Today we’d like to introduce you to Rae’na Luntadila.
Rae’na, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Michigan Native, born and raised in the “sticks” if you will, in the far West Suburbs of Metro Detroit. I spent the first twenty-two years of my life in The Great Lakes State so the cultural influence permeating out of that area profoundly shaped my essence pretty heavily.
I was raised as an only child with my mama & my Native American grand mother’s rich and refined, social, spiritual & economic heritage so I have a lot of amazing nostalgia there.
At twenty-two, as a single parent of one daughter, I decided it was time for me to spread my wings & start a new life, so I loaded up the truck and I moved to Chi-Town (Chicago). I had really developed my fearless & ambitious side by that time so whatever I set my mind to do, I didn’t stop until I found a way.
Let me give you an example: In The Chi (for instance), after I moved into my little quaint apartment in the West Suburbs, I decided that I wanted to attend Columbia College University. So one day, I just got up and marched my determined self over there, befriended an Admission’s Counselor and convinced him to let me in.
Without even so much as an SAT or sufficient core credit transfer, I literally talked my way into a life-changing opportunity. Without flirting, enticing or seducing, I used my God-given charisma & power of persuasion & got accepted into Columbia College Chicago. I couldn’t believe it!
You know, ironically as a kid, I used to get in trouble with my teachers all the time for running my mouth, so this victory definitely left an impression on me and showed me what I was capable of.
My time in The Chi was short-lived however. After just one year, those wings I found the courage to spread when I moved to The Mid-West were now beckoning me to fly away yet again. So I walked approximately 8 miles in the blistering Summer heat, found a car lot and bought a jet black Chevy Baretta cash. Fully equipped with a sun roof and ice cold A/C, I really felt like I was doing something epic with my one and only student refund check I had received from school. And it was…
So I loaded up my car with my travel bag, my daughter, my ex & my dog Hangover (who a friend of mine gave me) and without even so much as an oil change or tire rotation, I headed out West to Vegas. Looking back on that now, I think that was insane but it worked out for me. I had my whole life ahead of me so packing up at the drop of a dime was nothing back then. I drove 16 hours each way with a stick shift through winding western roads looking for my future home.
I didn’t find it in Vegas unfortunately but the travel experience was great and definitely helped to further fortify my pioneering character. So I’d say, it was definitely a divine part of my path.
So what ended up happening was, a friend of mine recommended that I come out to Atlanta and see how I liked it and the rest is history. Twenty years ago this November, I made a visit to Georgia that changed my life for the better. Forever.
My ex and I grew our family from 1 to 3 daughters over the early years of my time in the A (Atlanta) and I raised them all right here in the Peach State. My ambitious side took a back seat though and my life became all about my kids and rightfully so, you know? All the picking up and moving cross country at the drop of a dime became a thing of the past. My time in Atlanta became characterized by the constant of digging deeper into the soil of life. I had to solidify my roots of family stability for my children.
I ended up ending my long time, on and off again relationship with my children’s father in the first decade of my time in Atlanta and spent the next decade as a single mom who chose not to date on purpose. That was, I think, single handedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I chose to leave a toxic relationship, to heal myself and fulfill my life path assignment and that risk, cost me everything! Oh my God did it ever! None of which I regret though and If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it the exact same way.
My decision to end that relationship taught me to never stay in a bond that doesn’t serve my greatest good or feed my highest self. Because of that experience, I learned something about my spinal fortitude. I learned that I will never stay with someone (or somewhere) I don’t belong out of convenience because The Most High will always make a way for me. It was a hard lesson to endure but the character I developed during those years has proven to be extraordinarily resilient.
So after ten years of healing, character building, personal development and self-reflection, I met my now husband of almost seven years. And after raising all of my children, I literally started all over again and gave him his first child. So my family hit a growth spurt and grew from 3 to 4 daughters and I have no regrets.
This is not to say that you have to have a “man” to make your story complete because you don’t. I’m just telling you my experience. But make no mistake about it, you may not need a “man” but you do need a network of people you trust to help you build your future. Whether that’s your family, your friends, or your mentors. Find your tribe and love them hard.
Motherhood for me now is so much different in this season of my life than it was in my earlier Atlanta days. I’m a much different person. More seasoned, more intentional and more experienced as a woman. With my older kids now entering their new season of life maturation, it officially released me to walk into mine. Which is how Rae’ma Life was born.
Over the years in Atlanta, I learned so much about fasting for good health and spiritual development through practical application that it developed certain healthy habits in me that redefined my lifestyle and set me on a different path altogether. I hit it off with a wonderful holistic doctor in my second decade here and she taught me so much about plant-based living and nutrition. She used to call me on a regular basis just to chat it up with me for hours about life, health & plants. I always felt so honored by that and looking back on it, I see how much of her mentorship played such a significant role in the life path I ultimately ended up siding with.
I’m definitely not perfect but a plant-based work in progress. I had been meatless on and off for the past two years but in April of this year, I took the plunge and went Vegan full time and I must say, that this is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my whole life.
The peace of mind, mental focus, spiritual energy and positive outlook that has emerged from this lifestyle is serious. The benefits for me have so far outweighed my carnivorous temptation that I have no desire to return to my former way of being. Oh the joy that plants can bring into your heart! I just want to feel this feeling forever and share it with as many people as I can.
Rae’Ma Life plant-based products was birthed out of that enlightened space of joy and I just want to contribute that to humanity every day, This plant-based lifestyle is so righteous, it’s literally birthing my Earth purpose and changing my life, one day at a time.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road to true happiness is never smooth or straight so I really feel like the struggle is what builds you. If you never experience resistance, how on Earth will you ever develop any real muscle?
Being a small, black-owned, woman-owned business will always have its challenges but there are so many opportunities to develop resourcefulness, resilience and creativity that the blessings will always outweigh the roadblocks by far in my opinion.
Rae’Ma Life is in its first year of business so without loans and investors I’ve had to just get it how I live and make no excuses. I’ve had to invest my own money and that of my tribe. That means that I wear many hats right now and I make many sacrifices to diversify my business.
That means, when I have extra money, I don’t shop and spend firivalously. Some folks take their play money and buy shoes and go out to eat. I’m replenishing Sea Moss, making sure my online store stays open for business and buying new plant-based products to experiment in my kitchen with. It’s the cost I’m willing to pay to be my own boss and I’m okay with that because I know that eventually my hard work will pay off. Patience is key to eventually seeing the fruit on the tree.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Rae’Ma Life story. Tell us more about the business.
I sell handcrafted, plant-based products. I’m best known in Atlanta as The Sea Moss Gel Plug but I also sell organic, chemical-free, zero THC, CBD Oil as well. With Rae’Ma Life Sea Moss Gel being my flagship product, I’m most proud to be able to offer local delivery service here in Atlanta and pull up on my customers to serve them first-hand hugs, love and a product that adds so much value to their lives.
With 90% of my customer base being women, I’ve been given the opportunity to be my sister’s keeper and show unconditional love on a regular basis and that makes me so happy!
I’m also very proud of the CBD Oil products I sell. With black women being like Unicorns in the Cannabis industry and there being so many synthetic chemical filled CBD Oils on the market, Rae’Ma Life has partnered with the best black-owned, woman-owned CBD Oil company in the nation to provide you with chemical and toxin-free CBD Oil. Not to mention that CBD sales are slated to top a billion dollars by 2020. With that, I think it’s safe to say that we’re about to make history.
With Sea Moss being one of the holy grails in Mother Nature’s optimal health arsenal, I’m so excited to be in the lab right now testing new products to debut in my store for my customers. I’ve got new Sea Moss Gel plant infusions and replenishing skin products on the way. So be on the lookout for those too!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see Rae’Ma Life diversifying our product lines and expanding into plant-based boutiques across the nation as the Cannabis industry explodes.
We’re in the middle of a green renaissance so the future is looking pretty amazing for those who have eyes to see it!
Contact Info:
- Website: raemalife.com
- Phone: 762-233-4140
- Email: raemalife@gmail.com
- Instagram: @fitgirlrae
Image Credit:
King Kongo Musiq
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