My mission...

As an educator, a businesswoman and a mother, it has long concerned me that while teenage girls are excelling as never before and may appear to be coping with the demands life throws at them, behind closed doors many are silently imploding. Pressure comes from many sources, especially the barrage of media, marketing and pop culture voices telling girls that their true worth is determined by how hot and how thin they are.

In 2003, I decided it was time to do something about it: I co-founded Enlighten Education, which runs workshops helping girls overcome body image and self-esteem issues, self-doubt and stress. Enlighten now works with tens of thousands of girls every year right across Australia and New Zealand. 

In 2007 Enlighten was named Small Business Champion for its work with children and I was named as NSW Entrepreneur of the Year for my role as co-founder and CEO of Enlighten. In 2009 I was delighted to be named by The Australian newspaper as the country’s number one Emerging Leader in Learning, whilst (the) Sydney Magazine (Sydney Morning Herald) named me as one of Sydney's Top 100 Influential People. In 2011, Enlighten Education was a Finalist for the Australian Human Rights Award in the Business category. I am honoured to receive this type of recognition for my work– but more than that, I am happy that the crises our girls are facing are finally getting a little airtime. 

My first book "The Butterfly Effect" (Random House Australia, September 2009) gives a new perspective on raising happy, confident teenage girls. My latest book, "The Girl With The Butterfly Tattoo", is aimed at teen girls and will be published by Random House March 1st 2012. It may be pre-purchased here.

I’m also an avid blogger and write on occasion for The Sydney Morning Herald. I appear weekly as the parenting expert for channel 9's "Mornings" television program and am often asked to comment on girls' issues in the media.  

My life’s passion is to empower girls to grow into the bright, shiny adults they have the potential to be.

Book Dannielle to speak at your school or conference NOW! Download a PDF here or see the EVENTS tab for more.