Meet Danielle Baker of DaniBees Activities

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Baker.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Danielle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in South Africa to British parents and started gymnastics when I moved to the States at 4 years old. I was told I was “talented” and was put in an accelerated gymnastics program- gymnastics has been my life ever since. I was a competitive gymnast, working out before and after school at one point. As with most gymnasts pushed at a young age, I burned out at the age of 14 as a level 10 and started coaching. I instantly fell in love with coaching gymnastics and sharing my passion with kids. I coached through high school and college where I received my BA in Psychology. After college I traveled to New Zealand and helped out with gyms in the South Island and then came back to the States to become a preschool teacher, thinking that was the direction I wanted to go in life- you can’t stay a gymnastics coach forever, right? But, I realized I love coaching gymnastics; and changing children’s perspectives of an “I can’t” attitude, to an “I can!”, is just as important as teaching 2+2=4. Self-confidence at a young age is essential for success, and gymnastics is a fun way to promote it! I moved to Downtown Los Angeles last year with my husband and started a mobile gymnastics company called DaniBees Activities. I believe the sport of gymnastics is such an all-encompassing physical sport that combines strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, body awareness, etc… But, it is also a sport that demands perseverance, confidence, and a positive attitude. These essential life skills should not only be taught to the “talented” few, but to all kids. By providing gymnastics to schools, I am able to reach more kids that might not otherwise have the opportunity to go to a gymnastics facility to gain these life skills. DaniBees Activities is a new small business and I am hoping it will be a welcomed addition to the Los Angeles community.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
DaniBees Activities is a new business- started in January 2015. Starting a new business is scary. I take it one step at a time and figure things out along the way. I know all about coaching gymnastics!- but, accounting? LLC? Taxes? Google has been my best friend.

Please tell us about DaniBees Activities.
DaniBees Activities is a mobile gymnastics company. We provide enrichment classes and before/after school classes to Preschools and Elementary Schools, as well as offer parent and me classes and in-home private lessons. Our company motto is “Cultivating Confidence through Cartwheels”. We are proud to use technically correct gymnastics as a tool to promote self-confidence in a nurturing and uplifting environment while also keeping kids moving and active.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Wow, so many! The first one that came to mind was spending Christmas in North Conway, New Hampshire with my family every year growing up. When we would leave the house to go up to the cabin my Dad would say “Oops, forgot to switch off the lights!” and would go back into the house to put all of “Santa’s big presents” in the living room. So after Christmas, we would come back to Santa’s presents! I would have arguments with my friends over Santa being real because there was no way my parents could have put the presents there- they were all the way up in North Conway with me!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.danibees.com
• Phone: 702-768-0022
• Email: danielle@danibees.com
• Instagram: DaniBees Activities
• Facebook: DaniBees Activities
• Twitter: @danibeesactivities
• Yelp: DaniBees Activities

Image Credit:
All parents of children in the pictures have signed a photo release waiver.