Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinn Kelly.
Quinn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Simply said, my story begins with a young college girl who had a strong passion and desire to encourage others in faith and relationships who went from working in journalism to becoming a marriage and family therapist then blogger and faith conference founder to podcast host–one step at a time.
I originally graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in journalism because I loved to write and believed writing was a great way to bring others joy. After a year of working in journalism, a friend told me I had missed my real calling for helping people. I took that conversation to heart because I knew my number one passion was wanting to help people, not just write about them. So, I went back to school and became a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Soon after, my husband and I began our family, which was completed with four little boys, and moved to Houston. During that time, I began writing about parenting, marriage, and faith through my blog Sanctification and Spitup (www.sanctificationandspitup.com and www.facebook.com/sanctificationandspitup). Through that blog, I have been able to combine my two favorite worlds of writing and encouraging others, which led to many opportunities to led my writing to be published and shared by Today Show’s Funniest Parents, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Family Share, Love What Matters and Mother and Baby Australia.
After receiving opportunities to begin speaking to groups of women throughout Houston about marriage, parenting and faith, I felt the Lord was leading me to organize a faith conference of my own that would bring women from all denominations and churches together in the Northeast Houston area. Thus, the Renew Faith Conference was born, which ended up having 300 women in attendance and speakers from around the city and beyond.
A few months later, we hosted yet another Renew Faith Conference to launch our newest ministry, the Renew You Podcast. A podcast created to encourage others to find renewal through faith in their everyday life in a fun, fresh and engaging way (www.renewyoupodcast.com and www.instagram.com/renewyoupodcast).
Through this process, my team and I have seen lives changed and women renewed in ways we never even imagined. And we are excited to continue to spread the love and renewal in faith to as many women (and men) as we can!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Any time you try something new, it’s always scary. And there are always bumps. But I’m learning that bumps lead to growth.
By nature, I’ve always been a rule follower and someone scared to fail. But this journey has taught me that real faith involves trust in God even when you’re unsure of where the road is leading or even if you fail along the way. After all, failure is always a great learning experience, making me question if we would all be better off to stop considering anything failure and instead begin looking at those times as opportunities to learn and redirect our path.
If I could offer any piece of advice to other young women, I would say this: don’t look at what others are doing as who you need to be. Instead, pray and do your thing. Your gifts can only be fully utilized when you focus on using what you can do and stop trying to be like someone else. The world needs each of us to use who we were created to be to make an impact. There is enough room at the table for us all. So, I try and remind myself and others not to forget it.
What should we know about Renew? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Because I am a mother of four, all of my work and ministry centers around what can be done with the balance of motherhood and ministry, which always keeps me on my toes. I think what sets me apart is that no matter what I’m doing you’re going to feel like you get a good mix of faith and therapy whether through reading my writing, hearing me speak or joining my podcast!
Currently, I am most excited about the Renew You Podcast (found on Itunes, Google Play and Spotify) which will be a weekly podcast aimed to encourage listeners to find renewal through faith in their day to day lives in a fresh, fun and engaging way! The Renew You Podcast will not just be for women but also for men, which I am very excited about. I believe men need renewal just as much as women.
Additionally, I am very proud of my blog Sanctification and Spitup, a blog centered on finding God’s goodness in the everyday moments of motherhood, which has given me opportunities to speak to groups of women at conferences or local MOP’s groups throughout Houston, the state of Texas and beyond. Because I love therapy, speaking to women about faith and relationships always brings me joy! I love to do Q and A’s at the end of each segment, which allows me to learn from my audience as well.
Lastly, the Renew Faith Conference ministry is continuing to grow and we will have another conference in the future. I am excited to see what this conference will entail and cannot wait to reach even more women than before.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
My best advice is to build genuine relationships. Real relationships do the work for you and lead to valuable connections. Forced relationships aimed only to network but with no real care for the person do not yield fruit. Focus first on being a person that cares for those in front of you. This is what makes others want to work with you and believe in your business. After all, if the person right in front of you isn’t important to you, then trying to start a business may not be rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.renewyoupodcast.com , www.renewfaithconference.com, www.faceboook.com/sanctificationandspitup, www.sanctificationandspitup.com
- Email: info@renewfaithconference.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renewyoupodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanctificationAndSpitup/
- Other: www.renewyoupodcast.com
Image Credit:
Holly Bollinger Photography
Jarrell Peak:
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
