Meet Danielle Levine of Spiritú in Santa Monica

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

Danielle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in LA and then spent eight years in the Bay Area where I attended college at Stanford University, worked in online advertising at Google, and attended law school at UC Hastings. I moved back to LA after law school and practiced as a litigator at an international law firm, where I specialized in general business litigation, intellectual property, and corporate employment defense. After about four years practicing law, I decided to pursue a different career path and spent 2.5 years at a large lifestyle media subscription company where I was the Director of Business Development. My path to becoming an entrepreneur really began at the end of 2017 when I realized that I had a drive to launch a company and make an impact in the business world. In February 2018, I founded Spiritú – a platform that highlights the voices, faces, and stories of an incredible and diverse audience of women. We officially launched in September 2018, and it’s been an amazing journey! Through all of my different experiences, I have found meaning and purpose in starting and building Spiritú.

Outside of my career, I have developed and taught courses at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in LA, served on the board of two non-profits, and find time to sing and perform music.

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?
Starting a company and becoming an entrepreneur is the most challenging and rewarding thing I’ve done. It’s been more work than all-nighters at the law firm, studying for the bar exam, or even re-starting my career (which I’ve done a few times now). It requires a willingness to take on a huge amount of risk, an exhaustingly enormous level of passion, perseverance in the face of adversity, and, sometimes, blind faith. Plus, we live in a digital world, where information and commerce are at everyone’s fingertips. Launching a company in that ecosystem is competitive and scary, and probably a challenge for anyone. We are certainly no exception, but I’ve stayed the course because I believe so strongly in what we’re building and why.

Please tell us about Spiritú.
Spiritú is a community where you can be seen, be heard, and be you. I wanted to create a platform that highlights the voices, faces, and stories of an incredible and diverse audience of women – one that is cross-cultural, inclusive, and that celebrate differences while acknowledging that we are all women and have a place to empower, support, and learn about one another. Through Spiritú, I hope to showcase that the Latina consumer is powerful, but she is not one person. She is many different women – each with her own story and voice. We acknowledge that by supporting and empowering Latina entrepreneurs, artists, makers, and storytellers throughout our platform and our community – both online and off.

Through our seasonal boxes, we’re connecting our members to everyday essentials from brands they know and love – helping brands connect and understand our audience in a better and more authentic way, items we source from artisans throughout Latin America, and products that highlight the work of Latina entrepreneurs and creators. Through our Shop, we feature unique items, artisanal goods, and products that highlight the work of Latina entrepreneurs, creators, and that give back to community organizations making an impact in the US and all over the world. Everything ties together through the fabric of stories we tell through our content and community. We support women of all different colors, shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, and have created a powerful ecosystem for Latinas and allies alike.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’m an extremely passionate person. For better or worse, it’s made me who I am. I work hard, I set an extremely high bar for myself, and I’m super ambitious. It’s with this passion that I hope to be able to break barriers, change conversations, and create a space that makes a difference. Plus, passion allows me to have a creative outlet as well, which keeps me sane!

Pricing:

• Our seasonal boxes are $39.99/box if you subscribe to the quarterly membership or $145 if you subscribe to an annual membership and prepay for 4 boxes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.myspiritu.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/myspiritu
• Facebook: facebook.com/myspiritu
• Twitter: twitter.com/myspiritu

Image Credit:
Spiritú, Inc.

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.