Today we’d like to introduce you to Dayna Altman

Hi Dayna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

My name is Dayna Altman and I am a mental health author, entrepreneur, and speaker. I am the founder of Bake it Till You Make it LLC, a community based organization that uses food and baking to cultivate authentic mental health conversation in the kitchen, around the table and beyond. I began Bake it Till You Make it during a really dark time.

I have struggled with depression, OCD and been in life long eating disorder recovery for most of life and in 2017 I felt I was at a new low. I felt isolated in my depression and had a hard time engaging with other people in a way that was honest.

However, during this time I also discovered the healing power of baking. Because I have lived with an eating disorder for so long, I never really found joy in food, it was always filled with shame and I never experimented in the kitchen as a result. However, during this time I found how amazing baking can be in connecting people. I started inviting friends over to bake and we would talk about our inner most feelings and experiences. As a mental health advocate, I am always looking for ways to bring these conversations to the (literal) table so seeing baking can do this, was incredibly inspiring for me! And then I just ran with it! I decided I wanted to create a cookbook where I would share the healing stories of over forty individuals as well as recipes and resource pages. In 2019, Bake it Till You Make it: Breaking Bread, Building Resilience was born! I originally thought this cookbook would be the beginning and end of Bake it Till You Make it but when I saw the way people interacted with this idea, I just couldn’t let it go. I began to build workshops and presentations, as well as host events. Now, Bake it Till You Make it has four cookbooks in it series, I travel across the country to share my story and I’m also the subject of an award winning recovery documentary. Bake it Till You Make it has changed my life in every way and I am so grateful.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Neither my journey of entrepreneurship nor my mental health journey have been linear. While I wish a smooth journey was part of my story, I certainly believe the obstacles that I have encountered have made me who I am and have made Bake it Till You Make it what it has become.

I have struggled with major depression, OCD and an eating disorder for most of my life. However, I didn’t have language for these experiences until I went to college. My first time away from home was the catalyst for bringing all of these mental health struggles I thought I hid so well to the surface. Thus, I quickly entered the world of therapy and medication. I was in and out of the hospital for many year struggling with suicidal thoughts, eating disordered and obsessive compulsive disorder behaviors. There was not one thing that turned everything around, nor is everything turned around—I still struggle. But what has helped me significantly is the power I have found in sharing my story. I truly believe being able to share authentically through the channels I have built with Bake it Till You Make it has contributed to so much of my recovery.

And yet, the journey with Bake it Till You Make it hasn’t been easy either. While I believe in the organization with my entire heart, it is not universally understood and I struggle with that. Rejection, especially rejection of something that is so important to me is very hard not to take personally. The long and winding road of Bake it Till You Make it is still unfolding but I am so passionate about it, I won’t let those bump derail me from my dreams.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

I always like to identify as a creative and entrepreneurial artist. While I usually think of artists as those with visual or performing specialities, I truly believe my creativity is an art form in its own way, Bake it Till You Make it LLC’s mission is to cultivate authentic mental health conversation in the kitchen, around the table and beyond. I have done in several ways: through the creation of mental health cookbooks, workshops, events and film, Bake it Till You Make it uses creative storytelling methods to help others speak openly and vulnerably about mental health.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?

I am so excited to see more and more people speaking openly and honestly about mental health in our community. When I was struggling significantly in college, I didn’t see anyone open about their struggles. Now, I feel, as a world, mental health conversations are less stigmatized and I hope that just continues to evolve. I also hope to see people feel open to share about all mental health diagnosis across a wide spectrum not just anxiety and depression. We have so much to celebrate in the way we have worked to destigmatize mental health, I just hope it continues!! And I hope I continue to be part of that conversation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bakeittillyoumakeit.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daynaaltman
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dayna-Altman/author/B0B3S25PVC?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits

New Vintage Co
Brenna Stewart Photography