Local Legend Spotlight: Kicks by Kenna’s Journey from $20 Shoes to the NFL

In this episode of Local Legends with Jess and Jason, we sit down with a true rising star—Kennedy Rettew, the creative force behind Kicks by Kenna.

What started as a simple project at just 16 years old quickly turned into a thriving business built on passion, creativity, and word-of-mouth. From drawing as a child to picking up her first pair of paint markers at Home Depot, Kennedy shares how she turned a creative outlet into a brand recognized by Olympic athletes, NFL players, and high-profile clients.

Kennedy opens up about the early days—charging just $20 for custom shoes, learning her value over time, and building confidence in her craft. With support from her family (and her “momager”), she leaned into social media and community connections to grow her business organically.

Now graduating with a degree in graphic design, she reflects on balancing school and entrepreneurship, the importance of time management and attention to detail, and her plans to continue growing both her brand and career.

This episode is a powerful reminder that big things can start small—and that passion, consistency, and community can take you further than you ever imagined.

About the Guest

Kennedy Rettew, also known as Kicks by Kenna, is a custom sneaker artist known for her bold, detailed designs. She has worked with Olympic athletes, NFL players, and major clients, all while building her brand from the ground up. With a background in graphic design and a passion for creativity, she continues to grow her business and inspire others to turn their passion into purpose.

Special thank you to Juston Lisk from State Farm— Juston’s mission is simple: treat customers like family, provide real solutions, and ensure every client feels confident, supported, and genuinely cared for. That level of intention and service is exactly why he’s considered one of our favorite Local Legends in Arizona.

We’re grateful for the support and proud to highlight Juston and his team for truly making a difference in our community.

This episode is Sponsored by Juston Lisk www.MyAgentJuston.com 480-983-0418

These are the local legends shaping our communities.
Real stories, real talk, and powerful conversations.
Local Legends with Jess — where Arizona’s stories connect.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Local Legends with Jess, the Arizona Edition. I'm Jessica Benevento, your mortgage matchmaker, opening doors with ease and bringing you the stories behind Arizona's most inspiring people. From best-selling authors and elite athletes to business badasses making moves across the valley. These are the local legends shaping our communities. Get the inside scoop, real talk, and powerful conversations you won't hear anywhere else. Local Legends with Jess, where Arizona's stories connect. Okay. Welcome to Local Legends with Jess. And Jason.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Really?

SPEAKER_03 0:43

So many. I can't even count.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Just told me at 1156. I know. That's okay.

SPEAKER_03 0:48

Um before we start, I have such a special guest. Before we get into that, I want to give a special shout out to our sponsor, Justin. Uh Justin takes care of all insurance statewide in Arizona. In fact, personally, we use him for auto, life insurance, whole life for our kids. Do we have homeowners insurance in the same thing?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

No. No. We should.

SPEAKER_03 1:12

But Justin treats everyone like their family, truly.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

So we have our car.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

I said car.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

But anyway, let's get back to it. I have such an awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

By the way.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

You're not supposed to say that.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Why?

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Because you should we we were told not to say it.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Oh, okay. You already are fired.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

Anyway, uh, our special guest today is Miss Kennedy. Kicks by Kenny. So excited. Okay, you are our first guest that is truly a guest. Like we usually, I mean, I pick these are all like people that I work with or I'm friends with. And we we bring them on and spotlight them on local legends. But I was introduced to you uh from Alisa and she's like, you need to have this gal on your show. And I'm honored. Yeah, I stalked your Instagram and I'm obsessed with you. I just we're gonna get right into this. We're gonna get right back to it. Tell me first off what you do.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

I make custom shoes. Okay. Well, I make a bit of everything really. My motto is you name it, I paint it, but I mostly do shoes. So that's what people people know me as the shoe girl.

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Okay. And where did this, how was this evolved? How was kicked by Kenneth?

SPEAKER_02 2:27

It was actually funny enough, it was a COVID project. So I started when I was 16, it was locked down, and I saw it on YouTube. It was a trend going around, and I was saw it, and I was like, I could do that. So I just started painting shoes. And actually, I started first with Sharpie markers, which was kind of crazy. Paint markers, I will say. But actually, I had my dad, I begged him. He took me to um Home Depot. Okay. I got my very first pack of the Sharpie markers, and that's how I started. My first pair was a pair of Converse for my little brother. I never posted them because I was like, oh my gosh, I don't know if people are gonna like these. But they were really cool. They had like Chinese dragons all over them.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Do you still have them?

SPEAKER_02 3:05

I do.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Yeah, maybe I'll send you guys a picture of them.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

Yeah, I want to see that. So you just took a pair and just you were bored. We were all opt, yeah, opt up for COVID, and you just started pretty much. Okay. That's how it goes. That's how it goes. So how long ago is that? Oh my gosh. So what where were we?

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Oh, six years, actually. Because I'm going on six years, fourth of July. Okay. Wow. Okay. So you started with that pair, and then what? Well, and then after that, actually, my mom, she's here today, but she was the one who posted it on Facebook and it kind of got a little bit of heat from my neighbors. They're like, wait, this is sick. Like, I want some. I was like, So cool. Okay, actually, I have to start doing this. So I started with my neighbors, and then it just kind of snowballed. So word of mouth is great. It's so important to like get out there and start talking about what you do. But after I started kicking off the business, we my first major client was Michaela Skinner for the 2021 Olympics.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

And actually, I met her through my gymnastics coach. Okay. And she was like, I have a girl you should do some shoes for. So she was my very first big one. And then Simone Biles right after that. And then I just started snowball, snowball. We started working for the NFL. And then I did Bradley Bozeman. He was playing for the Baltimore Ravens back then. Yeah. And from there it just blew up.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

Wow. So really just social media got you out there. Yep. And never stop talking about what you do. Exactly. And especially when you love it. It's easy to talk about. It is. Um, so I got a question for you. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Because I think this is more of a business question. And you being as young and entrepreneurial as yourself, how did you know how to price out the shoes? Like to begin with, because that seems pretty difficult.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

It never, it's crazy. It never, you always have to reconsider everything, like time, your years of experience. I have a degree now. So I'm like, I have to, you always have to readjust what you're thinking for what like your talent is worth. When I started, it was hard. I think I was charging 20 bucks. That's right. I'm dead serious. I think I was charging maybe $20, if not less. Yeah. Or just here, have them. Like right. And it evolves, of course. And you know, as times go on, it changes. But I when I first started, I didn't know how to price that out. So I just started with what I knew.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

So you were excited that people were excited to see your artwork. And you were created for it. Yes. But then you realize your self-worth. And then you've and then it got better and better as it progressed. I think that's really cool.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

Exactly. You're pretty good. I'm glad I hired you. Okay. So now is mom your momager? Yes, she is. So going back, art. Were you an artist? Because we have a nine-year-old. I was telling you about Sophia, and she's definitely super artistic. We'll just sit and draw or create these things really tiny. She'll make things out of paper and she watches she gets a little bit of a channel.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

I did that actually. Okay. That was like when I first started. In fact, I was talking with my mom about this on the way over when I was really little. I used to take paper and I'd make like, I literally, I don't know why I would do this. We'd I'd go under our dining room table and make like elaborate like scenes. Like I'd put like planets up and like I'm like, I'm an astronaut. And I did all kinds of stuff like that. That was like my original like creative itch was like I wanted paper and tape for every birthday. Christmas was so funny. That's awesome. Yeah, and then it just evolved into she just started little drawing, and then I told you guys earlier a little bit, but my first painting experience was on shoes or in like art class as a kid. But yeah, painting didn't come until later in life when I was 16. But yeah, drawing was a huge part of my life. Art was always huge for me when I was younger. That was like scratching the creative itch.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Yeah. So what was when you were younger, what was your ideal future? What did it look like in art? Were you gonna be Yeah?

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Actually, I don't think I ever even the concept of becoming a professional artist, it's not something people talk about. Like, and it's crazy because I feel like we should. There's so many creative people in the world that just have an idea, but it's not something that exists yet. So you have to be the first one.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

And for me, I think growing up, I don't think being an artist was even on my radar. It was like this is a hobby. This isn't something you're gonna do. Like you're gonna do something different. In fact, when I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut. Okay. So I don't know. This is very right field from being an astronaut, but you know, everything's possible.

SPEAKER_03 7:34

So where are you now school-wise? Are you just finishing? You already got it. I'm graduating May 13th. Oh my gosh. So we are like a month and a couple days. I'm so excited. What what's your major? Graphic design. Okay. Now, the past four years in college. Can you say you're walking away and you really got something from your major?

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah, actually, funny enough, I was talking to my teacher about this yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Um, I think I did maybe in a different way than my peers did because they were there to learn and like this is the skill they're developing. Right. Which of course that's why I was there too. Because it's as a business owner, there's always the thought in the back of your mind where you're like, I have to keep improving myself. Right. In a sense, whether that be what you're already doing. For me, it was I want to be this as well. So my thought process with going to school in the original way was I want a degree. Because that's how in my mind, I'm going to have that just the foundation of what I do as a business owner and as an artist. So in school, for me personally, I think what happened is I developed because graphic design's hard. Yeah. You kind of, it's a lot different than I think what a lot of people do. It's not art, very separate from art. But what I did get from school especially is like the attention to detail. Okay. And time management. That's a huge thing. Because I go to school full time. Yeah. And I do this full time. So time management and just attention to detail was the biggest things I took away from it. But I loved it. I love school. I'll probably be sad when I'm done. But yeah, I'm excited to be done. So what are what are the plans once you graduate? That's the question, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'll probably always be kicked by Kenna.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Um, I want to do this forever and ever until I can't. Um, I actually recently got hired on full-time at Paradise Valley City lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Oh, well.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

So I'll be working with Nadine Bubeck, if you know her. And from there, I think I just want industry experience for probably five years because again, I did go to school. I want to utilize that degree for a little bit at least. And then I'll probably just freelance graphic design and from there just keep being kicks by Kenna wherever the life takes me.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

So, how do you like all these uh athletes that you mention their names? Where is this just someone refers you to this person and then they see you? How does it all yeah?

SPEAKER_02 9:59

It's interesting. I mean, it's a little bit of everything. Instagram is a huge part in that, of course, but it is word of mouth. I feel like you hear about someone doing something, you're like, wait, I want a part of that too. And that's exactly how it started for me. And that's how it still goes. In fact, we don't even really reach out to anyone in them anymore. When I first started, I was doing a couple free pairs here and there to be like, okay, this is a really cool person. I can do a free pair. We're gonna get a little bit of publicity from that. And we still do that, of course. But we more so now it's people reaching out to us. We don't have to reach out anymore, which is probably the coolest thing I've ever gotten to say.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

How cool is that to be able to be wanted from yeah, that's it's the biggest blessing. Definitely hit a uh pinnacle with that. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Every nine questions I get to ask one. Well, I found it to be interesting that you said you learned from school you took time management and attention to detail. And one of the things that you said that struck really interesting to me, and I don't even know if it was a conscious decision you made. The first utilization of like ink on the shoe, you use the Sharpie, right? And Sharpie is like one of the hardest things to delete. So you have to be precise. Did you do that on purpose or did you do it subconsciously?

SPEAKER_02 11:11

You know, it's hard to because paint is hard too, because you can't really delete it. It's I I mean, originally it was just like this is what I have available, this is what I know, especially because that's what people were using on YouTube. So it was like, well, this isn't really a thing yet. We're gonna trial and error it until we're but I think too, the attention to detail has helped with even just being super precise on what we're doing, because as you said, you can't really delete it.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

I mean, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

So tell us what you have here. Thank you. This is for Nick Lowry. His foundation is they're doing a big thing on Easter forever. It's for champions of the homeless. Okay. And they do a big meal every big holiday. So they bring people in and they give out flowers and give out clothes, and it's just the coolest thing ever. But we're actually gonna, I think we're auctioning this off. Okay. But he's the coolest guy. He was a kicker for the Chiefs. He's in the Hall of Fame, and he he signed the front and back, which was super cool. I sat with him in his front room and he was just like, and he signed my book, which was super cool. Yeah, he's a great guy. So we're gonna, I'm delivering this to him after this. Oh, so I thought I'd bring it in to show you guys. You guys are the first ones to see.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Kind of this is paint. Like literally finish it at four o'clock in the morning last week.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

Oh my god, in your room on your bed? Like that's what I'm envisioning.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

I wish. I do have a desk now. We've grown from the bed.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

And this is a shoe he wore, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:35

It is. He actually he kicked in it and he brought it out. It was a coolest thing. He got it in like a storage room in his house, and he was like, Wait, I have this for you. And just brought out his kicking shoe.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Amazing, and great hair.

SPEAKER_03 12:46

Yeah if I remember correctly.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

Yes, he does have great hair.

SPEAKER_03 12:49

He definitely has hair envy of people. This, even the shading, how you did that.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

Yeah, that one took a long time. I'm not very good at funny enough, I'm not very good at hands. Like in that logo, it has two hands. I'm like, oh boy. So that is amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

That's funny. It's hands. I had I always when I I used to draw when I was young, I would always make one good eye. And then the right eye wasn't great. Or the opposite eye, I can never match them up. I always found that so hard.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

I yeah, I agree with you. Hands are like the one thing that I'm like, if I could like sit for a day and just practice, it would be hands. They're so hard. I could do faces, like whole body shots, but it's like, I don't know, hands are hard.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

So if we wanted to like the what did you just get, Sophia? Jordans?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:34

Like just pink. If we wanted we like if we wanted you to do her Jordans and we gave you the pink Jordans, we could just say, I have an idea. She's gonna be in the play Annie. Maybe something with Annie. That's cute. Could we do that? Surprise for her for opening day.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

Oh, that's so cute.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

I love that. How much time do you need? Oh, well, when is her play? Uh, end of April, I think the 30th. Oh, yeah, we're gus. Really? Yeah. Okay. Yay, I'm so excited. You do you do custom. Like if someone calls anything. Anything and everything. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Good. I'm gonna introduce you to somebody that he's a uh manager of like 30 um athletes professionally.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Okay, perfect. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Your buddy. Look at that, word of mouth. See?

SPEAKER_01 14:21

Maybe more. And jelly roll.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Oh, I've heard a lot about him.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

That's his manager.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

Oh not me.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

I thought he was me. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 14:29

He's like, come on, give me some credit. All right, can I share with you? Yes, of course. What I did. So when I was young, I have a I definitely have a creative side to me. I'm not an artist. I could look at things and draw decently, but I'm not, I could never do this. But in my mind, remember I was definitely anywhere between like eight and twelve, like in that era, because I remember being in our apartment. And I used to like envision designing shoes, but not drawing anything, but actually gluing fabric and weird stuff. So I still have that itch in me. Oh, for my husband. Oh, can you grab that bag and grab the shoe out of there? So for my husband's 50th, we did a what was the theme 70s?

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

So I was like, I'm never gonna find shoes. So I'm like, I'm gonna design a shoe. My dog ate the one. So I had that happens. It's the tackiest shit I've ever done. Oh my gosh. But how it matched, remember my dress? So my dress was this blue sequence, like 70s flare. And I wanted something to isn't that hysterical? I love it. Let's trade. I'll do yours. You do mine. Yes. You, I'll, I'll make you give me a theme. No one's ever made me shoes. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm giving you this shoe.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

Oh my gosh. Well, thank you. I'm gonna put it in a clear box on my desk. I love this. Isn't that fun? It's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

We hope you put your best foot forward.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yeah, thank you. I'll wear it in graduation. I'll button another one's house. Like maybe it's still awesome.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

I literally came home and there was blue and gold everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

I'm like, I'm gonna put it right next to equal levels. There we go. Incredible. I love it. I I mean that's great. I used to, before I did shoes, I used to glue little like outfits together for my build-a-bears. So you know, you gotta that's cool. Love a good glue gun. I love a good glue gun. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

I love scraping it off the counter.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

It's in fact, we just replaced our dining room table because I got paint all over. Absolutely. So you know, you gotta start somewhere. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Exactly. Um okay. So then what actually would I want to know too, as a young entrepreneur? Because I've I've gotten asked it like, what is it? Do you have a normal week? Like, what is your week now look like? Besides school, your business, what is it?

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Oh my gosh, it's so funny too. Like, I'll come to school and sit down in class. I'm like, yeah, I was just on channel 12 for an hour. And they're like, what? I it's funny. It even like it goes as far as to like, it's just every day's different. We wake up in the morning. In fact, we're so old school. I have a paper calendar that I write everything down on and it's hooked to my fridge. Yes, yes. Um, but we every day's different. It's I mean, even just this week alone, I usually have like two or three events.

SPEAKER_03 17:30

Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Go on pods every other day, and just whenever there's time, I paint. So that's why I was up till 4 30 in the morning. And then also I have fun too. In fact, we were on the lake. Yes, we live close to Canyon Lake, so we have a boat. So we I fit in the fun there too. I'm still 22 years old. I think I have fun. So you have to have fun. Yeah, it's amazing. It's just I just love what I do and it's my life.

SPEAKER_03 17:53

So this is what I really loved um when I was looking at your page. You had said there's never been someone that you worked for or worked with that wasn't a great experience. Is that true? I fully agree with that. Isn't it amazing?

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Well, I also tell what her personality, she's only gonna draw like good experiences. Even if it's bad, it's gonna be a good experience for you because you're gonna learn from it.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Yes. I mean, we've never even had a client or a customer say anything bad, never a negative comment, even on my social media posts, nothing ever. That is amazing. It's just been incredible. I always say that my business is God driven. So, like, in a sense, it's his hand in everything. Even the people we work for and the experiences we have, everything. It's just all according to God. Yeah. Love.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

You gotta stop because our next guest is probably crying right now.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Are you crying?

SPEAKER_01 18:47

You are? Oh.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

Your most um like your most memorable exchange. Yeah, exchange of a shoe.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Oh my gosh. Too many to count. Yeah. I mean, we did Damar Hamlin when he had just had his heart.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Um it was while he was recovering. Actually, I reached out to him and just said, I want to help in any way possible. Right. So we did a pair for him with his it was that heart hand thing that he did. You need to paint his hands on it, and we did a big collaboration and did, and it we were raising funds for, I think it was the American Heart Association, and it did pretty well. I think we raised like six thousand dollars for him and his group that he worked with. So that's awesome. That was a huge thing for me. I just love being out in the community, working with people. I always say I'm a storyteller at the heart. That's I mean, throughout all this, throughout childhood, all the arts and crafts, it's always been about telling people stories. Right. And if I could do that with something I love, then I will.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

Yeah. So are you a part of any um nonprofit charities right now?

SPEAKER_02 19:50

We work with about everything, right?

SPEAKER_03 19:52

Everything, right? Everything.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

I mean, this is for change for the homeless. Yeah. But I mean, we just anyone and everyone, pretty much. We've done stuff with Boys and Girls Club. Um, really, there's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

Yeah. But yeah. That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Thanks for having me. Two cheerleaders now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

You do. I'm so glad. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Your parents did a wonderful job with you, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Thank you. Do you have siblings? I do. I have two brothers. Okay. I have a middle child.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

Do you fight with them?

SPEAKER_02 20:20

No, actually, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Figures.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

My older brother and I are um only about 10 months apart. So we were raised as twins. So yeah, and we're like the two opposite sides of the brand. He's a mechanical engineering okay. He's very, very smart, and I do this. Oh, that's real cool. So our parents had their hands full. Wow, that's awesome. Will you stay in Arizona? I probably will. I love it here. The valley's a great place. There's uh I mean, I was talking to a friend the other day, and she even said that this is the biggest small business, nonprofit. Yeah, this is the largest like saturation of that in any state, any country. It's all in the valley. I could see that. So I'm I'm probably gonna stay. If I can, I will.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

I love it. Yeah, thank you for being our. Thanks for having me. I'm honored to be your first. Yeah, I yeah, you are first.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Wear this in good health. I will.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

I'll find another one that matches it so I can pictures from graduation.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Um, I'm doing my grad photos tomorrow at 7 30 in the morning. So I'll be there doing that. I'll bring them.

SPEAKER_03 21:19

Bring them. I love it. And then I'm gonna reach out on Sophia's Sophia's kicks.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Okay, we'll do. Let's do some Annie themed. That's so cute. I'm excited for her. I know, me too. Well, I select pictures of her and yes. Well, thank you for being on. Thanks for having me. This is a thank you.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

You're amazing.