Danisha Danielle Hoston (INTERVIEW)
Danisha
Danielle Hoston
The
“Home Free” Interview
with
Kam Williams
From Single-Mom on Welfare to Self-Made Millionaire!
Danisha's life changed dramatically in her early 20s when the father of her child was diagnosed with cancer and died ten weeks after their daughter’s birth. Just a couple months later, she was laid off from her job and became dependent on the Welfare.
Despite being a struggling single-mom, Danisha managed to become a self-made millionaire by building her own commercial real estate business. Today, the most important role in her life is being a mom to her daughter, and building a loving home with her new husband, former NFL tight end, George Wrighster and her stepchildren for their new blended family.
In Danisha’s eyes, motivating others through their challenges to success and happiness is the driving force behind why she shares her journey. With a style all her own, she hopes to inspire people to shift their mindset from scarcity to abundance and gratitude so they can reap the benefits of a life more abundant than they ever imagined.
Here, she talks about hosting the OWN Show for Oprah Winfrey, and about being a judge on the new reality series, Home Free, which is set to premiere on Fox-TV on July 22nd at 9pm ET/PT (check local listings).
Kam
Williams: Hi
Danisha, thanks for the interview.
Danisha
Danielle Hoston:
Thank
you, Kam! Thanks for your time.
KW:
What interested you in Home Free?
DDH:
Home
Free is the perfect blend of everything I love to watch on TV--real
estate, competition, big stakes, and shows that inspire you and warm
your heart. All of the contestants on Home Free have very compelling
stories and they are all working very hard to achieve the American
Dream of being "Home Free." So, it's a great experience to
help a deserving family achieve that. Besides that, Mike Holmes is
the premiere name in construction and home renovation, and he's
giving away a HUGE prize. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
KW:
Was it
hard eliminating couples from the competition?
DDH:
Yes!
Much harder than I thought. Coming into this competition, I had a
feeling that the eliminations would become difficult as we approached
the finals, but I found myself fighting back tears in the very first
episode. I'm here to lend my expertise, however, and Mike wants us to
give our honest opinion to assist him in making the elimination so he
gets it.
KW:
You
encountered tragedy and considerable hardships early in life. How did
you manage to persevere? To what do you attribute your success?
DDH:
I
attribute my success to the mentors, friends, and family members who
believed in me. I even attribute my success to the hardships and
tragedy I experienced along the way. If the worst things didn't
happen exactly the way they did, maybe the good stuff wouldn't have
either. I persevered because I had no choice. I persevered because I
was a single-mom with a little girl who only had her mommy. There was
no way I was going to let her down. My main motivator has ALWAYS been
to make my daughter and family proud. Now, I'm determined to make
anybody who is experiencing hardship and tragedy know that there is a
light at the end of the tunnel and that they can get there.
KW:
What
interested you in hosting the OWN Show?
DDH:
I
have always loved all things Oprah Winfrey. In a way, I've considered
her one of my mentors. When I decided to expand my career pursuits to
include media, I didn't have an agent and only had some television
experience through bookings I received on social media. I didn't know
where to start, so I just put a picture of me on a television set
with an OWN network logo on my vision board. Six months later, I was
asked to audition for #OWNSHOW through social media. I jumped at the
chance and somehow booked it!
KW:
Your
life story is very inspirational. Have you thought about writing an
autobiography?
DDH:
I
have! It didn't start out as an autobiography, though. It started out
as a guide to making it in commercial real estate as a woman. As I
started outlining the book, it actually became a manual to change
your mindset and create success in any field. And it turned out to be
all of the lessons that I've learned along the way--hence, an
autobiography.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DDH:
I'm
just like everybody else. I see flaws, a few wrinkles, and a few
extra pounds. I definitely see a person I like, though. She's my
kinda chick.
KW:
If you
could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
DDH:
I
would wish that we all knew our power to overcome anything and live
out our wildest dreams.
KW:
The Melissa Harris-Perry question:
How did
your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?
DDH:
My
greatest heartbreak was the death of my daughter's father when she
was only 10 weeks old. I was so young at the time that I didn't
realize the true impact of his loss for me and for her. All I knew
was that I was devastated. What I learned from that experience was
that even under completely devastating circumstances, I am
unbreakable. Now, no matter what the setback is, I know that, if I'm
still breathing, I can overcome it.
KW:
The
Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all
successful people share?
DDH:
I
think all successful people have a positive and empowering view of
failure. Whether it's Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey or anybody that has
achieved great success, the key is to view failure as part of
success. To recognize that failure has no reflection on you
personally, that it's just a part of the journey and that there is no
end to the road. You can always bounce back.
KW:
The
Flex Alexander question: How
do you get through the tough times?
DDH:
Gratitude.
I remember that every experience--positive or negative--is a gift.
The most negative experiences in my life were some of the greatest
gifts to my growth. So, even when the gift is not readily obvious and
the tough times can be overwhelming, I remember that whatever is
happening is a gift, and I say “thank you” for it. I always feel
a little better after that!
KW:
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
DDH:
Create
a vision, make a plan, and write it down. I'm a big believer in
vision boards and business plans. I firmly believe that any goal can
be achieved, if you put consistent planning, action and belief behind
your vision. For example, the first business plan I ever wrote was to
make $50,000 in my first year of selling real estate. I was making
$38,000 a year as an accountant before I was laid off, so this was a
huge jump for me. I had never written a business plan before but I
worked my ass off to stay the course of the plan. I didn't make any
money for the first 7 months and it would have been very easy to give
up, but I didn't. That year, I made $216,000 in gross commissions and
was named "Rookie of the Year" in my office. After that, I
made a plan every year and never looked back.
KW:
The
Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
DDH:
I
want my husband, my kids and my family to remember me for how much I
loved, believed in, and supported them. I want to be remembered as a
great businesswoman who made a positive impact and helped anybody
that she ever worked with. I want my legacy and my life to be a
source of inspiration and hope to anybody that started out as an
underdog and has big dreams of having it all, even if it doesn't
happen all at once.
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Danisha, and best of luck with Home Free, the OWN
Show and all your other endeavors.
DDH:
Thank
YOU, Kam! I appreciate your time! Best of luck to you as well.
Home Free premieres
on Fox on July 22nd
at 9pm ET/PT (check
local listings)
To
see a trailer for Home Free, visit:
http://www.fox.com/watch/469527107902/7762526208
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