Dr. Danita A. Crawford & Dr. Shirley Sims shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Danita A. & Shirley , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Absolutely. One of our proudest moments has been watching members of The DS Collective put into practice what we’ve been building. Seeing leaders shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, support one another, and lead with authenticity reminds us why this work matters so deeply. It’s powerful to witness transformation in real time.
We also felt an incredible sense of joy and pride after a recent community event where participants shared how our sessions had helped them find their voice and embrace their leadership potential. Hearing stories of renewed confidence and courage reminded us that leadership is not just about titles or positions; it’s about the ripple effect of positive change that begins when someone believes in their own growth. Those moments keep us inspired and grounded in our mission to empower others to lead with purpose and heart.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are The DS Collective, a leadership and organizational development firm dedicated to transforming how people think, lead, and connect. Our mission is to help individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through mindset development, self-awareness, and authentic leadership.
What makes The DS Collective special is that we do not just focus on professional success; we focus on the whole person. We believe true leadership starts from within, and our work blends psychology, organizational leadership, and lived experience to create spaces where people feel seen, empowered, and capable of growth.
Our firm was founded with a vision to bridge the gap between knowledge and transformation. Through our book Leading with a Growth Mindset: Unlocking Your Potential, our workshops, and our upcoming podcast The PowerSide Chat, we are helping people see leadership not as a role but as a way of being. Every story shared and every breakthrough moment reminds us that growth is a collective journey, and we are honored to be part of it.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Disconnection often begins when people stop feeling seen, heard, and valued. Fear, ego, and misunderstanding can quietly build walls between us, creating distance where trust once lived. In leadership and in life, bonds break when we forget that every person carries a story and a need to belong.
What restores those bonds is empathy. When we pause to listen with intention, lead with compassion, and extend grace, we begin to rebuild what was lost. At The DS Collective, we believe connection is the foundation of every thriving team, organization, and community. Restoration happens when people feel safe enough to be authentic, courageous enough to grow, and humble enough to forgive.
Healing relationships, whether in the workplace or beyond, starts with choosing curiosity over judgment and collaboration over competition. Every act of understanding brings us closer to unity, and that is where true leadership begins.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught us the value of stillness, humility, and perspective. It revealed the strength that lives beneath the surface and reminded us that growth often begins in the moments that feel the hardest. While success can celebrate what we have accomplished, suffering teaches us who we truly are.
Through challenge and loss, we learned empathy in its purest form. It deepened our ability to connect with others, to lead with compassion, and to find purpose in pain. Suffering showed us that resilience is not about perfection or power, but about rising again with greater wisdom and grace.
At The DS Collective, we carry those lessons into our work every day. They remind us that success without empathy is empty, but success that emerges from struggle has the power to transform not only ourselves but everyone we lead.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Many smart people are getting it wrong by believing that intellect alone drives success. Knowledge is valuable, but without emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and humility, even the brightest minds can lose their way. We live in a time where information is abundant, yet genuine connection and empathy are often overlooked.
At The DS Collective, we see that true wisdom lies in the ability to listen, adapt, and grow. Smart people sometimes mistake control for leadership and confidence for clarity. The greatest leaders are not those who always have the answers, but those who remain open to learning and value the voices around them.
In today’s world, brilliance without balance can create burnout, isolation, and disconnection. The real power comes from blending knowledge with compassion and intellect with intention. That is where innovation and transformation truly begin.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
We are doing what we were born to do. The DS Collective was created from purpose, not pressure, and from calling, not conformity. Our journey has been guided by a shared passion to help others grow, lead with authenticity, and rediscover their confidence.
There was a time when we followed paths that appeared successful but did not fulfill us. Choosing purpose meant redefining what success truly means and committing to work that aligns with our values, experiences, and heart for service.
Today, every session we facilitate and every person we connect with reminds us that we are living in alignment with who we were created to be. Our purpose is to help others do the same, to step into their potential, embrace growth, and lead with intention. That is not what we were told to do. That is what we were born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dscinspiration.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedscollective
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ds-collective/
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- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dscollective
