Inspiration from Whitney Reynolds

By: Erica Mestyanek, Editor Dallas Yoga Magazine & Co-Founder Cosmic Yogi Movement

If you haven’t heard the name Whitney Reynolds before, you are missing out on knowing an incredible and inspiring woman. She started her career at the age of 21 as a morning anchor at KTEN outside of Dallas. For the past 8 years, she has had her own television show; The Whitney Reynolds Show, as well as, a radio segment and a column in Chicago Women called Whitney’s Women. Not only that, she recently won The 2018 Female Leader of the Year Award and published her first book. Whitney and I grew up together in a relatively small town, Durant, Oklahoma so I have had the pleasure of knowing this amazing lady for quite some time.

Growing up, when did you know this was the path you wanted to be on? When I was around 6 or 7, I had developed this vision of being a talk show host. I don’t really know where that came from, but looking back I feel God made it in my heart at an early age. I don’t know many kids know their journey at such a young age. It wasn’t until what my family and I went through when I was a child, that I made it my mission to tell delicate stories on my show, making sure that stories are heard right. I never want people to be exploited, no matter how crazy the story is.

Knowing your journey and your purpose early on, did you have those moments where you wanted to give up? There were so many moments along the way that were difficult. I think as an entrepreneur, we are absolutely going to face those low days. We live in such a time where we are faced with tons of images. The world is at our fingertips, on our phone. When you see the world in front of you this way, sometimes it feels like you can’t catch up. When I take the time to know who I am offline, I realize there is no way I am giving up on this. As entrepreneurs we have to stay in our own lane and know that we are getting there. Sometimes what we see isn’t always what it is. This to my core is what has kept me going.

What else do you use as inspiration? I am really into quotes. I love going through and seeing positive messages. I feel that what we fill our mind with is what we put out. If we are seeing or watching negative people, that will overflow our own vibe. It is really important for me to stay positive. I am a glass half full kind of person and that is because I surround myself with people like me that are positive. Don’t get me wrong, life is not roses all the time, but I start myself with inspiration every day.

Do you have any heroes or mentors that you look up to or inspire you? Spiritually; my pastor, Jeanne Stevens is a wonderful person. Going to church sometimes, it can feel like they want to change you. Her message is “come as you are and let God do the rest.” Workwise, I am surrounded by phenomenal women, specifically through my radio show on iHeartRadio. These women that come in every month are giving back and are a huge inspiration themselves.

If you could choose one word that describes you best, what would that be? I would say awareness. It has a lot of different meanings to me. Everyone is facing a battle. Be aware that everyone is living their own different life. Awareness also means for me that we all have our own issues; health issues, family, etc.

Do you have any advice for other women out there that are struggling to get by or are struggling to find their purpose? I have been that woman. I moved to a new city without knowing anyone, having that big dream of having a talk show. Sometimes that dream felt overwhelming to me. I knew it was going to happen, but I didn’t know how or what road. You have to trust your inner gut and inner voice. So many times we can hear ancillary noise out in the world. That voice in your head and mission in your heart is always going to guide your way. Stay true to yourself and follow that.

Be sure to check out Whitney’s new book, Beyond the Interview; A 52 Week Guide of Inspiration. You can learn more about Whitney and purchase her book here! http://www.whitneyreynolds.com/store/