Today we’d like to introduce you to Reonda Hunt.
Hi Reonda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a child growing up in a primarily single-family home, of which my mom was a drug addict, I always found myself wanting and needing more from life. In order to cope with the reality of my home life, I consumed myself with my studies and education. I recall telling my mom I was going to be rich by the age of 30, not knowing 30 would be here faster than I thought but that plan is still in motion, just slow motion.
I was determined to succeed regardless of the environment. I realized, even as a kid that I was different. God made me different because I have a purpose, a purpose to be all that I can be. If you asked anyone, I was going to be this internal medicine doctor that traveled the world helping people in impoverished areas. Boy, was I wrong! As I soared and skated through high school, God placed the right people in my life to help me succeed and encourage me to further my education. I was pointed in the right direction, as I applied for colleges and prepared myself to getaway. I needed to get away from what I knew and saw every day and Mizzou did just that for me. Going to college with very minimal support turned me into a beast.
It showed me that the only person that has you is YOU! I was able to meet so many different people from different walks of life that it changed my thought process and it taught me to be fearless and versatile. I graduated from Mizzou with my Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry two weeks after giving birth to my first son. A wrench had been thrown into my plan and I felt as though my pursuit to become that internal medicine doctor I always said I would be was not going to happen. I lost focus but eventually, I got back to it and I started to study hard for the entrance exam for medical school. After completing the exam and doing okay, I told myself it was okay not to be a doctor but not okay to be complacent.
I was a single mom now, I needed money so I found a job. Not the job for me but just a job. I worked for AT&T’s cell phone warranty department for about eight months, of which during that time I knew it was more in store for me. I enrolled back in school, determined to reeducate myself in the sciences and retake the medical school entrance exam. While back in college, I learned about a company that helped scientific majors get employment in laboratories. I applied and I had four interviews booked within less than 24 hours. Within a week, I was offered a position as a Health Physicist at a radiopharmaceutical company. I started two weeks later and 10 years later, I am still there and have been promoted.
Although I am not physically helping people, the company in which I work allows me to be a part of research and treatments that help people. My passion for science is only half of whom I am because my passion for fashion is what drove me to start an online shoe store for women. The love I have for shoes pushed me to research wholesale shoe vendors and because I have small feet I was excited to be able to keep my size and profit from the others.
It has been eight years of pop-up shops, vendor events, and free local delivery. Whether it’s calculating dose assessments at Curium Pharma or searching for inventory for Unique Girlz Shoetique, I love what I do because I do what I love.
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 has definitely been a little bumpy along the way. Some of the struggles I’ve endured are personal woes, unexpected events, and trauma. My story started with struggle, my life is bred from struggle, and without it, I would not be the woman I am today. My biggest setback for me is when my younger sister lost her battle with breast cancer in 2019.
Watching her fight fed my soul with the fearlessness that I needed to overcome anything. Without struggle, there is nothing to overcome. With that, I also inherited my nephews as my bonus boys. With all that I do, I am also the proud mom of four boys.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work full-time for a radiopharmaceutical company that produces radiological drugs for imaging and cancer treatments. My job is to ensure the safety of all the employees who work with or around radiation. After work, I become an entrepreneur who specializes in offering women unique shoes at affordable prices.
I am also the co-host of the High Heels and Tea Podcast. I am extremely proud of myself and the woman that I have become. My drive, knowledge, and versatility set me apart from others because I see all things as opportunities to grow.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
God deserves the most credit for creating such a wonderful human, my mother for showing me how life can alter your future if you allow it to, my cousin for teaching me to be independent, all the women and mentors from Girl’s Inc.
That helped me along the way with advice, scholarships, direction, and love, my husband for encouraging me to start my own business, and the friends that have been here no matter what, helping with events, purchasing shoes, and being a shoulder when needed.
Contact Info:
- Email: ugshoetique1@gmail.com
- Website: www.uniquegirlzshoetique.bigcartel.com
- Instagram: @uniquegirlzshoetique
- Facebook: Unique Girlz Shoetique
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/20h0b1AmXUyaFsdDYJU9yj?si=GpiPQHwPRrqSS3Plwtqg8A&dl_branch=1
Image Credits
Tre Cookin Esther Artistry
