Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana DeNicola and Sophie Dunne.
Tiana and Sophie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As two twenty-something-year-olds from opposite sides of the world in a relationship, we thrive off having meaningful discussions surrounding non-traditional topics like feminism, sexuality, and personal growth. We found ourselves having radical conversations at home with each other and amongst friends, but it wasn’t enough. For us, as two queer women, we were still feeling the sting of oppression even though our society likes to assert that women in this day and age are in fact equal. We were adamant to build a platform where we could discuss inequality issues publicly, from the female perspective. When we both look back on our journeys individually, we’ve definitely lived our lives outside of traditional stereotypes from a very young age. Because of this, we wanted to be an advocate for topics that not many other platforms speak on. We felt compelled to offer this non-traditional perspective to other women seeking the same conversations that we were. Without hesitation, we created the brand ‘she.’ an acronym for ‘shifting her experience’.
We launched originally as a podcast, but have now grown into a brand that’s expanded into blogs, courses, educational videos, and live discussions.
Our most successful platform thus far has been our podcast. We’ve continued to rank high across several podcast charts as well as the Top 200 Global Chart. Each podcast episode brings it back to how a woman experiences sexuality, personal growth, inequality, career advancement, relationships, and stereotypical gender roles. All with a relatable modern approach.
Our goal is to shift the mindset from a learned gender stereotype to one where a woman can design her own life and be true to herself. A brand that empowers women to live their lives the way they want to.
Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve met a few obstacles along the way, but we wouldn’t call them challenges. If anything the obstacles fueled us to continue with our message.
Of course, being an activist platform, we are not oblivious to the conservative backlash. However, the majority of our feedback has been from women who’s reality has been similar to ours and thus thanking us for our candid discourse on the female experience. Any obstacles that we have encountered have actually made it clear to us that what we are doing is necessary. Women of all ages, from all corners of the world, have been contacting us with their own stories of oppression, from family environments to career experiences.
Being a brand that speaks openly on progressive topics can be an obstacle because society for the most part tends to not want to address issues that invoke change. So getting our voices recognized at first was probably the biggest obstacle we faced.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Shifting Her Experience – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
‘she.’ or ‘shifting her experience’ is a podcast and personal growth brand intended to provoke thought within yourself and discussions amongst your partner, friends, or family. There are so many women seeking a perspective outside of the traditional stereotypical female role, and that’s where we come in! We want to shift the mentality (hence our name, shifting her experience) behind this belief that women are expected to follow a certain path in life (to get married, have children, etc.). Our goal is to give a voice to those who want to break out of tradition or design their own life within those traditions.
We’re known for bringing two culturally different perspectives together (Sophie being Irish and Tiana being Canadian) and using these backgrounds to form a discussion around the same topic. Being from two different parts of the world and now residing in Los Angeles together has empowered us to critique society and the shared experiences of women all over the world.
One of the things we specialize in is pointing out the subtle everyday inequalities that women are subjected to rather than obvious subjugation. We examine vocabulary, behaviors, and expectations in regard to women.
As a company, we are most proud of the tremendous feedback we’ve received from our podcast listeners. Since launching, we’ve received countless messages from women sharing their own personal stories of how they’re living a non-traditional life. It’s been so inspiring to read the DMs of women sharing their stories and acknowledging their bravery for designing their own life. As well as having many women reach out to us sharing how they’ve stepped out of stereotypical gender roles, we’ve also had LGBTQ+ women thank us for covering relatable topics that aren’t often discussed. This is so important to us.
What sets us apart is not only our openness to candidly discuss non-traditional topics, but the fact that we do so from the perspective of two queer women in a loving and healthy relationship. All of our discussions, whether it be on our podcast or the personal growth courses we offer, come from two people that genuinely respect and care about each other. We practice what we preach!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
As two people originally from outside the United States, discovering Los Angeles has been an interesting journey. Tiana is originally from Toronto, Canada, and moved to LA three years ago after being offered a job in video production. Sophie is a writer originally from Ireland and moved to LA in January 2020 after living in Dubai for four years. We’ve both traveled the world, but we have never seen a city so motivated and driven like Los Angeles. Opportunities are endless here and not to mention, we both come from cold countries so the sunny weather is a huge bonus!
It’s been truly rewarding working in digital media in Los Angeles. Everyone is so creative in this city and willing to collaborate. Everyone is following their passion and pursuing their careers to an extent we had never seen before. It’s so inspiring.
However, with a city so driven and career-focused, when you’re new to LA, you never know what other people’s intentions are. It’s important to take care of yourself here as this environment can be overwhelming.
Contact Info:
- Website: shiftingherexperience.com
- Email: shiftingherexperience@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiftingherexperience/
Image Credit:
Kelly Miyar
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