Today we’d like to introduce you to Danni (from @BrothersandMother).
Hello Danni, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Okay so my backstory is a bit of a messy one – but I’ll try to touch on the main parts – bear with me… Big family – I was 5th born of 7 kids – 4 sisters, and 2 brothers. We moved to Minnesota from Washington when I was 6. We had a basic, normal childhood. In high school, I was involved in sports, theater, and chamber choir, my academics were great, but I never really felt like I *fit in* anywhere. My senior year I had a tonsillectomy and became addicted to prescription pain medication, I started making poor decisions and went down the “wrong path” as people like to say. I say it was more so a character problem, (or complete lack thereof) – I didn’t know who I was or what I stood for, I just did or said what I thought people wanted to see or hear, and I also happened to be extremely manipulative. I was still a sweet girl, and I still cared about people, but being someone that was kinda babied through my entire life for being “the girl whose dad died” and “the girl that got hit by a car” — I was used to having the rules bend a little in my favor… I had three older sisters that were (are) very beautiful, smart, and talented – (they are 7, 6, and 4 years older than I) so I was always known as *their little sister* – I kinda just adapted to that being who I was instead of really figuring out what I believed in and what kind of person I wanted to become. I think the combination of everything made it a bit easier for me to slip into addiction. I got pregnant at 20 years old and had my firstborn son, Karsten.
Now a LOT happened after he was born but I’ll summarize as best I can; I went to treatment 9 times and was arrested 9 times (did a little over 8 months in jail) in the first 3.5 years of his life. The lack of character thing I mentioned earlier was something I realized while I was in solitary confinement. When you’re sitting alone for 23 hours a day with everything stripped from you, it’s easier to see the big picture and do some real self-reflection. The only thing that actually mattered to me in life was the relationships I had with the people I love. Most importantly, my son. Everything else was secondary, I built myself around that. I had this book, “The 7 habits of highly effective people” by Stephen Covey, while I was in solitary and I swear to this day, it changed my entire perspective on everything. Along with a lot of really amazing family members that helped me figure out how to live in the real world and function as a contributing member of society after being a menace to it and everyone that loved me for so long.
(Now here’s the good part)… I celebrated my son’s 4th birthday, sober, with him. 9 years later and he is a 13-year-old, funny, smart, talented, kind, gentle, empathetic young man who now stands eye to eye with me, and has no recollection of the old me. He knows all about my past and is proud of the person I fought so hard to become. I am forever grateful for that. I met my husband in 2014, we bought a home together in 2017, and got married in 2018. We welcomed our youngest son, Miles in February 2020. He completed our family in a way we never thought could be possible. He is FULL of personality, quite the little trickster who already has an adult-like sense of humor, tells me I’m pretty at random times throughout the day, is the sweetest little muffin, and is so incredibly smart. The boys ADORE each other and have the sweetest bond I’ve ever witnessed in siblings. The love they have for each other is the most beautiful thing to see as a parent. My husband is loyal, respectful, and hardworking and together we make an incredible team. We have a beautiful home with 3 dogs, 2 cats, and several chickens with a backyard that I would have DREAMED of having as a kid! I create content that is wholesome, promotes positivity, and spreads love. I share my story of addiction in hopes that it inspires someone that is currently suffering to make a positive change in their life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha, no it definitely wasn’t a smooth road at all. However, a lot of my obstacles and challenges were no one else’s fault but my own. I was my biggest obstacle.
As soon as I got out of my own way and started owning my mistakes, the road became significantly smoother (so to speak) – every action and decision I make is well intended; “do the right thing, so the next right thing can happen.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create content on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok – we have a combined reach of over 500,000 followers between the platforms.
We share little snippets of our day-to-day life and the love we have for one another. I’m proud of the sense of community we have built, trying to make kindness make a comeback. “Being kind is cool” is our little mantra. I’d love to explore more ways to use my platform to give back to the community.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Minnesota nice is what’s up!
The PEOPLE are what makes our city great, the community, Everyone is always commenting on our socials from all over the world about “how nice we are”, but in my opinion, it’s a character trait that comes with the territory, it’s a direct reflection of the people we surround ourself with.
Contact Info:
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brothersandmother
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brothersandmother/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084718063411&mibextid=LQQJ4d
