We were lucky to catch up with Denise Love Hewett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Denise, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I always knew I wanted to be a performer since I was a little kid. I was a theater kid and a serious dancer but I didn’t have the courage to take the leap until later in my life. My parents had more traditional business careers in corporations and startups. Building a sustainable, creative life was a foreign concept to them. My path was one of unlearning. I had to look into my own limiting beliefs around professional creativity. My DJ career really paved the way because it was something I let unfold naturally. It was the secret blueprint and showed me how to build a professional path for the rest of my interests.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

From Nightlife to Corporate Hollywood to becoming a Tech Founder, my career has been far from linear. Taking many career risks allowed me to quickly clarify what my values were, how I wanted to work in the world and what felt closest to my calling. I am now a Public Speaker, Podcast Host and Professional DJ. Each one tickles a different part of my brain that bring me to wholeness. My podcast is about redefining leadership and success. I believe we are living through a moral crisis in leadership and I interview people who are embodying the leadership I want to see in the world. This podcast has been such a gift to me and I’ve learned so much. For conferences, I currently speak on inequity, failure, sustainable success, professional heartbreak, and creativity. I pull from my life experiences to hopefully inspire or plant seeds of impact for the audience. I have been a professional DJ for over a decade spinning all over the globe for a wide range of brands and clients. I am so grateful I had the courage to choose a creative life. It’s been a really challenging path but one that has helped me become a more empathetic person and more of who I was meant to be.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A few years ago, I was unable to raise enough capital to keep my startup alive. For brevity’s sake, 2% of venture capital goes to women. I do a much deeper dive on the inequity in this space in a talk you can find on youtube here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBisUZdAerw). The shuttering of the company was the single most significant heartbreak of my life because it shattered my reality. I wanted to believe we lived in a fair, just world where the best ideas win but we don’t. It was the first time in my career that I felt like I hit a glass ceiling. When we shut it down, I felt paralyzed, unclear of my next career move, unclear if I’d ever have the energy needed to create or build something again. I, now, liken that space to a cocoon. I was taking the time needed to transform, to integrate the lessons learned to step into my next chapter. I tried to rush the process but resilience cannot be rushed. It is a process of integrating our grief, not getting over it. It’s not about bouncing back quickly but transforming into something new.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I read a book a week! Writers are my greatest teachers. There are so many incredible books that have informed my world view. I keep them in my highlights on instagram for those that want to see more recommendations but I’ll leave a few of my faves here.

1. Power vs. Force by David Hawkins
2. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
3. Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown
4. Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz
5. This One Wild and Precious Life by Sarah Wilson
6. All About Love by Bell Hooks
7. Leader as Healer by Nicholas Janni
8. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
9. The Book of Joy by 14th Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams
10. The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

Contact Info:

• Website: https://deniselovehewett.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deniselovehewett/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeniseLoveHewett
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/denise-hewett