Our team is beyond thrilled for today’s episode! We welcome one of our fan-favorite Conference speakers….Dani Coke to the show! She is an illustrator, social justice advocate, and entrepreneur who makes art designed to encourage faith, inspire justice, and guide others through loving their neighbors well. Her illustrations aim to make complex issues more digestible and provide practical ways to help others make a difference in their spheres of influence.

Dani also runs a social media agency called So Happy Social where she helps positive, mission-based brands use social media for good. When she's not drawing, you can find her watching a Disney movie, making music, or laughing as hard as she can. 

On today’s episode Kait and Dani get #real and talk about the importance of staying strong in your beliefs as well as having a compassionate heart towards others who oppose them. Dani and Kait also talk about the importance of staying true to them in dating relationships and how we as Christians should choose what we stand for and how we should stand for them. 

Could you share a little bit about your journey?

• It's been a year since Dani quit her job, she originally was working for an events company working with graphic design.
• She wanted to build her own business and work more in design and social media marketing.
• She created her business “Happy Social” to help mission based social media accounts.
• She started to make social media graphics as a hobby but began to realize people were more open to listen to hard topics and learn if they were presented in a “pretty format”
• She began making illustrations for black history month, they went viral, and she took off from there!

Could you share some of the struggles you’ve faced in your past jobs?

• Dani worked in a predominately white organization and always grew up in predominantly white environments. 
• In the workplace she had to adjust to certain situations such as microaggressions. 
• Dani shares her experiences in which her boss was unsupportive in fighting racial inequality and said “color does not exist”
• Kait and Dani discuss some work and financial discrepancies when it comes to black vs white women.

How do we get to the point for standing for good, godly things?

• It’s important that we all stand for something, especially as believers, but it’s important to recognize what we stand on.
• It’s important to stay firm on what you believe in, but also remain humble. There’s going to be a lot of things and people fighting for your attention.
• God and the character of Jesus is about others, about the oppressed, and about the broken.
• In these times of so much going on, we have to be ok with getting uncomfortable
• There’s always going to be room for everyone to grow in the space of race.
• Don’t be afraid to take that first step. Perfectionism is not a prerequisite.

How do you stand strong in your beliefs without coming across as hateful?

• Aim to be compassionate in your approach, yet firm
• Don’t sacrifice the integrity of what you’re standing for.
• Preserve the love, compassion, and integrity of your relationships without sacrificing what you stand on.
• Remember that you’re not responsible for changing another person, you are only responsible for standing your ground and presenting the truth in love.
• Make sure to take care of yourself and mental wellness in this season of friction.

How do you have these conversations with someone who you’re dating?

• Make what you believe in known and prominent in conversations and with people so they know what you stand for beforehand.
• When you speak about current events, it’s great to hear the other person’s heart on what they think about things and how they view what’s going on in the world.
• Don’t be afraid to have some more serious conversations with them, you want to know where they stand and want them to know where you stand.
• If you don’t agree on your views, don’t view it as a dating failure, instead view it as an opportunity to hear someone else out, listen to their views and engage in an open dialogue.
• The heart to these issues is loving your neighbor and wanting to love them well. 
• It’s easy to overcomplicate or political issues like this. 

What’s your final nugget of dating advice?

• Be called to love others in dating, even if it doesn’t work out. 

Connect with Dani!

Follow Dani on Instagram HERE

Shop Dani's Prints HERE

Purchase This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work HERE