Say hello to Author + Mother + Evolving Empress Sydney Reneè! She is the wordsmith behind The Diary of SHE, a platform that empowers + inspires wmn to be themselves. Take a closer look into the journey of Sydney Reneè below.

1. Tell us about yourself, childhood, and what brought you to personal development today.

My name is Sydney Reneè Reed and I was born in Oakland, CA on May 14. I’m a mother, writer and a working woman still looking to grow in all aspects of my life. I spent most of my childhood in Berkeley and Pinole. I went to San Jose State University where I majored in Journalism with an emphasis in magazine. I used to want to start my own lifestyle magazine when I was younger and blogging has always been a hobby of mine. I also majored in Child & Adolescent Development.

As a child I was extremely shy, unlike my sisters, and kept many of my thoughts and opinions to myself. I was always that child that watched their surroundings and didn’t take many chances on things and people other than family, which I’m still very close to. I never played sports nor did I want to but I loved making up dances and I even modeled for a short period of time. I learned to play piano and took acting classes, which were fun, but none of that really stuck with me. Writing is what always had my heart. It allowed me to be behind the scenes and I felt comfortable being my true self, the person I didn’t show to many people.

What brought me to my personal development was simply being tired; tired of being looked at as weak and easy to get over on. I was tired of trying to please other people because in the end I was the one who didn’t feel good about myself. For a long time I would sit in my room or take a drive in my car wondering why I just didn’t feel happy. I had to start looking within myself and eliminating all the things and people that didn’t make me fill positivity and joy.

2. Advice you would give your 20-year-old self.

Invest in myself and the future. I’m now 30 and I’m finally focusing on saving money for emergencies, my child and retiring. I’ve even started to invest in stocks. Being financially stable is my biggest goal. Finances was something I wasn’t really talked to about. It wasn’t until I had a kid that I realized something needed to change. I didn’t want to have to worry about where my next dollar was going to come from if I found myself out of a job or had an emergency. I plan to teach my son the same. I’d also tell myself it’s never too late to learn something new.

3. Name your favorite self development, self-help, or personal development book.

So, as an author I’m going to be completely transparent… I do not read many genres of books but I love scrolling through social; reading affirmations. I also love listening to Deepak Chopra, Soul Of Healing Affirmations on Apple Music. I did enjoy the book How To Love by Thích Nhất Hạnh—I want to get into the rest of that series. Also I’ve been reading You Are A BadAss by Jen Sincero.

4. Which area of life are you evolving in right now?

Motherhood! I love everything about being a mother, even the days I want to cry from exhaustion and frustration. It’s an honor to be chosen by a child and to watch them grow. We are heat to guide them through life as they grow but what many don’t realize is they are also our biggest supporters and teachers. I learn something new about my son and being a mom everyday. Looking at him makes me want to be a better person in every way. I’ll never stop evolving in that area of life.

5. Tell us more about The Diary of She.

The Diary of She started out as my personal blog, where I shared my experiences as a single mother, the ups and downs of my relationships and more. Eventually it turned into something bigger and more meaningful to me. I didn’t quite know where I was going in life; lost. I didn’t feel worthy of love and I felt like a complete failure in life. There came a point where I was tired of feeling down and thinking negatively about the situations around and within me. I started to write out my feelings not only on my blog but in my poetry. Being unapologetically me and letting women know it’s okay to be imperfect was empowering and I wanted to keep spreading that word to women. TDOS has become a way of life and a brand I am happy to have created. SHE represents strength, honesty and evolving - survival, hustle and empowerment.

6. What is your top tip to manifesting the life of your dreams?

In order for your dreams to come true you have to wake up and take action. If you don’t leave out your own dreams there’s someone out there that will do it for you. Start writing down goals and create a vision board. The more you see what you want out of life laid out in front of you, the more motivated you’ll be to go out and make things happen.

7. What is the biggest challenge you have faced on your healing journey?

The biggest challenge I face when it comes to healing is holding in all the pain and hurt that I’ve endured. For a long time I saw it as a sign of weakness to express any emotions other than happiness and strength. I’m a person who rarely sheds a tear and because of it I finally had a complete breakdown in front of everyone. I cried and yelled, but after it felt good to get it all out. I’m still working on being able to let things go, stop holding grudges and to just be human. It’s a work in progress but it’s the journey I have to take to continue to heal.

8. What mantra do you live by?

I’m a go with the flow and do what makes you happy, kind of woman. If I feel too much pressure I shut down and give up. Whatever I do in life I want to do it because it’s something I enjoy and because my heart is in it, not because I feel like I’m being forced.

9. How do you continue to build the empire within?

As of now I’m just taking things day by day. I want to focus more of my time on creating and becoming a better writer. One day I hope to be a bestseller but I know that it may not be something that happens over night. I’m going to continue to perfect my craft and see where it takes me. I’m finishing up part two of my novel Let’s Be Friends and there will be more books to come.

Ain’t she the bombdotcom?! Keep up with Sydney Renee + The Diary of She here:

IG: @_thediaryofshe

Website/ Blog: The Diary of She

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