Reneé Bemis: Bring Love to Others

Negativity seems to surround us constantly. Whether it's on social media, the news, or at work, everywhere we look there seems to be negativity, anger, or sadness.

But we can choose whether we take on that negativity or not. Our attitude comes from how we look at life. We only get one life, so smile, stop and smell the roses, and enjoy every bit of it. Bring love to others through generosity. Because that's what our world needs the most right now, love and kindness.

Reneé Bemis knows just how powerful some love and kindness can be.

Reneé grew up in Palm Beach, Florida, playing golf, developing a drive that allowed her to compete with the very best golfers and go on to receive a full scholarship to play golf in college. That drive took her as an amateur to several professional tournaments and ultimately the US Open twice. Then, Reneé switched directions, translating her passion to something new: art. An accomplished sculptor, she has earned recognition and numerous awards throughout the United States. Utilizing the ancient lost wax method, her creations are initially created in clay, then cast in bronze. She is also the President of the Society of Animal Artists.

Together with her husband, Brian, she simultaneously runs Driftless Glen Distillery, an award-winning craft distillery in Baraboo, WI. They are located at the edge of the Driftless Area, a unique topographical part of the state that was missed by the last glaciation 15,000 years ago and that now has rugged hills, deep river valleys, rich prairies, and abundant limestone. This local terroir offers not only prime conditions to grow grains, but also a natural sandstone aquifer, allowing Driftless Glen to source grain and water locally and produce their whiskey 100% grain-to-glass. In addition to their bourbon and rye, they have a full range of products that include brandy, vodka, and gin. Driftless Glen takes pride in their double-distillation process that includes a 10,000 pound, 44-ft tall column still along with their one-of-a-kind pot still. Most recently awarded two double gold medals by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and rated by Whisky Advocate with a "90" for their Bourbon Whiskey, the company has been named "Wisconsin Distillery of the Year" by New York International Spirits Competition and shared as a "Top Ten US Spirits Brand You Must Try" by London Spirits Competition. From golf to art, and all the way to craft spirits, share Reneé's dream and "Taste the American Spirit."

In this episode, Reneé passionately shares with us how to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Reneé giving credit and thanks to her little brother (3:00)
• Acknowledging people on a consistent basis (4:48)
• Values derived from adversity (8:56)
• Eliminating entitlement (11:02)
• Teaching others to enhance your own learning (12:04)
• Paying it forward to younger generations (15:57)
• Overcoming challenges during the pandemic (18:54)
• How to help others (26:17)
• Becoming more positive (33:50)

Links:

• Driftless Glen - https://driftlessglen.com
• Sculptures by Reneé - https://reneebemis.com