Strong advocacy for women and girls is part of what makes her fierce. A healthy social conscience and self-confidence is part of what makes her functional. Making the best of beauty in body and mind is part of what makes her fabulous.
Dana Brooks has managed to take all the parts of her life and put the puzzle pieces together. Those pieces formed a map leading her to her best self.
The pieces include mother, lawyer, speaker, author, feminist, and friend.
Here are the significant highlights of our recent interview.
How would you explain your job in simple terms?
I am a trial lawyer specializing in complex civil litigation. I help injured people recover from their accidents and come back stronger than they were before.
What are the biggest rewards from your job?
Helping people who had almost given up finding hope, competence, and confidence. Watching them move past a bad experience to later help others who are struggling. That “pay it forward” aspect is the most rewarding.
What else to you like about your work?
The fine living I earn enables me to support non-profits, foundations, and political candidates whose missions and standards align with mine. It allows me to promote and protect women and girls through public speaking, spread empowered content through media, and microfinance entrepreneurial efforts.
What are some of your best qualities?
Optimism is huge for me and has gotten me through some dark days. I have integrity, honor, and ethics. I’m a good person who genuinely cares about others. I own my stuff and walk my talk while being open to feedback.
How do you feel about living in Tallahassee?
Love it! Love the natural beauty, the canopy roads, the native plants, and the springs. Tallahassee people love this town and enjoy a chance to show it off. It is an All-American City where people want to put down roots and raise families.
Do you enjoy travel?
Absolutely! Would happily return to Australia, which is almost the size of the contiguous USA but with less than 10 % of the population. The indigenous people and the country’s colonization history is fascinating.
I look forward to one day visiting Africa. I want to see their animals in as native an environment as possible… without getting eaten!
What was your most fun travel experience?
Turning around in Will Ferrell’s driveway! My (then) husband and I took my daughter to Los Angeles to see homes of stars and play tourists on her 16th birthday. After the paid tour we tried to retrace the route in a rented convertible. My daughter was mortified that we would slow down, check out the homes, and even speak to anyone who happened to be outside. She slunk down to avoid being seen. But she had a blast and we had fun being the embarrassing parents.
How do you spark your creativity?
Committing to deadlines, then knowing they must be met. I have so many fabulous ideas, but what brings them to fruition is having to do it. I’m easily motivated by both positive and negative forces. I don’t like that about myself, but I am working to improve it.
What activities help relieve your stress?
Nothing is better than public speaking when the crowd digs what I’m saying. They listen and begin thinking about their problems in a different way. When women and girls affirm my fierce advocacy and wish to continue the discussion, it is highly motivational and pushes me forward.
A completely separate way I relax is by cooking. The tediousness of chopping vegetables seems somehow especially rewarding.
What are some random facts about you that folks don’t know?
I was an only child raised by a single mom. I’ve had more than my share of bad relationships, abuse, and mental health issues. My new book “Functional Feminism” is all about empowering women and has lots more of my history.
On a lighter note, my favorite movie is You’ve Got Mail, and my favorite musical genre is alternative. As for my favorite dessert, I don’t really eat a lot of sweets. However, it would either be crème brulee or key lime pie. I am happily divorced and dating. My daughter is in graduate school.
What makes you an exuberant person?
A lust for life. A sense of being easily bored. A natural curiosity about anything I haven’t experienced and don’t know. A desire to learn about other people through functional conversations. All those things make me magnetic, and people are naturally drawn to that.
What is your message for the world?
Believe in hope. Believe tomorrow will be better than today. Believe that every setback is actually an opportunity that made a bad first impression. Believe in change. Believe in yourself and your genuine goodness. THEN ACT ON IT!
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Dang y’all, don’t you just want to stand up and cheer for Dana Brooks? I sure do! I so admire her fierce advocacy for women and girls. I respect her love of functional feminism and functional conversation. I applaud the fact that she is not afraid to use that wonderful brain of hers, which is chugging full of fabulous ideas.
For more info, see https://www.fasigbrooks.com/attorneys/dana-brooks/ .
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Great article. Hope to meet her one day.
Perhaps that could be arranged. Dana is a nice person to get to know…and so are you!