We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Rita Renee. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Rita, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
What people most misunderstand about my business is the depth of the transformation that happens when a woman finally steps into her voice. Many assume I’m simply in the business of motivation, communication coaching, or teaching women how to speak on stage. But what I really do—and what is often unseen—is help women confront the internal silence that has shaped their identity long before they ever pick up a microphone.
My work is not about teaching performance; it’s about guiding women back to themselves.
Most people don’t realize that unmuting is not a single moment—it’s a process. It requires unlearning the messages that told them to shrink, questioning old belief systems, healing from the wounds that made them quiet, and rebuilding a foundation of identity that supports leadership, clarity, and confidence. In many ways, I am helping women reclaim the narrative that life tried to write for them.
Another misconception is that my brand is only about “speaking.” But the truth is, the voice is a doorway. When a woman strengthens her voice, she strengthens her decision-making, her boundaries, her relationships, her business, and her leadership. I’ve watched women who could barely introduce themselves turn around and lead rooms, negotiate opportunities, write books, start ministries, or finally pursue dreams they abandoned years ago.
People see the public side—the TEDx stage, the books, the coaching programs, the podcast—and assume it’s about visibility. But visibility is the byproduct. The real work is internal, intimate, and sacred. It’s helping a woman hear her own thoughts clearly again. It’s helping her trust her discernment. It’s helping her recognize that her voice is not just valuable—it’s necessary.
My business isn’t built on hype; it’s built on healing, identity, clarity, and sustainable leadership. It’s not about getting women to speak louder; it’s about helping them speak truer.
When women learn to unmute the mic in their own lives, every arena they touch shifts.
That’s the part most people don’t see—but it’s the part that changes everything.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Dr. Rita Renee—TEDx speaker, author, women’s leadership mentor, and founder of Ultimate PowerHouse Coach. With 35+ years in healthcare and more than two decades in corporate nursing leadership, I’ve learned that true leadership starts with identity, clarity, and the courage to live authentically. My work focuses on helping women move from silence to significance by teaching them to UnMUTE the Mic™ in every area of their lives.
What makes my brand distinct is that it was shaped through real transformation. From overcoming childhood trauma and surviving a 16-year abusive marriage to rising into national leadership roles and becoming an international speaker, my story fuels the depth, compassion, and strategic insight behind everything I teach. I don’t help women “perform” confidence—I help them build it from the inside out.
I actively serve on the boards for WBON (Women Business Owners Network) and NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), and I am the Ministry Director for Women of His Heart. I am also connected with C-Suite for Christ, GoGetter Girls, and Innovative Women, where I collaborate with women leaders, entrepreneurs, and ministry voices to create spaces of growth, visibility, and empowerment.
Through my books, workshops, women’s leadership programs, and my upcoming 2026 podcast UnMUTE THE MIC™, my mission remains consistent: to amplify women’s voices and help them transform their story into their strategy, their influence, and their legacy.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed that my voice didn’t matter. Growing up in environments marked by trauma, silence felt like safety, and I internalized the idea that being unseen and unheard was the only way to survive. I thought that if I stayed quiet, I could avoid disruption, disappointment, or harm. That belief followed me into adulthood, shaping how I loved, how I led, and even how I saw myself.
But today, I no longer carry that lie.
Through healing, faith, growth, and years of unlearning, I’ve discovered that my voice is not a threat — it’s a calling. I no longer believe I have to shrink, hide, or silence myself to make others comfortable. I’ve learned that my voice carries purpose, influence, and the power to change atmospheres. And the very thing I once feared — speaking up — has become the foundation of my assignment.
Now I teach other women what took me years to learn:
Your voice is not your liability. Your voice is your leadership.
And silence is no longer my sanctuary — it’s my testimony of what God brought me out of.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized that silence was no longer protecting me — it was imprisoning me. For years, I carried childhood trauma and the weight of an abusive 16-year marriage in quiet survival mode. I knew how to function, achieve, and serve, but I did it while holding my breath emotionally. I believed strength meant keeping everything together and keeping everything inside.
The turning point came when God made it clear that my healing wasn’t just for me — it was meant to free others. I remember praying one day and feeling the Lord impress on my heart: “You can’t lead women out of places you’re still afraid to name.” That was the moment everything shifted.
I realized that pain can stay pain or it can become purpose — but only when brought into the light.
So I started telling the truth. First to myself. Then to God. Then to the safe people He placed around me. And eventually, I found the courage to share my story publicly — not from a place of victimhood, but from victory. That is when the shame broke. That is when the healing multiplied. And that is when passion became assignment.
I learned that my pain was never meant to be buried; it was meant to be bridged — a pathway connecting me to women who needed to know that joy, restoration, leadership, and wholeness are still possible.
Today, what once silenced me is the very thing God uses to amplify my purpose.
My pain became my platform. My voice became my victory.
And now I help women do the same — to unmute their stories, reclaim their identity, and lead from a place of power rather than wounds.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Expanded, In-Depth, Revised Version (No Politics Mentioned)
The cultural value I protect at all costs is integrity—because integrity is the foundation that holds every part of my life, leadership, and calling together. It is the quiet force that determines how I show up when no one is watching and the standard I hold myself to even when no one else requires it. Integrity is the value that guides my decisions, shapes my voice, and keeps my influence rooted in truth rather than image.
My commitment to integrity comes from lived experience. Growing up in environments where truth was often ignored or mishandled, I learned early that a lack of integrity destroys trust. Later, surviving a 16-year abusive marriage taught me the power of standing firm in what is right, even when your surroundings make that difficult. And with more than 35 years in healthcare, I’ve seen how integrity—doing the right thing consistently—is what protects people, preserves dignity, and ensures excellence.
Integrity, for me, is not a slogan. It is a personal standard.
It means I do not shrink or dilute my values to be accepted.
It means my “yes” is my yes, and my “no” is my no.
It means I tell the truth with love, even when it is uncomfortable.
It means I admit when I am wrong, because accountability keeps me growing.
It means I honor confidentiality, protect people’s dignity, and refuse to participate in anything that tears down others.
It means my public voice matches my private life, and my leadership matches my character.
Integrity also shapes the culture of every space I steward. Whether in ministry, business, coaching, or collaboration, I cultivate environments where honesty, transparency, accountability, and respect are non-negotiable. Women who connect with my work know they are stepping into a space where truth is honored and where they are safe to grow, ask hard questions, heal deeply, and lead boldly.
Most importantly, integrity keeps my voice clear.
It keeps my heart grounded.
It keeps my leadership trustworthy.
It keeps my message credible.
And in a world where branding can easily become louder than character, I believe that the true measure of influence is not the size of your stage but the strength of your foundation.
Integrity is that foundation for me—
and it is the cultural value I will protect for the rest of my life.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people tell the story of a woman who lived with conviction, led with compassion, and loved with her whole heart. A woman who refused to stay silent in a world that tried to mute her — and then spent her life helping others find the courage to unmute themselves. I want people to say I showed up with integrity, honored people with dignity, and lived my purpose boldly and consistently.
I hope they say I was a bridge — someone who helped women cross from pain to purpose, from insecurity to identity, from silence to significance. That I didn’t just speak on stages, but lifted others onto theirs. That I didn’t just build a brand, but built people. That everywhere I went, I planted seeds of confidence, clarity, healing, and hope.
I hope they remember that I lived unafraid to tell my story, unashamed of my journey, and unapologetic about my faith. That I loved God openly and served Him faithfully, without watering down my beliefs to be accepted or understood. That my faith wasn’t just spoken — it was seen in how I treated people, how I forgave, how I led, and how I loved.
I hope the legacy they share is not one of perfection, but of perseverance — a woman who turned trauma into testimony, wounds into wisdom, and pain into purpose. Someone who lived with a full heart, a clear voice, and a fierce commitment to helping others rise.
And if they say that my presence made rooms better, my voice made women braver, my faith made me stronger, and my life made others believe they could rebuild, rise, and lead without apology —
then I will have lived well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drritarenee.com
- Instagram: @drritarenee
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/drritarenee
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/DrRitaRenee
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@drritarenee
- Other: PodcastGuests Profile: https://podcastguests.com/expert/drritarenee/
