Dana Macc

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hi, everybody. My name is Dana

Macc, So, I guess it's easier to say I am from, Los Angeles,

California, but some of you probably heard of Pasadena. And so, I am several things. The main thing is that I am is a black woman, I'm a businesswoman. And so, shout out to all the other black women out there who are doing their thing. We

got to keep supporting each other in that way. So, I'm an educator first, I've been an educator for over 25 years. I am currently an author, my first book just came out for children on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Vroman's Online. It'll be on Apple and at Target and Walmart real soon, those are a little bit slower to get the titles put into their system. And the story is about a little girl, she's an eight-year-old. She's just fiery like most black women are, she's got that gusto, and she’s emotionally intelligent. And the themes in the book are on bullying, and diversity, inclusion, and awareness around just being mindful that there are others who have special treasures, and it doesn't always have to be silver or gold, but things that are just really dear to their heart, and how she stands up to the unruly pirates to make that fact known. And so, I think, for any educator, or any parent, or anybody, it's even a good story for grownups when you read it, because the theme and the way the story folds out. It kind of helps you to think about, well, what is it that makes my heart sing? Or what are the treasures on my heart that don't have to be

that something, what you love and appreciate doesn't have to be something that I love and appreciate? But that doesn't mean that we don't support each other in that uplifting. What it is that makes your heart shine.

I'm a mindset coach. So, what is a mindset coach? I really focus on neuroscience, and how you use your own brain to change your habits. And just being aware of the traps that the ego sets, the limiting beliefs, the things that we've been inundated with as we've been socialized through our own families, and things that don't serve us what we can do, using our own mind and our own brain to start a new with fresh micro habits to get to those larger goals and the successes that we really want. I'm also a yoga instructor, I teach yoga and mindfulness meditation, and I'm a speaker. And those are the main things that I am.

Q. You're just a jack of all trades.

But how did you get to where you are, who motivated you, or what motivated you to get to where you are today?

A. So, growing up here in Pasadena,

I went to schools all out here in Pasadena, And the only bad experience I had in school was algebra. And it was just getting really difficult for me. And the bad experience wasn't the teacher. It was just me having to work a little harder to understand it. But I remember all my teachers. My second-grade teacher still lives here in Pasadena. My mom and her sister are really good friends and I'm still friends with her and so she was actually my second and third-grade teacher. So, just that motivation and watching them so that's what made me become a teacher myself. So, I have a credential for general education, I also have a credential for special education with a specialization in autism. So, that's what motivated

me on that forefront. Then I have an aunt, my mom's oldest sister here in Pasadena in the 70s. She and her friends opened up an afro-centric school for black children that taught the tenets of Pan Africanism, and our black history, focusing on leaders like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and just really having a curriculum and an education that foster to black children. And so, I came up in that. So, it was kind of inevitable that I would go in that direction. But as far as the leadership aspect that got me to what I'm doing now, just watching people that my aunt would have me around. I have another aunt who was one of the presidents of the Beverly Hills chapter of the NAACP. She and her group of friends started the Image Awards. I didn't mention that I was a publicist. And moving away from that I started a PR company because my aunt would always throw me into the fold of what they were doing on that level. And I was like, you know what, I need to get paid for this because you keep putting me in situations. So, that's how I created that company. And so, just being around that, and then watching black excellence, just being able to be right in the middle of it. That's what got me to where I am now. And just being motivated from the inside, and then just wanting to be able to serve others. Because when you come up in that you watch your family members being there for others. And my grandmother was that all day, she raised her eight children that way, just serving others. That's where that came from. And then one of the keys to success is it's a reciprocating relationship, when you give to others, you receive more back. And so, you don't put the money first, you put the gratitude, and then you put the fact that you're serving others. And that's how I got to where I am. And just this relentless drive to just be a pirate at all things.

Q. The good part is you have a great support system. Your aunts, it seems like they are very motivated into getting you to where you need to be. So, that's an awesome thing to have family support. How do you feel haveing a great support system?

A. Exactly. You're totally correct. I was just talking about that the other day.

I was telling Krissy, actually this morning, it's good to have family support. But when you have people who are not part of your family, they really recognize your hard work, your struggles, your tenacity, your resilience, and they want to be a part of that. I wouldn't exchange them just to have my family. You know what I mean? Because the people who support you are the people who support you. Also my friends husband John Couch who just posted on his LinkedIn, he was the vice president of the graphic Artists at Hulu, for all the product design. And he just resigned on Monday. He wrote a blog, and it's on his LinkedIn. So, he's got over 15,000 people there, and on his Facebook, and he's also an author. But he put why he was leaving, and all these positive things. He's really good man. He's the husband of my friend. And the books that I'm currently reading. And he's a businessman. He's into UX and UI and other design aspects. But he actually helped me.

There's a young lady in Atlanta. I won't say her name. But she's a published Illustrator. And I wanted her so bad. Oh, I wanted her. And so, I'm a member of the Society of children's book writers and illustrators. And so, she was in there and I found her. And so, I reached out to her and talking to her and she was like, okay, in May. Okay, in July. And then it just kept kind of extending out. So, John

emailed her for me, like, we're trying to do this. And then when she got back with me, she still said no. But I'll tell you the blessing in that is that my illustrator, he's in Ghana. And I got to show you just so you can see some of the work that they do. So, we met on Instagram. And we've never met face to face. It's just video calls and things like that. We've never met. And so, the way he helped to bring the story to life, I am absolutely happy the other young lady denied me.

Q. But I want to go over to yoga.

What made you want to get into yoga? What does yoga do for the body?

A. Okay, so I'll start with the first question. What made me get into yoga? A bad breakup? I won't say I broke down, So, I had to go home. I didn't understand what was happening. And why were we separating, and I needed something to help me understand it. Because of my idea of what was going on, I thought we were fine. But we absolutely were not.

And we're cool now. He bought the book for his kids. So, we're good.

But this was in 99. And so, I was like, I need something just to help me. So, I was going from churches and going to bookstores and reading books on self-help and just trying to figure out what was taking place. And so, I was like, I want to try yoga and I knew the benefits of it, but I hadn't really delved into it.

And so, I started practicing online first with Denise Austin. She would do some yoga, but she was more

Pilates and exercising. And then

I found Steve Ross. Remember

Oxygen? That was the first channel

Oprah had but on another station.

It was on cable, but it was the

Oxygen channel. And so, I loved it. The yoga he did, it would be set to Kirk Franklin and Heavy D and the boys, music like that. This is a 6ft tall white man. I love him.

Oh my god, I love him. He had a brother that was on there. And it was just this group of people and they would come on. I think it was 10 in the morning, maybe a little earlier. But he just had this whole following. And you would hear

Mustang Sally. And you would be doing yoga to music like that. Wow, I like him. So, for years and years, I watched until I think 2010, they went off the air. And so, I have a sister, she's a producer, she worked for a television station. My mom would take them and DVR them. And then we recorded them. And then she put them on a disc for me. But you can see him on YouTube now. So, fast forward. So, then there was another young lady before I get into that story. Her name is Robin Downes, and she has a "Yoga Flava". And so, I was listening to Steve Harvey one morning here in LA, and he was interviewing her. And she was like my studios are in West Hollywood. And so, I went. And I would go every Friday, I would drag my cousin, I would drag my sister and we would go. And so, she had her "Yoga Flava" but that was her version of it. And she would play neo-soul like India Arie and she would play DeAngelo and Lauryn Hill. She would play all these neo-soul artists. And so, I was like, I'm digging this. And they would give us this tea. And it was just so delicious. And so, between Steve Ross and Robin Downes, that was my first interaction with yoga. And so, what it did, it helped you to really regulate your nervous system for many trauma that you're experiencing, teaching how to breathe. Because most of us don't know how to breathe, we're really breathing from our chest cavity when we should be breathing from our diaphragm. And so, what does that do for you? It helps you to bring your body back into what we call homeostasis. So, our nervous systems when we experience any trauma or something that adverse like childhood experience or an adverse adult experience, sometimes our nervous systems can become inundated with those sensations. And now it only operates in fight or flight. Think about it like a dog was chasing you or something like that. And so, your body just operates like that normally. But that's not where you need to be. That's not the balance of your body. So, what yoga and even breathwork can help you do is your nervous system, just like your brain can be changed. But if you don't know these things then you're just thinking this is normal for me, you're operating from that standpoint instead of understanding that you should always be in rest and repair because digestion is a major part of what your body does. And 70% of your digestion of your immune system is in your gut. So, even learning how to breathe, there's an important nerve in your body called the vagus nerve. And the vagus nerve touches every major organ in your body. Just think of it like a freeway system that touches all the organs in your body. So, when you regulate your vagus nerve, through yoga, through meditation, through breathwork, then it helps your body to be able to basically relax and be in rest and repair. So, that's when your body can heal itself. That's where your body can be in optimum working condition. And so, back to the story. So, that trauma that I experienced and that adverse adult experience kind of made me go towards yoga. And so, it's been helpful for me in that regard. And so, fast forward. Russell Simmons opened a yoga studio in West Hollywood called Tantris. And so, I was going. I went a couple of times with Krissy, our mutual friend. And one Father's Day, he had Steve Ross there. So, remember, I've been watching Steve Ross the whole time on TV. He had a studio in Brentwood, and I could have driven over there and see him. But I didn't. Brentwood is not very close to Pasadena and I didn't see the need. Because I have a yoga studio here, we're actually became certified. And so, he was there, and I was just ogling at the man. I've watched him for years. And so, I got to talk to him and Russell. And I had Russell's book. And then I had a book that Steve had recommended on one of the shows. One of the shows, he talked about this book about consciousness. And so, I got a picture with them. I had tears coming down my eyes. Because I got Russell Simmons on one side, and then I've got Steve Ross on the other side and their friends. And he's here on Father's Day doing this talk. So, it was just so overwhelming. And so, Russell ended up posting the picture on his Instagram for Father's Day. It was dope. And I'll tell you a funnier

story. I didn't know it was there. And my ex called me, and he was like, I see your friend post you on his Instagram. He was like stop playing. And I was like, what do you mean stop playing. He was like, Russell Simmons has you on his Instagram. I was like, shut up. Are you serious? I pulled it up. And sure enough, it's me. Russell and Steve Ross. And I'm holding Russell's book and I'm holding the book that Steve Ross had suggested. And I just got this big old KoolAid smile on my face. I have to tell you; I was in heaven.

So, I recommend that to anybody out there who's wanting to on Sundays. I do it and from my house, from Pacific Standard Time 9 am to 10 am with a meditation at the end.

Q. So what are your goals for this year?

A. For 2021, I am working on a documentary on fathers and daughters. And basically, it's when there is a lack of a father in your life as a woman, and its emotionally distant, or physically distant how does that translate into your interpersonal relationships from a heterosexual perspective with men? And so, it plays a big role in that. And so, we examine that, and we not only talk to women, we talk to men who may not have been allowed in their daughter's lives.

We talked to researchers, we talked to historians, we talked to therapists, and we talked to fathers and daughters who have harmonious and happy fully functioning relationships as well. The big thing and that's going to be a documentary.

I'm also filming. We're in preproduction. I've done some filming. So, I've interviewed KRS-One. And Dana Dane is actually on this project with me, Brother J from X-Clan is also on the project with me. We have a soundtrack that will be accompanying the documentary and so we're working. My goal is to have it edited and ready to go by

“ The biggest challenge for me was passing my Masters. I got my Masters. That was tough. ”

Q. So, out of everything that you do, what has been the biggest challenge for you?

A. The biggest challenge for me was passing my Masters. I got my masters. That was tough. One of my professors, Dr. Nancy Hunt she's still a friend of mine. She's asked me the other day and we were talking because she wants me to do this symposium with her that brings parents and children together to a symposium that talks about disabilities and special needs in a positive light, and any success stories that I might have had as an educator working with families that had children with disabilities.

It was difficult because there's a lot of parts to it. And not knowing what you were going to be asked, and then being able to answer in a way that you're going to pass. So, it was very stressful. I remember calling her one time, and I was like, Doctor

Hunt, I don't know what to do. Now mind you, I've always been an A student. Even when I talk about school in my younger years, I've always been an A student. And even in school with my bachelor's and my master's always, in my A’s,

I've always gotten top scores, top grades. So, really nothing to worry about. But then I was just anxious.

This is a lot. There's a lot riding on this. And so, she was like, Dana, you will be okay. That was hard.

And if I was going to be able to do it. So, you're timed. You're sitting there you have nothing but a flash drive and a computer. That's it.

That's all. Go for what you know.

Q. What is a piece of advice that you could give to someone that wants to do the things that you do?

A. I would say two things. You have to be self-aware. Self-awareness is very important because it helps you understand who you are as a person, individual. And it also helps you because you got to interact with other people. So, knowing what triggers you? What bothers you? What excites you? What are your desires? What do you care about? And with that selfawareness, I would say you need a personal philosophy about life. You need to know, what are your core values? What are your principles? Because that way, when you're on your hero's journey to get to where you're going, and you veer off the path, you remember exactly where you're supposed to be based upon what you said, you believe in, what you said you care about, and what you said that you value, your core values that make you. And hopefully, they're about something. So, I would say that. You really got to do some self-reflection and self-inquiry, so that you can understand what it means to be self-aware so that you can reflect on that. So, throughout the journey, you're going to interact with people and you're going to have people that don't support you. For as many people we've talked about that support me there are people who don't support me and that's all fine and good. And then you have people who used to support you that don't support you anymore. And that's still all fine and good because we can all make choices and there are consequences to our choices, but whatever. But the last thing that I would say with the self-awareness and then having your personal philosophy about life, you got to have a goal plan. And as part of my coaching, I have created what I call a threestep strategic goal plan. It's called the See.Think. Be., it's a 3-Step Strategic Goal Plan that you go in. And on the "See" page, you kind of get out everything that you want to do. Just dreamed outside the box, bold, abrasive, just brazen, get it all out. And then on the "Think" page, you think about what you've written and how you would formulate three of those things into goals. So, on that page, you write that. The "Be" page is how do you now take all of this ideation and go to activation? What are you going to do? So, that is the task sheet. So, it has a spot for you to write down who is an accountability partner or a mastermind group. Have a time frame of reference. Because if you're doing anything when it comes to goal setting, you want to follow the SMART goal criteria, then you want to have, what it is that you're doing? What resources do you need? Who's responsible for it? And what is the timeframe that you want to complete it? And then you got to stick to it. So, each one of those goals that you formulated from the C page has to have that page. And then I also have an I am affirmation. So, I also make T-shirts but motivational t-shirts. So, I have a T-shirt that says I am. And on the I am page we all know that I am are two of the most powerful words in the English language for whatever you put after them affirm that is what you will be. That is what you will be. And so, those two goals you want to write in the affirmative in the present moment, in the now that you have completed them. I am so happy that I have completed my Ph.D. I am so happy that I have created an LLC and I'm buying property and I've got a stat trust and contract trust and I'm doing Airbnb. Whatever it is that you are trying to do. I am so happy that I have started a label and I've got some artists on there. Whatever it is but you write it as if you have already done it. There's a thing about the subconscious mind it's always on, it's always going, it's literal about everything, and what you tell your mind to do when you're sleeping at night it'll set out and try to figure out solutions to make that happen.

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you?

A. You can follow me on all social media platforms at Dana Macc, my website, www.danamacc.com. And

I have 2 Instagram. So one, I'm a little bit more playful, that's idmacc.

But you can follow me on both. But if you're up for silliness, and a lot of fun. Because on the business side, I keep it real business and professional. But on the idmacc, we get a little silly, a little playful.