my story
Hello! I'm Renee
I’m so you’re here!
I'm thrilled to share the intricacies of my journey with you. From growing up on a boat in the Bahamas to hitchhiking through Costa Rica after my father died when I was fifteen, I experienced out-of-the-norm events which set the stage for a life fueled by wanderlust, a search for Truth, and a craving for freedom.
glad
After being coached into larger and larger waves in Oahu, Hawaii, I traveled the globe as a surf model (over 50 countries before I turned 35!) encountering everything from being stranded at 22,000 feet in the Himalayas to getting electrocuted in the Maldives. The journey led me to co-manage Tavarua Island, a prestigious surf resort in Fiji (where I lived in a tree house.)
Surfing, Modeling, and Tavarua Island
At age 26, I woke up on the floor of a van in Portugal with a sudden knowing that my next step in life was to become a professional latin-ballroom dancer. This epiphany lead me to California, and then to Argentina and the enchanting world of Tango. I was there when the economy crashed and the government got overthrown 5 times in one week. It was then that I began my journey into real estate and entrepreneurship: I bought an apartment in Buenos Aires, rented it to traveling tango dancers, founded San Diego Tango, started importing tango shoes to the US, and joined a burlesque dance company founded by champion Latin-ballroom dancers.
I was living the Dream Life, but I still felt empty inside.
In 2006, I walked into a meditation seminar and walked out completely changed. (The opening of The Burn Zone). Four years later I was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Bhutan. Three years after that I was in a huge lawsuit, smeared all over the New York tabloids, completely brainwashed, and fighting for my sanity.
Tango, Entrepreneurship, and a Twist of Fate
Memoirs of Self-Discovery
What began as writing for catharsis in 2013—as I struggled to heal and regain my power—turned into my first memoir, The Burn Zone: A Memoir (She Writes Press, 2018). My amazing readers requested a sequel and in 2022, I released Still on Fire—which happily and hilariously details my leap into a life I love, and celebrates the magic, miracles, and romance we may all experience once we slow down and pay attention to the quiet voice within.
Both memoirs explore deep themes of self-betrayal, toxic relationships, self-love, forgiveness, why we choose bad love or lives of mediocrity, and how to shift from soul-sick to superhero.
And now for the “Expert Bio” written in the third person (because, why not?)
Renee Linnell is an inspirational speaker and author of three books. She has been featured on The Today Show, BBC, NBC, NPR and copious others. She is a serial entrepreneur who has founded or cofounded six companies and has an MBA from New York University; before that she traveled the world as a surf model and professional Argentine tango dancer. An ordained Buddhist monk with expertise in grief and trauma survival, her mission is to remind people Who They Truly Are, challenge mass-consciousness paradigms, and to guide people into lives they genuinely LOVE.
Expertise and Mission
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