Meet Raini Steffen

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raini Steffen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Raini, 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?

Faith. That’s the simple answer.
Not the cute kind you put on a mug — the kind you grab onto when your life is on fire and you’re out of options.

My turning point was the first week of August 2005. My life was crumbling and I was gripping it with white knuckles, scrambling to right a ship that was slowly capsizing.

I was staring down the possibility of bankruptcy. I was working in a toxic environment where I never knew what kind of chaos I’d walk into next. My boss was a crook and a creep. I was exhausted, embarrassed, and quietly terrified that I was one more “bad day” away from losing everything — including my mind.

That Friday, I slipped downstairs after work to meet with a credit repair company — my “dirty little secret,” because I didn’t want anyone to know how bad things had gotten. Thirty minutes into the meeting, the receptionist found me. That was embarrassing enough. Then she said, “I just wanted you to know your truck has been booted.”

Too many parking tickets from those stinking downtown meters. One more thing I didn’t have money for. The amount wasn’t enormous, but it might as well have a thousand dollars, because I was completely tapped out.

That weekend — my birthday weekend — I tried to get my old Jeep ready so I could at least get myself to work. I wrestled the top off, fought with the doors, and then managed to splash gasoline into my eyes. I still remember stumbling to the hose, rinsing my face, and thinking, I am doing everything I can… and it’s still not enough.

Monday morning, I drove that same Jeep into town — doors off, top off — trying to convince myself it was a beautiful day and I was fine. I stopped at the first red light and suddenly black smoke poured out from under the Jeep like a cartoon. I call it my “Cheech and Chong moment,” except it wasn’t funny. I pulled over, found a payphone, called my mom, and got another ride to work. (God bless moms.)

And speaking of my mom — for months she had been watching me struggle. Trying to wrench my life into something manageable. She kept saying, “Just let it go.” I hated that phrase. Inside, I was screaming, If I let go, who’s going to take care of this mess? It made me so angry that I couldn’t “fix” my life.

So there I was: truck booted, Jeep broken down, bankruptcy looming, toxic job still waiting for me every morning. I kept telling myself I should be grateful I still had a paycheck — at least for today — I had a roof over my head, and I had a mom who kept rescuing me.

And then Thursday came.

I had to put my dog to sleep.

Delilah — my loyal Rottweiler — I’d had her since she was thirteen days old. She was my steady companion, my comfort when everything else felt unstable. When the vet helped her go and she lay in my lap, something in me finally collapsed — not into despair, but into truth.

I knew in that moment I couldn’t fix this. I couldn’t ‘do’ anything. I was not going to work my way out of it. I had to let go.

As much as I’d hated that phrase, I finally understood what my mom meant. I wasn’t meant to muscle my way through life alone. In that moment, I stopped fighting for control and leaned into my faith — not as a cliché, but as a lifeline. I surrendered to a power greater than myself.

I didn’t wake up the next day with a perfect life — but I did wake up with peace. I stopped trying to solve the next ten years in ten minutes, and I started taking the next right step.

Not long after, I landed my dream job as a professional graphic designer for a nonprofit hospice organization — one of the most meaningful places I’ve ever worked. My finances began to recover. My health improved. I started dating again. My life didn’t just “get better.” It became mine again.

That’s where my resilience comes from.

It isn’t grit. It isn’t personality. It’s the practice of surrender — the decision to trust that I’m not on my own, even when everything looks like it’s falling apart.

Now, whenever I hit a wall — personally or professionally — I go back to that moment. I ask myself: What do I need to learn here? What’s being asked of me? What is the next step I can take with what I have?

Because I learned this the hard way: resilience isn’t pretending you’re fine. It’s releasing the illusion of control, leaning into faith, and moving forward anyway — one honest step at a time.

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’m on a mission to build a more resilient, resourceful world — and I’m starting with women who are starting over after a major life disruption. I help women regain self-trust, reset their home and habits, and move forward with a practical plan. I call myself a practical big sister — equal parts encouragement and “okay, here’s what we’re doing next.”

I’m here to help women get their footing again, make clear choices, and rebuild a life that actually fits. What makes my work unique is that we address what’s happening on the inside and outside: resilience isn’t just a mindset shift — it’s a life design shift. When you’ve been through a disruption, you don’t just need pep talks. You need structure, tools, and a path forward you can actually follow.

I’m also an interior designer and real estate investor, and I intentionally niche my design work to the same audience I serve through Resourceful Raini — because your environment matters. The space you live in is either reinforcing the old chapter or supporting the new one. Sometimes the most powerful confidence-builder isn’t a grand reinvention… it’s reclaiming a room, changing what you see every day, and creating a home that feels safe, steady, and truly yours. That physical reset becomes emotional momentum — and momentum changes everything.

Professionally, I support clients through both group experiences and 1:1 work. My group programs give women structure, community, and weekly accountability as they rebuild routines, boundaries, and direction. For women who want deeper personalization, I offer 1:1 support that blends autonomy coaching with practical life design — and, when it fits, home reset guidance that makes the transformation tangible. The goal is always the same: help women move from stuck to steady, and from surviving to leading their next chapter with clarity and confidence.

This work is personal for me — it grew out of my own ‘starting over’ season, and it’s why I believe resilience can be built.

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?

1) Faith (surrender & trust).
Faith gave me something steadier than my circumstances. It helped me release the illusion that I could control everything — or that I even knew what was best for me. Instead, I focus on what I can do. When I feel resistance or I’m spinning in “fix-it” mode, I pause and ask for guidance. I’ve learned that life can be so much better than what I’m trying to force into place. And while I still catch myself trying to manage outcomes, I trust that where the Good Lord is leading me is the best option.

How to build it: Start small and make it daily. Whatever faith practice resonates with you, create something simple you can keep even on hard days — prayer, scripture, quiet time, meditation, or journaling. Trust grows through repetition, not perfection.

2) Gratitude (especially in the thick of it).
Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard stuff, but it changes what you notice — and what you notice shapes what you feel. When I first started writing down three things I was grateful for at the end of the day, it helped me refocus. It kept me from living in “everything is falling apart” mode and reminded me that I wasn’t alone… and that this world is a pretty amazing place to be.

How to build it: Don’t force fake positivity. Do true gratitude. Every day, write down three specific things you’re grateful for. If you get stuck, try: one small thing (a hot shower), one human thing (the woman at the grocery store who said hello), and one meaningful thing (a lesson, an opportunity, an introduction). Specific beats generic — and consistency beats everything.

3) Self-belief backed by follow-through (determination you can prove).
The belief that “I can do anything I set my mind to” isn’t just a mantra — it’s confidence built through evidence. Every time I followed through on something hard, I created proof that I could handle the next thing too… even when it took a few tries to get it right.

How to build it: Practice keeping promises to yourself in tiny ways. Pick one doable commitment each week and complete it — no drama, no big speech. Small wins stack into identity: I’m someone who shows up — for other people, and for myself.

If someone is early in their journey, my advice is simple: practice is the path. Life is tough, and that’s not a design flaw — it’s the training ground. You don’t build resilience by thinking about it, or by telling everyone how hard things are. You build it by stepping into hard moments and taking your next step even when you’re afraid.

Pressure can be uncomfortable — even painful — but it also creates strength, endurance, and character.

Remember this: Resilience isn’t something you find. It’s something you build — one choice at a time.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Yes — I love collaborating, especially with people who serve the same audience through a different lens. I work with women who are starting over after a major life disruption, and I’m always open to aligned partners who help those women rebuild their next chapter with more confidence, stability, and self-trust.

I’m especially interested in collaborating with:

Practitioners who are a little more “woo” (in a grounded way): mindset + somatic work, breathwork, EFT/tapping, nervous system regulation, energy work, trauma-informed coaching, meditation teachers, intuitive guides — anything that helps women feel safe in their bodies again and reconnect with their inner compass.

Practical specialists who strengthen a woman’s foundation: personal finance (especially divorce/widow transitions), estate planning, career coaches, organizers, health and fitness professionals for midlife women, legal resources, and therapists/counselors who support women through change.

Confidence & identity builders: style consultants (like my friend Lori Wynne from Fashion with Flair), photographers, personal branding experts — anyone who helps women step into who they are now, not who they used to be.

The best collaborations for me are workshops, podcast/Youtube conversations, referral partnerships, or co-created resources that genuinely support women.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.resourcefuraini.com www.rainiandassoc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resourceful_raini
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/resourceful.raini1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raini-steffen/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@resourcefulraini?si=M7N99oiOA9jmvA1c