Danielle, where did you grow up?
I am originally from Chicago and have lived here pretty much whole life except for when I went to college in the south at The University of Louisville. I love living in Chicago – as a laid-back person, it’s great to be here since Chicago definitely has that vibe. It’s the perfect medium between New York or Los Angeles – it has great people, great food, and the culture is amazing. I work as a social media copywriter for a healthcare marketing agency based out of LA, covering content for a variety of different clients in healthcare space. I actually started college on the pre-law track and I was miserable. It was my first communications class that was the turning point and I then changed my major to communications. My major was interwoven with marketing, digital journalism, and social media. 
The combination of education and experience is so important to help you figure out what path you want to pursue in life. I’ve found that it’s important to always choose passion over compensation of any kind. At the end of the day find something that makes you happy and the money will follow. If you’re out there chasing money, you’ll never be happy. Let your passion fuel everything that you do. Working in the healthcare sector is a very interesting space. Since the topics are pretty serious, it’s essential to take those complicated issues and condense them in a way that is digestible to the average reader. You have to get pretty creative in terms of how you approach each piece.
Tell us about your personal blog, D-Code!
In my free time, I love writing and photography. I became serious about photography two years ago, when I dove deeper into a blog, D-Code, which I founded before going into college. It was originally called “City Meets Southern” but after I graduated, I took a blogging hiatus to reassess if it was something I actually wanted to do. We are in an age where there are so many amazing content creators, so it can be a little intimidating to figure out where you stand in all of that as a blogger. I essentially realized that my interests in writing about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle were what propelled me to continue as I tried to remain as an authentic voice on social media. I also was inspired by another blogger, Julie Engel from Gal Meets Glam, who made it apparent to me that no reader is exclusive to just one blogger. They can have a favorite, but there are others out there as well, so there is no set path for a reader. I realized it was important for me to remain in my lane and stay authentic.
What does it mean for you to be powerful?
To me, being powerful is about doing whatever you want and doing what makes you happy. It’s up to every woman to define what that means to her. For some women, it’s their career that brings them confidence, for others its being a stay at home mom, or being an entrepreneur and starting a business. We live in a society where sometimes even we as women shame one another, but I’ve found that we need to support each other in our choices. We don’t have to agree with others’ decisions, but we should respect that they’re finding happiness in whatever they’re doing.
Personally, I feel confident every time I wear a blazer. There is something about putting on a very tailored clean-cut blazer that works with any outfit. You can dress it up or down, it’s a pretty versatile piece. I would also say that the tattoo on the back of my neck, 2811 in Roman numerals, is something that gives me a boost of confidence. 2811 is the date my father passed away from lung cancer, and having that tattoo helps propel me forward just knowing that he is always there.
Instagram: @daniellesandifer
http://thedcodeblog.com/
