Meet Tiana DeNicola & Sophie Dunne: Co-Founders of shifting her experience

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiana DeNicola & Sophie Dunne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiana & Sophie, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
‘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 role that women have been told time and time again that they must adhere to, 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. 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.

In society, we tend to refrain from addressing or discussing certain topics that are seen as “taboo”. Here at shifting her experience, we believe that no topic is too taboo to examine. With weekly podcasts and Instagram content, we’ve created a community of like-minded people who feel a sense of comfort in the safe space we’ve built. Our business acts as a space where other women and LGBTQ+ people can feel their voices are being heard.

As an LGBTQ+ couple ourselves, we are also advocates for LGBTQ+ equality and we’re happy to provide a sense of representation and visibility for others in the community.

Recently, we launched a self-reflective journal titled “reflect.” which can be purchased on Amazon. We are passionate about the importance of reflecting back over our lives, evaluating who it is that we are, why we make certain decisions, what affects us, what doesn’t, and why we’re interested in some things but not others. There is so much to us that we sometimes overlook because we are just so used to ourselves. As an activist brand that advocates for self-awareness and living your life the way YOU want to, we believe the reflect. journal is a perfect tool for self-discovery and bettering yourself.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As an activist brand and business, shifting her experience is campaigning for equality and giving a voice to those living life outside of the expected “norms” of society. There are a lot of people that are shamed, ridiculed, or bullied for being what society sees as “different.” There tends to be a lot of noise surrounding societal standards for both women and LGBTQ+ people. If someone is deemed as “other” they subjected to different treatment in society. What sets us apart from others is our willingness and outspokenness to dismantle this societal norm. Through our podcast, we provide thought-provoking, well-researched, and knowledgeable discussions to get people challenging their own perspectives.

she. by shifting her experience tackles topics from the lens of a non-traditional, unconventional perspective. Our podcast covers topics on feminism, sexuality, gender stereotypes, labels, personal growth, and self-awareness. Together we sort and sift through society’s attitude towards women and LGBTQ+ people by provoking open, undiluted, forward-thinking discussions.

Growing a brand and business from the ground up is certainly challenging though. In the activist space, it can be difficult to have your voice be recognized, heard, and taken seriously. Any challenges that we’ve encountered though, we’ve used as a learning experience to push forward.

We are both extremely passionate, hardworking, and outspoken. So, we apply these traits to our business as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As two foreigners living in LA, we’ve both explored the city as both a tourist and a resident. There are so many great spaces in LA that are exciting! If we had friends coming to visit, we’d want them to experience old Hollywood: all the famous tours, as well as the current spots that only a local would know.

Los Angeles has so much to offer with a wide variety of activities all within close proximity to LA. If you love the beach, there’s the quirky Venice Beach just minutes from Mid-City. If you want snow, look no further than Big Bear Lake. If you want luxury and a nice spa treatment, Beverly Hills is the place; Los Angeles has so much to offer for all of your different cravings!

If we had some out-of-town friends visiting, which is quite common for us as two people from outside of the US, a typical day could look like this — A morning hike at the classic Runyon Canyon for its views. A Warner Bros tour where we could visit the Friends set. A quick stop at one of our favorite rooftop bars, either E.P. & L.P. or Mama Shelter for some casual drinks. Then of course, we’d finish the day with a nice dinner at either Jones on Sunset or Gracias Madre in West Hollywood. Hey, we might even take you for a night of karaoke at Break Room 86. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We’d like to use this opportunity to shoutout all of our wonderful podcast listeners, who always stay curious. At shifting her experience, we’ve built a lovely community of people all over the world who consistently engage in the conversations we have via social media. Every “person of the week” shoutout that we’ve done in our podcast, and all the ones to come, this shoutout goes out to all of you! For being brave enough to examine the society we live in and challenge the role society requires you to play. We would both like to say thank you so much for all the support and encouragement from each and every one of you.

Website: https://www.shiftingherexperience.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiftingherexperience/

Other: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she/id1503558519 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/53jwmnpFMAMTg62V2z27Qa?si=olCanQ52Q8CunV0InzjSLA

Image Credits
Kelly Miyar