Guest Spotlight: Renée Santos
This week's guest blogger is Renée Santos, based out of California. She's an Emmy Award-Winning Reporter for CBS Sacramento.
The Empowered You
By: Renée Santos
You are in control! Say it out loud. Try adding your own spunk to it or say it while listening to your favorite song (I love listening to Al Green or Backstreet Boys). It feels good, right? I love these energy driven words “you are in control.” I say them to myself every day. They put the fire and motivation in me to empower not only myself but also the people I’m around. When I ask myself what being an empowered woman means to me, I think about being a multiracial woman working in TV news. I take pride in who I am.
Every morning when I wake up, I remind myself that I represent an even larger community. Culture is such a beautiful aspect of everyone’s life. It helps us be relatable and it empowers us to be strong, encouraging and uplifting.
This hit home for me 3 years ago. At that time, I was a reporter in San Antonio. I remember being at FIESTA (San Antonio’s annual celebration honoring the city’s culture) with a group of friends when two women came up to me. We talked for a while and then they said to me “we are proud of you." They gave me a hug after, smiled and left. Below is a picture of the 3 of us from that night. We even exchanged medals which is a big part of the annual FIESTA tradition.
That moment almost had me in tears. I felt so empowered and loved by two women I didn’t even know - yet felt so connected to. They reminded me of how connected we all truly are by the energy we share and exchange with each other. It can be expressed through words or even simple gestures.
It has taken me years of building my own self-love and confidence to become the fierce woman that I am today. I believe there are two qualities that can lead you to greatness. As I mentioned earlier, self-love is the first. I have had to learn how to love myself better daily, especially in the line of work that I'm in. As a journalist, my work is constantly critiqued. However, at the end of the day, how I view myself and love myself are the most important aspects. I'm proud of the small victories and I make sure to take time to reflect and uplift myself even when days don't go so well. Nothing is perfect but this is what gives me motivation for the next day ahead.
And with that comes confidence! Confidence starts with knowing you can handle whatever the day throws at you without skipping a beat. Yes, there may be a few bumps in the road—but it won't totally derail your day. A simple “hey you got this!” to yourself can help keep your vibe in check and boost your confidence.
I want to leave you with this. Whatever you do in life, make sure at the end of the day, it brings you happiness. Like I said at the beginning, my favorite words are "you are in control." They have become part of my daily self-affirmation. I hope my words can encourage another young woman to achieve greatness and take pride in who she is.