Today we’d like to introduce you to Karena Atkinson.
Hi Karena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Goldsboro, NC. My family’s foundation has always been faith and music. As a child, I’ve ALWAYS had a love for reading, writing, and performing arts. I won essay contests and participated in plays, musicals, bands, and chorus. Despite these charismatic stepping stones, I was very shy. I attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where I received my Bachelors in Arts. During my time in college, I was involved in various organizations that sparked whole new confidence.
I was not the outspoken woman you see today (haha). Student Government, The Activities Council, NCNW, winning Homecoming Queen and the various experiences on campus brought me out of my shell. It ignited my love for Activism, Advocacy, Community Service, Public Speaking, Politics, and Philanthropy. I often credit UNCP as the “birthplace’ of my gifts–But most of all, it was the birthplace of Rena Speaks. This was my stage name as a poet when I first began performing on campus in 2014. I graduated from UNCP in 2016.
I continued doing Spoken Word Professionally in 2017 and also began Motivational Speaking and Youth Mentorship. Rena Speaks is now a brand dedicated to empowering the voice. My brand has expanded to all of the things I grew to love including; Creative Directing, Branding, and Media. After college, I returned to my hometown where I served the community through Girl Scouts, and the Boys and Girls Club. Over time, I’ve worked with the Goldsboro/Wayne Branch NAACP, and Operation Unite Goldsboro.
I’ve worked closely with local politicians and young leaders, conducted voter registration drives, assisted with political campaigns, and worked to increase community involvement and awareness of social issues, on both social media and physical platforms. In 2018, I was honored among great friends as a Community Trailblazer and was recognized as one of the youngest named leaders of my community. My entire life is centered around my love for God and Helping People. In 2020, I launched the first official extension of Rena Speaks–K For The Culture Productions; producing imagery and later that year, releasing my first Short Film.
Since then, I have continued traveling all over the region sharing Poetry/Spoken Word, becoming a Slam Poet (Competitive Poet), and Motivational Speaking. I have also taught Poetry Workshops for youth, and coached other Poets on Performance strategy through my Program “Personify”. I have since grown into greater creative confidence in pursuing modeling and dancing professionally for a Semi-Pro Basketball League. Some would say I’m a “Jackie of all Trades”, but I’m really just a country girl learning her God-given purpose and striving to live out loud, both fearlessly and authentically.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have had MAJOR highs and lows. I am a survivor of depression and suicidal thoughts. I turn my pain into poetry, my chaos into content, and my pressure into power! I went into college not knowing who I am. I left college having more passion but less identity. I struggled with heartbreak, low self-esteem, and fear. There is a big difference between becoming who you were raised to be and becoming who you were meant to be. I thank God every day for my parents, who taught me love, dignity, respect, and most of all about Christ.
Noticing how different I was as a kid made it hard to fit in. I didn’t have many friends, and by the time I was in high school, I began acting out. I just didn’t know how to function in a world that looked nothing like the vision in my head. I wanted to be the kid on Nickelodeon or Disney Channel. I had dreams I could not fully articulate and talents I could not fully show, so I shrank into the most immature version of a charismatic kid. I felt like the weirdo, the black sheep. These feelings followed me into adulthood. I finally realized that God is the answer to every question so I asked, “Who Am I”.
Healing is ALWAYS necessary but not always pretty, I had to forgive myself for blaming my parents for what they simply did not know. I had to forgive teachers and peers because of how they treated me, which FUELED Rena Speaks’ message. My twenties were spent realizing that Rena Speaks was embraced, loved, and welcomed. Karena was not. Karena was bullied and overlooked. I had to learn that Rena Speaks IS ME but not at all a replacement for the broken version of me.
Rena Speaks is the RESULT of Karena’s brokenness, but I could no longer leave Karena broken. I put Rena Speaks on a hiatus and discovered a Karena I never knew before. That ambitious child that loved Performing Arts is now no longer limited. This is why my brand has expanded because I have expanded.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most known for my brand, Rena Speaks. Despite its many components, I get booked the most for my Spoken Word Poetry. My brand is homemade, so helping others with branding and building momentum from scratch is my strong suit. My superpower is that I’m a thinker and a strategist, so detailed IDEAS are what I have to offer to change the trajectory of any other idea that is presented to me.
I am most proud of becoming a Published Poet. I have had my poetry featured in a NC-based Magazine. What sets me apart is that I’m not afraid to ‘go there”. Provoking thought for the purpose of changing the narrative is my goal!-
Being controversial without the chaos. Jesus was a shifter of social norms and perspectives–so am I.
What do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck, I believe in Favor and Reciprocation. God’s plan is set, but God is open to shifting His plan according to our faith. In return, He gives us a favor. There are many things, places, and accomplishments that had NOTHING to do with my degree or even my resume but I would give that credit to the Favor of God and my character. God can indeed put your name in places your feet have never gone.
I do also believe that you get back what you give. This is why I serve and live selflessly because I don’t just desire the hand of God (what He can give me) but I desire to have the Heart of God (what He can SHOW me). Luck has no guarantee, only probability. God does not operate in probability but in possibility. IT CAN AND WILL HAPPEN all according to your faith AND work. “Faith without works is dead, but faith with work is ALIVE” -Pastor Sherman Blandon
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_renaspeaks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renaspeaks4u
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Av7p0A0-hLbneQE_udloA
- Other: https://www.fayobserver.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/2020/02/20/8217edification-and-entertainment8217/112437034/
Image Credits
Zemirah Harris Imaging by Delavisha Harris, PhotoArc247 by Nathan Davis, and Sharilyn Wells
