And Then Some… A Baker’s Journey

Episode Overview:
What if the recipes we pass down carried more than flavor—what if they carried healing, legacy, and truth?

In this heartfelt conversation, I sit down with baker, entrepreneur, and author Renel Turner to talk about her new book And Then Some… A Baker’s Journey. More than a cookbook, Renel’s work blends deeply personal reflections with family recipes, using baking as a doorway into conversations about identity, generational healing, motherhood, and the courage it takes to listen to your inner voice.

Renel shares how she taught herself to bake from scratch with little more than determination and a hand mixer, eventually opening her bakery and becoming the first Black-owned bakery in her hometown. But her journey wasn’t just about building a business—it was about survival, rediscovering herself in the midst of depression, and learning to trust the quiet voice within.

Through stories inspired by recipes like red velvet cake, cheesecake, and lemon blueberry cake, Renel invites us to reflect on the traditions we inherit, the wounds we carry, and the legacy we choose to pass on.

This episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes the sweetest things we create are born out of our hardest seasons.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How baking became a path to healing and self-discovery
• The role of family traditions and untold stories in shaping who we are
• Navigating motherhood while breaking generational patterns
• Why listening to your internal voice can change everything
• Turning messy beginnings into meaningful legacy

Renel's Contact Information: 

Email: Nellystreats@yahoo.com

Website: www.Nellystreats.com

IG: Nellystreats_518 

Facebook: Nellystreats518 

Stay Connected

If this episode resonated with you, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with someone who might need this conversation.

Follow me on Instagram & Threads: @thenotoriouspldb

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewelldonelifepameladavis1928 

Learn more about The Well Done Life: @thewelldonelifepodcast

Listen to past episodes on all streaming platforms.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, I'm Pamela Davis Brown. Welcome to episode 249 of the Well Done Life Podcast. And hello and welcome back to the Welled On Life Podcast. I'm your host, Pamela Davis Brown. If you are new here, hey, how are you? Welcome. I am so glad that you're here with us this week. I hope that you will stay for a very long time and bring friends. If you've been here before, you guys know the deal. I love you deep. Thank you so much for continuing to rock with me. I am so grateful that you continue to support me on the journey, and I hope that I continue to add value. And you bring lots of friends too. So we are back and we have a whole new episode this week. And I'm sure you guys have noticed this wonderfully beautiful woman who is sitting here with me, Renel Turner. And we are going to talk to Renel today because I had a chance to meet her over a year ago and through my husband. And I have always, from the moment that I met her, she doesn't know this, from the moment that I met her, I knew she was different. I don't know, it's just something about her vibe and her energy. And so she's not just a really beautiful woman, but she's also an amazing business owner and now an author. And so I took this opportunity to say, you know what? I'd like to talk to you. And I want to get to know you. I want to get up into business just a little bit. I want to talk about the new book and all the great things. So I am not going to kind of fit my normal script. Um, this is gonna be something different. And so I hope everyone knows, believe me, I'm sending prayers and love to each and every one of you. And I'm ready to kind of dive in. So I'm going to turn it over to Ranelle to introduce herself to the Weldone Life audience, and let's get started. So tell us all about you and introduce yourself yourself, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Well, hello everyone. Um, my name is Ranelle Turner. I am the owner of Nellie Street's boutique bakery. Uh, my business has been open for about five years now. I'm a self-taught baker. I started baking one day. I just said I really like baking. So I went ahead and I realized that uh I had a talent and a skill when it comes to baking and decorating. Um, and during the pandemic, we all were home. Uh, and that's really when my business took off, to be honest. Um, I started teaching virtual baking classes, and then I decided I think it's time to open up my shop. So I went ahead and I opened up my bakery. So now I specialize in custom cakes. Um, I teach classes uh throughout the area where I'm located. And uh then I went ahead and decided to write a book about my lovely journey of where I've been in my life and and so on. And so here we are.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Well, I'm really excited for everything that you do. And I wish I kind of had known you back in the day of the pandemic because I went through like a baking copstone, copstone making thing. So I would have loved like some virtual courses. So I'm just really glad I got a chance to know you now, even though it's kind of a balance as I'm trying to unbig my back. It is really like I have to just be gentle with what I do with you, but we'll talk about that a little bit later. But struggle sometimes. I yeah, we're gonna have a good time, promise. So before we get started, I do want to ask you one question because I think it's just appropriate with everything. How are you doing today? Are you having a good day?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

I'm having a fantastic day. Uh today, my book uh launched today. Um, so I'm excited about that. Um, and then some a baker's journey. And uh, you know, I'm just excited to really be here, be able to share uh my thoughts um with everyone. And yeah, so today is a great day overall, and um looking for more days like this in the future.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Hey, I love it. That's right. We need more good days.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Yes, and how are you? I should ask.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Well, I'm doing really well. It has definitely been quite a week, but you know, I'm good. I feel good. Like life is crazy, but I'm good. So thank you for asking. I appreciate that. Okay, so ma'am. How would you you you like you said, you you built yourself and you're when you were telling us about you? How would you describe the woman that you are today?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

The woman that I am today. So I I would have to describe myself as I'm uh very adventurous. Um, I you know, I love to explore new things, I love to have new experiences. Um, I am definitely a social butterfly. Uh I talk a lot. And I love it. So I love that we're having this conversation. Um, but I, you know, I definitely would say that uh I really am business um focused. Um I really enjoy what I do as far as with my business. Um, you know, and I feel like I'm just very creative. I'm in a space of peace. I'm very peaceful. Um, and it just allows me to do kind of, I feel like I could do whatever I want at this moment um in my life. I feel confident enough. So that's who I am. I'm funny. Um, I have a great sense of humor. I really do. I I get along with so many different people. So I'm just overall, I would say the woman that I am, I'm just very loving and and just enjoy, you know, the space that I'm in today.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

I love that for you. I I mean, especially with you, like you said, launching the book and doing having a storefront, all of those things show such a level of confidence in yourself, which is so important uh nowadays as women. We have to believe in ourselves because before anybody else is gonna believe in us. But I know that when I was reading through, luckily I got a chance to read uh a few excerpts of the book and some really good recipes that I will make one day when I have that cheat moment. But I wanted to ask you about when you were just starting out and you were, you know, you started out obviously with not as much investment capital behind you and a lot of uncertainty. What were you most afraid of? And how did you keep going in the midst of all that?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

You know, years ago, so my business has been open for about five years now. And five years ago, if you were to ask me this question, my answer would be failure. And my definition of failure is different now. So then, you know, to say failure would be I wouldn't succeed. The business would not, I wouldn't, you know, have customers, it's just profitable, I it just wouldn't be successful. Um now when I look at it hindsight, failure means I I didn't do, I didn't try to do something that I wanted to do. You know, to me, that's failure at this moment. So when I think about the difficulties um uh of running a business, it is very challenging at times, but I feel like just who I am, I have my morals and values. Um, I have worked on um my confidence and self-worth, that is what really pushes me forward. Um, to be honest, you know, when I'm faced with a difficult decision that I have to make with the business, um if something just doesn't align with me personally, um, I don't move forward with it because I just realized that it's just not for me. Um, I realize that I built a business based off of who I truly am as a person, and I want to stay in that space. Um, so I can say, you know, having that in mind, that is what helped me um get through challenging times, but then that also what keeps me moving forward. Um, so I know where I've come from and where I'm going to continue to go.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

And I think that's essential because you got to think about it. Uh, and I'm sure for not just you, but for all of us who are out here maybe trying to start businesses or do new things in our lives, it's like you have to get to a point where you bet on yourself. And you clearly took a moment where you you bet on yourself. I was I mean, you obviously uh did, and I just I'm thinking about again what she sent me, and you mentioned in a portion of it, it was like kind of like you were like fighting for your life during that time. And so it's like, what were you carrying that maybe people couldn't see because you come across so confident, like you always carry it, and I'm sure you always had it because you bet on yourself. Well, what were you carrying that people just didn't understand?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

So years ago, I really I was in a moment in my life where depression, I was depressed. Um, I had a life-changing um experience that happened to me, and it really um affected me. Um, it really just impacted my day-to-day living. Um, and I didn't know who I was, to be honest with you. I had no clue. Um, I had to figure this out. Um, I really did. And so I really just I'm actually asked you to ask me the question again. Sorry, I lost my train of thought.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

It it I think you're kind of answering it. It's literally like, what were you carrying? Because obviously you were carrying some of those experiences from that traumatic moment during that time when you were building your business.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yeah, so I was carrying the weight of um embarrassment. So when I had a a trauma traumatic experience in my life, and that's what really kind of kick started my depression. Um, and uh it really changed the way I looked at family. It changed the way I looked at uh friendship. Um I lost um some friends, to be honest with you, and I just did not know um who I was, you know, at the at that time. Um, so I had a lot of this guilt, I would say. And do I know why I had that guilt? But I feel like, you know, as women, sometimes we take on problems and we hold it, you know, we hold it dear to us and we hold it like it, it we have to solve that problem. We have to be superwoman. So again, not having the confidence um and self-worth at that time, I was holding on to all of that weight. Um, and that really impacted me in a way where I felt like I didn't I couldn't make decisions. Um, again, I was depressed. There was times where I didn't even want to leave my house, to be honest with you. And I didn't leave my house some days. Um, some days I didn't even eat. Um and I had to find I had to find something that gave me purpose. I had to find my light. I had to find something that I enjoyed. So I realized that baking is something that I was just peaceful when I was baking. It was mindless, you know, I really enjoyed it. So I really held on to that, to be honest with you. I said, okay, what can I do? Where, how can I put myself in this position where I'm baking more often so I can be in a place of peace. Um, so having that, being able to really focus on that um has helped help me in the moment um to really lessen the load, I should say. Lessen the load that I felt at the moment. Um and so then when I went ahead and opened my shop um and the day of my opening, um, and I talk about this in my book, I had this white uh suit on, and you know, it looked great. I'm with my daughter, I'm with my family, you know, but I I was still internally fighting my own battles as far as with the depression. Um and it was very hard, you know, it really was very challenging um even to have to smile in some of the pictures. It was it was painful, you know, um, because I was still, again, I was working on my self-worth, but I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be in my life. Um, I felt like everyone, again, I was holding on to um embarrassment. So I was holding on to that. Um, and so yeah, so someone else may not see it in the pictures, but I I see it when I look at myself, you know, in um on my opening deck.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

No, I totally could imagine and depression, totally understand. I've been there and it's so hard. And but I commend you for even being able to power through. Like that shows to me such a level of determination to still go forward, still build this, still know that this is what you want to do, even in the midst of like depression. Because I I I understand what you're saying. It about not wanting to leave the house and not eating, it's tough, but you still power through. What was it that made you power through?

SPEAKER_01 13:52

There was a series of things to be honest. Obviously, I have my daughter, so my daughter is uh loving my life, I love her, that's my girl. Um you know, knowing that I had a purpose, meaning I was a mother. So, yes, I was sad internally and so on, but I had to show up for her. Um, she only has one childhood, and so I want to make sure that her memories in her childhood are um the greatest that they can, you know, possibly be. Um, and I just didn't want a memory of hers to be, well, my mom was sad, you know, my mommy didn't leave the house or we couldn't go somewhere because my mom was depressed or whatever, you know. I didn't even want her even to know anything about depression. So um having that in the back of my mind, you know, I said to myself, well, you you have to push through. You have to figure out where's your light? You have to find it. And so, like I said, baking for me at that time was my light. That was the place where I could be as peaceful as possible, um, I could be as creative as possible. Um, and it just took me away from feeling sad. Um, so that's really what pushed me. And then I realized as I started to bake, I realized the way it made me feel great. However, my customers, when they would come pick up the cake or so on, how it made them feel. So it was like this back and forth, like, you know, I felt great. Um, you know, I was on this wonderful feeling, this high, I would say, of feeling exciting and, you know, excited and so on that I made this cake. And then knowing that, you know, when my customers picked up their cake, the smile on their face. So it it made me continue to bake and say, you know what, I may be feeling a certain way inside, but I'm able to produce this and I'm able to provide joy in the moment for someone else. So that's really what kept me going to the next cake and you know, the next customer, you know, and so on.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Well, I'm really glad that you kept going. Like I've had your baked goods, your baked treats, and they're delightful. I remember when you made me cupcakes for my birthday, and I was so grateful. And they were so I could taste the love in it, and it really meant a lot. So knowing that, I guess I'm I'm really glad that you you got some of that love that you give to other people back to you. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

I'm really glad.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

I'm glad too. I know it's not easy to find yourself, but I'm easy because again, like I just thinking about everything that you share with me and about how you talk about everything, baking with purpose. So, do you feel like that purpose was to find yourself and to spread joy?

SPEAKER_01 16:47

It definitely was to spread joy. Um, it definitely um, yes, to find myself because I find myself, found myself, excuse me, more through baking. Um, but the I really enjoyed um baking and giving joy to to the next person. I really enjoy that because it I'm I'm a firm believer in you don't know what the next person may be going through. You don't know, you know, if they're having a tough day. And that one cupcake, you know, that had a smiley face on it or whatever, it really could make or break their day. Or, you know, maybe they never had a birthday cake before. And here I am, you know, I whipped up a chocolate ganache, you know, you know, cake or whatever, and it just it changed their life. So that it's just an addictive feeling for me. Um, and so when I say baking with a purpose, that that is my purpose. Um, I also, you know, teach classes, and um part of the reason why I started teaching classes besides the the pandemic, um I realized that when I teach classes, I'm I'm pretty funny throughout the class. You know, I always I I talk and I talk about different things and it it people enjoy the experience of it. Um, a lot of people when they're baking, they um some people get very nervous about it, like, oh, I can't bake. I can't, you know, I don't know how to use the measuring spoons or cups and so on. So I make it, I make the experience very relatable. Um, and so I love when I see customers, they walk away from my classes and they're excited that they actually produce something. They actually made a delicious cupcake cookie or whatever. Um, and so I gave them that experience and maybe I planted a little seed inside of them to say, you know what, I actually do like baking. Um, because that's what happened to me. I was watching a cake baking show, and uh I just said, well, that looks cool. And I didn't have no clue what I was doing, and I went ahead and here I am years later, um, you know, with a business. So I just want to be able to bake with a purpose to give people joy and that joy of being able to be themselves, the joy of smiling, the joy of perhaps experiencing something that is new to them that they could they too can give to someone else.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

I love that. I think it's just so cool because you, like you said, you get a chance to kind of teach people a little bit of healing, a little bit of love, a little bit of joy, a little bit of fun, and you kind of make something yummy at the same time. It's really the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Um it's cool because now that kind of leads me right into where I wanted to go with your book. And so, um, like I said, I read an excerpt and your book does it feels like a love letter. It feels like a love letter to your daughter, to your family, and the little girl inside of you. Um, when did you kind of realize that you needed to do this and give that little girl and your family and your daughter that attention?

SPEAKER_01 19:55

You know, when I started my healing journey, um, I had a really good friend of mine. She had uh made a meditation table for me, and I still have this table.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

And it's a simple little wooden table, you know, nothing too fancy. And I love it. I would sit at this table, and that's where all my thoughts started to come, um, come into play, where I knew that I loved baking. I knew that I had this healing that needed to be done, um, and this process, this journey that I needed to embark on. Um, so I would sit at this table and I'd started just writing. Um, and I have tons of notebooks. I write down all my thoughts. Uh, I have to, that's my way of getting it out of my brain in a way, like, oh, I gotta get my thoughts out, I have to put them down on paper. But when I continued to write in my journals, the same thoughts kept coming up, which was I'm gonna own a bakery. It it I don't know where it came from, but it kept coming up. And I'm like, I don't know anything about a bakery, I don't know anything. And as I was saying this to myself, I had the doubt. So you start thinking, I'm no, I can't do this. I, you know, I never opened up a bakery before, I don't know what I'm doing, and you know, so on. So I said to myself, I'm just gonna listen to that little voice inside of me. I I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm gonna go ahead and and give, give, give her a shot, you know? And I'm so glad I did. Um, so when I started continuing to write down my thoughts, um, and I realized that opening the shop, I actually was opening a new chapter in my life personally at the same time. So as I was building the shop, meaning networking, meeting new people, trying new recipes, and so on, I actually, at the same time, I was learning different coping mechanisms for myself. Um, I started therapy. You know, I started other hobbies that I realized that I really enjoyed. So I was building myself the same time. Personally, I was building the business. And so I realized that the more I became connected with that inner voice within me, the better I was off. As far as with my business, is just personally. So I can't say, you know, I don't have a specific date and time where I'm like, this is when exactly when that voice spoke to me. But I can say though, it was simultaneously around the same exact time that I decided to open up the shop, is when I was the most vulnerable I've ever been in my life. I know. Yeah. But I did it. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Yeah, and I love that. Because again, it just takes such an act of betting on yourself. And it's funny because, like in the red velvet chapter, you kept reiterating how you are not going to be for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

No.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

And that's okay. That's all right. And it was all right. And I felt that quite a bit when I was reading that portion. And so I guess my question is when did you stop trying to? Was it in that moment? I guess maybe earlier when you decided to open the chapter, open the right, start writing your thoughts. Is that when you decided to start just relieving like I got this and didn't have to worry about it? Or were you a little bit later in it? You know?

SPEAKER_01 23:28

I would say that was the moment really when I just said this is who I am, you know, and I have to I have to be comfortable with who I am. Um because if I'm not, who will? You know, I'm I'm the I'm the only Rennell, you know, the only maybe another Renel in this world, but I'm just saying, as far as I am me, you know, I don't have a twin or anything like that. So I have to like, you know, like this is I have to be comfortable with myself. Um, so I just really just said to to myself, you know, I can meet so many people, in which I started to become more social. I started to meet more people, and you come across people that you know that may not um like you for whatever the reason may be. And again, that's okay. It it shouldn't stop you from becoming who you are. Um, and I had to teach myself that, but then I also had to teach my daughter that too.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

So I had to become pretty, pretty good at that, so I can show her I can lead by example. Um, so that's why I was pretty clear in that chapter, the first chapter, Red Velvet.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Like, hey, like, hey, we I'm not every red velvet's not for everybody. That's okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

I'm not forgotten.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

And I loved how you kind of phrased it like that because red velvet is kind of one of those things. It's not everybody doesn't love that. That case. Yes, they just don't. Yes. I do, but I get it.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

You know, and I that's actually one of my favorite chapters because I do talk about my daughter a lot um in that chapter. It's it's pretty, it's that chapter is dedicated to her. Um, and again, I had to teach her that it is okay, you don't have to be friends with every, you know, everyone. You could be polite, you know, of course, respectful, but you don't have you don't have to be friends with everyone. Um and that is okay, you know, and how showing her that uh after every everything in the world or after everything that you know you go through, different lessons and so on. I think if you know that, if you know that within yourself, you could walk away from whatever situation that doesn't uh fit you, you know, or doesn't suit you, um, and be okay with that. So it's a skill, a life skill to um to really become pretty good at because you will have to walk away from situations where that are just not for you, um, or people that are just not for you, and you have to be okay with that.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Oh, totally agree. And that is a very hard lesson, especially, you know, many of us growing up, we weren't taught those things practically. Like our parents were not sitting us down and having those conversations all the time. So, you know, a lot of us are burned trial by fire, but I I totally appreciate that. And I can tell, do you feel like your journeys and as you're continuing to evolve is how you are like now raising your daughter? Like, how does that like impacting your motherhood journey? How does that kind of parallel together?

SPEAKER_01 26:33

Yeah, you know, when you become a parent, there's no book that says, here you go, here's the book, open to chapter five, and everything you need is there. No, there's no there's no book. Um, so yeah, I I'm really learning every day. I don't have the answers to everything. And I I again I really just focus on confidence, you know. If you know your self-worth and you're confident in yourself, that will get you far. That's going to get you indoors, you know, um, where you need to be, sitting at tables or or whatever you need to, advancing your career and so on. And personally, that's going to put you in safe places. So it's it's yeah, definitely um very important and in and um a skill to have. And again, I don't have all the answers. I'm not the you know the best parent in the world, but what I do know is that I will teach my child that. And um, and I hope she learns, she definitely picks up on it. I hope so. Oh, for sure. And uh yeah, I I mean I I enjoy being a parent. Um, it was scary, you know, at first. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know that I was going to be, you know, a great mother, but I realized that the more I became myself, the more she the more she continued to to pick up on that. And and she can say, and she says it now, like, oh wow, mommy, you just went and did that. Yes, I did. Um, you know, if I'm going somewhere with the business um of I I take her as much as possible because I want her to see the rooms that I have to walk in and the people that I have to talk to, so she can, you know, gain more experience and also um take that experience and apply that in her life and her journey um along the way.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Oh, I love that because you can clearly see how you are trying to build legacy in that. Yes, yes, and building it. Yes, but you're doing a wonderful job and doing that while healing, that's very powerful, you know. Yes, very powerful. So I guess kind of even leaving into living into healing or leaning into healing a little bit more. In the book, you were writing about it, and when you were writing about your healing journey, you talked about having to face the person who caused your pain. What did that season teach you though about strength when you were in that moment?

SPEAKER_01 29:07

You know, that season taught me, whoo, I'm a bad woman. That's what that season taught me. That I can um, yeah, I definitely can um persevere through through whatever challenges I have set in, you know, in front of me. Um, I have really have come a long way um with a particular person. I I really have. Um, and I had to do it for myself, you know, I had to forgive, not for for them. Forgiveness is for yourself. And I didn't understand that saying. It took me a very long time to understand that saying, but I realized the more I forgave, the lighter I became.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Um, and the stronger I felt. So I feel now I'm more confident that if I'm faced with a challenge, that um I I know I have more tools in my in my tool bag. I know I can go back to my you know toolbox and say, oh, oh, I've seen this before, you know, let me sort this out, let me go grab this tool. And if I don't, you know, have the right tool, okay, then I know the resources where to get it from. So it definitely has strengthened me. Um, and it's helped me, you know, even in future um relationships, you know, if I'm in a situation where this person does not suit me or this person is not for me, then I'm more comfortable with saying, no, this is not, this is not working. This is not going to work for me. Um, so it definitely has helped me that time, you know, in my life. Um, and I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for the experience. Um and I'm grateful that I'm able to talk about it. There was a time where I could not talk about it, um, where I would get emotional, or, you know, I just didn't even have the right vocabulary to be able to express how I felt. But now I can have a conversation about it. Um, I can identify if someone else is, you know, having a hard time expressing their emotions. I can, you know, definitely help them to describe and you know, let them know you're not alone. You know, it happened, it happened to me or it it happened to, you know, so on. So it definitely has helped me in in that moment, and it's helped me, you know, um really just move forward in my life. Forgive them and just move forward.

unknown 31:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

Because it and that's powerful because a lot of people are carrying so much weight, so many trauma traumatic experiences and so much unforgiveness, and it holds you back. And I love how you have shifted that and trying to make sure that obviously it doesn't hold you prisoner, which I think is great. Do you feel like there are boundaries and everything that you put up in place now to help make sure that you are protecting yourself? Because that takes a lot of vulnerability to put your pain out there.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

It definitely does. It it and I think that's what took me so long. You know, I it's it I started writing this book six years ago. And um, there was several different forms of this book, several different ways. And I'm like, I don't know, I just want to talk about you know my experiences. Okay. And um, I realized that it it's I ended up going with this form. Um, and it's it's almost like a journal in itself. Um, it's very engaging with the readers. Um, and I did that because again, my biggest thing is I want people to feel or know that they're not alone. Um, that is one of the hardest things I personally feel when I was going through my depression where I felt like I was alone. As soon as I start realizing that, no, I'm not the only person that this happened to, or you know, this is happening across the border, you know, or so on. Um it was healing in a way. Um, and it definitely helped me to continue to heal in a direction that I I certainly wanted to.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

I I I like that. And because it is a different format. It's like there's a story, there's a recipe, yeah, there's opportunity to reflect. It's just it is a beautifully done workbook because, like you said, sometimes I don't know, healing feels like it can be found in the creative. Yes. You know, it really does. So I'm really glad that you've been sharing that format. How does your daughter feel about the book?

SPEAKER_01 33:53

Well, she has she's heard me read out loud so many times. Oh, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

That's why I said I know she's got an opinion.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

Um she hasn't heard all the chapters, she's definitely the red velvet chapter for sure. Um she's read some, but you know, I really when I started to write the book, like I said, it the the book really changed different forms. Yeah. And I what I enjoy about the book now, you could be any age reading this book, and you will understand it. That's why I really like and so she does enjoy the book. Like I said, some of the chapters that I have read to her. Um, she actually she thought it was very funny when I read the red chat, the red velvet uh chapter. Um, because um she she looked at me and said, Well, how do you know red velvet is my favorite flavor? I'm like, Are you kidding me? I'm your mother, you know. And so it made her like really think to, you know, like, wow, my mom really pays attention to me, or my mom is really like, I don't even have to see this stuff. How does she know this stuff? Um, and so I could tell, you know, it definitely made her proud in a way. Um, she actually tells me, um, sometimes at school, she'll say, Oh, I tell my teacher about your business. Oh, I told my teacher about this. And I've gotten customers from from my daughter. They'll say, Oh, yeah, your daughter told me about you. Um, my daughter used to walk around with um business cars, my business cars on my bookback.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

That is, I mean, yeah. So I definitely love her. So yes, she she is excited about the book. She did say um uh finally you're done. Um shade, but yes, yes. Um, but she is she is excited for it. Um she I think it took her a while to understand as far as oh, you're really you're really putting this book together. I think she took it as, oh, this is just mommy writing in her journal. And then when she really saw me actually, you know, moving to the my computer and typing it all in, she's like, oh no, you're really doing something with this. Like, yes, I am. It's not just my journal. Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

This is actually a book. This is part of your legacy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

So she's she's excited overall. Um, and I'm just again, I'm just excited for her to experience um, you know, the journey that I went through to write the book. And I hope that it just plans, I planted, excuse me, a seed um within her to even if it doesn't have to be writing a book, but to to um be as creative as she would like, whatever makes her happy. Um, and so yeah, I hope I drew that for her.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

Because that's that is like I said, it is it is very rare for women, especially for black women, yes to be so open and honest with our traumas to the point where we talk to our you know our children in a way from a place of bitterness about the things that we've been through, but from a place of I want you to understand that I survived and I don't want you to follow my footsteps, but I want you to understand where I came from.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Yeah, I think that's really good. Because I was gonna ask you, like, you know, thinking about it of your book, like I said, it does feel like a very beautiful love letter to your family, to her. When you think about your legacy, you know, not just what you're gonna leave behind, which is this beautiful body of work, but how you live day to day, what matters most to you now.

SPEAKER_01 37:27

You know, oh that's when I think about the beginning, you know, what started this book. Um, and I did mention this um in the intro to the book. My mother, um, we love her macaroni cheese. She's great at it. She knows, you know, come Thanksgiving or family gathering, she's the one. Don't don't ask nobody else. She's the one. And my mother, the thing is, we always joke, she doesn't write this stuff down. She never writes her recipes down. So um I have a big family. I have um four siblings, well, four, excuse me, four sisters, and I'm a younger brother. And we always, you know, we'll text her and say, Mom, how do you make the mac and cheese or how do you make pasta salad or whatever? And she'll tell us, but every time there's something different, you know, there's a oh yeah, this. Um, because she doesn't write it down. What she does, she keeps it on her head. And as she's cooking, you know, she'll throw in an extra dash of pepper or whatever. And we joke about it that she, you know, doesn't write this stuff down. But I realize that we're not the only family like that. In our culture, we just don't write it down. Why? I don't know. Um, but yet we want these recipes to continue to live through our families, um, even after you know, a person may have passed away or so on. So um I took that in mind and you know, and I really kind of uh uh put together my thoughts as far as with my recipes and so on. And um, and I I created this, you know, this book, which I think is pretty pretty cool. So I'm hoping, you know, after reading this book, whoever reads this book that um I plant a seed in them to write down their thoughts um and maybe write down their recipes as well. And if you don't have a journal, if you don't have a sacred place to write this stuff down, write it in this book. So then you can give this book to a family member, a friend, or whomever. Uh, but our lovely recipes are written down. Um, and so that's when I think about legacy, that's what I want my legacy to be, is that I want people to bake with a purpose, uh, which is passing on the legacy, passing on joy, passing on that recipe.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Yeah, I love that because you're right, most of us don't. I know personally I cook and just season into the ancestors. That's true. I don't have anything else. I don't I do follow a lot of recipe books. I love a good recipe, but yeah, you you know, when you have your own, you just zhuzh it up and it never tastes the same the entire time, but it tastes good. That's all you need to know.

SPEAKER_01 40:18

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:19

But I I love that because I agree, we do have to, if you think about it, we're the modern day grios of our family. We're we're the storytellers, and so we have to get into that habit of being able to continuously tell our story. So I love that. So I have a few questions, additional questions for you. Sure. Um, just you know, we're gonna well, some fun, some not, but some thieves, some fun. So one for the woman who's listening, who might feel like she's in survival mode and trying to figure it out. What would be one thing you would want her to know?

SPEAKER_01 40:56

She's not alone. She's not the only one. Um, and talk. Talk to whoever you feel safe with, um, and and talk and write it down. Write down your thoughts, um, and know that your voice matters. Um I feel like at times um we can feel like our tongue is heavy, and when I say that, that we don't want to speak how we feel, or we're too nervous about, oh, if I say this, then you know, we're afraid of what what can what can happen at the the back end, but your voice matters. Um and we matter. So yes, you're not alone. Um, find your safe place um and find find a hobby or find something that makes you happy. It could be just doodling in a notebook. And if that makes you happy, then go buy all the notebooks you possibly can and doodle away. Because having that piece of of joy for even a few minutes, that's gonna open up another chapter for you to move forward. And then that's gonna open up another chapter, and you're only going to continue to heal to a place or get to a place where um you can actually begin to talk about it and feel safe and feel comfortable to talk about what's going on, and then you too can um help another person heal or get to where you know where they should be.

SPEAKER_00 42:30

I love that. That is totally how I feel about this space. That's why I created it the same, just like you, in the cycle of healing and wanting other people to just not make the same mistakes that I'm making and to create spaces for women to support and encourage each other. So I that that was one of the reasons why I also wanted to talk to you because I knew you were that kind of soul. Thank you. Thank you. So then that's okay. I have I have to ask because it's been on my mind the entire time we've been talking. What is your favorite dessert?

SPEAKER_01 43:03

Oh, I love a brownie, just okay, yeah. Brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The brownie has to be heated up in the microwave.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yes, yes, with a little mushy moisture.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

Just a little, yes, and then a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That is my absolute favorite, my go-to. If you, you know, you're trying to get to my my soft side, that's what it is, right there.

SPEAKER_00 43:28

I had to ask, and I'm like, my goodness, the amount of stuff that you make and see. I just had to know. I'm like, you have she has to have a favorite, she just has to have one favorite for herself.

SPEAKER_01 43:37

Yes, yes. And I'm pretty simple, you know. I love baking, I love what I do, but uh, and I try, like you said, I I've baked so many different things, and I've tried different desserts, but there's something about just a classic brownie.

SPEAKER_00 43:50

I love it. Yes, a good classic brownie is essential.

SPEAKER_01 43:53

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:54

I agree. Do you have a word for 2026?

SPEAKER_01 43:59

Oh man. Yeah, a word. I would have to say abundance.

SPEAKER_02 44:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:09

Abundance.

SPEAKER_00 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:11

Stand in it. Be okay with it.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

Yeah. I l I was gonna say you you look, your energy feels wealthy. And when I talk about feeling wealthy, it's not it's not a money thing, but you feel like you're surrounded in love. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

Yeah. I you know, I'm in a really great place, to be honest with you. Um, I'm it was perfect timing to to finish this book. And um I think everything happens for a reason. I think there's a reason why it took me six years to get to where I'm at. Um and it's just perfect. So yes, I am in a one great space, and I hope I continue to grow and you know in a better, you know, in a better space. But I hope that um I hope the joy um that I have, I hope that you know it can rub on on the next rub off, excuse me, on the next person and give them whatever joy that they, you know, feel like they may need at the moment. Um, because we all need it. We all need an extra hug and you know, an extra friend sometimes, someone to simply say, I hear you. Um, and so that that's all I want. Um, and I want to be able to motivate um people. I want them to know that again, I'm self-taught, self-taught baker. I opened the bakery with a$5,000 budget and and a hope and a wish. And here I am. And do it.

SPEAKER_00 45:35

Yeah, I love that. Because yeah, it's sometimes it's that that betting on yourself that's just it's the hardest part, but sometimes you just have to try. I'm so glad that you tried. So then I want you to tell us all about you. So, like, come on now, where are you located? Tell us where we can get the book, like, give us all the deets, and I will make sure that I put it in the show notes too. But yeah, we got to support and follow.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

Love that, love that. So, my bakery again. The full name is Nellie Streets Boutique Bakery. You can find me on Instagram and also Facebook, and I also have a website, Nellie Streets uh.com. You could find the book if you go right on my um right on my webpage. It's right there. You can't miss it. Order book, go ahead and click. Um, I'm located in Cohoes, New York.

SPEAKER_00 46:20

Yes. Yes. So I I definitely for all of you guys. Now, do you or have you thought about delving into the online shipping thing? Are you trying to figure that out?

SPEAKER_01 46:30

You know, I have thought about that, uh, to be honest with you. That is uh definitely uh there's a lot of levels to that as far as uh completing it, but that is something I am uh certainly considering um because you know, I'm always looking to grow and experience new things.

SPEAKER_00 46:47

Well, I love that. I love that, and definitely when I'm back in Albany again, because I will be there soon to see my husband, I'm sure. I'm going to make him sign us up for one of the courses.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 47:02

Because I want to do it. I told him that. So, honey, I know you're listening. I want to do that. I'm gonna do that. He'll do it. You'll do it. He did, he did, he will do it. He took me to a cooking class for a date. And I was so surprised, and it just speaks to my inner love language because I love to cook and bake. So, girl, yeah, I didn't know. What did you guys cook? I'm curious. We went to um Sir La Tab, okay, and we made lobster wrap ravioli and blood orange salad and cristinis, and we yeah, I mean, he he did good.

SPEAKER_01 47:38

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

I was so impressed. So, yes, he did good. So you can break this cook and these cookies, we're gonna do this together. Yes, we're gonna do that. Yes, that's fantastic. Love it. So, yes, I will make sure I put all the information in the show notes for you, and then I have one final question for you. Absolutely. As you sit right now, in this moment in your life, what feels the most well done?

SPEAKER_01 48:05

The fact that I can talk about my experiences, the fact that I can share my experiences, the fact that I can own it and and and that's it. And and there's no um apologies, you know, be my unapologetic self, as they say. Yes, that feels well done to me. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 48:25

I that is a gift because a lot of people don't feel that way, and so I'm so grateful that you are feeling that way. I'm so excited to read the rest of the book. So, yes, I'll be going to purchase a copy so I can join the rest of it. Because I want the recipes too. Like, I gotta build the repertoire. Yeah, I really want to thank you for sitting down and taking time with me. I'm really excited about your growth. And I I will always support, I will always share your information. So I'm really excited to see what you do because I know that this is just a beginning for you.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Well, I thank you so much for this opportunity. Like I said, this was the first for me, but you know, when you reach out to me, I said, absolutely, I think this is amazing. Um, you know, and and it it it gives the readers, you know, an opportunity to really get to know who I am as a person behind the behind the words in the book, you know. So again, I thank you. Um, and I really appreciate this time.

SPEAKER_00 49:24

Oh no, it was my pleasure. So, guys, I will make sure I share all of Renel's information in the show notes, the links, and we look forward to sharing more with you and anytime you want to come back, come back. I'm happy to talk. And I will see you when I come back to Albany soon. So, thank you again for your time for everything. We really appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you so much. You're welcome. You're welcome. So, guys, that's the episode this week. I'll make sure that um I'm gonna be back next week with another episode. I have some other things to talk about, some new things that we're gonna be doing. So, more to come, more to come, but please take care of yourselves and each other. I hope that you will have a wonderful rest of the weekend and week, and we'll talk again soon. Take care. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

Bye.

SPEAKER_00 50:12

Bye.