Today we’d like to introduce you to Deena Lang.
Hi Deena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After a twenty-plus year career as a South Florida Radio Personality, I very suddenly found myself without a job a year and a half ago. A covid cutback, like so many have experienced. My son was virtually schooled and my husband’s work is Florida-based, so that left me with very few options other than to reinvent myself at the age of 40.
So I compiled a list of my strengths and decided that if I was going to make a life-altering change it needed to be something rooted in happiness. My only background for decades was radio and with such a specific skill set, I was terrified there wouldn’t be much out there for me… but with the encouragement of family and friends, I decided it was time to put my creativity to use in another way.
Time to remove the filters and share my reality with my social media audience.
And I started opening up about my struggles with mental health, my experience as a single mom, giving everyone a behind-the-scenes raw look at my imperfect everyday life, which now also includes an ongoing battle with skin cancer.
I was terrified that nobody would be able to relate to my content, but I’ve found a new sense of purpose and the support and encouragement I’ve received is incredible.
My biggest goal as a creator is to help other parents understand that they’re not alone mostly through humor but also by giving them a virtual shoulder to cry on as they’re navigating life’s challenges.
I hear from women every day who are making their health more of a priority after watching my skin cancer journey play out and many who have been able to catch serious situations early on because they’ve been empowered and know what to look out for.
I’m a person who was raised to play it safe so this is life change is surreal for me, but at the age of 41 I feel like I’ve just started life all over again.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest obstacle through this transition has been myself. I always overcommit and take on more than I can handle out of fear that the next opportunity may not come. Spoiler alert: I’m wrong every time.
I’ve also had a challenging time being a “stay at home mom” for the first time in my life. Until recently, I’ve always worked out of an office and had a strict schedule to keep, which is what helps me succeed as someone with ADHD. So I’ve had to implement my own structure and that’s been interesting. I’m still figuring that part out.
Lastly, I have imposter syndrome, which makes me question every single success I should be celebrating. I’ll always be my own biggest critic and that’s why I’m a work in progress. It’s also what makes me so relatable, I think.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a content creator, I love finding humor in life’s bizarre moments. Whether it’s something that happened to me during a trip to Target or a moment with my son in car line at school, I find that people really relate to the everyday situations that I share on social media. So much so that most of the brands/clients I work with allow me creative freedom because they know whatever I produce for them will resonate with my audience and theirs.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I wish I wouldn’t have waited as long as I did to authentically be myself. I was raised with the fear of speaking up about mental health issues, divorce or really anything that might “rock the boat” and while the world still isn’t entirely accepting of many of the topics I cover, I find that being open about it has been incredibly therapeutic. My advice would be to pay more attention to your own instincts because you know your needs better than anyone else.
Contact Info:
- Email: heyitsdeenalang@gmail.com
- Website: https://deenalang.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdeenalang/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItsDeenaLang
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsdeenalang
