A mum of 3, from Preston is celebrating this month as she prepares to step out on the red carpet in Leicester Square in the very spot Hollywood A-listers have made their mark, at an event which is a hugely momentous occasion for her, the launch of her very own documentary.
Dani Wallace, 40, who was homeless and sofa surfing with 2 kids only a few short years ago, will be following the footsteps of the likes of Lady Gaga, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise as she launches ‘The Festoon Effect’, her documentary charting her mission to create change in the business and personal development events space, as she plans to bring together 10,000 people from all backgrounds creating “safe spaces to have conversations that matter”. Her vision is to create a place where people from diverse backgrounds and varied lived experiences come together to share knowledge, be inspired and connect via their stories, in an ‘opening of arms’ that sets the scene for new conversations.
She’s already achieving this with her event, The Big Festoon, uniting minority groups, championing the global majority and helping individuals from diverse backgrounds to be seen and heard, but Dani, aka The Queen Bee, one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs, D&I Champion, LGBTQIA Ally, and International Speaking Coach, has made it her mission to more than 10 x this event, to give a voice to even more people who often feel underrepresented, whilst connecting a huge variety of communities together under 1 inclusive fun roof.
Looking to build her event, The Big Festoon, to be something to rival the likes of US personal development guru Tony Robbins, Dani has huge ambitions, but is also hugely mindful of the audience she is looking to attract. “My job is to help celebrate people but it’s important to me that the people we celebrate come from all backgrounds – so being a part of The Big Festoon is an enriching experience in many ways. I believe we all need to learn from each other and I want to create a space where people feel happy and confident to show up exactly as they are.”
A white cis mum of 3, Dani has become an ally for many, and despite being trolled along the way for her efforts she is determined to be a vehicle for enabling significant change in the business space, to make active enthusiastic inclusion more of the norm. Founder of The BIG Festoon, the UK’s fastest-growing personal and professional development event for ambitious small business owners and change-makers, she blends knowledge sharing and inspirational learning with entertainment and fun.
She said: “It’s all about helping people from all backgrounds to connect on common ground.
It’s about us all being human and compassionate towards each other, curious about each other, and eager to learn from each other and our varied lived experiences. We gain very little from a development perspective by being surrounded by people who are the same as us – we need richness and diversity to really grow.”
“I am here to help open up new conversations, be that around mental health, money, neurodiversity, sex, or identity – conversations that help us all grow, and it’s exciting bringing together people from different lived experiences to have these conversations, people who might not otherwise have met, to have these conversations”.
The documentary is her investment into raising awareness of the problem that needs to be solved, and a platform to help her reach out to investors and future supporters, to help her make her vision a reality.
“I need to make myself famous so I can change the world – simple as that!”, she says before adding, “Actually this documentary is not actually about me -yes I am here to be the mouthpiece but this documentary is about the work that needs to be done, collectively, collaboratively, to make this world a better place, and to make business a more inclusive place”.
Think Beyonce, meets Elton John, meets Oprah, meets Tony Robbins and you’ll start to get a feel for what Dani Wallace is all about. A professional singer who uses her skills to open her shows belting out a Tina Turner classic, she travelled the world and performed on cruise ships from a young age, finding family within LGBTQIA+ communities. With a corporate background of working with leaders on performance training and personal development, Dani is a self development student for life, who loves learning and is fascinated in the neuroscience of how we think and behave. A best selling author and award winning entrepreneur she started her business after building an audience through going live to Facebook from her car, sharing her experiences in life and connecting with people, taking people with her on her journey to rebuild her life after domestic abuse. Now she’s the leader of a community of tens of thousands and has people from all over the world follow her, and request to work with her.
She realised she was unemployable when she got sacked from her corporate job because she struggled with the inflexible structure and lack of focus on an individual’s needs and has his year celebrating hitting a £1million turnover.
With ‘The Festoon Effect’, which has been in development for the last 6 months, Dani invites is all to “do better” as she takes us behind the scenes journey to a 10K stadium event which unites communities and breaks barriers, following her journey as she navigates the challenges and triumphs of organising The Big Festoon, from a 30 person event to building it to become a gathering of 10,000 delegates.
The premiere promises a red carpet welcome, a full screening of the documentary at Vue Cinema, Leicester Square, and a post-screening Q&A session hosted by TV presenter Remel London.
Dani said:”The Festoon Effect” shines a spotlight on the vital importance of diversity and inclusion being ‘a real thing’, not tokenism. This documentary is a must-watch for anyone passionate about exploring and promoting inclusion across race, religion, culture, neurodivergence, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It not only highlights the necessity of diverse voices being represented but also showcases the profound impact such inclusion can have on personal and professional growth.”
“The current social climate underscores the necessity for continued and enhanced efforts towards diversity and inclusion. We need to be the change, and lead the change. EVERYONE must know success is safe for them. We need to come together to make sh*t happen, otherwise nothing changes.”
“We need to do more and be more – and with my events I’m creating safe spaces to fail. We’ll all get it wrong when it comes to inclusivity at some point – Hell I’ve got it wrong more times than I care to remember, but I’m work in progress, always trying to be better and it’s important we are not scared to try for fear of being judged if we get it wrong. I’m white, privileged and here to use it for good. I’m still not doing enough, and can’t do this alone”
“You can’t be what you can’t see and so we need to work together to give more space to a range of different voices, for them to shine, and inspire others from their backgrounds”
“I know how it feels to feel unsafe. Now it’s my priority to create safe spaces for others”
From LGBTQIA+, to the disabled community, to the global majority, to ethnic minorities, to women in business, to neurodivergent entrepreneurs, Dani believes everyone should be at the table – and so this is a table she has been building. She faced anger and disdain in her early days, being attacked her for what some saw as failings, as she navigated a new world of inclusion with passion but naivety – yet now is praised and loved by members of multiple communities who value her contribution to facilitating change, and have found their voices on her stages, or their place in her world.
“Dani has always wanted to include everyone, she’s got a good heart, and she never gives up” says mum, Irene.
“Dani changed my life – personally and professionally” said Alex Jay Lynam, founder of Beyond the Binary: “She’s a good person, doing good things and is encouraging people to be brave to get things wrong, so they can get things right. It doesn’t always feel safe for people to engage in supporting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in their business, because people are terrified about getting it wrong – but Dani shows we can all learn and grow, when we are prepared to listen and collaborate, and I am so grateful for her and everything she does, as she has given me a voice, and as a result an entirely new life”.
“Dani has star quality and I’ve already learnt a lot from her around inclusion – I was very naive thinking I was doing a good job in this area with my business but I had barely scratched the surface. Dani has helped me see things I was blind to previously” said Nick James, global entrepreneur, event organiser and international speaker.
For anyone wishing to attend please contact: hello@iatqb.com
