Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Danielle Rubenstein of Temple City

Danielle Rubenstein shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Danielle, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day consists of stretching and taking deep breaths in bed to wake up my body. A few minutes later, I go to my kitchen and drink a cup of water to hydrate my body. Then I move into my living room to do a 10 to 15 minute morning yoga stretch. After my yoga session, I put on soft music, sit down on my yoga mat or couch to write in my journal. I answer these two questions daily, ” three things I’m grateful for?” and “how do I want to feel today?” This morning routine helps me set the tone on how my day will be.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Danielle but everyone calls me Dede. I’m the owner of Dede’s Sweet Tooth. Currently a home-baker with a vision to one day open my own bakery. Baking has always been a passion of mine, and I’m so blessed I get to share that with people I come across. Right now, I’m enjoying our Beignet Caterings, baking up baklava which is a family recipe passed down from my grandmother, and cookies that started my baking journey at 9 years old.

Just like many of us, I have struggled with mental health issues, depression and loss of loved ones which placed me in a very dark place. What each season has taught me is to find the joy in the little things and appreciate life so much more. With every beignet catering or baked good, I want to reassure people they are okay in whatever season they are struggling in. In a world full of negativity, each opportunity allows me to shine my light on people who need it and show up with kindness always, regardless of who hurt me in my past.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I believe betrayal of trust (lying/dishonesty), lack of communication (not listening/dismissing feelings), disrespect (not valuing the other’s needs or boundaries), and different values or directions (growing apart or misaligned goals in life) are a few things that breaks the bonds between people.

I believe honest communication (expressing feelings openly/listening with empathy), accountability (acknowledging the harm done and apologizing), consistency (showing up repeatedly to prove you can be trusted again), creating new memories and patience are what restores bonds between people.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized that my story, my scars, and my struggles didn’t make me weak. They made me unshakably REAL and AUTHENICLY ME! The moment I chose expression over suppression, and growth over silence, that’s when my PAIN became my POWER. I believe like-minded connections understand this and want to be there to help elevate and encourage one another.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say I value quality time, honesty and showing up authentically. Time is a precious thing, and I want to be able to make many beautiful memories with the closest ones in my life!

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope the story people tell about me is I was a light in their life, helped/inspired/healed/guided them along their own life journey and someone who took risks no matter how scary it looked.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dededoit
• Yelp: Dede’s Sweet Tooth