Coming from very humble beginnings Author, Public Speaker and former State Senator, Holly Thompson Rehder, speaks across the country on subjects that too often are hidden in the shadows: addiction, sexual abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, and poverty. Issues that she and her sisters knew all too well as children.
Growing up on welfare, food stamps, and Greyhound buses, Holly had to quit school at fifteen to help take care of her mother and younger sister after a devastating car accident. Getting married and pregnant soon thereafter like so many other young girls caught in the poverty-cycle, Holly decided that the life she had been born into was not what she intended to give her child.
Three decades later she was a successful businesswoman, State Representative, and then State Senator serving as an inspiration to women across the state of Missouri—and indeed, the entire nation—all while never forgetting where she came from. She focuses her energy, as she did in her legislative career, to be a voice for those who, for whatever reason, cannot yet find their voice.
As a rare former lawmaker who speaks openly from raw personal experience, Holly’s speeches rise above the worn-out political arguments to provide an unvarnished look inside the worst of American poverty––while challenging those of us with the ability to affect change to do so, while somehow simultaneously reaching out to those struggling behind a strong facade to understand, “It’s ok to not be ok.”
Senator Thompson Rehder also brings a unique perspective to the current opioid crises. A Republican who speaks candidly from personal experience as someone who lived it as a child, got out as a teen, only to see her daughter caught in it, is a bit of an anomaly. Her lived experience mixed with her ability to personally discuss such taboo issues has made her a sought-after speaker and thought leader on these delicate topics.
Ms. Rehder’s background shows her immense street grit, tenacity, and God’s grace. As a teenage mama, homeless at times, she managed to get her GED and worked her way up from the mail room of a cable television company to one of the company’s top directors, Director of Government Affairs, giving her an introduction to the political world. In that capacity, seeing the legislative process first-hand and how intricately it affects people’s lives, she quickly realized the potential it held to bring generational changes for those stuck in poverty and abuse. It was at this time that she decided she should run for office.
First elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2012, Holly spent 8 years in the House and 4 years in the Missouri Senate. Senator Thompson Rehder worked tenaciously to affect change in policies that would help victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, policies to help in the fight against drug abuse and help families struggling in addiction, policies to help children in the state’s foster care, and to ensure funding for the state’s mental health needs. Throughout her legislative tenure, Holly focused on the things that could bring lasting and intentional changes to other people’s lives. This is the passion that drove Holly to write her memoir, Cinder Girl: Growing Up on America’s Fringe. In Cinder Girl, Holly gives a face and an understanding to the struggles that many families go through–so that those with the power to affect change would, and so those who grew up like her would see that, “your past does not define you, you get to define you.” – Holly
Holly is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with her emphasis in Public Relations. She also graduated with a double minor – Political Science and Communications for Legal Professionals (Debate). She has three, very spirited, children, Raychel Jarrett, Johnny Griswell, Jr., and Christian Rehder, and three beautiful grandbabies, Kayden Talley, Karlei Jarrett, and Liam Griswell.
Coming from very humble beginnings Author, Public Speaker and former State Senator, Holly Thompson Rehder, speaks across the country on subjects that too often are hidden in the shadows: addiction, sexual abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, and poverty. Issues that she and her sisters knew all too well as children.
Growing up on welfare, food stamps, and Greyhound buses, Holly had to quit school at fifteen to help take care of her mother and younger sister after a devastating car accident. Getting married and pregnant soon thereafter like so many other young girls caught in the poverty-cycle, Holly decided that the life she had been born into was not what she intended to give her child.
Three decades later she was a successful businesswoman, State Representative, and then State Senator serving as an inspiration to women across the state of Missouri—and indeed, the entire nation—all while never forgetting where she came from. She focuses her energy, as she did in her legislative career, to be a voice for those who, for whatever reason, cannot yet find their voice.
As a rare former lawmaker who speaks candidly from raw personal experience, Holly’s speeches rise above the worn-out political arguments to provide an unvarnished look inside the worst of American poverty––while challenging those of us with the ability to affect change to do so, while somehow simultaneously reaching out to those struggling behind a strong façade to understand, “It’s ok to not be ok.”
Senator Thompson Rehder also brings a unique perspective to the current opioid crises. A Republican who speaks candidly from personal experience as someone who lived it as a child, got out as a teen, only to see her daughter caught in it, is a bit of an anomaly. Her lived experience mixed with her ability to personally discuss such taboo issues has made her a sought-after speaker and thought leader on these delicate topics.
Ms. Rehder’s background shows her immense street grit, tenacity, and God’s grace. As a teenage mama, homeless at times, she managed to get her GED and worked her way up from the mail room of a cable television company to one of the company’s top directors, Director of Government Affairs, giving her an introduction to the political world. In that capacity, seeing the legislative process first-hand and how intricately it affects people’s lives, she quickly realized the potential it held to bring generational changes for those stuck in poverty and abuse. It was at this time that she decided she should run for office.
First elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2012, Holly spent 8 years in the House and 4 years in the Missouri Senate. Senator Thompson Rehder worked tenaciously to affect change in policies that would help victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, policies to help in the fight against drug abuse and help families struggling in addiction, policies to help children in the state’s foster care, and to ensure funding for the state’s mental health needs. Throughout her legislative tenure, Holly focused on the things that could bring lasting and intentional changes to other people’s lives. This is the passion that drove Holly to write her memoir, Cinder Girl: Growing Up on America’s Fringe. In Cinder Girl, Holly gives a face and an understanding to the struggles that many families go through–so that those with the power to affect change would, and so those who grew up like her would see that, “your past does not define you, you get to define you.” – Holly
Holly is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with her emphasis in Public Relations. She also graduated with a double minor – Political Science and Communications for Legal Professionals (Debate). She has three, very spirited, children, Raychel Jarrett, Johnny Griswell, Jr., and Christian Rehder, and three beautiful grandbabies, Kayden Talley, Karlei Jarrett, and Liam Griswell.
