Behind the Name: Rayna Jo Zest

Some names are created for branding.
This one came together a little differently.

At one point, I found myself looking at my own name — Sonja Yantzer — not as something fixed, but as something I could take apart and reimagine. I started moving the letters around, testing combinations, seeing what felt like me and what didn’t.

Not everything worked.
Some versions felt forced. Some felt flat.

And then it clicked!

S-O-N-J-A Y-A-N-T-Z-E-R
R-A-Y-N-A J-O Z-E-S-T

Rayna — queen.
Jo — a quiet thread of family.
Zest — the remaining letters… and easily the best part.

Z, E, S & T — literally, the personality of it all.

Rayna Jo Zest.

Not something pulled out of nowhere…
but something built from what was already mine — every letter, rearranged and shaped into something that felt more aligned with who I am creatively.

It’s a mashup — but not a random one.
Every letter is there, placed with intention.

The name Rayna stood out right away. It means queen — and by that point, I had already started using a crown in my photos when I thought of writing my first book. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that image had quietly become a symbol for me.

As this creative side of me began to take shape, it became the name I chose as my pen name for my children’s books — the first place I truly started to express this part of myself.

Not of perfection — but of permission.

Permission to show up fully.
Permission to create boldly.
Permission to be seen.

Rayna became that reminder.

Jo is a nod to my mom, Joan — a quieter piece of the name, but one that carries a lot of meaning. She’s part of my foundation, and it felt right to have that connection woven into something I was building.

And then there’s Zest.

That one was easy.

Zest is energy. Personality. Spark.
It’s the part of me that resists anything flat or ordinary — the part that leans into color, creativity, humor, and a little bit of the unexpected.

Put together, Rayna Jo Zest became more than just a name.

It became a perspective.

A way of creating that blends confidence, meaning, and personality — shaped by where I came from and how I choose to show up now.

Growing up around my parents’ restaurant, I learned early on that the little things matter. The details. The feeling. The experience people take with them when they leave.

That same mindset lives here.

Everything you see — whether it’s something bold, something nostalgic, or something that simply makes you smile — is created or curated with intention.

Not just to be owned…
but to be enjoyed.

Rayna Jo Zest is a name.
But more than that, it’s a reminder:

To be a little bold.
A little playful.
And always just a little extra.