SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Helping women overcome obstacles so they can understand their greatness. That’s what Ree Williams has been dedicated to doing for more than a decade now. 

“I was a business owner and I found that there were no, I couldn’t find any other women to network with, there was plenty of men who were small business owners,” Williams said.  

She continued, “And I wanted to be able to sit with women, talk about business, talk about maybe ups and downs.” 

In 2010 Ree founded ‘In the Pinc’ to mentor and support women who are aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs while also connecting them to a network of women with similar goals. 

“I’ve support hundreds, hundreds of women across the world,” said Williams. “I love watching women, watching that lightbulb turn on for them and I love watching them excel unapologetically.” 

A veteran and a mother, Ree overcame many of her own battles to get where she is today. Now, she uses her story to inspire other women.  

“I’m very transparent about my journey,” Williams told News 3.        

Ree is a survivor. She says after being shot by her ex-husband, losing her eldest daughter in 2018 and battling breast cancer, she struggled to keep going.    

Ree’s husband, Mark Williams said, “She’s been through a lot in her life and just being able to go through some of those things with her, like losing our daughter in 2018, she had every right, every right to just ball up in a shell, stay in bed and just not do anything, but the fact that she thought there was more that had to be done, that needed to be done, she was strong not only for me, but she was strong for her daughters, our children that are still here with us, she was strong on a daily basis.” 

Persevering through impossible circumstances, Ree not only survived but thrived, with the support of her husband, Mark, and her children, she used those roadblocks as a roadmap to help other women. 

“I know that those things gave me a testimony and a testimony is designed to be shared and through that, women can say, wow okay wait a minute, if she’s been through this and she’s overcome it, I want to partner with her, I want to kind of sit with her and learn how to come through the things that have been holding me back, you know, abuse, verbal abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse,” Williams said to News 3. 

She continued, “I want to be transparent and I want to share, because I want women to know that there is nothing designed to stop you from your purpose, nothing.” 

Finding strength in her struggles so she can be an example for other women. 

“I want women to see that they can do this for themselves, I don’t want to see women who’ve just been beat down, put down, to stay down,” Williams said. “So women like me, and there’s a lot of us out there, it’s important that we show up, it’s important that we speak up, it’s important that we share.” 

Now, Ree’s network of women spans the U.S. and overseas. She runs multiple workshops, hosts retreats, has graced the Ted X stage twice and has helped hundreds of women pursue their dreams.  

Williams explained, “I don’t take it lightly, because it’s my purpose, and so I gotta honor god, right, I don’t want to cry and so when God entrusted me with this, it is my duty to make sure that I’m honest, that I’m real, that I’m true.” 

“My wife is remarkable, she’s remarkable,” Mark Williams said.