DreamChaser | Dayna Altman

Apr 17

Apr 17 DreamChaser | Dayna Altman

Haley Ware

General Information

Name: Dayna Altman

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Age: 30

Job Title/Company: Founder and Sole Operator of Bake it Till You Make it LLC

Education Background (if any): Master of Public Health (MPH), Bachelor of Science Human Services and Psychology, both degrees from Northeastern University (Boston MA)

In-depth Questions

1. Tell us a little about who you are.

My name is Dayna Altman and I am an energetic and dynamic entrepreneur, author, speaker and creator. I am the full force and sole operator of Bake it Till You Make it LLC. This is a community-based organization that uses food and baking to cultivate organic mental health conversation in the kitchen, around the table and beyond. Through Bake it Till You Make it’s cookbooks, workshops and events, I have had the opportunity to travel the country and share my story with students, corporations, mental health professionals, seniors and everyone in between. My work has been inspired by my own experience living with depression, OCD and in long-term eating disorder recovery.

I am based in Boston now and I grew up in the suburbs of Massachusetts. I have a wonderful partner, Sam, who is incredibly supportive of me and also creates all the music that may be needed for Bake it Till You Make it’s projects. When I am not actively working or traveling, I love writing poetry and being creative through art, although that is admittedly not my strong suit, it is nice to have some creative things that you do for fun!

2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?

I founded Bake it Till You Make it LLC in 2020, but the conception of this idea dates back to the summer of 2017 when I found myself in a depressive episode. It coincided with the end of my first long term relationship, living at home during the summer of grad school with no car. I felt like I didn’t have anything—away from my friends, community, inspiration, but what I did have was the kitchen. I started experimenting with different recipes, nothing complicated–most of them involved some box cake mix but I genuinely enjoyed being creative in the kitchen. This was somewhat surprising to me because I have struggled with (and continue to struggle with) an eating disorder for most of my life. I never really had any positive kitchen memories up until this point. Food in my family and in my life was usually shrouded with guilt and pain, so being able to find some joy in the kitchen was a new experience. I also began baking with my friends and found it so much easier to share my own struggles side by side with them in the kitchen, working and baking together. Through this experience, something clicked and I recognized that baking could be a key “ingredient” in deconstructing the stigma that surrounds mental health–it was as if I had just unlocked a secret way to get people talking about mental health in a way that would be palatable, comfortable and also fun!!

I have been a mental health advocate and activist for most of my adult life but had been looking for a way to help people saliently and with Bake it Till You Make it I feel like I have been able to do just that.
The idea began as a cookbook where people from all different backgrounds, with a variety of different identities could share a recipe as well as their mental health story. Over about two years, I collected over forty different stories, put them in a book with resource pages I created, and then published the book on my own. I truly believed that this journey would start and end with this cookbook, but in the coming months I began conducting cooking demonstrations while also telling my story. Using ingredients as metaphors to connect the baking to my own story. I saw a new way to connect to people and I didn’t ever want to stop.

Since then the organization has grown and reached new communities through different means and mechanisms, most recently, I just co-produced and starred in a documentary about my journey creating Bake it Till You Make it. I am so excited about the documentary as I know this will be a new way to reach and move people. I think my whole organization really operates on the idea of wanting to provide a sense of comfort and inspiration to those who are just beginning their journey in recovery, I didn’t have that and I never want anyone to be in the position that I was–I want to be a source of inspiration and empowerment.

3. If applicable, tell us about your full-time job and/or any side hustles you might have.

For a while, Bake it Till You Make it was my side hustle. I worked at two different non-profit organizations over the time Bake it Till You Make it began and would always say I was a “public health professional by day and an entrepreneur by night.”

This past September, I made the leap into full time entrepreneurship and left behind my job at the non-profit organization I had been at. This was a very hard leap with a lot of uncertainty but I knew I was ready as I would ever be and in a position to try it.

The work at the non-profit really wasn’t the right fit anymore and a few months prior I had the opportunity to go to the White House along with 29 other young mental health advocates. When I was at the White House, I was approached by a speakers bureau I had applied to speak with several times before about a new direction they were taking some of their presentations and that I may be a good fit. This also coincided with an offer from another speakers agency, so I knew I would be doing what I loved full time and yet, it still felt like a hard decision.

As someone who lives with OCD, uncertainty is something that is very hard for me and here I was trying to understand how I could be okay with an unstructured and ever changing schedule, but about six months in, I feel like I am starting to get in more of a groove which is exciting AND I know I still have a long way to go.

4. Who are you most influenced by?

I would say I am most influenced by those who inspire me most. On an individual level I am influenced by the thoughts and words of my partner, family and my therapist. On a more macro level, I am influenced by the four members of my “brain trust” –I do not know any of these people personally but I am inspired by each of them and I hope to make the impact they do. The first two are Mariska Hargitay and Sara Bareilles, they are both in the entertainment world but use their influence and platform for causes they care about and inspire others to do the same. The second two people are Brene Brown and Glennon Doyle, they are more closely aligned with the work I do in mental health and living authentically and both of them inspire me to keep going. It is their organic honesty and wisdom that I hope to also harness and change people the way they have inspired me.

5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?

I studied at Northeastern University for both my undergraduate and graduate education. Northeastern is a unique school as most students complete five years so they have two opportunities to go on “co-op” where they work for six months to be completely immersed in the field. The first two jobs that I had were two six month co-ops one at a residential school for young children who struggled with their mental health and the second was at Boston Children’s Hospital, supporting parents and families with children being treated at the hospital.

After college, my first job was at McLean Hospital and I stayed at McLean for about two years but was promoted twice during my time at McLean. McLean is the leading psychiatric hospital in the country with a vast array of programs for individuals struggling. I worked with adolescents in a residential program struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and/or had made a suicide attempt. This was an especially meaningful job for me as I had been treated at McLean Hospital, in a very similar program when I was facing these same challenges. It felt like I was really able to embody a full circle recovery story and it was very meaningful to me. However, while I was there, I recognized helping and supporting individuals on an individual level was not where I really thrived and instead I wanted to create a large level change, which is why I decided to pursue a Masters of Public Health.

6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?

“The most important life skill that I have learned, is one I feel like I am very much still learning and that is how to manage rejection”

— Dayna Altman

Yes! My biggest accomplishment thus far has been gaining an invitation to the White House and speaking on stage, sharing parts of my story with the First Lady, Surgeon General and Selena Gomez. I also want to say that one of my other proudest achievements was graduating from college, certainly more common and less exciting, but college for me was when I faced my biggest demons and I truly never thought I would graduate or even live to see 20 years old, so the fact that I have two degrees and I am 30 years old now, are really special to me.

7. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?

The initial goal of Bake it Till You Make it was to create a mental health cookbook that anyone and everyone could pick up and feel represented in, whether it was through a story or a favorite recipe, I wanted people to feel like they picked up this book and belonged. I know how isolating it can be to struggle with one’s mental health and I wanted to create a community. I didn’t want the book to just live on a shelf somewhere, rather I wanted people to feel seen and understood. I think I have accomplished this, not only through the book but also in subsequent events, workshops and even the way I dedicate myself to my work.

8. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?

The most important life skill that I have learned, is one I feel like I am very much still learning and that is how to manage rejection. I struggle so much with criticism and rejection because I feel like I am being rejected as a whole person not just a project or idea, for that reason, it has been something I fear and struggle with. However in my entrepreneurship career, putting myself out there has undoubtedly come with rejection and it is so painful, but because I know I can handle it, I continue to put myself out there. It still hurts and is scary but I have come to learn it is a cost that comes with changing the world.

9. Where do you hope to be in five years?

In five years I hope I am still doing what I love but on an even bigger scale. I hope to professionally publish a self help book of short stories and I hope that the documentary we just wrapped up is helping people and has a home on a major distribution channel. I hope that I continue to show myself that I can be trusted and that I know best in my career and in my life.

10. What is a typical day like for you?

My days truly vary but I do have a part time retail job, so if I am not traveling to give a presentation, I am working for a few hours and then figuring out how to continue to pursue my dreams and mission. I always start with an iced coffee from Dunkin’ and usually end it spending time with my partner, Sam. We love going to the movies and trying new restaurants, I also love when Sam comes with me on my speaking adventures since we get to experience new places together. However, going on my own is also a big deal for me as I prove each time I can handle new obstacles and challenges.

11. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?

I think the biggest obstacle I have faced has been to broaden my audience. I am so grateful for the community that I have built and I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have so much support AND I struggle to reach an even broader audience, or new people that I can share with. Breaking out of my own echo chamber has been challenging and something I am continuing to work on in terms of connecting with new people and networking in new ways.

12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?

“I think I was always waiting for the moment I was “ready.” Whether that was emotionally, logistically, financially, but I have realized that you may never feel ready, so taking the leap now, will allow you to pursue your dream. ”

— Dayna Altman

I think the best piece of advice I have received has been a reminder that not everyone is going to “get” or understand the work I am doing and that is okay, maybe it is not meant for them, but that doesn’t mean that other people will not be captivated by my message. I think it is easier to remember or hear the loudest critical voices who have not understood the work I have done or continue to do.

13. When do you get your best ideas?

My best ideas come from when I am brainstorming with other people! Whether it is putting together focus groups of friends or talking on the phone with my mom first thing in the morning, I am very much an external processor so hearing my own ideas outloud and expanding off on other suggestions often times allow me the space to be creative in a way where I am not restricted by own critical voices.

14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?

I think I have failed many times and in many different ways over the course of Bake it Till You Make it’s existence but I think most recently I am thinking about the way I burn myself out. It is very hard for me to say no to anyone even when it is at the risk of my own mental health. I recently gave a presentation I really wasn’t happy with but I think it was because I was so exhausted. This was a really shame-inducing lesson that I learned because I always want my presentations to be incredible but I realized I need to slow down and think critically when I am saying yes to something.

15. How do you unwind?

I struggle with relaxing. In a lot of ways, I always have, I think it is because I always connected rest and laziness or I have felt that if I slowed down then I would never be able to start again when really I recognize that is not the case, rest is necessary and not lazy!! I love trying new tv shows or getting lost in movies, I think I have so much respect and love for entertainment. I also really like taking on my own art projects even though I may not be the best artist. I love to write as well and try to do these things for “fun” and not as a means to post on social media, but that is very hard for me as well.

16. What did you want to be as a kid?

I always wanted to be a teacher! I think this came from my own struggle with school and the pressure that I put on myself, I wanted to be the teacher to help other anxious students like myself. While I never became a traditional teacher, this pattern of wanting to pursue a gap I saw in my own life or help others because I have been there has carried through my career and my life more broadly as well.

17. Can you share a sacrifice you have made to pursue your dream?

I think in many ways I sacrifice certainty to pursue my dream. I know this may not seem like a big deal to some but living with OCD and needing to be the type of person that has control over everything, the idea that I would sacrifice comfort and structure tells me how much I want this dream and how willing I am to make this happen for myself.

18. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?

I would tell someone else interested in entering the field, to just begin!! I think I was always waiting for the moment I was “ready.” Whether that was emotionally, logistically, financially, but I have realized that you may never feel ready, so taking the leap now, will allow you to pursue your dream. It is VERY scary to trust that “the net will appear” once you take that leap but a lot of times making the leap is the way t knowing that leaping will be the only way you will find out if this is the right path!!

19. What do you hope people take away from your story?

I hope people recognize that living with mental health challenges and mental illness can be a means of inspiration for changing the world. I think for a lot people struggling with mental illness can feel defeating and by no means do I mean that everyone who struggles has to become an advocate or entrepreneur, but they absolutely can–it doesn’t have to define you but if you have found your purpose in it, that is beautiful and we need you!