again 2 years ago. This was the best decision I have ever made. I wish I did it sooner.
3. Adaptability – realize that life is always going to have many surprises and learn how to push through the hard times with resilience.
Surround yourself with people that want to see you win. It is ok to say “No” to things. I’ve realized the order in which I saw my life going did not necessarily go in that order or in the timeline I hoped and that’s ok. I’ve had to learn that life is unpredictable and we have to adapt.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Allowing me to leave Tennessee and come to LA was the most impactful thing because I never saw them supporting it like they did. It meant so much to me having their support when I first moved here because this has been the place where I could develop into the adult I needed to become.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photo by: Lynn Yati
Nilo Juaneza
Sanjay Gupta

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