Name: D’Ana Smith
Age: 24
Title: Founder, Designer, CEO of Fourth Period
Married/Single: single
Kids: an English bulldog puppy named Maya
City you live in: raised in North Scottsdale, AZ and currently residing in West Hollywood, CA.
A typical day in my life includes…
waking up and reading my daily devotional, most of my day is hectic, so I think it’s important to start my day on the right foot by putting God first. After that I text my Mom for probably the 5th time, I check in with my friend Judy who also is the Director of PR for my company and we set the day at my home-based office. I have a lot of interest and try to nurture all of my creative passions in some way but always putting work at the epicenter of it all. I usually end my day with something on Netflix that I have already watched 4 times over and for some reason am still interested in, reading my evening devotional and of course Facetiming my little brother!
I was born…
in Los Angeles, CA and moved to Scottsdale at the age of 6.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
if you know me there’s two things I do well, eat and shop, and Arizona has the best of both. But truly my favorite thing about Arizona is that no matter how much time I spend away it still feels like home. There is a sense of comfort and peace that I feel in the 100-degree desert breeze that makes me feel secure.
I’m listening to…
everything. I have been shuffling the same two playlists for about two months, one for inspiration and the other to calm down when I’m stressed. Between those two playlists, we’ve got a little bit of Biggie Smalls, Jay Z, Maren Morris, Lauv, Kanye West, Nipsey Hussle, Frank Sinatra, and of course Beyonce.
My family…
is everything to me, I am not even going to elaborate on that because I have already mentioned them six times in this interview, haha.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
my great-grandma Ethel, I never had the chance to meet her but I have always felt this connection with her the I cannot really put into words but the way everyone in my family speaks of her; I just know she was and is a special woman.
One thing I cannot live without…
I have two; my mom and caffeine, they go hand in hand because my love for coffee comes from the person I love the most!
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a performer, I grew up on the stage and was part of dance teams at both Arizona Angels and Centerstage dance studio and that foundation is still so very present in me. I absolutely love dance and theatre and singing and performing and secretly (but not so secretly now) still want to be a professional dancer.
I’m inspired by…
my mom’s strength has always been my greatest inspiration and the sacrifices she has made to help get me to where I am today will always be what pushes me to be the best I can be. Other than that I would say I am inspired by the younger more fearless version of myself and I am always working to get back to that.
The one person who motivates me is…
my mom, she has a strength about her that I cannot even comprehend, yet though every situation in life she emerges with strength and grace. That’s something I hope to solidify within myself as I continue to grow.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
the lack of compassion people have for others. We live in a world where the foundation for many of the adversities individual faces are rooted in the misunderstanding of different walks of life.
The perfect day would be…
going to Target without long lines, haha. But on a serious note and surprisingly enough, I really enjoy being surrounded by nature in some capacity, it’s spiritual to me and I think that having an element of that in each day would be amazing. Time for mediation and a good meal, and of course time to spend with friends and my family would set the tone for my perfect day.
My first job was…
taking groceries out of the fridge and reselling them to my family for a markup of about 75% #EntrepreneurialMindset. Despite teaching dance and volunteering for many organizations and countless internships in college, my first real job was working as an events intern at the Giving Keys, which later turned into a permanent position where I stayed for almost two years while in college. This company was probably the only job other than working for my self the I actually liked.
My favorite escape…
I absolutely love Riviera Maya, it’s one of my favorite vacation spots, and the reason my dog is named Maya. Now that I have moved from Arizona though, Scottsdale is my great escape. There is something about coming home to a slower pace that is still full of energy and yet enough dessert peace that brings me back to my center.
My life…
is extremely blessed, I am so fortunate for every up and down that I have faced and truly am in awe of God’s work in my life.
Always…
wearing black and spilling coffee on myself when I’m driving. Oh, and always texting my mom!
Never…
sleep and at this point, it’s catching up to me, but with some good eye cream and lots of passion for what I do, I manage to act and feel like I am running on a solid eight hours each night. But it’s more like five.
Favorite Quote…
“Everything you seek is already within you.”
Biggest Dream…
to be purposeful in all that I do, and to touch the lives of others in a positive way.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
rude people! I am a Type A with a capital A so I have plenty of other pet peeves BUT its the simplest act to be kind to someone and people who can’t do that are not my fave!
