Last week our Stories We Carry — Digital Edition on the theme "Becoming Us" offered a truly rare gift: an open conversation with Renee Tillotson, founder of the Still & Moving Center, joined unexpectedly by her luminous 92-year-old mother, Nancy.
Renee's journey from competitive gymnast to construction company president to visionary community builder is definitely a fascinating one. And as she shared beautifully personal stories from her childhood, a clear message emerged:
The key to an authentic life is having the foundation—or the love—to explore beyond the script.
This concept of permitted exploration within an existing structure seems to have shaped so many things for Renee. She recounted her time cooking with her mother, where she developed an "iconoclast tendency" to scrap the recipe and declare, "I really think it needs spinach." And her mother’s response wasn't frustration; it was belief. That early permission — to experiment with the ingredients of a recipe, and by extension, the ingredients of a life — became the quiet architecture of everything Renee would go on to build.
Her mother's own career wove from teacher to librarian, and in that movement Renee found an inheritance more valuable than any title. "It really is not so important what job we have in our life," she reflected. "It's more how we do it, and what we're doing it for." Purpose over position. Intention over instruction. It's a deceptively simple idea that turns out to be an extraordinary way to live.
Armed with that inner compass, Renee could navigate anything — construction contracts, creative pivots, the full beautiful chaos of reinvention. She found her true calling with the Nia Technique at the age of 46, and at 54 the decision to open the Still & Moving Center was less a choice and more an inevitability. Because her parents had gifted her the ultimate tool: "My whole life, my mom and my dad had always given me the confidence that I could do whatever I thought I wanted or needed to do."
If you’ve ever felt like your journey doesn't fit a tidy box—if you’ve ever been guided by intuition over instruction, or if you’ve wondered how humor and integrity translate into perseverance—I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation. Renee and Nancy's stories of puzzle-making, social justice, hand-sewn matching doll clothing, and a famous pair of "happy pants" - reveal the beautiful, unscripted path to creating spaces for belonging, connection, fluidity and laughter. (Click here to watch the conversation)
This Mother's Day, I encourage you to dig deep into your memories and find those special moments that molded you into who you are. I feel strongly - whatever is happening around us, whatever is happening within us, whatever turmoil is there - in or out - showing up for the people you love gives them the strength, and peace, and courage for many years forward. Whether it is your mom, your dad, your special sibling, your grandparent, your spouse or your neighbor. Showing up and sharing in has never been more important.
And if you’d like to share a story or two about a person who helped your find your own beautiful path, you can do so in writing, over audio or video, using your name or remaining completely anonymous! Every story is collected and held with kindness, care, and the utmost respect.
With much Aloha,
Olga Miller