What happens when you take the challenges you've experienced and turn them into a reason to serve others?

On this episode of Purpose Over Popularity, I sit down with Renissa Bird Song, also known as Mama Chito, for a powerful conversation about her journey from growing up in Columbus' Linden community to entrepreneurship, education, law, community service, and discovering her purpose.

Mama Chito openly shares how she went from being a juvenile delinquent and experiencing arrests as a young person to returning to school, pursuing law and psychology, building businesses, and working to create opportunities for others.

We talk about:

🔥 Turning past challenges into purpose
🏘️ What Linden needs to grow and rebuild
🎓 Her journey toward law and higher education
💼 Entrepreneurship and helping others build businesses
🤝 Bringing resources, mentorship, and knowledge back to the community
🧠 Emotional regulation and self-love
🎙️ Using media and your voice to create change
🤖 AI, technology, and ethics
🙏🏾 Faith, spirituality, relationships, and purpose
🌎 The importance of unity and community

One of the biggest messages from our conversation was that having resources isn't enough we also have to teach people how to use those resources to build something sustainable.

Mama Chito also shares a powerful perspective on overcoming difficult circumstances: “The decisions that you make determine how much you love yourself.” She emphasizes emotional regulation, financial freedom, self-love, and discovering who you are beyond survival mode.

And when I asked her what Purpose Over Popularity means, she brought it back to authenticity: you don't have to be known by everybody to make an impact. You can simply operate in your purpose and use what you've been given to help others.

🎙️ PURPOSE OVER POPULARITY
One Voice. One Step. One Purpose.

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