Her kind and approachable style captivates audiences, and her convicting truth-telling speaks to the heart of some of society's most pressing issues regarding justice, empathy, and hope.
Danielle often incorporates her striking illustrations into her talks, creating an immersive experience for her audiences. She's often regarded as a warm, inviting presence who weaves together history, artwork, and real-life stories to motivate communities to pursue lives of impact and advocacy.
Whether they're laughing at one of her many jokes or shedding tears as they realize their unique power to create change, audiences are invited to embark on a meaningful journey to see themselves as key players in making the world a more equitable, just, and hopeful place.
Danielle has spoken for brands such as Salesforce, Adobe, Hallmark, and Dell, along with impactful organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Giving Tuesday, and Black Girls Code. She's also been a guest speaker at churches and conferences, connecting her faith with her activism.
Danielle Coke Balfour is a passionate, powerful, and engaging storyteller.
Do Good Daily
The idea of purpose can seem overwhelming. How am I supposed to know what I'm called to do with my entire life? Add on our full schedules and lists of responsibilities, and it can seem difficult to set time aside to discover what we're made to do.
In this talk, Dani uncovers the concept of present purpose: discovering the good you can do right now, where you are, with what you have. Journey with Dani to uncover the many ways that your passions, skills, and sphere of influence can intersect to reveal creative opportunities to impact the world around you and support the causes that matter most to you. With practical examples, helpful visuals, and nuggets from her own life, this talk will give your audience a roadmap on how they can find their "thing" and do it well.
A Few of Dani's Favorite Topics
The Cycle of Inaction
Entrepreneurship on A mission
Few topics get Dani more excited than the art of business. Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs, but one thing's for certain–the age of separating your business from your values is over. Now more than ever, consumers want to support businesses that align with their moral compasses.
In this talk, Dani will share how she transitioned into a life of entrepreneurship and built her business around the causes that matter most to her. She'll then share a blueprint for running a business that incorporates your values while still letting your products or services shine. With real-life examples and practical tips that you can implement right away, this talk will demonstrate why connecting your passions to your business is a much more effective strategy than shying away from them.
When tragedy strikes in the world around us, it’s easy to bury our heads in the sand. The cycle is often the same: shock and overwhelm hits us, and we often fall into the trap of performative activism, leading us into guilt and fatigue that ultimately ends with inaction in the long run.
What if there's another way to respond to the heavy and hard headlines that command our attention? This talk explores ways to move from overwhelm and apathy to the real work of social change. Dani shares her personal framework for identifying roadblocks to action, resisting the temptation to give into despair, and taking the necessary steps to stand in solidarity with communities affected by injustice. Audiences will leave this talk more ready than ever to take their place in the ecosystem of social change.
The Art of Activism
Have you ever wondered why illustration and animation are such effective tools for activism and justice work? Are you curious about how simple illustrations took Dani from 700 followers on Instagram to an unbelievable community of 500,000+ people across social media platforms?
In this talk, we'll unlock the power of visual communication by learning about Dani's process for "artivism" and how she creates illustrated infographics that make complex ideas more accessible. You'll also dive into why illustrations resonate and how you can apply some of these same techniques to your visual communication. From protest art to comic strips, this talk will illuminate the many reasons why artwork and illustrations can be powerful tools for social change.
... and more!
LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
Dani specializes in custom talks and curating an experience that works best for your community, but she also has a few topics that are tried and true:
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Danielle Coke Balfour is a graphic designer turned artist, advocate, speaker, and entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Oh Happy Dani, an illustration-based educational platform that uses artwork and resources to make complex ideas surrounding racial justice more accessible for the everyday advocate. Danielle works to inspire her community of over half a million people across social media to do good daily, right where they are. She’s also the author of “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well.” Whether working with brands like Target and Adobe, speaking in front of audiences, or running her business, Danielle hopes to inspire others to embody their values and live a life of sustainable activism by using what they have to impact the world around them.
Danielle's
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Danielle Coke Balfour is a graphic designer turned artist, advocate, speaker, and entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Oh Happy Dani, an illustration-based educational platform that uses artwork and resources to make complex ideas surrounding racial justice more accessible for the everyday advocate. Danielle works to inspire her community of over half a million people across social media to do good daily, right where they are. She’s also the author of “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well.” Whether working with brands like Target and Adobe, speaking in front of audiences, or running her business, Danielle hopes to inspire others to embody their values and live a life of sustainable activism by using what they have to impact the world around them.
