Her Story
About Danielle
My career path has been diverse and deeply shaped by my personal experiences. I started in retail as a cashier, moved into low-middle management, then spent my 20s as a military spouse - what I call my 'University of Mom, Master of Hard Knocks, PhD Military Life.' I earned my bachelor's in Sociology with a minor in Communications, became a sign language interpreter, and then completed a double major master's in Special Education with specializations in Deaf and Hard of Hearing, reading, and behavior. I worked as a special education teacher and consultant with families facing Alzheimer's and dementia through the Area Agency on Aging. After my husband's death, I lost my small business and faced financial devastation despite following traditional financial advice. This experience, combined with being a Gold Star spouse and caregiver, opened my eyes to how the financial industry fails women. I became a licensed financial consultant with Five Rings Financial and earned my life coach certification through the Robbins Madanes Training Center. I also became a certified REACH specialist through the Rosalynn Carter Institute, working with caregivers. Everything I do reflects where I've been in life - I take what I've experienced and use it to help others facing similar challenges. I've testified before Colorado state senators and representatives to change funeral industry laws after what happened to my family, and now I sit on boards for Lotus Foundation Colorado, working with human trafficking survivors, and Homefront Military Network, supporting military families.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to grace, gratitude, and love. If I show up in any situation with any one of those two, the third will follow, and success wins. Love always wins. It's the only power in the world that has never failed. I believe in showing up with kindness and compassion, always - for myself and others. These values guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to stay true to your heart. Stay true to you, stay true to your heart. You'll know at the minute it's not a good fit - you will know instantly it's not a good fit, or when it becomes not a good fit. And follow that nudge. The minute it becomes not a good fit, or it's not a good fit, get out and find something else. It's okay to change multiple careers. I want women to understand that it's not always about going to school, getting a good job, and staying in that career for years and years. Some of us, we just float and kind of plant ourselves, bloom, and then regenerate and keep going. You can reinvent yourself at any point in time, at any age.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Follow your heart. If you're coming into the financial industry, follow your heart. Follow the mission, and the money will chase you. Do what's best for the client, always, and you will be rewarded. Just follow your heart. My hope is to build my agency out to 200 women earning $100,000 or more, and the reason is not the financial rewards I get, but because if you educate a woman, you educate generations - you educate her children, her grandchildren, and the immediate community around her. Can you imagine what that would look like? Having that many women financially literate, and helping other women become financially literate. That, to me, is powerful.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that the financial industry is still very heavily male-dominated, especially at the top leadership level. Less than 1% of top leadership in the financial industry are women, so we're still hitting a massive glass ceiling there. But the biggest opportunity is that we can smash that ceiling. I happen to be blessed enough to have found Five Rings Financial - yes, we do have a CEO who is male, pale, not stale (those are his words, not mine), but he recognized the power of women early on, and top leadership in our company is 65% women, which is unheard of in the financial industry. So I get to surround myself with some amazing women doing some amazing things.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Grace, gratitude, and love are the most important values to me in both my work and personal life. I believe in showing up with kindness and compassion, always - for myself and others. These values guide how I approach every situation and every relationship, both professionally and personally.
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