Admired: Renee Newman

What is your proudest moment?
My proudest moment is earning the rank of a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do with my oldest son last November. He was 9 and I was 43. Our journey to our black belts was a mental, emotional and spiritual journey and to have completed that journey alongside my son is a moment I will treasure and never forget.

What do you celebrate most about your body?
I celebrate my health and strength.

How do you keep yourself motivated on a day you’re just not feelin’ it?
I have adopted a personal mantra of “When you look good, you feel good.” On days when I am just not feeling it, I dress my best and “Fake it ‘til I make it!”

What are your obsessions?
Watching my boys when they are sleeping, shoes, an organized closet, chocolate, Prosecco, the quotes on the end of Yogi tea bags …I could go on.

Name one item in your closet you will never get rid of?
A sweater my grandmother knitted for me.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?
My husband of course! I do though refer to my husband and my two boys individually as the “love of my life.” One day they were all in the same room and I asked the “love of my life” to do something. They all responded; that was a good day.

Who are your style icons?
Coco Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Princess Grace and Princess Diana.

How do you like to stay healthy?
I practice Pilates and Tae Kwon Do and try to eat healthy

What type of music gets you dancing?
Reggae

On what occasion do you lie?
I can not tell a lie.

What is your greatest extravagance?
I have a sweet treat of some kind daily.

What do you value most in your friends?
I value when someone has my back.

Who are your favorite writers?
So many! Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Patchett, Susan Orlean, Elizabeth Strout, Heidi Durrow and Anita Shreve, to name a few. My company has a book club, Bella Voce, and I have loved every author we have had come speak to our group.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My idea of perfect happiness is found in this quote:
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special. ”
-Jim Valvano