In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews seasoned news anchor and journalist Danielle Grossman. Danielle shares a pivotal early‑career story about taking a mentor’s advice to accept her first job in South Dakota, emphasizing the value of going with the flow and trusting the journey. She discusses journalistic integrity, stressing that news should be balanced, factual, and free from bias or "fake news," and highlights the journalist’s role in educating the public and holding power accountable. Danielle offers broad business advice, urging professionals to own their unique identity, showcase their strengths, and break conventional norms to succeed. Reflecting on her younger self, she advises greater self‑confidence and reliance on gut instincts rather than others’ opinions. When asked about happiness, she stresses work‑life balance, noting that work should serve life, not dominate it. She recommends the book On Fire by John O'Leary, summarizing its message about choosing how to walk one’s path despite circumstances. Danielle cites two favorite quotes—Walt Disney on courage to pursue dreams and Oprah Winfrey on asking for what you want—explaining why they resonate. Finally, she provides her online handles: Instagram @thedaniellegrossman, Twitter @NewsGalDanielle, and a YouTube channel under her name.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. ¡Hola! All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Danielle Grossman with us. She is a seasoned news anchor and journalist now living in Louisiana, and she uses her skills, ideas, and experiences to inspire, educate, and entertain the world. So welcome to the show.
Hey Tyler, thanks for having me.
Of course, pumped to have you on. We'll dive into the first one, Danielle. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
All right, well, this was probably the toughest question, but when I graduated from college, my mentor in this industry told me, take my first job offer, don't look back, because it's difficult in my industry to get your foot in the door. So he said, just go for it. Well, my first offer was in South Dakota And I never thought I would have ended up in such a random location, but I'm glad I did. So the message is simple. I think go with the flow, enjoy the journey. Life will throw you lots of curveballs, and sometimes they can be the best balls ever thrown your way. Everything happens for a reason indeed.
Yes, I love that. Um, and the next one I have for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that is within your expertise or industry?
So I think the news has been in the spotlight a lot lately. Well, I want to tell everyone the news is not bad. It is not, quote, fake news. And we try not to be biased. Yes, some national news organizations do things certain ways. But as a journalist, I was taught from the beginning to report balance. I was told you have to report both sides. You need to tell the entire story. So we report what we know and try to get both sides if we can. Because a good story is balanced and fair. Now, our job as a journalist is to share stories, answer overlooked issues, educate the public, hold the powerful accountable. Basically, we're doing our jobs for you. We're not in this business to create, quote, fake news, throw people under the bus, or lure viewers. We're here to educate and disseminate information.
Thank you for sharing that. I think that'll actually be big for a lot of people. And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
Of course, I think that everyone, no matter where you are in life, no matter what you do, you need to own who you are. In my industry, you know, everyone's vying for the same 2 or 3 roles at any given station across the country. And by showing who you are and giving it your all each day, you can show that you deserve that position or that role or wherever you are in life, using whatever strengths you have and showing that you're unique are truly the ways you'll succeed in any given industry. "Now it's 2018, so the expectations these days are a lot different. Our world's evolving. It's time to break boundaries, shatter ceilings, make impacts. You know, I'm using my platform to try and make a difference while using my passion and personality to inspire those around me." So this person I'm describing is who businesses want, who people want to work with, work for, and watch grow. So my advice is don't adhere to the quote norm.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
This was an interesting question. I had to think about this one. I think that I would— it would be to give more confidence to myself in the past in my decision-making and not rely on others' opinions. Since I graduated college, you know, I based a lot of my decision-making, job choices, moves, etc., off of what other people thought. And I realized I care too much about other people's opinions. I wish I'd listened to my gut, done what I thought was right, Not that I made bad decisions and I wouldn't change the world, but my career would definitely be in a different place right now if I had just gone with my gut.
And might tie in, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
I love this question. I think everyone needs to be reminded of this daily because we get caught up in life. You know, I think balance is extremely important. You know, I'm approaching the big 3-0. Womp womp. And I've realized that work is not life. It can be incorporated in life. We work to live, we don't live to work. Yes, I love what I do, but I've realized that you can't let it consume you no matter what you are. You can integrate it into your life, but you need to make you time. I mean, if you're building an empire, trying to reach a certain role or position with a certain period of time, yes, work hard while you can, but having time to yourself, I think, is the most important part. Of creating a balanced and meaningful life.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
This book was absolutely amazing. I actually saw this author speak in Las Vegas and it turned my life around. The book is called On Fire by John O'Leary. I would tell everyone, no matter who you are, no matter where you are in life, read this book. This main message is to live life inspired, This man almost died when he was younger and made some bad choices, but most of all, he rose above it. He shows us we should make powerful choices in life, that growth and mistakes can make you stronger if you allow it. It's an amazing reminder that we might not be able to choose the path we walk in life, but we can always choose the manner in which we walk it.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
So I have two, I'll be quick, but two favorite quotes I have: all our dreams can Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them by Walt Disney. Now dreams, we all have them. We imagine what it would be like to have a job we love, a million bucks, living on a beach, owning your own business, becoming a parent, whatever it may be. Life is full of dreams. You can achieve those dreams. As Walt Disney says, just build up the courage and go and get them. Now the second one is kind of piggybacking off of that. You get in life what you have the courage to ask for, and that's by Oprah Winfrey. And she's basically, whether it's for help, a raise, a job, you never thought you could get a date. Everyone starts somewhere and those successes are never handed to us on a silver platter. So go ask for them.
Yes, I love it. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find and connect with you online?
Awesome. Yes, I have Instagram. It's pretty easy. It's @thedaniellegrossman. Or you can find me on Twitter, News Gal Danielle, and on YouTube, just type in my name, Danielle Grossman. I'm everywhere.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on. We appreciate it.
All right. Thanks so much, Tyler. Have a great day. The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app, free for iOS and Android.
