What year were you born?
I was born in 1969. It was a Sunday. I was told that my mom asked to stop at the Pancake House on the way to the airport because she was hungry. From what I remember they did stop while she was having contractions.
What was your life like growing up? What dreams and goals did you have for your life when you left High School?
I grew up in West Los Angeles. My mother was in the entertainment industry and as far back as I can remember I was surrounded by people in that business. When I left high school all I wanted to do was travel the world, learn about different cultures and have exciting adventures. I tried to model for a time being thinking that would allow me to travel, but I was too shy and ultimately did not take good photos. Not to mention at 5’10 in height I was being told that I needed to lose weight even at only 123 pounds. I suppose I was not committed enough to the lifestyle to make myself sick in order to be thin enough to model. University was not interesting to me, so I went to NYC, it was the closest to Europe I could get and still work. I did not consider what I wanted to do for a career, and certainly did not have life goals until later. Travel and adventures was all I dreamed of.
What is the one piece of advice would you give your younger self?
If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self it would be to believe in myself, to not be shy, to not care about saying something stupid or looking stupid. To not listen to the Patriarichy that wanted to keep me quiet and in my place. To not listen to what you are “supposed” to do as a girl. I would not allow anyone to call me a drama queen or squash my thoughts because I was a girl and didn’t know any better. I have hope today, it seems younger girls are speaking up, having a voice and being listened to more. I would also tell my younger self to try to do some inner work to really listen to what my desires are. I would say to stop worrying about boys/men, they don’t define you unless you allow them to. I would also tell my younger self to know my value, and to demand respect and fair payment. I would tell myself that it it is easier to dream big if you have money and to think about how to make money without selling your soul. To follow your dreams no matter what the costs are, and to not listen to the judgment of your family no matter what. If you dream big and without question you can make it happen.
Name at least one outstanding experience you have had in your life. How did this or these events affect you?
I have been so lucky to have had so many amazing experiences that it is difficult to pick just one. I have traveled the world and been invited into people’s homes, to sit together and discuss issues that have impacted them such as international and local policies, gender dynamics, climate and agricultural challenges. I think the one experience I can point to is what I first started my career working with producers. I was educating people in their homes about fair trade and how international policies impacted communities around the world, I would then sell handicrafts from these communities to help provide fair livelihoods to these artisans and to pay my own bills. I met a woman named Bena Burda that owned a company called Maggie’s Organics which made organic cotton clothing. Bena had helped to start a worker owned cooperative in one of the most impoverished communities in Nicaragua. She was bringing Rosa, a worker owner from the cooperative to the United States to speak about how they built it, her role, and the challenges they had. Rosa stayed with me for a week, it was the same week that Ronald Reagan had died. Rosa didn’t speak english and I did not speak much spanish but we communicated deeply and we cried a lot. Rosa did not like to sleep in the guest bedroom I had set up nicely for her, she was used to sleeping in one room with dirt floors with her partner and two children so she would come to my room in the middle of the night. Rosa was shocked at how people lived in the US, she (we) cried as she watched the news celebrate Ronald Reagan’s life. We wept because Reagan had dismantled the Sandanista’s, her countries democratically elected political party during the Contra - Sandanista revolution. Rosa would talk about walking 6 miles a day to fight along side the sandanista’s because she believed in democracy. Her father would never speak to her again because of this. This experience shaped my life beyond what I could have imagined. I knew from then on that I would need to speak up when I believed in something when I saw injustice. And 20+ years later that is what I ended up doing in my career.
When in your life, so far, have you felt most confident and why?
Moving to NYC at age 21, starting my own business in my early thirties and then starting my own nonprofit working on social justice issues, immediately securing half a million dollars to run the organization and publishing a magazine that was dedicated to social justice issues which was distributed in over 1500 locations and downloaded globally. And then asked to speak as a keynote speaker in several locations, run workshops and traveling the world. And also, finishing my masters degree from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy was something I never thought I could do. I returned to school to get my Masters Degree at 51 years old. I was the oldest in my class. Before I decided to do it everyone said it was harder to return after so many years and at middle age, but I did it and it felt great. I never thought I was smart enough to go to a great school so this seemed like jumping a big hurdle, I still don’t fully believe it and often consider it a fluke and that they accepted everyone into that program.
How have your dreams and goals changed now that you are 40+?
My original dreams were to travel the world, and I did that. And I don’t think that has changed much but feeling empowered, balanced and financial stability are my new dreams and goals. I’m in a transition period right now and just figuring out what that all looks like. Making sure I am healthy emotionally, physically and financially are my dreams and goals. Also, figuring out how to have joy and passion more regularly.
Share an indulgence:
Travel first class, staying in nice boutique hotels, drinking excellent wine and clothes shopping are my indulgences.
How do other people to describe you or see you?
Oh man, if I knew this I would be far less confused. I have been told that I seem like a powerful woman that is not willing to take shit from anyone. Of course I don’t feel that way most of the time so it is hard for me to see it.
Can you share what your favourite part of your body is? Why?
My legs, they have always been thin and long.
Do you like being 40+?
Finally, yes, it has taken me a long time to be happy being 50+ but I am finally here and seeing what everyone told me, that you just stop worrying so much about the little things.
How do you think women of your generation are perceived?
I think women in their 50’s are perceived as being old by society. And that we should have done a certain type of life, marriage, kids specifically. I don’t have children and our stories are rarely told. I also think we are not thought of as sexy.
Was there a time in your life where you felt ‘stuck’, unable to find the energy or strength to move forward or to make a big change? If you don’t mind, can you share what it was & what helped you get past this road block?
Yes, actually I’m just starting to come out of it right now. About 5 years ago I was feeling burned out with work but I needed to continue. And then after nearly 25 years of working in the fair trade movement, 13 years of running a nonprofit I founded, I decided I could not do it any longer. I was struggling to get out of bed. I could not find my inspiration any longer. I felt I was working within a movement that I could not connect to any longer. And I was needing to run the organization, manage staff and continue the facade for several years until my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I was her main care taker and was going to need to be there to take care of her, she moved into my house for a short period of time before and after her surgery. The house that my ex and I bought for her was not manageable for her, she financially could not afford it and I had been helping her with several bills, this was keeping me stuck in the job that I was in with a decent salary. Also, I had not realized how much pressure I was feeling that my mom was living alone and I was nervous for her. I decided to remodel part of my house so she could move in, and my ex would buy me out of the other house. This would first allow me to have some savings and with my mom moving into the unit I was remodeling she would pay me monthly and all the bills I was helping her with would go away. This allowed me to feel more free to consider the sabbatical I so desperately needed to move forward in life with finding my calling in this next stage of life.
I am now on my new path, moving towards writing for a living rather than being the executive director of an organization with all of the difficult tasks that come along with that role. And I will have money set aside for a short time. I now have the head space to meditate every morning, read, journal and work out which has allowed me to start figuring out what I am passionate about.
Do you have a favourite book to recommend?
Winners Take All
The Divide
Siddhartha
Rest is Resistance
Pleasure Activist
These are a few right now that I can think of, but I love to read and there are so many.
Do you have a favourite quote to share?
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something” John Lewis
Thank you for taking the time to share Dana!
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