Danielle Rocco | Finding Success by Leaning Into Strengths

Controlling your destiny is one of the great promises of entrepreneurship. But getting there isn’t easy. Just ask Dani Rocco, a relationship expert for members of the military. 

These days, Dani focuses on her documentary work — aimed at helping veterans — but her path to “serving the ones that have served us” wasn’t a linear one.  

At age 18, Dani began to work at her family’s gymnastics school. She started out as a janitor cleaning the toilets. Eventually, she worked her way up, becoming the company vice president and the “go-to person” for a range of things from customer service to marketing to payroll. 

The business thrived for a while. But family drama erupted — Dani describes it as a made-for-TV movie — and eventually, she and her brother left the business. They’re no longer on speaking terms with their dad. 

Looking back, Dani says the rocky transition taught her a lot. “I didn’t want the family business to fail because that would have been a reflection of me,” she says. 

 Even before leaving the business and embarking on her relationship coaching career, Dani had a different defining moment: She was involved in a serious car accident. Despite her life-threatening injuries, Dani pulled through and describes the experience as a “spiritual waking up.” 

It got her thinking about how she’d been so focused on helping her dad and others that she’d neglected her own dreams. Eventually, something clicked and she decided to take ownership, turn her situation around and adapt to life with her injuries. 

“I've had to learn to adjust — to make who I am as awesome as who I was before [the accident].”  

👱‍♀️ Name: Dani Rocco 

⚙️ What she does: Marine mom, relationship expert, and producer of “Devoted to a Soldier,” a non-profit documentary designed to support veterans transitioning from active duty to veteran life. 

🎦 Organization: Devoted to a Soldier

💎 Words of wisdom: “Know what your strengths are. Know that you can read every book and listen to every millionaire and every podcast out there. But if what you're listening to is not your natural gift then you're wasting your energy.”

🔍 Where to find her: Facebook | LinkedIn | Website

💡Passion: Dani discusses her path to entrepreneurship. She outlines her career as a relationship expert for military personnel and producer of a documentary for veterans. 

💡Family affair: Dani discusses the close relationship between staff and employers at her family business. “I believe that if you take care of your employees. They will take care of you,” she says. 

💡Lean into your strengths: Dani admits to not being an early morning person. She explains why she doesn’t force herself to get up at 5 a.m. 

💡“Aha” moment: Dani on recognizing her business failures. 

💡Learning from people: Dani shares how her brother and husband have helped her grow in business. 

💡Your darkest days will change your life: Chris asks Dani about the serious accident she was involved in. She describes the major impact it had on her life. 

💡Inspiration: While running a business is really hard, it’s worth it, Dani says. “Anything worth having is worth fighting for.” 

Dani Rocco:

“If you're not liking what you do, you better stop doing it because it's a very slow death.”

“Being a small business owner, you learn a lot. You reap the rewards of what you put in. There is nobody that is going to work harder or love your company more than you are.” 

“Know your strengths — know when you're forcing and not forcing.”

“I was either going to die or I was going to live. There was a very distinct moment where I had to make that choice.”