A teacher once told Reneé Rongen that she would never amount to anything because she talked too much.

"She said I would never make any money flapping my jaw," Rongen said.

A self-described "plain old country girl" from Minnesota, Rongen now travels the world doing just that. A motivational speaker since 1990, she books 45 engagements each year - "no more, no less," she said - in locations as far away as England and Germany.

And as close as Billings.

On Saturday, Rongen will be the keynote speaker at St. Vincent Healthcare's Girls' Night Out 2009 - "Extreme Makeover: Inside Edition," an event presented at the Crowne Plaza.

Rongen, also the national spokesperson for the Pay It Forward Foundation, isn't planning to speak about makeovers like everyone sees on TV. No nose jobs, Botox or breast implants.

"I am going to talk about internal wellness," she said. "About making yourself over internally."

So where does a "plain old country girl" find the inspiration to get hundreds of others fired up about their own lives?

"Everyday living," Rongen said. "My kids and my family. And I have a super strong faith."

And secretly, she acknowledged, the inspiration she gives to her audience is totally mutual.

"The reality is," Rongen explained, "that I get far more back from the people I am privileged to speak to. I get far more back than I give."

A topic that Rongen emphasizes in many of her presentations is how people can step up and be the "architects" of their own lives.

Fear of change, or fear of failing, often makes this a real challenge for many.

"It's easier to sit where you're at rather than trying something new," she said. "But after you take that first risk, the next one gets a little less difficult."

Rongen, who spoke at last year's Girls' Night Out, thinks most women can relate to her as a mother, wife and professional trying to balance life.

She said women need to feel like they are living a significant life instead of just a harried one.

"Women need to know they can't always have it all, but that their lives have meaning," she said. "I would rather have a significant life over a successful one."

Partnering with Rongen for Saturday's event is Dr. Alan Muskett, a Billings plastic surgeon.

Muskett's presentation is called "Extreme Makeover: While You Are At It, Make It A Double," which might imply that a makeover is strictly physical.

And while Muskett does do his share of lifts and tucks, he thinks a true makeover is a deeper process than pulling out some wrinkles.

"I think a lot of patients I see are looking for a transformation," he said. "But people here in Montana aren't really trying to change their lives."

Since about half his practice is reconstructive surgery versus cosmetic surgery, Muskett said he has witnessed some pretty great makeovers.

"With reconstructive surgery, a lot of it is about restoring form and function," he said. "Those can be kind of extreme, but in a very positive way."

Muskett likened his job to that of an artist.

"Plastic surgery is really a series of concepts. You have your toolbox and you take out all your tools," he said. "There's a lot of planning, scheming and plotting involved. The core of it is you have to be creative and solve problems."

Rather than locating his practice somewhere like Las Vegas or Los Angeles, Muskett is thrilled to be in Montana. Working with general and orthopedic surgeons and oncologists, he's able to work in the environments of "two great hospital systems."

"We have real areas of strength here in Billings," he said. "There's tremendous diversity here."