“Beauty doesn’t define you, but there’s power in defining your own beauty.” - Renee Reyes

Trigger warning: Conversation includes reference to sexual assault, kidnapping, drug addiction, self-harm, and abuse.

Renee Reyes is the Founder/CEO of The AloPeace Project, a Spokesmodel, and part-time Horticulturist. She is also the reigning Miss Stamford USA - proving that you don’t need hair to be beautiful. This beauty pageant winner is using her platform as a way to spread awareness about alopecia and to change today’s beauty standards for the better. She also was the recipient of the Miss Connecticut USA Community Service Award for her efforts in starting The AloPeace Project nonprofit dedicated to humanizing and empowering the conversation around alopecia.

In this episode, Sheri and Olivia West sat down with a TRUE QUEEN. In a graceful display of vulnerability, Renee shares accounts of a heart-breaking journey of strength through traumatic experiences, which led her to a brighter place in life - a place dedicated to supporting others. Renee talks about how the stress of her earlier experiences triggered her genetic alopecia - an autoimmune disorder that causes your hair to come out. She also shares why she decided to enter the beauty pageant world, how her presence has impacted beauty standards and the inspiration and mission behind her nonprofit.

DID YOU KNOW?! Renee can read 1,121 words per minute! That's almost 3x the amount of an average college-age student. 

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION? Visit www.golivegirl.org/podcast to submit a question YOU want us to answer on an upcoming episode. 

As always, stay true to yourself, stay kind, stay confident and show up as your best self every day!

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Read Sheri’s blog post on the story and launch of Confident!