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

Rena , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Not doing everything right. I honestly think that was the best thing for me. Our definitions or ideas of what’s “right” for us, is limited by our lack of knowing who we are growing & created to be. I think if they did everything “right” or everything “wrong” , I’d still be faced with the reality of hardships and obstacles in life that would force me to evolve and grow, which is painful. Everyone doesn’t have the same starting point, but we do all carry the ability to seek our destination, which is purpose. However seeing them not be perfect, but still pursuing and doing life to the best of their abilities, really showed me that greatness doesn’t lie in “perfection” but in simply having the courage to keep going.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The birth of Rena Riches and this poetic journey, had a very unusual and interesting beginning. I was in college when I first started writing. It was my last year, during the summer, and I would have dreams & visions of words that simply overwhelmed me. I got so tired of losing sleep that I confided in my mom, and she told me to write them down. What I began to write, was poetry. It honestly, felt like a download from God, a gift I couldn’t have even imagined what it later would become. This moment shifted the entire trajectory of my life; I became a writer. Later that summer, I recorded my first album and the rest was history.

Rena Riches offers internal insight, whether it’s through poetry, speaking, or through journals. The entirety of my brand is focused around the discovery of who you are and the power that lies within. Whether you are listening to a poem, or writing in a journal, the purpose is to leave you asking questions about yourself. Asking questions is the starting point of seeking your internal being, true identity outside of pain, experiences, careers, etc. A clothing brand and another poetry album are my current projects that I’ve been working on. I recently dropped my children’s affirmations journal “who Am I”, that I’m extremely excited about. It’s for students ranging between 4-9 years of age. It includes thought provoking writing prompts, a certificate of completion, and journaling pages to practice writing. All products and music are available on my website RenaRiches.com

One thing I want people to know about me and my brand, is that I truly love people. I pray for people I haven’t even met yet. Life will be the hardest thing we ever do. I see people casually overcome obstacle after obstacle, and still attempt to be better, and do better. Even if you never get a chance to listen to a poem, or purchase a journal, I hope everyone who experiences me, experiences hope, love, peace. There’s greatness that is beyond our levels of comprehension that exist in all of us. We just have to walk in it. We are familiar with questions like “why me?”, but why not you? We are all built for the things we endure, we just have to believe it. We have to see it.

What if everything we desire, was already placed in us? (Healing, peace, knowledge, love, etc.) And if so, what’s keeping us from seeing it?

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am a world renowned poet. That is my goal. I think my message in my music and poetry will change lives. There are people whose words shifted my thinking, which changed me. Words are power and life. A poem can reach your core, and make you realize that you never had the words to express how you felt until you heard it. My mission is to give those who lived unspoken, their words back, to not only express how they feel, but to overcome.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think I’m living in the story right now. Recently, I’ve had everything in my life tested. I’ve been faced with losing relationships, unemployment, death in my family etc., while also feeling the global and national issues as well. Somedays I feel like everything around me is caught in a tornado, while I’m standing still in the eye of it. I can see and feel the extreme winds but I’m okay. It’s a new place for me, honestly. It’s weird. Part of me wants to stop, the other half is ambitious, and regardless it’s emotional either way. I think while answering this question, I just realized that my life right now illustrates resilience and this is my first time painting it correctly. Resilience or strength is sometimes seen as the power to do without the presence of emotion. However, it takes real resilience to be strong enough to do and feel at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: RenaRiches.com
• Instagram: @renariches_
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@renariches9488
• TikTok: @RenaRiches_