the following is a transcript of Gracie’s conversation with Danielle Faust.
GRACIE
The power of manifesting, next. Welcome back to “Transcend”. Joining us today as a dynamic mindset and manifesting coach spreading her brand of healthy positivity across the web and nation. Danielle Faust is also a hypnotherapist, energy healer, and psychic intuitive, being tapped by magazines like Essence, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, and more for her perspective on all things lifestyle. When not giving her all, she’s playing with her two beautiful kids and bingeing on Netflix with her husband. Please welcome my girl, Dani.
DANIELLE
Hi! How are you, Gracie? Thanks for having me.
GRACIE
Thank you so much for taking the time to join me today. I’m so happy to see you. It’s been a minute since we have seen each other. We go way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way back. Many, many moons. I met Dani on a hair ad campaign. I was doing her hair at the time. As you can tell, she has beautiful, gorgeous, luscious locks, and we stayed connected ever since. We have been following each other on social media and just been watching each other’s journey, so I’m so grateful that she’s here with us today.
DANIELLE
Thank you so much for having me. I still tell people about that blowout, because my hair has never been better, still. To this day, girl.
GRACIE
Dani, with the work that you do, you’re able to inspire and promote spiritual and mental wellness to women worldwide, manifesting their wildest dreams. What’s the most rewarding part about that?
DANIELLE
I think all of it is rewarding, but when I see things click for a client and have like, their eyes get big and they have that aha moment when they recognize that, oh my gosh, I am magical, I am special, I am worthy, when I see that recognition in their eyes and in their face, and then, in the future, in their behavior, that’s the best part for me, because I know that it’s clicking and it’s sticking, and they’re owning who they are.
GRACIE
When did you first realize that you had these special gifts?
DANIELLE
Well, I didn’t come into my intuitive gifts or recognize them as such until later in life, past five years or so, but once I did, I recognized that I’ve been using them all my life. I’ve always been able to read people really easily and been able to recognize what someone needs and be able to provide them with that, and it was just natural for me, and I thought other people could do it, too. I didn’t realize that it was a gift.
GRACIE
Speaking of gifts, honey, you even manifested interviewing Oprah. Oprah Winfrey. Girl, give me the tea and tell me what that was like, please.
DANIELLE
She was Oprah. You know? She filled the room. Her energy filled her room. I was luckily one of a few bloggers who were chosen to interview her at a movie premiere, and I got to have a little one-on-one time with her and take a selfie with her, and it was really powerful and special for me, because she has been one of my heroes. I would, you know, run home from school, and, at four o’clock, turn on the TV, and just watch and learn, and that’s where my love for personal development and growth really started.
GRACIE
Speaking of your blog, the award-winning blog, OkayDani.com, and podcast “Manifest It, Sis”, your style is described as real talk, which reminds me of my days of working on the “Real” talk show, so let’s get really, really real. Like my client at the time, Tamara Maori, you too created a beautiful family whom I adore, and you two also happened to be in an interracial marriage. I have witnessed the beauty of it. However, I have also witnessed the hate and the judgment that comes along. Have you ever experienced anything like that in your union?
DANIELLE
Yes. So, when you put your life out on a blog, people think that they have all access to you and they can just say some crazy things, so I’ve gotten a lot of hate mail via email from people, and, you know, I used to live in New York City, so it was a lot more multicultural, and now my husband, my family and I, we live in south Florida. I literally live on a dirt road, and it’s a lot more rural and redneck. Is that okay to say? I think it’s okay to say. It’s just a little more backward in mentality, so we get a lot more stares. Right now, we’re not getting any open comments, but that’s usually reserved for people online when they get their little, you know, Twitter fingers. But yeah, you know, we’ve had our share of negative comments, but it doesn’t stop what we’re doing and doesn’t stop, you know, it doesn’t make me regret starting with family.
GRACIE
I’m so happy to hear that. You know, we did, we met in New York City, and for me at the time, that was when I too began to expand my horizons in terms of dating and dating outside of my race. You know, I grew up in Philadelphia in an all black neighborhood. It takes me back to my childhood when I was going to Lutheran school and I was in class with so many different races, however, at a certain age, it just became strictly black, so that was all I knew. And when I moved to New York, that’s when I decided to open up, and then when I started to travel, then that’s when it like, started to broaden to me, and also realizing that the generation above my mother, a lot of them are family, they are mixed marriages and mixed families, and also on my father’s side, majority of all my aunts or uncles have children by Puerto Ricans, so it was kind of like, always in my thing, but I experienced the shame and I experienced the guilt in terms of feeling bad for wanting to and being open to dating outside of my race, and just, you know, the projection that people make you feel, as if, like, you don’t love yourself, you don’t love your people, you’re not pro-black because you like to outside of your race, and I just, you know, I love that you never allowed it to stop you from the love that you share. Do you feel that black men or black women experience more shade when it comes to dating outside of their race? And if so, why?
DANIELLE
Well, certainly black women. I think black women get the brunt of everything. Whether it be dating or not, we always have it a little bit harder than men, and I think it’s because, you know, we’ve been socialized and kind of programmed to women just kind of, like, take it. Whatever it is, you take it. So, if black men aren’t treating you well, you just take it, ’cause you gotta be down for the cause and loyal, and if you step out, then, oh my gosh, how dare you? But with a man, it’s like, okay, well, boys will be boys, he’s just sowing his oats, and honestly, it really shouldn’t be a thing. I understand that it is. I understand, you know, cultural norms, but, at this point, it’s like, who cares?
GRACIE
And with the veil being lifted with outright blatant acts of racism, especially within these past few years, how has it been navigating these times with your husband and your children?
DANIELLE
Yes. I mean, we’ve gone to rallies. We were just as active as we could be in South Florida BLM movement, and we told our children everything. They are very aware. I think what’s really important is that we recognize that, just like black isn’t a monolith and every black person isn’t exactly the same, the same goes for white people, Asian, Latino, whatever, because there are some that are horrific, and there were some that get it and are down and recognize like, “Oh, we’ve got to change some stuff up,” and those are the people that I tend to associate myself. So, it’s been hard to have these conversations with my children, just looking in their eyes and having them understand, like, “Why is this a thing, why is life like this, mommy?” And I’m just like, “Honey, I can’t tell you. This is how we’re just gonna navigate it.” So that part, it’s been hard, but otherwise, we’re making our way.
GRACIE
I’m happy to hear that. I feel like, at the end of the day, the focus shouldn’t be on race or gender when creating a life of love and family. That shouldn’t be the focus. It should be just about creating a happy and healthy household, period, and just being a solid foundation, so what advice would you give to someone out there who is trying to create their best life, and not society’s version of that?
DANIELLE
Gosh, that’s such a big question, but to narrow it down, I think I would say take a little time to step back and get crystal clear on what it is you want. And you have to think about what you want. Not what your parents want for you, what your spouse may want, what’s best for your kids. You have to be a little bit selfish when you’re thinking about your next steps. So, I always tell people, “Think about what you want, why you want it, how it will feel when it’s in your life, when it’s manifested, also who you have to be to get that into your life, or to reach that goal, and who wins from you having it. Not just you, but your family, friends, community at large.” When you sit down and you think clearly and deeply on those things and get crystal clear on what you want, it’s a lot easier to make decisions and navigate going forward. It just makes for a smoother ride.
GRACIE
I love that. Think about who else you win, and who else that affects. That’s so beautiful and so powerful, and I think that’s the beauty of when we do to put the focus on ourselves and focus on self-care and self-love, and you know, self manifesting, that it is about helping, and it is about inspiring, enriching the lives that are around you, but it all starts with you, first. Like, you are the foundation of that, so I love that you said that. Dani, thank you so much for joining me in this conversation, and also, you sharing so openly. Much love to you and your beautiful family. Keep cleaning and doing what you do.
DANIELLE
Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity.
GRACIE
To watch this episode again, or for more stories like these, check out our website at Pluslikemedia.com, and follow us @Pluslikemedia. Until next time, love is love, and love wins. Period.