Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Woods.
Hi Danielle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Dani DeMaio was a corporate Director who checked every traditional box on paper.
Yet at 27, after becoming a Global People Technology Director, she felt a very real absence. The title was impressive. The access was impressive. But something was missing.
Then her life detonated. A painful chapter in her personal life brought everything to a close. She packed up her life, left her relationship behind, and moved across the country to begin again.
At twenty eight, while most people are still trying to earn credibility, Dani made a different bet.
She decided to build a company.
What began quietly as people messaging her on LinkedIn asking for mentorship in HR technology turned into her first coaching offer. It was never part of the plan. It was survival and instinct mixed together.
Then life delivered another punch.
She was laid off.
For most people that moment would have paused everything. For Dani it became ignition. The day after she was terminated she stepped onstage at a tech conference and spoke in front of hundreds of people. She was terrified. Not of the crowd but of the unknown that would come after she walked off stage.
That weekend changed everything. She doubled down. She took what felt like her last remaining anchor, her skills, and treated it like a business. One advisory client turned into three. Three turned into a pipeline.
In a world where it is easy to freeze, Dani did the opposite.
She alchemized fear into momentum. She turned pain into product.
Today she runs a successful HR technology advisory and media company while leading strategy inside the enterprise world. Lotus, her brand and her identity, is not about perfection. It is a symbol. A reminder that something stunning can grow in dark water.
She has built a digital community of more than eight thousand HRIS professionals who follow her for honesty, humor, and strategy. She represents a new archetype of leadership in HR tech. Part operator. Part creator. Part phoenix.
Dani did not escape corporate. She did not burn her past down.
She evolved it.
And she is using that evolution to change what is possible for everyone watching.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not.
There were seasons that broke me open. I went through a painful personal ending that forced me to leave my home, my stability, and anything familiar. I rebuilt my entire life in a new state without a safety net.
Right when I found my footing again, I was laid off. People assume leaders are immune to that level of uncertainty, but it was destabilizing. My career was the one thing I thought I could control. Losing it required me to decide who I was without a title.
Building a company at twenty eight brought its own challenges. I was learning what it means to lead with no playbook. I was selling, operating, and delivering at the same time. I had to build trust in a niche that rewards tenure and age.
There were moments I was terrified I would not make it. I questioned everything. But those moments shaped me. They taught me resilience. They taught me resourcefulness. They taught me to build credibility through impact instead of waiting for permission.
So no, the road has not been smooth. It has been messy, disorienting, and transformative. And I would not trade any of it, because every disruption forced evolution.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Lotus Welle Advisory is a people technology advisory and media company. We sit at the intersection of HR, HR technology software, and leadership. Lotus specializes in pre IPO and post M and A company transformations.
Lotus is set apart from other boutique firms because of the brand. The presence and community Dani has formed on LinkedIn is unheard of. She crossed 1.7 million impressions in eight months from honest content. Dani was named Top 50 in her industry under the age of 30. She has built a trustworthy community that no other Workday firm has mastered.
This is the story of a young Director who rebuilt her life in a new state and created an advisory firm at twenty eight. A woman who was laid off and the next day stood on a stage and delivered to hundreds of people. A leader who turned mentorship requests into an advisory practice and scaled from one client to several.
This is what makes Lotus newsworthy. It is performance, presence, and proof. A company built by someone who does the work in enterprise environments and brings that credibility directly to the market.
Readers want access to the new archetype of leadership in HR technology. Dani built it.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Dani is a proud member of a Houston baddie book club 😉 She’s a huge fan of Mel Robbins, Rob Dial, and loves to fall asleep to M&A podcasts. She spends about 2 hours a day listening to podcasts while running, standing in line at the grocery store or in the background.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lotuswelle.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellelotuswelle/
Image Credits
Tara Flannery Photography – Woodlands
