Jet set with us to Amsterdam, where we continue our International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month (US) celebrations and find Dani (she/her). Dani has championed her city from the start of the pandemic through now and is the glue that keeps the folks in Amsterdam motivated to #JustShowUp.
- Who are some of the women in the world of running/sport that you look up to?
Top spots go to my amazing friends around the world. I’ve met so many motivating and inspiring women thanks to the running and blogging/social media community. Being a part of charity teams like Tedy’s Team & The Stroke Association for a number of years allowed me to run alongside Stroke Survivors. Fellow RunDisney enthusiasts where many of those women never expected to run 1 mile let alone their first 5k all the way to #DopeyChallenge (48.6 miles). And I need to look no further than my fellow co-lead & friend who epitomises strength, dedication and perseverance. Heather is a mother runner, 2-time Guinness World Record Holder & overall great running partner.
- When did you first #JustShowUp to NP? How did you come across NP? What is it that you were looking for in a fitness group? How did NP provide that? What was an “extra” that NP has that you found value in?
As a Bostonian, I knew about NP and had many local friends who went. But knowing them and seeing the NP posts on social media I didn’t think NP was for me. I wasn’t a Boston Qualifer, no 6-pack Abs, etc. So I always declined the offers to attend. But when I moved to Amsterdam in January 2018, I started following the NP Amsterdam Twitter. During 8 months of chatting with the account (& the person behind it, hi Stephen) I finally showed up to their birthday workout. It was an amazingly diverse group of people who seemed close knit. This this was the community I was looking for as an expat. It gave me an outlet to push myself & now I’ve had so many adventures in the last 4+ years thanks to this group.
- What apprehensions did you have as you considered coming for the first time? What was your first impression? Why did you keep showing up?
Given the stereotypes of an NPer I had built up in my head, I was frightened of showing up and being massively slow and dropped by the group. So my anxiety and I let that fester for those 8 months until I finally bit the bullet. But when I showed up I saw a group where it seemed everyone was welcomed and accepted. There were hugs and high-fives (which I love both). That positivity, inclusivity and openness made me want to come back and it’s been that way ever since.
- What does it mean to you to be a woman Co-leader? What does it mean to your community? What does it mean to our global community?
For most of my life I’ve been proving to myself I am stronger than I think I am… Co-leading was another experience where I’ve been able to do that. I hope in my time as Co-leader I’ve been able to inspire our group to go outside of their own comfort zones & try those things that scare you. I hope they see it as a positive… I’ll ask them after the next burnout. 😃 The global NP community needs to see the diversity of its community. I’m proud to be an openly gay female expat Co-lead.
- How does being a woman influence your leadership? What was it like to be a woman in your community before you stepped into leadership?
The Amsterdam community since I first showed up has always been supportive of each member so it has felt like an inviting & supportive space from both sides of the bounce.
- Did you have any apprehensions to lead this group? Did you experience imposter syndrome when you were asked to lead?
I 100% did – thanks anxiety. But after countless conversations & kilometers with Heather we opted to give it a try. I wanted to throw up before leading the first bounce but I knew the community was rooting for us – and me – to succeed. That feeling of family really was the reason to give it a try.
- How do you celebrate International Women’s Day? How can others celebrate you or celebrate with you this day? How can we celebrate you all year long?
I try to celebrate every day by lifting up the women around me and highlighting their successes no matter how small they think they are. Being a cheerleader for people is my #1 joy!
- What else do you want people reading this to know? About being a woman in leadership or anything else you’d like to share.
More than being a female Co-leader, for me it’s being a gay Co-leader. That is a smaller community that is underrepresented. As one of the few (and sometimes only) openly gay member of my community, it’s been fulfilling to continue to educate my peers about the LGBTQIA+ community. One of my happiest moments was writing a bounce for our Pride workout & hearing my friends shouting out all of the pronouns & for being open to including a pronoun tag in our mix of tags if anyone wanted.
