We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Carmela Daniels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Carmela below.

Dr. Carmela , appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I have worked as a social worker serving populations in need for many years. I have worked hard to grow myself professionally, taking step aside to help others and to promote and support others as they began their growth in the field. I always wanted to be a leader was connected to the role and so I worked hard to become a manager because in my mind, that is where leadership was… it was in the identified role.

The most defining moment that I have had recently in my career was about 2 years ago when I didn’t a supervisory leadership position that I was hoping for. The moment of understanding that I was not going to move in the direction I had worked so hard for seemed to have slipped away from me in a quick moment. The defeat of that situation caused me to reflect back and I felt embarrassed and even upset that I had not taken the steps to advance myself only. Others that I helped never looked back. to even offer support or other opportunities. This was a life changing moment in my career and 2 years later I still feel the sting of that lost opportunity.

What I took from my defining moment is what I now call the warmth of leadership. What I understand that the plan that I had set for myself was not the plan to be and that my growth plan looks different than I believed. The warmth of leadership is what I birthed out of that hard time and with that plan I have continued to see the success and legacy of my work will be to still create the spaces for other people and that is what works best for me as a leader. Also, I learned that the role of leader is far from the title but is connected to the action. Leaders are connected to being intentional and are invested in growing others. Leaders take a step to create the change they want to see well before they step into the leadership role.

Dr. Carmela , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I currently work as a social worker in addition to working in the field of education. So I teach social work and volunteer in my community and I also provide therapy to women of color and those who are underserved I am most proud of the work that I do and the impact that I have to create the spaces for those who want it. I am invested and intentional and I proud of that as well.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Yes I would have always chosen the field of social work as my career path. The field of social worker is very dear to my heart. I know that its more than serving others who need help or are sick. Social Work is connected to life and being intentional and I try to bring that to every setting that I going to be in. I will work in the warmth of my leadership.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I believe that success in the any career is to be intentional and good to others, to work hard and be strong. The space to allow others to grow and learn for me is connected to sucess. I know and realize there are hard times and difficult decisions that have to be made, but the real success is connected to the legacy that is left behind, its not just the bottom line it’s how you made people feel and what impact was made.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drcarmeladaniels.com
• Facebook: Dr. Carmela Daniels, DSW, Mentoring and Consulting, LLC