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Every Monday morning for the past several years I've looked
forward to receiving via email the latest edition of Dana
Delivered!, an entertaining, intelligent, unpredictable and
uplifting e-magazine offering a generous mix of interviews,
inspiration and personal introspection. I can't for the life of
me remember who first recommended the weekly newsletter to me,
but it's been one of my favorite escapes ever since.
The website is the brainchild of Renaissance woman Dana Roc.
I never had any contact with her prior to conducting this
interview. Yet, as a big fan of her journalistic writing, I felt
like I had already come to know her and her family, at least
virtually. So, I figured why not finally try to talk to this
multi-talent I'd only admired from afar in order to share her
success story with the rest of the world.
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Dana is the founder and
president of DanaRoc.Com. In this capacity, she creates,
develops and produces programs that empower people to be
productive, powerful, successful and happy. The very versatile
Ms. Roc has also been employed as an actress and model,
appearing on television shows, in commercials and in print
advertisements.
Besides running her own media empire, Dana has led seminars and
educational programs for Landmark Education, an International
Education Corporation. And she has worked as an image
consultant, and was a marketing director for AFIC Technologies,
a software technologies company. She is a founding member of
Comp2Kids, a thriving non-profit educational organization for
children.
As for her personal life, she lives and works in New York City
with her husband, Auguste and their daughter, Gussie. To
check out her website and/or subscribe to her newsletter, visit:
www.danaroc.com
The Dana Delivered! Interview
with Kam Williams
KW: Hi Dana, thanks for the time and thanks for creating such an
entertaining website.
DR: Thanks for reading.
KW: Is Roc either your or your husband's real last name? I don't
know why, but I suspect that it isn't, because I remember once
reading his saying, ’You can call me Mr. Roc.’
DR: Roc is my husband's last name and it is real. It's
French. He was born in Haiti. And the ’You can call me Mr. Roc’
comes from the fact that I marvel at his strength and I admire
his resolve.
KW: What was your childhood in Madison, Wisconsin like?
DR: Well, if you are asking for me to literally comment
on the geography, growing up in Madison was wholesome, fresh and
homogenous. I was almost always the only black person no matter
what I did, unless I was with someone in my family. My family
has a very strong legacy of contribution in Madison. My
great-grandfather, William Miller, was an attorney and served
Governor LaFollette [Robert Marion La Follette, Sr who served
from1901-1906]. As rare as it was rare back then for black
Americans to have a law degree, it was rarer still that a black
man would serve as an important aide to the governor. So, my
great-grandfather had to pretend to be Governor LaFollette's
driver. That was the way it was back then. The Millers were very
directly involved with starting a lot of community organizations
like the NAACP and the Urban League. My great grandfather was a
great friend of
W.E.B. Dubois who used to visit him in Madison. The Miller
House is a landmark building now and there is an exhibit at the
Wisconsin State Historical society on William Miller and the
Miller family.
KW: Where did you go to college and what did you major in?
DR: I went to Spelman College in Atlanta Georgia and I
majored in Drama and Communications.
KW: How did you end up in New York City?
DR: I always wanted to live in New York, so I applied to
graduate school at New York University because I felt like that
was the best way to move to the city without any other real
connections.
KW: Do you do Dana Delivered full-time, or do you have another
job?
DR: Yes, I do Dana Delivered full time.
KW: I know that you've been together over 20 years. How did you
and Auguste meet?
DR: We have been together twenty two years last March. We
were actually married in 1992, but we lived together for six
years first. I consider those six years no less important than
the years we've spent together post ’I do.’ We met when I was in
grad school. My roommate and I threw a party and Auguste came
with a friend of mine. He thought the party was corny so he left
after ten minutes ’ but not before he told me that he would
definitely be seeing me again, somewhere soon.
KW: How would you describe your relationship?
DR: The brutal honest truth about Auguste Roc is that he
is a man of amazing integrity and I have never, not for one
minute, ever questioned his faithfulness, honesty or his motives
about anything. I have however at times questioned what it is I
have ever done to deserve him. Auguste Roc makes me better than
I am. I love him very much and we have an incredible bond.
Auguste and I work at having a great relationship because our
relationship is important to us. ’We’ have never been an after
thought for ’us’. Someone asked me a couple of years ago ’What
does it feel like to have been with Auguste for twenty years?’ I
responded: ’It feels like he is mine.’ He is what I love most
about my life.
KW: Do you ever have any reservations about writing about your
relationship with your husband?
DR: Well, I don't have any marriage drama to share with
my readers, although I don't for a minute take what I have, what
we have built together, for granted. I am committed, however, to
being honest with my readers. My life is not perfect. I struggle
and I triumph. I laugh and I cry. I feel joy as well as pain. I
think it is important to share all of that or risk boring people
to death.
KW: How has having a child, Gussie, changed your life?
DR: Gussie is magic. She is one of the best people that I
know and I believe that Auguste would say the same. We marvel at
who she is and we are proud of who she is becoming. I think that
one of the ways that Gussie has changed my life is that I have
realized, as a result of my commitment to her having a great
life, that I can always do more and give better than I ever
thought I was capable of. Nothing is impossible for me when it
comes to providing for her.
KW: Where in New York do you live?
DR: Downtown Manhattan.
KW: How many readers do you have?
DR: A lot and from all around the world.
KW: How often are you spotted on the street by a stranger who
only knows you from your website?
DR: Surprisingly enough, I am recognized here and there
every once in a while, usually when I am running late or
reprimanding Gussie.
KW: How much are Auguste and Gussie involved with Dana
Delivered?
DR: Auguste and I produce Dana Delivered together and I
consult with him closely about the content. Gussie is also
consulted. She is a wonderful writer and full of great insight.
She publishes her own weekly e-zine with her own readership.
It's called The Gussie Gazette (Visit:
http://www.danaroc.com/guests_gussie.html) Her weekly comes
out on Monday morning as well, and she has never missed her
deadline. She is a bit of a renaissance woman if I may say so
myself. She is a brilliant writer, she has been studying ballet
for eleven years and she plays the violin and the viola. One of
the things that I love most about her is her profound sense of
justice. She does volunteer work after school for an
organization ’ Ubuntu Education Fund ’ that raises money to send
children in Elizabethtown, South Africa to university. Most of
these kids either have AIDS, have a parent or both parents who
have died of AIDS, or are at risk to get AIDS. Ubuntu not only
raises money for college but they also shepherd these kids
through to adulthood to make sure that they get there. Gussie is
passionate about doing her part to contribute to these kids who
she feels deserve great opportunity.
KW: But Dana Delivered is much more than your family's personal
reflections on life. You also conduct interviews, suggest books
and websites, give inspirational pep talks, post pleasant
pictures, talk in podcasts and quote uplifting passages from
others.
DR: Yep. Dana Delivered! has really evolved out of a
response to a commitment to contribute somehow to other people.
I have a lot of opinions and rather than gratuitously express
them, I want to have them amount to something more than a
venting session for just my benefit. Auguste and I are avid
readers, he much more than I, and we often talk about what we
read ’ compare thoughts and perspectives. Recommending books and
websites just seemed like a natural extension of that. One of my
favorite Dana Delivered features is Inspiring People where I get
to interview amazing people. I love talking to people who are
doing really cool things, especially when what they are doing is
making life a little bit better or more interesting for somebody
else.
KW: How would you describe Dana Delivered to someone unfamiliar
with it?
DR: Dana Delivered! is an e-zine filled with interesting
stories and fun tidbits delivered fresh to your email inbox
first thing every Monday morning. Both entertaining and
informative, Dana Delivered! is packed full of sound advice,
inspiring perspectives, great original interviews with
influential and successful people, insightful and interesting
guest articles, regular columnists, recommendations and more. I
handpick every bit of content to encourage you to live life out
loud and to add richness and challenge to the way you live
everyday. Dana Delivered! will introduce you to people and
themes that are unpredictable, pique your curiosity, provoke a
response, elevate your conversation, show you how to build on
your successes and invite you to live life beyond what you think
is possible. So, whether you want to obtain a new advantage, get
a quick boost to the soul or just make a minor adjustment to
your attitude, DanaRoc.com delivers!
KW: How do you pick who you're going to interview?
DR: People who are interested in contributing to other
people somehow, are my favorite subjects. I also love to talk to
people who are blazing new trails and taking risks. Oh, and
people who have failed miserably or who have overcome adversity
are some of the most interesting and inspiring people to
interview because of the kind of growth and poetic perspective
that their difficulty invokes.
KW: What makes a good interview?
DR: People who are comfortable enough in their own skin
to be candid and vulnerable. Nobody has it all together and
anybody who tries to pretend that they do, is either lying or
they are simply out of touch with what really matters.
Manufactured perfection does not inspire anyone. Being open and
honest about who you really are, what you struggle with, what
you are afraid of, what you really think, allows people to
connect because they can locate their own humanity in that kind
of candor and generosity.
KW: How does it feel to be on the other end of an interview?
DR: Great! I am a talker and I like to search myself
again and again for what I newly think.
KW: How do you pick what subject to write about each week?
DR: I try and write about something that is immediately
relevant to my life because I feel that is my best shot at being
honest and ’ being honest is my best shot at connecting with
people.
KW: How much time do you devote to writing and how much to the
other aspects of the website?
DR: Almost all of my time with the site is spent writing
because I am fortunate enough to work with a wonderful
technology team out in Seattle, Washington ’ Moment Media ’ and
they handle all of the technology and branding stuff with the
site.
KW: The
Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
DR: Very!
KW: The bookworm
Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
DR: Motorcycle Diaries ’ again. I love the way Che
Guevera composes his thoughts’beautiful.
KW: The
Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
DR: I am always afraid.
KW: Is there a question no one has ever asked you, that you wish
someone would?
DR: Well, the question is: Would you like a million
dollars? And my answer is: Yes. Yes, I would.
KW: Who are you supporting for president?
DR: Are you kidding?
Barack Obama! His candidacy has changed my life!
KW: To what sort of audiences do you generally give
inspirational talks?
DR: People who are honestly searching for how to live a
great life and who have run out of superficial quick fixes.
KW: What advice do you give to young girls who want to follow in
your footsteps?
DR: Stay curious, ask a lot of questions and always say
’Yes' to trying new things.
KW: How often do you conduct seminars and what do they entail?
DR: Not as often as I used to because the ezine is now
front and center.
KW: How do you want to be remembered?
DR: I want to be remembered as someone who never stopped
trying to learn and who never thought more of herself than she
thought about other people.
KW: Dana, thanks again for the interview and for such an
entertaining and reliably high-quality weekly e-magazine,
DR: Thanks for inviting me to talk.
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