♫ Danielle Lauderdale

Having met plenty of pretty, uber successful women, I'm always impressed to meet gals who also harbor a humble, loving, others-focused mindset. Danielle Lauderdale, one of the most beautiful, accomplished, Christ-centered women in all of Nashville, is 100% one of those stand-out ladies who left an impact on my heart.

As an up-and-coming country singer, Danielle is happy-go-lucky, optimistic, and family-oriented. Having met Danielle a while back at a beach-side restaurant on Fort Lauderdale's A1A, I can assure readers that Danielle practices what she preaches - she loves life, and she's not afraid to sprint full-speed after her passions.

Let's have a chat with our country star sister, the drop-dead-gorgeous Danielle Lauderdale.

♪ Tell us about yourself!

I'm Danielle! However, everyone in my family calls me Sparky. My friends call me D, Dani, Nelly, (basically anything except Danielle) depending on the friend and the day! I was born in Gainesville and raised in a small town outside of Jacksonville called Orange Park. I currently live in Nashville, but I love to travel any chance I get, so it kind of feels like I live everywhere at the moment! Anyone who knows me really well would probably tell you, with eyes rolling, that I'm annoyingly positive and "love everything and everyone." I try to see life as all sunshine and roses! But, that of course isn't factual because I do hate some things - like cheese. Woof.

♬ Can you tell us more about your singing?

It's pretty simple. I write stories about my life, put them to melodies, put those melodies to music, and perform them in front of people. It's pretty exposing, actually. Creating music is my therapy, and being on stage is my high of choice, so putting those two together is a recipe for "hey, you don't know me, but let me introduce you to just about every relationship I've had and experience I've had or plan to have - oh and don't judge me - please and thank you!"

♫ 5 years down the road?

I obviously have scenarios I'd like to see pan out. I would love to be touring the world playing music to sold out arenas of screaming fans every night. I'd like to have platinum records and a house on the beach in Florida. I'd like to be settled down with a handsome, funny, kind, loyal and charismatic man that puts up with my flaws, appreciates my quirkiness, and never complains about my cooking. Kids are something I'd like to have at some point as well. Wow - I just realized I sound like a match.com ad! But really, I just want all that is good, you know?

However, I know better than to think the Lord is going to let me call all the shots. I've been thrown enough curveballs. Good news is, I have so much trust in God's plan for my life that honestly, it doesn't matter where I am in 5 years. It'll be exactly where I'm supposed to be, so I'll be cool with it. :)

♬ Advice for your 20 year old self?

STOP WORRYING! Worry is the worst. Being 20 is supposed to be fun. I worried about everything. When I was 20, I put so much pressure on myself to be this, or that, or impress this person. Now that I've grown out of that and know what it's really like to just be true to myself, I see how much time was wasted trying to earn approval all the time. So silly!

♪ Favorite book?

Let Hope In by Pete Wilson. He's actually the pastor at my church here in Nashville. It gave me such a positive internal shift that I just started reading it again for the third time last night. I'm one of those readers that highlights the things that make me feel some type of way, and yeah… it's looking like the third times the charm for my copy to be completely covered in bright yellows and pinks!

 ♬ Favorite life quote?

I am such a quote freak (figures, being a writer) but I came across one a few months ago that really resonated, so we can call it my favorite for now:

"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second." - Logan Pearsall Smith

We all want things and strive for things. It's our human nature to believe that once we get those things that we'll be satisfied, until we get them. Then we get restless and we want more. It's a dangerous thing, really. I'm learning that happiness goes hand in hand with gratitude. Appreciate and cherish when you have something good, because the grass isn't always greener on the other side. It's green where you water it. (See what I did there, another quote reference). ;)

♫ Faith?

My faith is everything. I don't know how I ever found meaning in anything before I gave my life to the Lord. Being a follower of Christ has changed everything about the way I think, the way I feel, and the way I handle unfavorable circumstances. I'm so blessed to have found my identity in Him, instead of in all of this worldly nonsense that will never fulfill me. I only know the difference because I've been there. There's something really comforting about believing that God never wastes pain. He always finds a way to bring something beautiful out of it. That turns everything into a blessing, and then life is just gravy.

♪ How do you stay so fit?

I eat a variety of meals because my taste buds get bored easily, but my go-to's are oatmeal pancakes (not trying to beep my own horn but mine are the BEST. beep beep!), I eat a lot of sushi, and I'm kind of addicted to Combat Crunch Protein Bars at the moment. I cook a lot, and have made it a hobby of mine to find ways to make healthy versions of unhealthy meals. I don't smoke, I work out about 6 days a week, and I drink my wine because it's good for your heart ...right? Ok ok, I have a little whiskey every now and then too, but we all have our vice. I'm not all that stressed because my work-out of choice is kickboxing, and I'm finally getting better about sleeping more. I'm growing up!!!!

♬ Beauty tips?

Do your squats, eat your vegetables, find a good skin regimen (I use Rodan & Fields and I'm HOOKED) and always wear your confidence on your sleeve. Being humble yet proud of who you are is what makes really makes you beautiful. A good mascara and some red lipstick doesn't hurt either!

♫ Follow Danielle!

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❤ Click below to buy Fool's Gold on iTunes!