Q+R time with Author and SPARC Team Member, Loren Clement:

Question: Will you please tell us a little bit about yourself, Loren?
Response: I’m a 30 year old native of Asheville. I graduated with an undergraduate English degree from Winston Salem State University. I went on to graduate with a master’s degree in Administration of Human Services with a dual Case Management Certificate from Wilmington University. I have one, 3 year old son- who happens to be the greatest little human on earth.

Q: What have your professional roles been with The SPARC Foundation?
R: I started off as a Visitation Coach in July of 2019 and moved into the role of the Visitation Team Supervisor about 3 months later. In April of 2021, I took a position as a Neutral Facilitator which is the role in which I currently serve.

Q: What do you love to do?
R: I love spending time with my son in nature. We do a lot of hiking and going to the lake when the weather is nice. I also enjoy reading and writing. My mom facilitated my love for reading by reading to me, often, as a child. That developed into my desire to write.

Q: Speaking of writing, please tell us about your blog, The Ren-Aissance. What’s behind the name and what can readers expect to find?
R: I chose to name my blog The Ren-Aissance because over the last two years, I’ve experienced a dissolving of much of what I considered my identity. Not an identity crisis, but a renewal of my personhood. In this blog, you get to see that renewal evolve through my conversations about health, wellness, and parenting. I separate the “Ren” from “aissance” in the name because people know me personally as Ren and it signifies that this is personal to me and I’m sharing it with you all.

Q: Health + Wellness – How has the meaning of those words, or that concept, evolved for you over the years?
R: For me, health and wellness has moved from this idea of only working on the physical appearance to considering the condition of my whole self (mind, body, and soul), and from the inside out. I believe that whatever is going on in your mind, heart, and soul will reflect outwardly and tell the story of your health and your wellness. So I think the wholistic approach of working on your inner-self as well as your outer-self is key to maintaining a high quality state of overall health.
     From an outer standpoint, my uncle Alvin Clement is the one who inspired my consideration of nutrition and what I was putting into my body. He’s a retired NC State Trooper, a veteran and a very fit man. One day he told me a story of how though he was always physically fit, one trip to the doctor’s office at age 25 revealed his risk of sustained high blood pressure because of his diet. At the time I was really into working out but still eating whatever I wanted but his experience really caused me to consider a different way of eating- eating to live, not living to eat.
     From an inward standpoint, former pro tennis player, Dennis Simsek definitely inspired me to begin working on enhancing the quality of my mental and emotional health. He’s now an author, podcaster, and influencer who centers his work around overcoming anxiety; though his teachings are transferrable to many other aspects of life.
     While everyone’s navigation through health and wellness is diverse, I just hope that my unique experience inspires someone along the way. 

Thank you, Loren!
You are invited to catch up with Loren at The Ren-Aissance, or on Facebook.