Dannielle Miller, a thought leader and expert in girls' self-esteem and body image, started out her career as a teacher and then quickly became a major innovator in education and student welfare. She was responsible for the curriculum, staffing and quality of learning of the English faculty of a dual-campus high school.
As Students at Risk Coordinator for high schools in Western Sydney, she advised the Federal Government on funding for support programs for students at risk of dropping out. The immensely successful Lighthouse Project was Dannielle's brainchild. It pairs at-risk students with workplace mentors, helping them develop employment skills and discover the real-world relevance of what they learn at school. Another of her innovations was the development of an accredited Higher School Certificate (HSC) course in service learning. The curriculum nurtures students' entrepreneurial skills while involving them in meaningful community volunteer work.
Concerned about the struggles she saw countless high school girls go through with body image and self-esteem, Dannielle co-founded Enlighten Education. Guided by her vision as CEO, the company has become Australia's leading provider of in-school workshops for teen girls on body image, self-esteem and empowerment. Enlighten works with more than 20,000 girls each year across Australia and New Zealand, and it has expanded into the United States and Singapore.
Dannielle was named NSW Entrepreneur of the Year and was deemed the country's number one Emerging Leader in Learning by The Australian newspaper and was listed as one of Sydney's Top 100 Influential People by the Sydney Morning Herald's Sydney Magazine. She was nominated for a Pride of Australia Medal, in the Inspiration category and was honoured with an Australian Leadership Award.
Dannielle is the weekly Channel 9 Mornings contributor on parenting and women's issues and is regularly called upon by the media as an expert commentator. She released her book The Butterfly Effect, which offers a positive new approach to raising teen girls. After receiving many requests from parents and educators for a version especially for teen readers, she went on to write The Girl with the Butterfly Tattoo. Dannielle is an avid blogger and has written for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and sites such as Mamamia, The Hoopla and Feministing. She is featured in education journals, and she is a popular speaker at youth and education conferences and forums. A recent career highlight was speaking at The Sydney Opera House on a panel with Germaine Greer, Eva Cox and Tara Moss as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Speaking topics:
Raising Awesome Girls - a parent's guide to raising confident, happy young women
Women in the workplace - what are the real issues holding women back and what can we do about these?
Building resilience - how can we overcome life's inevitable hurdles and respond positively? (this seminar is suitable for both teen boys and girls AND adult audiences).
Testimonials
I wanted to thank you for the amazing and inspiring presentations you ran for the MMC Asia Pac Women’s networks in Melbourne and Sydney. I have had so many colleagues and clients who attended comment that your session was one of our best ever. You inspired us, you challenged us, you made us laugh and you made us cry, all within one action-packed hour. Many of the corporate women who attended this event said it has changed the way they are thinking about their relationship with their daughters, and even those without girls of their own are fired up to support making positive change to support young girls to grow into leaders of the future. Thank you so much for the work you are doing; it is great to see such authentic commitment and passion in someone. I can certainly see why the teen girls connect with you so well, and I do think you are gorgeous too, especially on the inside, where it counts.
- Director of Business Development, MMC
Thank you for agreeing to be our guest speaker for our NSW Department of Premier/Treasury International Women's Day, your presentation was fabulous and much appreciated by our attendees. It was thought provoking, informative and entertaining!
- Human Resources Manager, Corporate Services Branch, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet
Our parent session attracted around 200 parents who were enthusiastic in their praise around the positive messages that Dannielle gave about girls. When you share your own story, which is how the presentation is done, it becomes a personal journey through womanhood that connects and holds people. You share stories of hope, sadness and joy, all wrapped up to deliver a message that girls need the women in their lives to step up as their role models, to talk to girls about the false image of women that is presented to them in the media, to know that they are loved and valued as young women, that they can achieve anything they set their mind to. Did Danni's visit meet our expectations? A big yes. What we are about is giving families the opportunity to engage in discussion about raising their children with other parents. All families are vulnerable - from the time of conception through birth and beyond. There is no magic formula to raising children, no one book or guide that will give you the A-Z steps for getting it right. Each child is different, each family is different. To hear a message of hope empowers parents to think on their own practice, and for many it was reassuring. For some it provided opportunities to re-engage with the young women in their lives and to start to make a difference. The beauty of Dannielle's presentation is that it speaks from the heart, it's about truth, it's about love and it's about giving children back their innocence and childhood. This is a wonderful program and it should be available everywhere.
- Griffith Connections
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your outstanding contribution made to our Pearls of Wisdom Conference... Your presentation of Wake Up Sleeping Beauty was very well attended and received. Judging by the responses of the attendees (teary eyes, nods and recognition), I would say that you really hit on issues so relevant to parents of girls and reinforced in them the need to never stop loving their gorgeous girls. Dannielle, you are a special ambassador for our girls and a warm and engaging speaker.
- President, Federation of Parents and Friends Associations, Dioceses of Maitland-Newcastle
