Dr. Marie Mansaray-Lahai

A first-generation Sierra Leonean-American millennial wife and mother to two baby girls, Dr. Marie Mansaray established the lifestyle brand Rie Defined to inspire the goal-getter woman to refrain from being discouraged by societal constraints of household matriarchy and to instead reserve a bit of that ambition to fuel her life’s purpose. Marie was forced into living a renewed life of purpose following her most vulnerable days of being pregnant out of wedlock. As she holds herself most accountable to aligning with her Christian and cultural values her own shame, discouragement, and disappointment pushed over the edge emotionally. This forced Marie into overcoming her perceived criticism and judgments of her community by digging deeper into a state in which she ‘Rie-Defined’ how she sought out to live her life moving forward not only for herself but, present-day, for her daughters as well. As a blogger, Marie offers partnerships with other value-aligned brands for creative digital content creation and advertising via YouTube, Instagram, and various social media outlets.