Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Lyn and Annie B.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Annie: We met in 2015 while attending The Florida A&M University College of Law. I had just transferred to FAMU Law as a second year law student from a law school located in Atlanta and Dani was in her in third year of law school. It wasn’t until 2017 that we developed a mentor/mentee relationship as I began studying for the Florida Bar Exam that Dani had just taken the year before. As the relationship began to develop into a true friendship, we found that both of us shared similar experiences that shaped us into the women we are today. We also found that we were both passionate about helping others and we wanted to create a safe space for people to share their stories.
Thus in May 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, The EmpowHERment Hour was birthed. We realized through deep and profound conversations with one another that we had so much more that we wanted to pour into the world. Our hope was that we would empower others to become better versions of themselves while manifesting abundance and the lives that they were meant to live.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Dani: The road hasn’t necessarily been rough, but it hasn’t been smooth by any means. The most difficult part for us has been balancing our community roles, growing a following while also juggling our full-time jobs. Annie is currently a defense attorney and I am a contract attorney for a publicly-traded insurance and financial services company and founding attorney of my own firm. Both of us are committed to other community organizations and both of us also hold executive board positions within some of these organizations.
In addition to keeping an active social life while trying to incorporate a routine of self-care, I am a mother to a 3-year-old son and Annie is currently working on a personal project very close to her heart that she can’t wait to share with the world. Not to mention, we are also self-taught. We jumped headfirst into podcasting. We do our own editing and advertising and are working on monetization. But we take pride in knowing that we are working from the ground up and that we developing skills that we never thought we would develop as young Black women attorneys with no experience in production.
Please tell us about The EmpowHERment Hour.
Annie: The EmpowHERment Hour podcast is just two women on a mission to share our stories with the world and to give others a safe space to do the same. Our podcast subjects range from the importance of friendships, our personal journeys and experiences, the lows and highs of relationships (which actually features guests Christina Lynn and Katie Florence of @the.kouncil on Instagram), and more serious topics like body image, motherhood, mental health in the Black community and dealing with grief.
We are proud of our authenticity. Our conversations are real. We actually think it’s pretty funny that even without the microphone, the conversations between us remain the same and that people really like to listen to what we have to have to say. We are definitely not putting on a front for anything or anyone.
We are also proud that we started this mission regardless of the fact that we had little financial backing outside of our own funds. We don’t have the fanciest equipment, as we aren’t big influencers (yet!), but we are passionate about sharing ourselves with the world and helping others tap into their most abundant lives.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Dani: The podcast has taken off quicker than we could have imagined! We have over 1,400 listens in a little less than three months. This has opened up the door to partnerships and collaborations with other creators and influencers, which we cannot wait to share with the world! We are looking forward to furthering the idea that sharing your story will not only inspire others but will attract positivity into your own life. We are big believers in manifesting abundance and that by creating a positive space, you can manifest the life you desire! As for the future, we just KNOW we’ll make it on to Michelle Obama’s podcast and meet her very soon! (We are both HUUUUUUUGE fans of hers, as lawyers and as strong Black women!!!!!).
Contact Info:
- Website: buzzsprout.com/1153394
- Email: theempowhermenthour@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theempowhermenthour/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowhermenthourpodcast/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmpowHERmentHr
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