Justin & Renee Brien
Dancing with the Shuswap Stars welcomes its first-ever bestselling author to the stage. Justin Brien’s
book, Chasing Shadows, details his challenges with substance abuse and mental health. But ultimately it
is about how he turned his negative patterns into a new life with his wife Renee, his young son and
toddler daughter. Justin has also brought his life story into his new role as an inspirational speaker and
life coach. (Justin may also be a familiar face to many from his work at Mr. Mike’s Restaurant.) The
couple considered participating in Dancing with the Shuswap Stars a few years ago, but Renee was
unconvinced. She had danced as a child in Alberta, but she gave it up when it became more competitive.
But after being touched by the story of Marc Dansereau’s sandcastle project to raise funds for Hospice
in memory of his daughter, Renee decided it was time to jump out of her comfort zone and onto the
dance floor. She’s also motivated to show her kids that it’s OK to take on something scary in life,
especially when it may help someone else.