This past year Danielle hosted a virtual session with the YWCA Hartford Region, YW Career Women’s Program on Productivity, Prioritizing yourself. This event reached over eight women in our program. At the peak of Covid-19, Danielle Smiley hosted a workshop virtually for women that brought women to feel connected and inspired. Her motherhood background and journey helped many women understand that time management can be a battle for all women and mothers. She offered an understanding of the constant juggling between women in school, work, and home. Her platform helped many women recenter, refocus and reconnect to find their balance and journey through trying times. Danielle‘s workshop helped build women’s self-worth, confidence, and purpose. Thank you, Danielle, for bringing your expertise to the YW Career Women of YWCA Hartford Region.

I’m very big on being the best that I can be, and I can’t do that without the right type of diet. I reached out to Danielle at the end of 2017 to make sure that I was taking care of my temple in the best way possible. I considered the idea of being well the best Christmas gift I could give myself. Although I was already familiar with Danielle’s great personality, I had no idea what to expect as a client.

What I found was that she was just as awesome as a nutritionist. I appreciated the thorough intake process and that she considered my current lifestyle, foods I already eat while still giving me credit for the good habits I already had. I was most surprised about asking for blood work, but it truly makes sense; my labs don’t lie about how my body is doing. The meal plan was an adjustment for me as I wasn’t used to eating so frequently and that much protein, but I understood that to make any gains, I needed to do what she said. Also, what I had been doing wasn’t working so well, so why not try a different way? Once I got the meal plan down, my body easily adjusted, and I found myself hungry around the time the next meal was due. I shed some inches that I naturally gain during the holidays (I love food and the holidays!) and noticed that I felt different.

This is normally what most people write in a review, but here is the most important part: she also advises you on being gentle with yourself and what to do with setbacks. Changing habits is a rough process and you need someone who is going to remind you it’s a process not a finish line. Overall, this process has been a great learning experience and I’m ready to tackle the next hurdle: consistent exercise. Now that I have the nutrition part down, things should come much easier for me. If you’re tired of eating the way you do, need a support person coaching you through, and are ready to do the work, please reach out to Danielle and start your journey to better health.

Welcoming Dani’s nutrition and wellness services made an impact on our members during my year as the NSBE National Professionals Chairperson.  Her work with the Women in Science & Engineering special interest group brought into focus work-life-integration for our STEM careers women.  With our theme of Excellence in Membership, Dani helped us provide the best balance of our standard professional/technical with ‘right-on-time’ wellness education .