Whitney English: [Founder of the Day Designer] The Power of Gratitude in Business (+ Life)

Episode 17: The Power of Gratitude in Business (+ Life)
with Whitney English

I had the distinct pleasure of getting to spend some time with the founder of the highly acclaimed “The Day Designer” on this episode of Live Your Dance. What I love about this episode is that not only does Whitney share some very useful tips for many stages of business, but she also shares with us some counter-intuitive advice (i.e. don’t follow your passion, follow your strengths). She’s a quality thinker, and an ever-active doer. And I found out the impetus for all of her success: starting each endeavor with gratitude. We dove deep into to the subject, and she got real and raw with me as we learned more about her story and some of her challenges along the way. This episode is for anyone on the cusp of starting a business, or anyone looking to improve your “business,” whatever that may be. 

Listen in for more of her story here: bit.ly/LiveYourDance-mk

In this episode we get to dive into… 

• How Whitney’s high school job planted seeds for her current companies

• How 9-11 changed the trajectory of her life and career

• How her biggest failures actually helped set her up for even greater success, later on

• What aspects of her childhood contributed to her interest in design and reading/writing

• How this mantra “Maintenance is one of the responsibilities of stewardship” shaped Whitney’s view on work (and our bodies, our families, etc.) (8:30)

• Whitney’s top advice—albeit counterintuitive—for anyone starting their own business (10:00)

• What challenges she’s faced, and how she worked through them

• Helpful tips for any stage of business from someone who’s been there before

• How to focus your business when there are so many ideas to go after at one time

• The difference that having intention makes in our daily lives (24:00)

• Whitney’s view on social media and how she uses and balances it with everyday life

• How a 100-day commitment can change your life and your productivity

• Whether or not she’s a journaler (32:00)

• What factors contributed to her making the Day Designer

• What driving value has directed her career, her family, and her principles

• How she uses gratitude to turn shortcomings into gifts

• How to shift our paradigm into an empowering state of mind, rather than a disempowering one

• The power of gratitude in many areas of life (43:00)

• Love as an action (vs. just a feeling) and what it can create in our lives when we let Love guide our actions

• How Whitney handled a prickly situation with grace and humility to transform an accusation (46:00)

Referred to in the ‘cast…

• The Garment Collective: Ethically-sourced clothing

• Love Does by Bob Gott

• Don’t Settle: Start Living a Life You Love by Molly King

• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown