What do you do when something happens that changes your life so completely that you don't even recognize yourself anymore?
At just 21 years old, Renae Linsom suddenly lost her mother.
One day they were talking about the future. Then everything changed.
Renée describes the years that followed as one of the darkest periods of her life. She couldn't find a reason to be happy and says she actually lost her smile—something that had always been such a big part of who she was.
But somewhere inside that darkness, something began to shift.
Renée realized that even though she had been knocked down, she still wanted to live. She still wanted to thrive. And there was still something she was here to do.
In this episode of the Adult Child of Dysfunction Podcast, Renée and I talk about grief, faith, writing, the power of our words, finding purpose after loss, and what it really looks like to begin moving forward when you don't have everything figured out.
For Renée, part of that journey meant returning to church. Another part meant going back to school and finishing what she had started—not only for herself, but as a way of honoring what her mother had poured into her.
And I love something that came out of this part of our conversation:
Sometimes when you can't believe in yourself yet, you have to borrow somebody else's belief in you.
Renée also discovered another powerful tool along the way:
Writing.
She had wanted to be a writer since childhood, but eventually realized that writing wasn't simply something she was good at—it could also help her process experiences, put words to things she had carried for years, and help someone else realize, “I'm not the only one who has felt this way.”
We talk about why getting your thoughts onto paper can be so freeing, even if nobody else ever reads them.
You don't need to be an author.
You don't need perfect grammar.
You don't even have to keep what you write.
Sometimes you simply need somewhere for everything you've been carrying to go.
We also have a fascinating conversation about the power of words—the words other people speak to us, the words we speak to ourselves, and the words we put out into the world.
Because most of us can remember something painful somebody said to us years ago.
But we can also remember the person who said exactly the right thing when we desperately needed to hear it.
Our words matter.
And sometimes something as simple as a smile, a kind word, or telling someone to have a beautiful day can create a ripple effect we never get to see. Renée and I talk about how differently we can affect the people around us simply by becoming more intentional about what we're putting into the world.
But perhaps my favorite part of this conversation comes at the end.
Renea says:
“Moving forward solves all problems.”
Her point isn't that moving forward makes grief or difficult experiences magically disappear. It's that change requires movement.
You don't have to transform your entire life today.
You can make one change.
One decision.
One different response.
One step.
Renea shares how she once decided she simply wanted to read more. She committed to reading one book a month—and eventually looked back and realized she'd read 25 books in a year.
That's how change often happens.
Not through one enormous breakthrough.
Through small decisions repeated consistently.
And if you're listening today thinking, I don't even know where to start, I want you to ask yourself the same question I share at the end of this episode:
What is one thing I can do today that would make me feel 1% better?
Then do that.
You don't need the entire road map.
You just need your next step.
👑 CONNECT WITH Renea Linsom
Learn more about Renée, her writing, podcast, work, and social platforms here:
Visit Renae's Facebook Page Here:
Renéa also shares in the episode that you can find her across social media under Queen Reliable Renéa.
