Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Saintard Valiente.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in central Massachusetts, where there were two temperatures: hot and frostbite. I also grew up in two completely different environments: inside of the house and outside of the house. There were two versions of Danielle.
Danielle ‘inside of the house’ was living in the darkness- counting down the seconds until she turned 18, where she could leave the people, that house, and all the childhood memories behind. She wanted a fresh start, where no one knew where she came from or who she came from. I hated this version of myself.
Danielle ‘outside of the house’ was living in the light- a social butterfly, an overachiever, a creative and happy child. She looked like she had her life together and as if she came from a normal home. I loved this version of myself, except for the shame I felt in hiding the truth.
When I was 13 years old, I saw a show called Trading Spaces at my cousin Kim’s house. The show highlighted two sets of neighbors, who switched houses, paired up with an interior designer and redesigned a room for one another. I could not understand why or how these people had overwhelming amounts of positive emotions associated with their homes. I hated my house, and more than anything, I wanted to get out of there.
My childhood dream was to be in foster care. As a child, I thought foster care was my way out. Once I saw Trading Spaces, I knew exactly how I would get out and what I would do for the rest of my life. When I turned 18, I left my house and my biological family- I never looked back. I went to Endicott College to become an interior designer, and to give others something I never had: a home. That was 20 years ago.
When I was 22, I graduated college, took my college degree and the $900 in my bank account, packed up my champagne Plymouth Neon and drove 16 hours south, sight unseen, to Wilmington, NC. I have been in Wilmington since the day I picked it on a map almost 16 years ago. I have loved it more every day since I arrived.
When I was 25, my painters offered me up to $50,000 to start an interior design firm. They believed in me more than I believed in myself. At first, I told them no, because I could not accept owing anyone money. I was also consumed with fear- the fear of failure. What if I failed, and I owed someone money? I could never live with myself. After making a list of pros and cons a week later, I decided to take their offer. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I did not want something invisible standing in the way of my future- FEAR.
I have been an entrepreneur for 13 years. I have started several businesses, written four books, and I share my story through public speaking. After turning my life around 180 degrees, my focus is to continue giving others something I did not have – a home – and to help others use their past to fuel their future.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the most significant struggles along my journey have been health related. Emotional, physical and mental stress lived comfortably, suppressed in my subconscious until it all exploded.
I was living in fight or flight for most of my life- that was all I knew, and it was where I was most comfortable. I was in survival mode during childhood, and I continued to add more responsiblities and accomplishments to my plate in order to distract myself from what was going on at home. Accomplishments were the only place I could find some source of self-worth. From the academics of college, the financial burden of being a new grad with massive student loan debt, then entering entrepreneurship at 25, and stints of homelessness at 26, I thrived in chaos and felt comforted by stress. Which meant I was taking advantage of my health for most of my life.
It wasn’t until I was 31 years old, and had experienced a miscarriage as a newlywed, where my body shut down and I started to see the decades of damage I would now need to reconcile. I battled mold toxicity, endometriosis, Ebstein Barr virus, SIBO, and most notably, Lyme Disease.
I like to refer to my first 31 years as living in the ‘green light’- a fast-paced, overcommitted, under slept and autopilot version of myself. I was a product of my environment. After I hit my ‘red light’- the moment where life stopped and the moment where I almost lost everything- was when I realized I had nothing without my health. After four years of fighting for my life, I entered my ‘yellow light’ era and now I believe in self-care, rest, vacations, and experiences. I treat myself like a human, rather than a robot, and I invest in my health like it is a full-time job!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
No Design Duplicated.
This is a tagline I created for my interior design firm, Port City Design Group. This references the creativity I embody as an interior designer, including the creativity I share with my clients. I am most known for my unique use of color and for bold, unique designs that are outside of the box. When someone can look at a photo and know that it is one of our designs, that tells me that I am consistent with my brand, but also that we have paved the way for creativity to shine in this business. I am most proud of the way I have been able to express myself and connect with others through my love for color, pattern, texture and art!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you surround yourself with the right people, you will never fail.
This is the takeaway I want others to know when they are starting out in their industry or entering entrepreneurship. It all boils down to who you surround yourself with. When I was falling down, it was the people around me who lifted me up. When I did not know the answers within myself, I had a network I could call on for the answers. When I did not have a place to sleep, or money to cover my overhead, I had a non-blood related family I could count on. When I did not understand why I was doing this, because it was not easy, or straight-forward, I had people on the other side telling me exactly why I was doing this.
My mentor told me if I could make it to year 3, I was going to make it. If I could make it to year 5, I would be past the worst of it. If I could make it to year 7, I would look at my bank account and not know how the money got there. He was right!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://daniellesaintardvaliente.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsvunlimited/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-saintard-valiente-4a6b22376/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@DanielleSaintardValiente
- Other: https://linktr.ee/dsvunlimited
