CEO of DonnaReine Enterprise, DaniAnn Rawls manages “DonnaReine” and “DonnaReine Naturals”. Hand crafted, custom wear; DonnaReine creates resort wear for women as well as style garments for magazines. DonnaReine Naturals makes plant based, beauty products for many different skin types.
Born in New York but raised in Jacksonville Florida, DaniAnn Rawls grew up in a creative household, and is now married with two twin boys of her own. “Growing up, I always gravitated towards beauty, fashion and nature. You could always find me playing dress up or outside catching grasshoppers. I have bachelors in public communications with a minor in women and ethnicity studies. I love culture, traveling and empowering women. We are some true forces, and it’s truly magical”. DaniAnn added, “I’m a goofy, quirky, free spirit who loves nature and all things beautiful. I like to believe I’m a woman of many, many layers. Maybe it’s a Virgo thing? All in all, I try to walk in life with a positive perception, and I don’t take things personally. I have tunnel vision for my purpose”.
DaniAnn Rawls stated transitioning from her 9-5 job to her fulltime passion was extremely scary. “Notice I didn’t say ‘career.’ That’s because when I made the decision to leave the job, I made a vow to love what I do, so it doesn’t become work. So, the transition was scary. I even went back and forth wondering if I made the right decision. I can be extremely hard on myself, so I struggled a lot with the decision. I had to consider my husband and my children. So many questions ran through my mind. Will I be ok? Will I fail? What if I lose everything? The day I quit was the first day back from thanksgiving vacation. I did not want to be there. I clocked in, went to check my emails and noticed there was an email from the head of the department letting us know that a co-worker passed away the week we were off”. Dani continued, “The email mentioned that he worked with the company for 25 years, and that he will be missed. When I read the email, it hit me, and I was pissed. I told myself, ‘You got me messed up if you think I’m going to die in this cubicle without the opportunity to at least try to do what I love.’ All day, I sat there telling myself how limited my life will be financially and emotionally if I stayed sitting in that cubicle. I looked around and saw folks I didn’t care for, and I said, ‘Today is the day.’ I sent an email to my manager, left my tag and key card on the desk and walked out. It felt so much like a movie. I ran out the building and headed straight to my car. When I sat in my car, I sobbed and cried. I mean boohoo snotty sob. I called my husband who thought something major happened the way I was crying. He told me he supported my decision, and he knew it was coming anyway. I believe I sobbed out of fear and because I didn’t know what the hell was about to happen, but after I quit, things began to work like magic. Literally the next week, I was hired for an editorial shoot then hired to work wardrobe for the theaters on Broadway, then hired to work wardrobe for Norwegian Cruise Lines. Before I knew it, I was booking fashion shows, collaborations with non profits, and the clients for my custom clothing services kept coming in. It was crazy! I haven’t looked back since. There are definitely struggles, but overall I don’t regret that decision one bit. Now, I have no limit. I set my intentions, do the work and let the rest happen naturally and the way they’re supposed to. Nothing is by chance”.
Juggling family and career can bring their pros and cons, and sometimes positives and negatives. “Family and career keep me going. They help me to understand that this is bigger than me. It’s important that I leave a legacy for my seeds. My boys see how hard I grind. They see me up all night sewing, making products, and they even see me travel when need be. It’s important that I instill the work ethic and the boss mentality within them.” DaniAnn continued by saying, “So, I’d say it’s not really a juggle. It’s more like a way of life. We work towards what we want. Period. On the negative side, I’d say juggling family and career takes a lot of time. I feel like there’s never enough time”.
You can support DaniAnn Rawls by purchasing her natural beauty projects at her website, www.donnareine.myshopify.com. “You can also follow the link in my bio on my Instagram @DonnaReine to inquire and/or order a custom design. I focus on resort wear, which includes swimwear, maxi dresses, palazzo pants and large sleeve blouses. You can also support by following both Instagram pages @DonnaReine and @DonnaReineNaturals. I’m highly interested in collaborations within the realm of natural beauty, and/or classy fashion. I’d love to collaborate on fashion shows, collections, and even on radio shows and podcasts. I hosted a radio show in college, and most recently, I was a trivia host. I have an amazing voice *laughs*”.
“I always have something up my sleeve. Follow my Instagram and stay tuned. I’m manifesting some amazing things”! DaniAnn Rawls.
Writer, Kiwanna Harshaw is a blogger and Contributing Writer. Follow her on social media @Dearkiwanna
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