Girl Hero Danny-J
Learning about how other women find balance and achieve their health goals inspires and motivates me and I can’t think of a better Girl Hero than Danny-J to relaunch the Girl Hero features!It’s always fun to connect with people who share common interests so when I learned that Danny from the Sweaty Betties was soon to be living on the road I had to know more.
Currently, Danny lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband of seven years and they are “still wild about each other”. They have two pups Peanut the Lab and Baloo “The Most Interesting Dog in the World”. Her favorite past time is just “doing whatever” and “create adventures” with her husband. Danny’s work does’t feel like work because she loves everything she does. She has created multiple streams of income through business coaching for other bloggers and trainers, online personal training, affiliate marketing and network marketing with Nerium.
Get to know Danny as she shares her lifestyle tips,what she learned as a figure competitor, and even what she would say to her daughter who she lovingly placed for adoption when she was 15. Her honesty and energy is contagious and you won’t finish this interview without feeling like you too can tackle life with a smile!
What inspired you to start your site, The Sweatie Betties? And what is your mission for the site?
I was in the fitness industry; doing bikini and figure competitions. I really wanted to be an inspiration to others, to show what someone can do, but at some point it became all consuming and I realized that the picture of ‘health’ a lot of these fitness pros put on wasn’t the whole truth. I wanted women to know that they could be fit without having to spend 7 days a week 2 hours a day at the gym. They could have a life, maybe some stretch marks and not perfect bodies and still BE fit and feel amazing and have fun and not take life so seriously! My mission for the site is to provide non-BS information, ideas, motivation and education on fitness, lifestyle, leadership and self-esteem.
Do you have a favorite exercise? What does a typical week of workouts look like for you?
Hmmm I LOVE Crossfit but I haven’t done it in so long. My favorite exercise, not to do, but my favorite for RESULTS are walking lunges. Such a great booty lifter!! A typical week, sad to say, lately has been no workouts at all. I have been very open with my struggles with adrenal fatigue and metabolic damage after competition. I started working out 4 days a week at the beginning of the year but recently had a major relapse in symptoms. As I start to feel better, I always go back to my 12 week lifting program though, its solid and keeps me sore. You can download it HERE.
What motivates you to take care of your body?
I have a family history of obesity. My grandmother and uncle both had gastric bypass surgery. My parents have always struggled with their weight, my aunts and uncles have weight problems. I just don’t want to have my life always dictated by diets. I’ve been witness to it my whole life. It takes up space in my brain that I should be using to help others.
You used to compete in fitness, figure, and bikini competitions. What was that like for you and what did you learn from those four years?
I have great memories and not so great.
I learned that I have amazing discipline and I can do anything I set my mind to and focus on. I loved having a goal to train for and an “excuse” for going to the gym. I also learned that I have more to offer in life than just a hot body and that I really wanted to focus on more experiences. Competing can put you in a very eating disordered mindset (especially after already struggling with that for years). I learned how to manipulate food and exercise very well, I learned a lot of science, but I also learned that life has so many more things to offer. While I don’t regret competing, I do wish that I hadn’t done it for so long.
You mention in your about page that you were a suicidal teen and experienced an unplanned pregnancy at 15 years old. What would you say now to your teenage self?
Wow. I do think about this often as my daughter now is past the age that I had her. I know the way I look at her pictures and love her so much without ever having met her. I am always out here silently cheering her on.. and I think now.. there must have been people out there cheering me on when I was that age, wishing that I could see my own potential, wishing that I wasn’t hurting. I think that the only thing I would tell myself back then would be… “this too shall pass and you’re going to be amazing and fine”. I think that angels and divine intervention come in many forms and there were circumstances and people who did say the right things to me at the right time and for those reasons, I am still here.
The Sweaty Betties site oozes positivity! How do you stay so positive and how do you deal with life’s downfalls?
I have my moments. I have to work hard on not being a pessimist and I’ve gotten a lot more open minded. I don’t believe the internet or social media is the place to complain and I really believe that what you think about/focus on, grows. So even if I’m in a funk, I try and look for the good in the situation because I literally have no control over anything else but my own thoughts. Sometimes I worry too much, I hate letting people down and I sometimes put other people’s feelings over my own. Luckily my husband is a great sounding board and will tell me when I need to stick up for myself or value myself more.Surrounding yourself with good people who want you to be better is key.
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I’m always working on some kind of goals! I have some big goals in Nerium, I am working on earning a $50,000 bonus which is a huge deal because what that really means is that I’m helping many other people earn a good part-time income. My husband and I are also getting ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime– moving into an RV and traveling the country and Canada. My goal during that time is to really start working on my book and a few programs to help women through adrenal fatigue/metabolic damage. Oh and last major goal: to go to the 2016 summer olympics!
Anything else you would like to share?
Thank you so much for getting to know me! If you want to find me, I’m at
Email [email protected]
Thank you so much Danny for sharing your story. You are amazing and I hope we meet on the road!
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
Check out our family’s adventures at Newschool Nomads as we travel in our RV through the United States!
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Great interview, Jenn! I’m glad you are bringing the Girl Heroes back! It’s always inspiring and interesting to read about fit women!
I enjoyed reading about Danny and look forward to checking out her blog!
I love The Sweaty Bettie’s Facebook page. Danny is awesome! A girl hero for sure!
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