Daily Inspiration: Meet Raneisha Stassin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raneisha Stassin.

Hi Raneisha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi my name is Raneisha Stassin. I’m a freelance PR and strategic communications professional who works with community-based organizations, wellness and health brands, and supports social justice initiatives.

I’m a self-described neurodivergent creative with roots in rural Arkansas, but my life’s journey has taken me everywhere from Belgium to San Francisco. I’m a professional communicator who started my career in tech, but my life’s experience has led me to choose my values over profit and explore a career focused on healing and community building.

I grew up in poverty in the rural South, raised by an elderly grandma who grew up in Jim Crow Arkansas, the daughter of an incarcerated mom and absent father. We struggled to make ends meet for much of my early life. I suffered from and witnessed a lot of abuse in my early years as well as significant loss and grief. I also navigated health challenges that nearly took my life twice before the age of 18. Despite this, I was a quirky and lively child. I’ve always been creative, making shoes out of paper, wearing mismatched shoes to school, and generally standing out wherever I went. I carried a passion for reading, writing, and storytelling from an early age. I wrote my first ‘book’ in third grade based on Barbie. I thought I was a published author because my teacher decided to laminate and bind it and allowed me to read it in front of the class. My passions would later lead me to the work I do now, sharing my story and elevating the story and impact of others.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Throughout my adolescence and twenties, I suffered from severe mental illnesses as a result of my childhood trauma and grief. I spent many years in and out of inpatient and outpatient treatment. I attempted to end my life multiple times but with time and support these experiences led me down a path of deep healing and self-discovery that helped me realize my potential to support others who’ve struggled with similar life experiences. I knew I wanted to be a safe space for those who didn’t feel they deserved to take up space.

Throughout my own healing journey, I quit my job working in fast-paced tech PR agencies and pivoted to freelancing for community-based organizations and health-focused small businesses. It was important for me as I healed to have a career that I felt was heart-led. I began supporting California Black Women’s Health Project in their efforts to address the health disparities impacting my community throughout the state. Crafting stories, communications strategies and supporting outreach initiatives aimed at highlighting disparities in mental health, maternal health, aging and more. I had the priviledge of speaking on mental heath panels highlighting my own experience living with Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and Depression. I even started my own mental health podcast with the hope of empowering others who may struggle with severe trauma and mental health issues.

I now wear a lot of hats as a freelance publicist, mom, mental health advocate, and novice podcastor, but overall my journey has led me to a place where I can create communities and facilitate spaces where healing, authentic conversation, and personal growth can take root. My painful experiences have been a catalyst for positive change both professionally and personally as a result.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Though I work primarily with community-based and health-focused organizations and brands now, I actually got my start in the consumer technology space in San Francisco. I was the girly playing around with robots, going to cryptocurrency meetups, testing out artificial reality headsets and so forth. I was drawn to technology because I was optimistic about the good things that could come out of these innovations. I remember going to a tech conference in Berkeley and witnessing a man who was in a wheelchair stand and walk across the stage with the help of robotics.

While I still have optimism about how tech could be used for good, years in the industry highlighted to me the hyperfixation on profit over people. That coupled with my own mental health issues, led me to the place I am now but my early career experiences have helped me become someone who is able to juggle quite a lot and I can now use my time management and organization skills to support those making an impact.

I later went on to support JPMorgan Chase’s PR racial equity efforts in 2020, led media relations for their HBCU Show Me Your Walk virtual ceremony for students graduating during Covid, and supported their financial literacy initiatives. I had the developing thought leadership strategies and ghostwriting on behalf of C-Suite executives in health and wellness and discovered I could merge my growing passion for health and wellness with my skills as a strategic communicator and media relations specialist.

Most recently, I’ve supported campaigns geared toward elevating Black women’s mental health, hosted health-focused workshops, and led media relations efforts for a campaign called ‘No Pause’ focused on challenging toxic masculinity and exploring the ways the patriarchy can also negatively impact men, particularly men of color, and their mental health. I’ve helped clients share their stories and get into media outlets like Business Insider, Essence, and PopSugar, and I continue to champion causes that are making a difference. I’m excited about the rise in businesses that seek to make a positive contribution to people’s lives and the community at large, and I look forward to using my skills to help them do so.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Outside of work, I consider myself quite the earthy mystic. I love being in nature, learning herbalism, exploring the esoteric and being in community with those who live off of the land or prioritize healing and wellness. I also sing and dance pretty regularly.

I have a son on the Autism spectrum, and it’s really special to be a neurodivergent woman raising a neurodivergent child. We spend a lot of time outdoors, making art, and attending community events. If I’m not at my desk working or writing, I’m usually outside at a park or near a large body of water, meditating and just being mindful. I love being surrounded by all of the elements. But I also have the type of duality where you may occasionally catch me enjoying San Diego’s nightlife and likely in some type of alternative attire. I love exploring the contrasts of life, and being someone who is deeply curious, I’m constantly learning something new.

Pricing:

• Sliding scale $35-50 hour

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justrereshop.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justrereshop/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raneishastassin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justrereshop
• Other: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/raneisha-stassin/