S4e16: April McDaniel – Being Real With Yourself

April McDaniel, Founder of woman-owned and minority-led, Crown + Conquer, came to the Process to do the deep work she knew she was ready for. In this conversation with Drew, April speaks candidly about needing to be honest with herself. She touches on this many times.

What brought April to the Process? April shares that she saw she had a pattern of being cold when relating with others. She felt closed off and wanted to do something that would help to open her up again. Being ‘cold’ with others is often a pattern learned in childhood that helps us feel safe and secure. In the Process, April learned a lot about trauma and witnessed how each everyone has work to do to heal. As a result of her work there, the Process helped her find empathy for herself and for others.

April chose to be more vulnerable at work as a way to integrate her Process experience. She shares that showing vulnerability, especially in the Black community, is viewed as weak. April showed her strength by being vulnerable and says it was well-received.

More About April McDaniel:

April McDaniel is the owner and founder of Crown + Conquer, a trailblazing agency partner to global brands with a current client roster that includes Spotify, Amazon Studios, and Google. Woman-owned and minority-led, Crown + Conquer has quickly and quietly made a name for itself, scaling rapidly in just five short years to 32 employees plus numerous freelancers. April’s team at Crown + Conquer is unapologetically authentic. They push brands outside their comfort zone, connecting brand truths with human truths to bring them to life and forge real connections with consumers.

April began her career at Strategic Group. While there, she worked directly for Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg as they built the company into one of the most powerful brands in hospitality. With an innate ability to find the through-line that resonates with audiences, April drove event strategy for clients including Nike, Coca Cola, and Sprite; executed pioneering brand collaborations including Hennessy Artistry and Heineken Red Star; and played a key role in the grand openings of Las Vegas Tao, Tao Beach, LAVO, and Marquee Nightclub & Day Club at the Cosmopolitan. Subsequently, she led the nationwide expansion of Game Seven as Director of Operations. April also served as point person for influencer and experiential strategy on the Beats by Dre account.

April is fiercely private and passionate about giving back. Recently, she launched the Chase the Crown Business Summit. Through the summit, small businesses and innovative brands have the opportunity to win seed money and gain unparalleled exposure. April lives in Southern California with her two sons. She earned her BA from Temple University.

Find out more about April on Instagram. Learn more about Crown and Conquer here and on Instagram.

Hoffman Process Terminology:

Awareness Hell:
In awareness hell, we know we are aware of our patterns and the things we do we wish we didn’t do, but we are still unable to change. We understand but feel stuck in this place of hell even though our awareness keeps expanding.  To get out of awareness hell, our work to grow and transform must include three additional steps for change to take place. These three steps are Expression, Compassion, and New Ways of Being. All four make up the Cycle of Transformation.

As Mentioned in This Episode:

Trauma:
In the Process, you learn about trauma as you do the work to heal the pain of the past. If you’d like to hear more, listen to this in-depth podcast episode with Cynthia Merchant on Trauma and the Process of Healing. Cynthia was a Hoffman teacher for twenty years.