Welcome!
My name is Renee Jensen. I am so humbled that you stopped by. I am an author, an entrepreneur, a coach and mentor. Most importantly I am a mother just like you. Motherhood is what inspired the creation of My Time-Out and what has brought together countless numbers of women seeking solace in what can be a lonely journey.
Motherhood is full of joy and blessings but comes with great responsibility and sacrifice. Along the way, many of us are faced with struggles that can feel impossible to bear alone. I have personally experienced many of these struggles; loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression. My belief is that while we may have a spouse or a partner to support us through these rough times, it really takes a village to raise a family. Some of us are doing it ALL alone but I believe strongly that it takes a village of other moms who can relate and share in each others joy and pain.
I was born in South Korea in 1976. I was adopted by an American family and moved to the U.S. when I was 7 months old. I spent my entire childhood in Illinois, as well as a good portion of my adult life. In 2004, I relocated from Chicago to Jackson Hole, WY where I met my now ex-husband and gave birth to my two children who are now 10 and 8. We spent six years out west until economic times took its toll and caused us to separate and divorce.
During my time out west, I was blessed to be surrounded by a network of women who nursed me through some of the hardest times of my life. My ex-husband had permanently relocated to his home state of New Jersey and I had followed suit with our children in 2011. It was an extremely difficult decision to make seeing as though I had no support network on the east coast but it was the right thing to do. I wanted my children to grow up with two parents and this seemed to be the only way to accomplish that.
I spent the following years doing everything I could to rebuild my life. I was very poor and not receiving any child support. I worked hard and went from job to job trying to better my situation. It was hard but I did what I had to do with no friends and no family. Every year got a little easier and I became more and more financially stable. I was missing one thing in my life and I knew it. I was missing female friends.
I was a member of a local mom's Facebook page. I had never been very active on the page but I watched the interactions. There was a lot of mom shaming that went on and I decided I did not want to be a part of the group anymore. I was just about to remove myself from the page when one evening I posted up a "friend wanted" ad. It read:
"If anybody wants to get a drink or an appetizer some time, let me know"
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Bergen County Mommies Time Out was born that February evening back in 2015. 250 other moms responded to that post in a matter of few hours. I created the FB group that night. One week later 50 moms gathered in to a crowded bar in search of a village. They took matters in to their own hands in order to create their own community.
Since then, the group has grown in to a family of women who come from every different walk of life. I am proud to say that we have all come together to support and lift each other up. Whether it be through the FB group that is now called Mommies Time-Out, the events sponsored by My Time-Out LLC, or through the inspirational content and resources on this website; please find the much needed TIME-OUT you deserve.
I welcome you. The women of this community welcome you. Know that you are never alone. We hope to meet you soon.
XOXO,
Renee
A note from Sarah and Ally: When Sarah first met Renee at a networking event, her bright smile and contagious happiness were what stood out. It’s immediately apparent that she cares about the person she’s talking to, she’s truly interested in other people, and she’s here to make a difference for as many women as she can. Her smile will make you smile, and she is full of energy, vibrant with life, and incredibly warm.
Upon first meeting Renee, you would never know that she’s struggled with dark moments, and that one of her biggest triumphs to date is that she’s still alive. We knew that Renee’s story would become one of the more important in our book as it falls into the hands of women everywhere who are facing the unbearable. We have no control over what life will hand us, but we always have control over how we respond to it. This story illustrates that better than most. And we want to personally thank Renee for her courage, grit, and generosity in sharing her darkest moments, and her true definition of success, which bucks everything we’ve been taught as women. We see this definition of success as simple: LIVE.
Every life matters, everyone is here to share their unique talents, insights, and experiences with others. We need each other, and sometimes it’s up to us to create the communities we need to flourish. Just because things aren’t handed to us on a silver platter, doesn’t mean we don’t deserve them. The point is to get up, get out there, and share ourselves with a world that is hungry for our specific gifts.