About RARA

Hello and welcome. My name is Renée. And a lot of people call me RARA for my initials and enthusiasm.

I’ve been coaching and facilitating for over two decades. I am a big believer in love, family, values, open-mindedness, curiosity, resilience and wonder. I find humans fascinating and I honor and encourage people (and myself) whenever and however I can.

I have loved learning about communication and relationships. I’ve facilitated and participated in over 100 personal growth retreats for women, girls, couples and employees. My main work has been through Woman Within; 2024 marks my 30th anniversary with the organization. If you want to see how that organization has changed my life and the lives of thousands of other women, you can read about that here. I still sit in a two-hour circle weekly and “keep current” with my thoughts and emotions with the help of other women. I believe we can all be resources for each other by seeing and hearing each other’s stories, desires, longings and values.

I have done a lot of work with couples and families, starting with my own family. I lived for ten years next to my father on a ranch in Southern Oregon. He was “resident Grandad” as my husband and I raised our two daughters. Intergenerational living taught me a lot and I have a great respect for my Elders. I learn each and every day from my relationship with my husband. It is a miracle to me that we have been together for 38 years!

For almost ten years I was a trainer/presenter at La Clinica in Medford, Oregon. When I started with the organization, they had 150 employees, and by the time I left to move back to the East Coast, they employed over 400 people at 21 different sites. I led trainings on Communication and the Enneagram, and helped a dozen different teams (ranging in size from 5 to 50 people) to build trust and work together more easily. I also got to facilitate and participate in 25 seminars through what was called Wings Seminars and is now known as The Learning Well. What a gift to work with people who are curious and want to do good in the world!

I now focus on coaching individuals. Working with couples and families, and doing larger group presentations and team events has been an important part of my past, however. I’ve had many opportunities to develop my speaking and facilitation skills. I got speak at the Women’s Leadership Conference of Southern Oregon several times and deliver a keynote address on Character Strengths to 200+ Rotarians. During COVID, I had the privilege of offering a 6-week online Enneagram class and gave a webinar on Health Habits for Dr. Deborah Gordon and her patients at Northwest Memory and Wellness Center. I have also offered classes on a variety of topics through my website and The Wisdom Hub.

Many years ago I led circles for girls for what is now called the Rogue Valley Mentoring Network. I ran circles and organized camping trips for middle and high school girls, as requested and paid for by their families. My daughters (now ages 30 and 32) and their friends participated in circles too; many continue to sit in circle and/or have gone on to mentor. I still teach Circle Trainings to help women understand how safety, healthy communication, and good boundaries support them.

To give you an idea of important concepts and tools I still actively use in my coaching, here is a list of some past presentations I’ve created and given both in person and or on Zoom:

• Leading Effective Work Relationship (Southern Oregon University Professional Development Series; 90 min.)

• Leading Difficult Conversations in the Workplace (SOU Professional Development Series, online; 90 min.)

• Leading with Confidence & Ease: It All Begins with YOU! (2x for the Women’s Leadership Conference, 2h15min.)

• Hope & Renewal (presented 4x during the pandemic as a community service; 90 min.)

• Customized Team-building & Accountable Communication (La Clinica; 2-4 hours)

• How to Support Ourselves to Make & Sustain Health Changes (Northwest Memory Center; 1 hour webinar)

• Introduction to the Enneagram (via Zoom and in-person; 66x for La Clinica and the public; 2h15min.)

• The Drama Triangle & Conflict Resolution (Rotary, Woman Within, La Clinica; 45 min.)

• Self-care (Empowerment Virtual Summit; Women Entrepreneurs of Southern Oregon; 60 min.)

• Life-Work Balance (Rotary; 45 min.)

• Character Strengths & Values (keynote for Rotary; 45 min.)

• The Awareness Wheel (La Clinica online and in-person; 30-60 min.)

• Confidence: What It Is; Why It Matters & How To Get It (Rogue Valley Work Source; 60 min.)

• Two Day Circle Training (8x for Woman Within; online and in-person; 16 hours)