A Brutally Honest Personal Note
Today, as I write this, I struggle with how to talk about this and how much to share. But if Rede stands for anything, it's transparency, integrity, and hope. Rede was supposed to launch in 2025. It didn't! I have struggled with so much in the process of building Rede.
So here's the truth: building Rede has been one of the hardest experiences of my life.
There were delays. Missed milestones with partners that didn't work. Relationships that broke under pressure. People I trusted who ultimately revealed motivations misaligned with everything Rede was built to represent and the core of who I am as a human being. There were moments this year when I questioned whether I had the mental and/or emotional bandwidth to keep going.
One of the most painful lessons was realizing that not everyone who says they care about a mission is actually willing to serve it. Some people are drawn to a vision for what they can gain from it, not what they can contribute to it. I brought people into this journey believing we were building something bigger than ourselves, that we shared the same values of integrity, and a genuine desire to improve women's lives. I was painfully wrong. I did not listen to my instincts and gave more grace than was deserved. Self-interest was chosen over service. Ego over collaboration. Personal agendas over the women I am committed to helping.
When those moments surfaced, I had a choice: move faster and compromise, or slow down and protect what Rede was always meant to become.
I chose to stop, recalibrate, and ultimately protect myself and the brand. That decision cost time, money, relationships, and pieces of myself I wasn't expecting to lose. It brought me to one of the most painful and vulnerable moments of my life.
Why Rede
Rede was created because women over 40 deserve better. Better information. Better fitness programming. Better conversations about hormones, strength, longevity, recovery, bone health, mental health, and the honest realities of aging, and how to do it well. We deserve solutions built around our biology, not watered-down versions of programs designed for someone else. Science over trends - you won’t ever see Rede led by influencers. Substance over marketing and truth over performance.
That's exactly what we're building and why I am sharing this with each of you.
Why the Name Matters
Most of you don't know the story of Rede. Rede carries two of the greatest losses of my life, which make the most recent gut-wrenching experience even more painful.
Reggie Destin was my best friend, the only person who never wanted anything from me. You would be hard-pressed to find a better human in 10 lifetimes, and yet, I was so blessed and privileged to spend one short moment in time with him. Reggie was killed by a drunk driver in 2012. One day he was here, the next he was gone. So many of us were left broken. In 2015, in my second trimester, I lost my son. I had named him Rede.
Rede carries both of them. Every difficult decision, every late night, every moment I refused to launch something unfinished or compromised, I brought both of them with me. Rede has become my way of honoring their lives by building something that genuinely helps others. Which is why protecting its integrity and intentionality has never been optional.
What's Next
The past year has reminded me of the power of our inherent instincts. When people show us who they are, listen. Give grace where it is deserved, but not to all. Protect what matters. At the same time, it also deepened my conviction. I am still here, still building, still refining, still learning, and still fighting for women who deserve to feel strong, informed, capable, and supported.
The delays were real. The setbacks were real. The heartbreak was real. But so is the mission, and the mission is larger than any obstacle, any setback, or any person who created disappointment, failed to live up to it, or attempted to undermine such a personal and important movement.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for believing in what we're building and in me. The road has been messier than I ever imagined. But I am still here, doing my best, with gratitude to those standing next to me for such an important purpose.
And I am not done yet!
With Love & Gratitude,
Khristine🩷
