Motivate Me! with Lynette Renda

Wrapping up Season 5 with more questions than answers—in the best way. I traveled to all 50 states, interviewed people about passion, and stepped into experiences I never thought I would… including living in a van for 90 days with two women I didn’t know. And now I’m asking: what is this book really about? Who is it for? And how can it actually help someone? This episode is part reflection, part clarity-seeking—and includes two excerpts from the book as it stands right now. Thanks for being here while I figure it out 🤍

Today on the show, we have Pamela N. Harris an award-winning author of Y/A mysteries and thrillers including When You Look Like Us, This Town is on Fire, and her latest, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Through Our Teeth. When she isn’t writing social justice-themed page-turners, she balances working full-time as a college professor and raising two self-determined kiddos.  Some passions won’t let go. You try to walk away, to give up, to focus on something else—but no matter what, the pull keeps coming. Writers, creators, dreamers… we all know this feeling. Rejection, long odds, setbacks—they don’t stop us. In this episode, we explore why certain callings grab hold and refuse to release us, and what it means to keep showing up even when the world isn’t ready for your work. Because the truth is, the things inside us that won’t let go? They’re often the ones that matter most.

Today on the show, we have Pamela N. Harris an award-winning author of Y/A mysteries and thrillers including When You Look Like Us, This Town is on Fire, and her latest, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Through Our Teeth. When she isn’t writing social justice-themed page-turners, she balances working full-time as a college professor and raising two self-determined kiddos.  Sometimes it feels like you’re inches from the breakthrough—validation arrives, momentum builds, and everything seems aligned. Then nothing happens. In this episode, we unpack what it means to pivot after near-misses, the lessons only time reveals, and how looking back can bring clarity you couldn’t see in the moment.

Racquel Henry is a Trinidadian writer, editor, and writing coach. She owns the writing studio, Writer’s Atelier, and is the editor in chief of Black Fox Literary Magazine. She currently has 7 self-published books in print, and she has written a Halmark-style holiday script that has be optioned by RomCom. “Tomorrow isn’t promised” sounds easy to ignore—until it isn’t. This episode is about what shifts when time feels more real, priorities sharpen, and the urge to create gets louder. It’s a reminder to stop waiting, start moving, and build what matters.

Racquel Henry is a Trinidadian writer, editor, and writing coach. She owns the writing studio, Writer’s Atelier, and is the editor in chief of Black Fox Literary Magazine. She currently has 7 self-published books in print, and she has written a Halmark-style holiday script that has be optioned by RomCom. Ever feel like your dreams are too big to reach? In this episode, we explore how to keep going, chase something bigger, and still do what you love along the way. Success isn’t about reaching the top—it’s about staying in the game. And there is no limit to how many pots you can have your fingers in. 

Dreaming is a team sport.  Meet Hilary Constable from WritersEP.com, Lynette’s brainstorming partner and judgement-free zone. Hilary is a writer and the creator of Writer’s Escape Portal where she holds weekly write-ins, monthly workshops, MEGA write-ins, and writing coaching. Today we talk about where ideas really come to life, and we explore what it looks like to plot, plan, brainstorm, and create—not in isolation, but in conversation. Because ideas grow faster when they’re spoken out loud, shaped in safe spaces, and shared with people who won’t judge or shut them down. 

You feel it, don’t you? That quiet pull telling you there’s more for your life. ✨ Maybe you finally have time for yourself… but you’re not sure where to start. Or maybe there’s that idea that’s never left your mind… the one that keeps nudging you. In this episode, I share: 💡 3 gentle steps to help you move forward 💡 A simple way to start discovering what you truly want Sometimes the first step isn’t big. It’s just showing up for yourself. Save this post if you need a little guidance today, and listen to the full episode — your next chapter is waiting.

How would you feel driving all 50 states chasing stories of passion as the country erupted in protest and political unrest? Inspired—and uncomfortable. Unable to help. Aware of your own privilege.  It’s ten years later, and we ask today’s guest Cassie Hunter, the Motivate Me! with Lynette Renda’s 50 States in 90 Days camera woman, the question: would you do it again?

Be like Cassie. Imagine getting a message from a stranger with a wild proposal: travel the country, no plans, no guarantees—just the open road. Most people would delete it.  Cassie didn’t. She had no summer job, no place to stay, and just enough hope to take a chance. One bold yes set her on a journey she could never have planned—and it all started with a single email. Sometimes you just have to leap, like today’s guest Cassie Hunter, the Motivate Me! with Lynette Renda’s 50 States in 90 Days camera woman.

Who were you 10 years ago? Now imagine this: you’re on a 90-day road trip around the country with two other women, chasing stories, experiences, and possibility. Fast forward. You’re married. You have two kids. And the story you lived is finally about to be told. This episode is a reflection on becoming—how one season shapes the next, how adventure turns into legacy, and what it feels like to watch your past unfold just as your present fills up. 🎙️ A conversation about time and transformation with Chelsea Rathie Sitzman, the Motivate Me! with Lynette Renda’s 50 States in 90 Days Social Media Manager.