Meet Dawn Davis | Shopkeeper, Actor, Voiceover

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After a 13 year career in the banking industry – and with all the business knowledge gained during that time – it just felt better to be in charge of my own destiny. I like a challenge and being in charge (I’m an Aries) so entrepreneurship was a natural path.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
With parents demonstrating such a strong work ethic, one can only imagine they weren’t keen on their first born heading into the arts for a career. And so, I didn’t. The first five years of my career were spent renting cars to deplaning passengers at what was then known as Newark International Airport. The next 13 years were spent climbing the corporate ladder at a national financial institution – from loan officer admin, to commercial bank call center representative, to call center team manager, to process improvement project manager to assistant vice president. When the job took me to Charlotte, NC, I got involved with a local theatre and had my first paid acting gig, which launched into a 20+ year professional career as an actor and voiceover, booking national commercials, film and television. Arriving in Los Angeles I immediately regretted not coming out sooner, but the fact was, I had nowhere near the knowledge, skill and experience I would have needed if I had. Reflecting on my time in corporate, I’m grateful to have had the experience – much of which I’ve used not only to run my ‘creative’ business, but also my current brick and mortar business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Having lived in downtown LA before moving to the desert six years ago, my favorite places to take folks who’d never been to LA were Union Station, Grand Central Market and The Last Bookstore. Another day to head over to Venice for ‘surfer church’ early in the morning and a good breakfast or lunch at Sidewalk Cafe. Then back to my old ‘hood, Atwater Village for a look at ‘old LA’ and a stop at Village Bakery and maybe a ride through Griffith Park.

In Joshua Tree one must ride through the park, entering from Joshua Tree and riding to 29 Palms or vice versa. The murals in 29 Palms are a sight to see and a meal or drink at the 29 Palms Inn would top off the day. With more time, a ride down to what I call, ‘civilization’, also known as Palm Springs. Stroll through the Visitor Center, followed by a ride up the Palm Springs Tram to enjoy the view and cooler temps in summer and maybe a short hike. Then back down the Tram for dinner at Melvyn’s at the Ingelside Inn.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, I guess I owe it to my brother and his interest in sports. If not for that, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to stand behind all those concession stand counters, ringing up folks buying coffee, donuts, snacks and drinks at wrestling tournaments! I learned how to make change early – a skill that is hard to come by these days. And my parents demonstrated a work ethic that you don’t often see today either. Early in his career, my Dad was a plumber, often ‘on-call’ when someone’s furnace gave out at 2 a.m. on a below freezing east coast December evening or a pipe burst in their kitchen on Thanksgiving. Whatever the issue, he’d get on his ‘work clothes’ and head out to get them taken care of.

Website: https://www.soulconnectionjt.com/

Instagram: @soulconnectionjt

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnpdavis/

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Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/soul-connection-joshua-tree

Other: https://www.dawnpdavis.com/