Today we’d like to introduce you to Reinette Arnold
Hi Reinette, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story begins at birth. I was born on August 23rd, 1983 to Robert Arnold Sr (61) and Brenda Arnold (41) in Canton, Ohio. As the baby of the family, born to two aging parents, I always found myself paying attention to my surroundings. I observed my home environment, the pattern of behaviors of the adults and children in proximity to me and the community I was later relocated to called Statham, Georgia. Two things were of interest to me as a young child growing into adolescence: financial literacy and education. I knew I needed money and an education to improve my life and the lives of those around me. As I reflect on my childhood, attending college was never an option: my family always said, “When you go to college”. Therefore, I knew college was the next step after high school. After graduating from high school, I attended Georgia State University for undergrad and the University of Georgia (UGA) for graduate school graduating with a Master of Social Work.
After graduating from UGA with my Master of Social Work, I worked in various sectors of social services and public health refining my skills as a clinical social worker and consultant. That entrepreneurship calling remained alive in my spirit as a navigated various career changes from 2006 to 2013, when I decided to launch The Empowerment Agency. The Empowerment Agency is a social and behavioral health consulting firm working with corporations and other institutions to improve their performance, productivity, and purpose. In 2024, I launched, The Empowerment Networking Hub was as a community and co-work space for professionals to gather and enhance their business.
Since launching my consulting firm, I’ve had the opportunity to work nationally and internationally with various clients to provide clinical and management consulting services. In addition, I have launched several other businesses coining myself as a multi-prenuer, that allows me to expand my entrepreneurship goals as I explore other business ventures of interest. These ventures guide me towards a greater sense of self-actualization as I engage in purposeful work in alignment with my mission and values.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It is often said, that most people become social workers because of the traumas they have experienced in their own lives. This statement resinates with me on various levels. As a child watching my surroundings, I noticed at an early age, I desired for my life to be different. I hoped for ‘more’ and I desired to see those around me to live, what I called. “a better life”. I would often say, there has to be more to life than what my community (a small town with limited opportunities and examples of people of the African diaspora advancing) offered. Key themes that resonate in my life as the most impactful was the impact of limited access to resources and grief and loss.
As I look back at my childhood, I feel like there was a matrix experience where I decided “whatever pill the majority are taking, I am going to do the opposite”. As I set out to focus on my goals, life was happening around me, as I witnessed people from my community receive jail and prison sentences for dealing drugs, including my brother who I was extremely close to and ‘looked up to’. In 2004, at the end of my junior year, my father based away from Cancer allowing me to go home for the service and then return to undergrad for Maymester right before the start of my senior year. Yet, I was focused, I knew I had to continue.
A year before launching my consulting firm, my brother suddenly passed in 2012. This catastrophic loss, was also a defining moment that I decided to relentlessly go after my dreams. I remember praying and talking to my brother (in the spirit) saying you inspired and believed in me and I am going to make you proud. From that day forward, I started setting bigger goals and pursing them with a “I shall not be afraid” mentality. After all, I realized that year, life is short and you only have one life to live on earth. I channeled this grief into action, and I would celebrate each accomplishment with his spirit. Which is a practice I continue today.
In 2021, my mother passed from Covid as I was working remotely during the pandemic. Although sad, my sister and I prepared ourselves for this moment as we noticed the changes in her spirit and health after the passing of my brother. We were intentional about our moments with her, so during this loss, while saddened we were comforted with spirituality and the belief that she was now “Free”. I continued building my consulting firm and exploring various business ideas.
That same year, I remember calling my brother and law (my sister Renee’s husband) and second father, whom I had known since I was 5 years old. I pitched a couple business ideas and he ‘talked me through it’ and encouraged me to go after my dreams, ending with just talk to God all the way through it.
In 2023, I received a call just as I was finishing a virtual consultation on a Monday, from my sister stating my brother and law had pancreatic cancer and he had about two weeks to “live”. He was gone that Thursday. I was traumatized as this was such a sudden loss and he was such a huge presence in our lives. Again, I found myself, being resilient and channeling my grief into goals. I launched both business ventures we discussed in 2021. One of which, was The Empowerment Networking Hub as the office space and community for other professionals.
I have learned to embrace my the journey of grief and acceptance of my life’s experiences. The trauma has made me who I am and I make a choice daily to use those challenges and pains to make my life better and the life of those connected to me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At The Empowerment Agency we are passionate about empowering individuals, corporations, and communities to enhance their purpose, performance, and productivity. As a trusted leader in social and behavioral health consulting, we provide tailored solutions that inspire growth and resilience in every aspect of life and work.
Our services include:
✅ Management Consulting
✅ Clinical Counseling & Executive Coaching
✅ Critical Incident Stress Management
✅ Business Coaching for Mental Health Professionals
Whether you’re navigating workplace challenges, seeking personal growth, or driving systemic change, we are here to guide and support you every step of the way.
The Empowerment Agency serves clients nationally and internationally to provide evidence-based best practices and data drive solutions to improve the desired goals.
We are known for providing customized solutions that considers each workplace or clients unique needs. Our goals is to assure that we create strategies based on cultural considerations and performance outcomes to assure that all clients and workplaces feel “seen and heard” through-out program development. We understand that representation and historical data matters to address the unique needs of all as we work towards the preferred outcomes.
We are most proud of our ability to connect with diverse audiences and maintain a diverse client portfolio of repeat customers. Our most proud branding moments, are centered around professionals and community members reaching out over the years requesting speaking engagement based on presentations I have presented on over the years. The most recent request, stemmed from a presentation dating back to 2017 on suicide prevention. In which, the staff member stated she sat in on that presentation and the delivery and information was memorable. Stating although it was a heavy topic, the delivery of the information came across attention grabbing and practical on how to support people in crisis. She referred us to work with a youth organization due to a recent suicide. Our brand allows or clients to trust us, with facilitating, educating and supporting individuals during challenging times. Our goal is to improve other wellbeing of the community through workplaces, community events and individuals.
If you are interested in enhancing or growing your business, come see us at The Empowerment Networking Hub. We have a community of business professionals and office space for your needs.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memories are centered around riding around with my dad, who was an serial entrepreneur looking at various landscaping jobs, selling barbeque, and tending to his property. This was my first exposure to an entreprenuer and multiple streams of income. He would laugh at me being a young child, giving him business advice on getting estimates, updating paperwork, and collecting payments. I have always been a businesswoman in the ‘making’.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empowered-consultants.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerment_agency/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpowermentAgency/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinette/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@empowerment_agency
Image Credits
Kimazing Photos – https://www.kimazingphotos.com
