Danielle Rodgers
Hi! My name is Danielle. I am 22 years old. I grew up in Brisbane. I love my family, partner and friends. I value having a good time. I like doing and learning new things. I love my doggo- Apollo. I love animals. My favourite colour is yellow- because there isn’t a happier colour if you ask me. I enjoy laughing. I have a degree in Behavioural Science (Psychology). I love to travel- I love the diversity of different countries. I am a good listener. I will enjoy a champagne or wine with you. I live for the “why-not” factor. I love to dance to some loud music. I will give anything a go. I love spending time in the country. I love the sun. I enjoy a day at the beach, feeling the sand between my toes. I love an abundant of smells, incense, candles or diffusers- you name it, I have it. My favourite shoes are my chucks, high-top converses. My favourite food is pasta. I enjoy going for a run. I am easy going. I am so grateful. I have a lot of love to give.
How do you practice self love?
It is hard to 100% say that I know myself completely, because I don’t. I don’t believe anyone does. Just like the seasons, life or any evolving organism, we change. And frequently I find myself out of depth and rediscovering things about myself that I did not know before. I practice self care by reminding myself of this. By being gentle. Having patience. Some days are harder than others, I nurture myself through those days and remind myself that toughness is only temporary. Mindfulness and self-reflection is key!
Tell us about your business ~ sunrise support services.
Sunrise Support Services is sensitive and understanding to the immediacy of emotional care and devotes time to mental health relief and support. I engage in talk-based therapy and other relationship-based therapeutic techniques with clients to promote levels of self-understanding and to encourage positive changes. Through life, I have come to learn it is not always about the bigger picture or "changing lives", its about all the small wins along the way and being present in moments that really matter. Focusing on the moments, one decision at a time, are the things that change lives. That is what Sunrise Support Services is about. I wanted to create an affordable and available space that accepts that healing is not linear nor medically confined. Sometimes we genuinely do not know what is wrong, or that cannot be fixed on a bound progression scale, or the fact that it might not fit certain criteria, but that does NOT mean it is any less treatable or present. It takes time, mistakes, corrections- only to make more mistakes, effort, time and patience. And I would be honoured to be an assistant in your journey to self-congruence and would take great privilege in sitting alongside you through this difficult time in your story.
What inspired you to start your business?
I have an ambition to be the best human I can be and help people along the way where I can. To do this, I have been dedicated in finding my passion to be authentically me, Danielle. From as long as I can remember, I have always loved human engagement and simply being around other people. Now I could sit here and say that it was completing my university degree, my career as a youth worker, the travelling that I have done, going through social changes and the generalness of growing up that sparked my interest in starting a business.
Whilst all these aspects certainly contributed to my inspiration to start a business, I decided long ago that starting up a business was something I was going to do.
My dad. My mum. My sister. My boyfriend. Honestly, I could go on and on about the people that inspired me to start my business. I could tell you about a lady called Jessica Edkins, a lady who quickly became one of my biggest role models. A friend named Hannah. A wonderful lady named Cathy. A friend named Sune. My family: my step-mum, my step-siblings, my nana and pop, my gran. My friends, who have come and gone along the way. A man named Lloyd whom I worked for as a youth worker. It’s like starting a campfire you see, I started preparing my fire pit long ago and all these people I mentioned, and those I haven’t, added kindling and wood to my fire along the way: all that was left was for me to light it. I gained confidence, resilience, perseverance, a tough-skin, humbleness, dedication and strength through all my experiences and as such, gained the inspiration to start Sunrise Support Services.
What inspires you?
The thought of doing something good. The thought of doing big and worthwhile things that directly reflects who I am. Every day I aspire to be a good person, by my definition. And I work hard at it. I also value my friends and family highly, watching them flourish and become who they are, inspires me.
What are you best 3 pieces of advice for people going through a hard time right now?
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Take your time. Honestly, this is one of the best pieces of advice I can give because it fits in any scenario. I find that most people I talk to or that confide in me are flustered and overwhelmed by their place in life. Can you remember getting a text/email/letter that made you stressed, where you replied almost instantly out of sheer reaction or intense emotion? Can you think of a time where someone said something to you that didn’t quite sit well and as such, caused you to “snap” or force words out of your mouth that you hadn’t even consciously processed? Yes, that’s a reactive response or an impulse and whilst it can be necessary at times, mostly our inkling to act upon our reactive responses can cause more harm that good. Taking that time to physically stop and step back, whether that means putting your phone down, walking away or asking for a moment. I encourage you to try and bring yourself to your present moment and give yourself that sense of clarity.
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Listen to your body and emotions when they are speaking. Now this might sound silly but acknowledging and validating yourself is detrimental to wellness. Now this is not to say that we need to critically analyse our feelings at every moment of the day, because as humans, we experience an influx of emotions constantly. But when you consciously recognise that something is not right or you genuinely aren’t feeling yourself, your mind will bring this to your forefront. I encourage you to not dismiss this. Please take your rawness and give it a big hug, tell it that its safe and ok, then help it back up and put it back into its place. Sometimes the art of bringing some to your conscious mind, right to the forefront of your thoughts, gives the biggest clarity.
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Treating yourself. This sounds quite simple, but as I am sure you are aware, we can be our own harshest critic and as such, deprive ourselves of what we really want. Treat yourself. Take it how you will. Whether that means cooking your favourite meal, sleeping with an old teddy, listening to your favourite song (loud and on repeat), wearing your favourite colour or piece of clothing. Whatever makes you feel good, do more of it. When we are feeling down, we often find ourselves turning to a vice to make us feel better, this can be a vicious cycle. Putting the dependency on something else can leave us feeling empty in the absence of that something. So why not put that vice towards you? I encourage you to make yourself feel good when times are tough, make yourself smile.
Something that made your smile recently
Honestly, I smile a lot. But when reading this question, the moment that popped into my mind was a moment recently where my mum, sister and I were watching a movie on a Sunday afternoon. Now I was recommended this movie because I was told that it’s a perfect girls movie for a lazy afternoon with a glass of wine. I thought at the time, perfect! The movie is called Military Wives. It is a beautiful movie, but I tell you what, I cried. My sister cried. My mum laughed at my sister and I crying. My sister and I laughed at us crying. I got into trouble for picking a “chill” movie. We then to eat some lollies and chocolate. I smiled and I felt so secure and happy in those moments. Sometimes its about appreciating those little, so called “nothing” times that make us feel good.