Still Got Joy!
Dr. Shonda Reynolds Author, Filmmaker, Life Coach & Minister
By Patricia M. Hammock, M.Ed./AET
T
alking with Dr. Shonda Reynolds feels like getting a long, tight hug from your grandmother. You feel valued, loved and affirmed. She meets you where you are with a gritty realism uncommon among the clergy. The Pulaski, Tennessee native overcame drug addiction while in rehab in 1997. There, Dr. Reynolds experienced a spiritual awakening that has sustained her 23-year sobriety from crack cocaine. She became an author in 2013 and self-published her first book, Dying to Live, a true story of being freed from addiction, adultery and unwise decisions, by the power of God. Dr. Reynolds, who is an ordained Minister, has published a sequel, Dying to Live (A New Beginning) and coauthored/executive produced the full-length feature film, STILLGOTJOY, which is an autobiographical look at her journey to triumph. Dr. Reynolds says she is very excited to be featured in the inaugural edition of the Women Who Rock Nashville Magazine and credits Divine connections for her chance meeting with event and magazine visionary, Tanya DavisThirkield, while appearing on a talk-show in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for the honor. “I was elated when Tanya asked me to be featured.” Dr. Reynolds is a first-generation college graduate, 14
Women Who Rock Nashville
earning a BA in Social Work from Middle Tennessee State University, (MTSU), in 2003 and her first master’s degree in 2010 in Professional Studies in Public Service Management from Cumberland University. She graduated with honors and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary in 2013; she also holds a second master’s degree, awarded in 2017, in Professional Studies in training and Development from MTSU. Dr. Reynolds credits her husband as the visionary for STILLGOTJOY. “When he read the book, he said, ‘This should be a movie.’ He believed in it. It was amazing that he believed in me and my story enough to want it to be told.” Due to lack of funding and little knowledge about the film industry, she said she wrote the script and let it sit for a while. She gives praises to “the most-high God” as she describes the process of getting her film made. Neither Dr. Reynolds nor her husband had any theater or film experience. They formed a committee to begin researching the process of film production and found an awesome Director, Ricky Ivy and Cinematographer, Ricky Burchell. Several artists agreed to appear on the film soundtrack. The actors were real people. One professional actor lent their time and talent. The production took only six weeks to wrap in 2018. All the while, Dr. Reynold’s husband was working in the background to ensure they had the
