Austin, TX

Tell us about yourself:

I grew up in Northern California, but found my new home in Texas as soon as I moved to Austin for grad school at the University of Texas in 2010. I work in water quality planning for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. I am a Latin dancer and I travel frequently for dance training and performing, along with organizing the Austin Community and Latin Dance Festivals. I volunteer for the LBJ School of Public Affairs alumni board, a local dance studio, and Inside Books Project. I look forward to supporting women and building community through my Personal Renewal Groups in Austin.

Why did you become a RTA-Certified Facilitator?

I find the topics and practices in Renee’s book and discussions to be very important, and I want to share this information with other women. Learning to take care of myself first has been a great gift, and I want to help other women experience this.  As a former foster parent I understand the challenges of being a mother. I also understand perspectives of women who do not have children, and who are single/independent. As an RTA-Certified Facilitator, I aim to create a Personal Renewal Group that welcomes and supports all types of women, as I believe we all need and deserve opportunities for renewal.

How has this work changed or affected you?

Self-care and stress reduction have become very important to me over the last couple years as I have been recovering from a stress-related medical condition. I started with a great local program for Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in January 2015 and have received many benefits from that practice. The themes, exercises and inquiry practices the Personal Renewal Groups Program offers are a great way to expand on my mindfulness practice, and help me address all aspects of self-care: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

What are your favorite self-care activities?

Reading, taking relaxing baths, nature walks and silent mindfulness retreats. I have been working on leaving some open spaces in my calendar for more down time, and I find a few unscheduled hours of quiet time alone to be very restorative.

How can people contact you or learn about your groups/retreats?

You can contact me at lroertel@gmail.com, and find out more about my upcoming groups through my Personal Renewal Group Program website.

You can meet other RTA-Certified Facilitators around the globe here. If you’d like to learn more about empowering women in your community, growing your small business and joining our community of women supporting women, click here, call 512/459-6700 or email us.