Dr. Rita Renee’ shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Dr. Rita, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I believe many people are quietly struggling with the inability to say no—without guilt, fear, or the need to explain themselves. Especially strong women who lead, serve, and succeed often feel pressured to be everything for everyone, while slowly losing clarity about what they actually need.
Behind the smiles and accomplishments, many are wrestling with exhaustion, self-doubt, and the fear that setting boundaries will make them look selfish, difficult, or ungrateful. We’re taught how to show up for others, but not how to protect our own peace. We’re encouraged to lead boldly, but rarely taught how to honor our limits.
What most people never say out loud is this:
“I’m afraid that if I say no, I’ll disappoint people… or lose opportunities… or lose myself.”
And that’s why my work centers on helping people UNMUTE—because leadership doesn’t only mean finding your voice. Sometimes it means finding the courage to say no, choose yourself, and lead from a place of clarity, wholeness, and integrity.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Rita Renee—TEDx Speaker, international keynote speaker, author, healthcare leader, and founder of Ultimate PowerHouse Coach. For more than three decades, my work has lived at the intersection of leadership, healing, and voice—helping women step out of silence, reclaim their confidence, and lead with clarity, conviction, and purpose.
What makes my journey unique is that my leadership story didn’t begin on a stage—it began in survival. As a survivor of childhood abuse and domestic violence, I learned early how silence can shape a life. Today, my mission is to help women “UNMUTE”—not just professionally, but personally—by releasing shame, honoring boundaries, and embracing the power of their authentic voice.
Through my UNMUTE frameworks, speaking platforms, books, and coaching programs, I work with women ranging from homemakers to corporate executives, guiding them to heal from the past, lead with confidence, and build influence without losing themselves in the process.
At the heart of everything I do is this belief: leadership doesn’t begin with a title—it begins the moment a woman decides her voice matters. And in this season, my work is focused on helping women lead not from pressure, but from peace, clarity, and wholeness.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful didn’t come from achievement or recognition—it came from finding my voice.
As a child, after years of being molested by a family member between the ages of five and ten, the moment I finally said “no more” was the first time I understood what power truly meant. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t public. But it was the beginning of reclaiming my life, my boundaries, and my sense of self.
Years later, I discovered a deeper form of power as an adult—the power to say no without guilt, to choose myself without apology, and to protect my peace with intention. That shift changed not only how I led, but how I lived.
Power, I’ve learned, is not about control or authority. It’s about courage—the courage to speak when silence once felt safer, and the courage to put your well-being first so you can lead others from a place of wholeness, not survival.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to listen to myself. Success taught me how to perform—but suffering taught me how to heal.
In seasons of pain, I learned the difference between strength and survival. I learned that silence can protect you for a moment, but it will cost you over time. I learned how to recognize my limits, honor my boundaries, and trust God more deeply when I had nothing left to prove.
Suffering also taught me compassion—not the kind that pities, but the kind that understands. It showed me how many people are quietly carrying wounds while wearing polished titles and confident smiles. And it reminded me that leadership without healing eventually becomes performance instead of purpose.
What success could never teach me is this:
Your voice is not born on a stage—it is forged in the moments you choose to rise, forgive, and become whole again.
Today, everything I teach about leadership, boundaries, and purpose is rooted not in applause, but in the quiet work of healing. Because influence that comes from wholeness lasts longer than influence built on achievement alone.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes—but it’s the healed version of me.
The public version of who I am today is the woman I fought hard to become. Earlier in my life, there were many versions of me shaped by survival, silence, and the need to be strong for everyone else. That woman was real too—but she was still becoming.
Today, the woman people see is grounded, honest, and intentional. I no longer lead from performance or pressure. I lead from peace, clarity, and conviction. What you see publicly is not a persona—it’s alignment.
That doesn’t mean I share everything. Authenticity doesn’t require exposure. It requires integrity. I’ve learned that you can be both private and powerful, both healed and still growing.
And perhaps the most important truth is this:
The real me is not defined by applause or platforms, but by the quiet choices I make every day to live whole, speak truth, honor boundaries, and lead with purpose.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
For a long time, I was doing what I was told to do. I followed expectations, titles, traditions, and roles that looked successful on the outside but didn’t always reflect who I truly was on the inside. Like many women, I learned how to be responsible before I learned how to be called.
It wasn’t until I began healing, setting boundaries, and listening more closely to God that I understood the difference between assignment and alignment. Being born to do something isn’t about talent alone—it’s about obedience, clarity, and courage.
Today, I know I am walking in what I was born to do. My work allows me to help women find their voices, heal from the past, and lead with purpose and integrity. This path wasn’t chosen because it was easy—it was chosen because it was true.
And what I’ve learned is this:
When you stop living by permission and start living by purpose, your life finally sounds like your own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drritarenee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drritarenee
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drritarenee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drritarenee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drritarenee
- Other: https://podcastguests.com/expert/drritarenee/
Image Credits
Tarnisha Walker with Ingodsimage photography
Yoli Ray with Sparkle & Soul photography
Troy Johnson with Primeau Productions photography
