Najaah Yasmine Daniels

I attribute my success to two things that are equally important. First, my adoptive parents, who provided a solid foundation of what it meant to become the American dream. My adoptive mother grew up in the South Bronx, my adoptive father grew up in Harlem, the youngest of nine kids in a two-bedroom apartment. Although neither one of them finished college, their work ethic and their love of community really stuck out and showed me the importance of having those two things. Their investment in my education, as well as my sisters' education, really shaped me - and not just formal education, but education of God, education of life. I had them from age [AGE] to age [AGE] when I lost my dad, and then [AGE] when I lost my mom, but what they instilled in me was profound. Second, being the oldest of younger siblings who I cherish and love and am very close with has really shaped me. I was a parent by the time I was [AGE], and having the opportunity to be their big sister but also their legal guardian has really shaped me. I don't have any biological kids, but my sisters made me grow up even more faster, but also showed me a type of love, tenderness, and grace that has really helped me in all shapes of life. I'm able to understand others completely different than myself, but have the empathy and the grace. Those two relationships are really sacred to me.

The best career advice I've received is: it's better to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission. As a Black Latina millennial, I've always been an advocate by both profession and personal experience, because of how I grew up in the foster care system, being a first-generation American, and having my mother be deported. I was part of a lot of the DACA policy shifting back in the day. I have played by the book, I have played by the book well, I have done the right things, and I see where that gets people. But I've also had to color outside the lines sometimes. When it comes to risk, it requires courage. So, the courage to take risk, and also ask for forgiveness versus permission - that's the best advice I can give. When I first heard it, it really kind of triggered me because safety is so big, especially as women and based on ethnic background. But to even think about not doing what others deem the right thing, although morally they may be incorrect and you may be correct, it's a very empowering mindset as well.

I encourage young women to take courageous, calculated risks. Advocate for yourself, value your expertise, and don’t be afraid to color outside the lines. Success requires courage, initiative, and the willingness to embrace ownership of your work and decisions.

One of the biggest challenges I've faced in my career is something called the Pet to Threat Pipeline, or the Pet to Threat Experience. It's usually a woman of color, or a woman of different makeup than whatever space they're stepping into. They're usually invited into the space, they're very celebrated, they're also very traditional and play by the book. But throughout their time at a company or organization, the group starts to feel threatened by this individual. The individual isn't necessarily doing anything threatening - whether they're very good at what they do, they have strong expertise, they have a great personality, whatever the makeup is - they start to change from being the pet to the threat, and then eventually are either pushed out or discarded. That's something I've experienced in various positions and situations, which was also a big part of why I decided to open my own firm in 2020, Twice as Good LLC. I understood and was able to have enough data to pinpoint this pet to threat cycle, and thankfully, the communities I serve and work in have also made it clear that I'm not necessarily the issue. How I work is just more disruptive and more courageous than a lot of people are willing to be, and systems can be very daunting at times.

The values most important to me are ownership, autonomy, authenticity, courage, and service. Ownership is a huge value and is newer for me within the past 5-6 years, as I've become a homeowner, business owner, and owner of my IP. Autonomy is another key value. I also operate with authenticity and courage, as I mentioned before. And service is important to me both in a spiritual sense as well as a leadership sense. The other day, I came across a core values exercise I did for myself back in 2022, and I was like, wow, a lot of these values are still aligned, but there's some that I need to add or release with love.