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

Jamie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned in school and why that lesson is important to you?

The significance in the power of words and the profound effect that they have in shaping ones life is by far, the most important lesson that was impressed upon me very early on in my educational career. When I was in the second grade my teacher told my mom that God didn’t give me a good brain, and my sixth grade teacher told my mom that I would never make a good student, only a good person to go shopping with. Needless to say those words became my narrative to navigate, but ultimately my drive in wanting to be different, and to make a difference in any way that I could. Little did I know then, that all these years later, the heart of my purpose and pursuit to spread love and positivity would reside in the lesson that I learned pertaining to the power of words.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Of course!! My name is Jamie Gagnon, I’m a wife,  stay at home mom of  two, a children’s book author, and the founder of a small business brand called The Rendered Root! It’s safe to say that I spend my days chasing dreams and babies! While the weight of words have always played a tremendous role as to who I am and all that I do, it wasn’t until becoming a mother that a passion ignited within me to put the power of my words to paper and become an author.

Motherhood made a beautiful mess of me, suddenly love became larger, life became luscious, and the fleeting moments in time left me terrified. It all became the momentum for me to find a way to leave my children with my love, long after I part ways with this earth. I began pouring my heart out onto paper when my first born was 6 months old back in 2018, however, it wasn’t until after welcoming my second child in 2020,  that my debut book titled Imagine My Love really transformed into what it is today!

It was on my path to publication that The Rendered Root was born! At that point, it seemed as though two worlds had come together, paving the way to my present day. The world of who I was, once plagued by poisonous words dished to me in my youth, was ready to inspire the world with positivity, love, and who I had grown up to be in spite of it all. Founding The Rendered Root has blessed me with the ability to cultivate connection with others of all ages, in places near and far, in person, and through the World Wide Web. It’s such an honor to share my writing, rooted with reason, and the sweet snuggle of story time with little ones and their families through my children’s book bound with the intention to do so. Planted in purpose is my presence, one that brings me to a senior living facility in my community on a monthly basis. It is there where I share the love of story time through a program that I’ve designed called Reminiscent Roots! Together, the residents and I  reminisce, making connections to their own life stories based upon the children’s literature read aloud that I share with them. This program is really special to me, I’m extremely proud of the way that it inspires a young at heart feel within the senior living community, breathing life back into the stories that had once shaped the residents there!! Last but certainly not least, giving back in donating my books has brought me great joy! I couldn’t be more proud to provide my support to nonprofit organizations such as Little Free Library ®,  Reach-A-Child ™️, and Glo Mom Inc., all that house their own wholesome missions in making a world of difference.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! The heart of my mission is to wrap the world in a cuddle of connection with kindness, and to spread pure love from the very root of my being. To inspire homegrown happiness in the lives of others, through the power of my words, and the positivity of my presence. To share the seeded and sown sentiments of my soul through writing, rooted with reason, presence, planted in purpose, and children’s literature, bound with intention.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It is so rewarding to know that I’ve touched a life with the gift that I was given to give, or with a lesson that I learned to lend. That to me is everything! I often say that I’m in the business of filling hearts over pockets! I  feel that way because a full heart is truly the only thing you can take with you when you go, and the greatest gift, well worth the leaving when you’re gone!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.therenderedroot.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.rendered.root
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/the.rendered.root