People of Northwest Arkansas
The People of Northwest Arkansas is an award winning podcast celebrating the power of storytelling by providing a platform for individuals living in Northwest Arkansas to share their unique and inspiring life experiences. We believe that every person has a story worth telling, and through our podcast, we aim to amplify these voices through thoughtful interviews and engaging storytelling.
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People of Northwest Arkansas
From the Track to TEDx
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We sit down with Olympic medalist and entrepreneur Dominique Blake to unpack grit, accountability, and the habits that turn dreams into results. From London 2012 stories to a TEDx wake-up call, we chart the path from early talent to focused execution and community-driven growth.
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Meet Dominique V. Blake
SPEAKER_03Danielle.
SPEAKER_02Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_03Do you ever watch the Olympics?
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely. I love the Olympics. I actually got to long, long time ago interview an Olympian who was on a soccer team that played with Mia Ham. Her name is Tisha Venturini. Does anybody in the there out there know who that is? No. It was like in the 96 Olympics or something. Like, like a lot of things.
SPEAKER_04Mia has done so much for women's soccer.
SPEAKER_02Yes, she has done an amazing. She's awesome. Yeah, but Tisha was a hometown hero where I grew up in Modesto, California. So I've been following lots of Olympics, especially Women's Olympics, is kind of one of my favorites to support.
SPEAKER_03So well, we're in luck today because we have Dominique V. Blake in the studio. And she is an Olympic medalist and serial entrepreneur. Welcome in. Woohoo!
SPEAKER_02Thanks for these for having me. You are so welcome. And she's right here in Northwest Arkansas. Yes.
SPEAKER_03I know. And we got to meet her at the TED Talks in Bentonville, which I had never been to one before. I had no idea what to expect. I'd seen clips online. It was really inspiring. And the whole it was vitality, but what did they call it? Um vitalis. Vitalis, yes. And so we got to listen to Dominique talk about not being lazy.
SPEAKER_04Lazy. You know what? A couple people have walked up to me on the street and they're like, I am like so changed forever because you called me out for being lazy. Lazy. And I was sitting in the audience and I was like, is she talking directly to me? I'm like, you know what? I'm so happy to know that my talk was like church. You're like, man, this message is hitting home. This pastor is killing it. Uh-huh. And does he know about me personally? So I'm right, right? When you feel targeted, you know that your talk or your speech was good because everybody can really take a personal approach to, you know, making it about them. And you start to reflect. So that was the purpose of it. I'm so happy that, you know, we nailed it.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, it was very convicting in a great way. And I've actually relayed that message
Vitalis TEDx And The “Lazy” Wake-Up
SPEAKER_03to my kids. Don't be lazy.
SPEAKER_02Don't be lazy. I literally just told one of my children yesterday, I will not raise lazy children. Go do the dishes.
SPEAKER_03No. And I want to talk more about the TED Talks later and kind of my takeaway from what you talked about, how it impacted me. But before we do that, let's talk about how you came to the area. Sure. Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_04I got here September 15th, 2016, and it was pouring rain. And you know, the the the space that I had rented at the time, I'd done a virtual tour, never been to, well, I the only time I've ever been to Northwest Arkansas was to compete in the national championships for NCAA track and feel. And then I woke up to motorcycles going for like 24 hours, and I'm like, oh my God, did I make a mistake? And then nobody told me it was Bikes Blues barbecue weekend. What a weekend to move here. Yes. Uh, it was the best decision, one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life moving to Northwest Arkansas because it's just a gem of a city in America. And so I stopped telling people about Northwest Arkansas at this point because I'm like, if you don't want to believe me, we'll just keep all the magic here to ourselves. But I moved here just to focus on being a professional athlete. And then that snowballed into you know 10 other businesses. So we can get into that later as well. But yeah, uh, just to focus on athletics and you know be a pro athlete. That's what brought me here.
SPEAKER_03When did you realize that you were good at running or got into running?
SPEAKER_04When I got outside of my mama. Yeah. As soon as you could walk. As soon as I could walk, honestly, I probably ran before I walked. But yeah, at a very early age in the in the Caribbean, we have, you know, and they probably call it, I don't know what they call it here. Like uh sports, we call it sports day. You know, you kind of have yellow, greenhouse, blue house, and you belong to a house until you graduate, right? Kind of like um Harry Potter, right? But it wasn't Griffin Door, or you know, but uh yeah, so you know, I was in Yellow House and I really took pride in in athletics. So every sports day, every year, you know, they would have the parents against each other and the the kids would really compete in all of these different areas. So you got to see where your skill set really benefited you throughout your entire development. And I really appreciate that because every year I just, you know, I played every sport tennis, soccer in the Caribbean, we have something called netball, which is equivalent to like basketball, but for the Commonwealth countries, right? That's a British thing. I don't know if you've ever heard, but cricket and and netball are really huge sports for the Commonwealth countries, and so track just you know, running just kept on being that thing that I I just I just got better every year, every year. And then when as a girl, when you start to beat the boys, you're like, all right, I think I got something here, you know. So I started beating the boys at a very early age, and you know, I I I tapped into runners high uh at a very young age as well. I'm like, wow, this is so euphoric. Like it didn't feel like anything else, and it became my thing, you know. So when you find your thing, whether that's painting, collecting snails, and you're like, I do this really well, and I can start to help and teach other people about this thing, then you know, I feel like that's when you start to pay attention and hone in on that skill set or whatever it is that you know you're passionate about at that time in life. So that was my thing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. We didn't have different houses growing up in school. That would have been so cool. I know, I was just thinking if it could be like Harry Potter.
SPEAKER_02I know like I know camp does it, like Camp Regal, like my kids are in like uh Osprey or whatever, like Team Osprey. They have like split and like you're in it for life, yeah. And so it's it's kind of cool, you know. And people who I went to college with were like when they had kids, their kids were on that team that they were on when they went to camp. So it's similar to that, but I love the Harry Potter reference. I love I love Harry Potter. While you were talking to her, I was like, ooh, like Harry Potter. Right. It's like go Ravenclaw.
SPEAKER_01I know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What house are you in? Do you know what house you're in? It was just either uh uh
Moving To Northwest Arkansas
SPEAKER_02wait for my school? No, for Harry Potter.
SPEAKER_04I could be Raven-esque. Raven-esque.
SPEAKER_03What house do you think I would be in? Because I really I've never read the book. Oh man. I've only seen one movie.
SPEAKER_02Honestly, maybe, maybe Slytherin's just kids. Oh. No, I'm just kidding. You're probably a little bit more Hufflepuff. Actually, probably Ravenclaw. Yeah, definitely not Hufflepuff. I think you'd be a really good Slytherin.
SPEAKER_03That was your first conversation.
SPEAKER_02Now we're gonna have to take the test and at least I'm not a is it a muggle? A muggle? Non-magic folk.
SPEAKER_03At least I'm not a muggle.
SPEAKER_02Except for the one that you are.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god. Just throwing shades.
SPEAKER_02Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so you were born in Jamaica.
SPEAKER_04No, I was born in New York. Oh I'm a New Yorke. Yes, I was born in New York, raised in Kingston, Jamaica. I actually moved there before I turned one. So yeah, born in New York, raised in Kingston, Jamaica, moved back to New York for high school. And then I went to Penn State. Oh my gosh, New York.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, those are two very different places, but I love that it's formed you into who you are today.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, my brain works very differently, just culturally. Um, there are a lot of contradicting things, and I'm just like here for the ride, and just to help as many people as possible through my lens, of course, and to your point, very different. And so my taste in food, music, how humans interact, just on a very basic level. There are things that I don't want to pay attention to, but I can't help it just because of what I've been exposed to. Um, so it's definitely a superpower, it could be a double-edged sword sometimes, but you know, is that why you brought food, a food business here locally? You said you're um I brought food here because deep down inside I'm a fatty. Okay. So for selfish reasons, but honestly, in 2025, in Northwest Arkansas, it's a kind of like a two-part thing. One, our food as a society, unless you're growing it yourself or you're going to farmers markets, you know, religiously, you're not getting the best quality of food, right? And it and it's designed that way for, you know, don't get me into that hole. Meaning that's a big thing. But I won't go down that rabbit hole. But, you know, we really have to take responsibility of how we're taking the time to make sure we're getting proper nutrients. And so growing up, food was is is love, and it's always been used as a tool to heal and do a lot of things in our family and culturally. And so I thought, you know what? It'd be great if Val, my mom. I got to meet your mom. Yes, she moved here uh last summer, and I'm just like, yeah, you're doing this. I'm sick and tired of people asking to come over to the house to get some food. So you you do this anyway. You know, she's really uh helped a lot of people in the very terrible stages of of cancer to be healthy today. So I'm like, yeah, we're not gonna keep this thing a secret, and you know, that'll just be one of the amazing things that you do here in in our in our town.
SPEAKER_03So
Finding Running And Early Talent
SPEAKER_03we need more.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so clean clean Caribbean catering, and you know, just a lot of clean juices as well. So yeah, she's very passionate about it, and honestly, I'm I'm proud of that. I'm really proud of that. So yeah. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02What's your favorite meal that she makes?
SPEAKER_04That's a tough question. Um, and for those of you who don't know, we're talking about uh Island Bites Clean Caribbean catering here in Northwest Arkansas. But my food, my favorite food that my mom would make is it's between two things. Uh I would say the the this the steam fish, uh it's a snapper and it's done with okra and it's like just simmered down in all the goodness. And if you're from anywhere in the Caribbean, you know exactly what I mean when you combine the okra with the steam fish and what that looks like. And then I would say the oxtails, I have to say the oxtails. And if you have never tried it, I highly recommend 10 out of 10. And she nails it every time.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I love that you mentioned okra because I I can't remember where I was. I was on a trip somewhere, maybe it was in Colorado, and I met some people from Chicago, and they had never heard of okra. Ooh. And my grandma grew it, pickled it, fried it, all the things with okra, and they had never even heard of it. Yeah, it's all right.
SPEAKER_02That's crazy. I didn't know what it was until I moved to Arkansas. Yeah. Really?
SPEAKER_03Yes. I know, thank you. That was my.
SPEAKER_02I grew up in California, so for context, that's where I grew up. But I had never heard of okra until I moved here. And I remember when I first moved here and I was going to uh John Brown University, and I remember eating in the cafeteria and somebody was eating it. I was like, what is that? And she was like, It's okra. And she was like, thought I was crazy, I had no idea. Yeah. I tried it, did not like it, but also tried it in the cafeteria. So it's not a place to try it.
SPEAKER_04No, yeah, you gotta give it another shot. Definitely. Outside of the cafeteria. Definitely definitely.
SPEAKER_03Well, let's go back because Danielle likes to go back. Let's rewind just about it to your journey to the Olympics. So talk to us about how that came to be, how you decided to, you know, sure go forward with that journey.
SPEAKER_04Well, honestly, so fun fact for anybody that has known me since grade school through high school, my senior year in high school, I dressed up as the same exact thing every single year for a career day. I was always an Olympic medalist. I should have been a little bit more specific and made the the little medal gold, you know, but I would take a string and some foil paper, put around my neck. Literally, since as soon as I could remember going to career day, all the way through my senior year in high school. So in my mind, I had to be an Olympic medalist. There wasn't there that I didn't have an option B, you know, other than being an entrepreneur. That's what I, you know, my my parents are both entrepreneurs. So I knew that would happen at some point, or you know, just inheriting certain family businesses. But as a kid growing up, I'm like, yeah, so this is just what it is. You know how when you're you're you're you're little, you're like, I'm gonna be a police officer or a firefighter, Olympic medalist, right? I love it, yeah. And so there was always that belief and not creating a plan B and making sure that everything aligned with that. So, you know, what's interesting is being so passionate and bought in at such an early age because typically, you know, you gotta try try to convince your kids to do certain things. And I I think my parents identified that, you know, she's found her thing and she's having a lot of fun with it. And so they've always been very big advocates of putting systems around anything that we feel intrinsically passionate about, because honestly, that's the thing that's gonna be a long-term success. How many people have you seen at their job that hate life? And you're just like, why are you doing this? Like you can literally just not. Yeah, right. Nobody has a gun to your head here. You don't have to, like, you don't, and you're such a like a terrible person to other people because you hate your job. Like nobody asks you to do this. You pick this thing. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it's just um, so that yeah, I figured out uh very early in grade school that I'm going to be an Olympic medalist. And so through all of those years, I just made sure that I got with the right people to make sure that that was a possibility. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's really awesome. And I love that you talk about how your parents instilled some of that in you and really push that because that that is something that's really valuable for me as a parent to do with my kids is really push them, like, hey, like you can do these things, you know. We have a daughter who's 10 and we're letting her write for our magazine, you know, and trying to give kids those opportunities.
SPEAKER_04So, so little Dominique with her little medal and yeah, I think honestly, I'm so happy that you said that because people don't I don't know if it's as important now. And you know, you guys, if you have a comment section, I please respond and let us know how much of an influence or how how
Jamaica To New York: Culture And Food
SPEAKER_04active are you in your kids' life where you're putting them in situations intentionally to make sure that they're tapping into their skill sets and whether that thing's quirky, but just not letting them off the hook because that's where accountability is learned. Yeah, you know, we have this gentle parenting parenting approach in 2025. Yeah. I grew up, I'm an 80s baby, I grew up in the 90s, so gentle parenting is just like you know, um, so there was that there was a lot more intention in the shaping of humans, I feel like, in in those generations, in those years. So I encourage uh people, if you're intentionally having kids, it is your job to make sure that you're creating a healthy environment for them to learn, um, have healthy space, but still have accountability. Like if you're gonna start something, you gotta finish it, right? We and for me, I'm tired of seeing people just quit or you know, social media has created this landscape of just oh, here's two million dollars because everything's just so easy. That's not real life. No, you know, real life is going through the bumps and not quitting just because you got your feelings hurt in a c in a comment section. Right, you know, and understanding what real success long term looks like. You know, it's training your whole life for 10 or 50 seconds. Yeah. Can you imagine that? Yeah, no, no, no, yes and no.
SPEAKER_02Yes and no.
SPEAKER_03You know, well, I was kind of wondering if your the way that you view things and the way you've expressed how you feel about parenting. Do you think that elite level training kind of has shaped your outlook on confidence, fear, everything that has to do with training?
SPEAKER_04100% of that 7 million percent, actually. Not even a hundred, seven million percent mentorship and sports. And so as a as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, I am quicker. I don't know if I can admit this publicly, but I am quicker to uh hire a few groups of people. People that have grew up on a farm, people that have studied or are currently studying engineering, and people that have are elite athletes, have gone to school and have competed like you know, for a number of years, maybe through college, your brain works differently. Your your your level of empathy is is different, and your understanding of delayed gratification is that's the hardest, and that is when I'm working on that with my children.
SPEAKER_03Yes. I I'm a I'm certified yoga teacher, and I I used to teach, I don't now I'm in a hiatus, but I taught for 10 years and I heard students come in and say this, and my daughter has said this.
SPEAKER_01Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_03I can't come to yoga, I'm not good at it. Right. And so what I'm trying to teach my daughter, because I've heard many adults say it, is sometimes I feel like we won't do something because we don't think we're we don't feel like we're gonna be good at it. Right. Why do you why do you need to?
SPEAKER_02Why do you need to be good?
SPEAKER_03Why do you need to be so my daughter's trying to pick a different sport right now? Yeah. So I'm like, you don't have to be a pro. But when you're a perfectionist, that's hard. She's very academically advanced. So she wants to pick something she knows she's gonna be good at. I'm like, just pick something you like, right? And then the mentor thing you mentioned is actually a really good point because she doesn't want to listen to mom say, Oh, you're great, you can do it. What do you mean? My kids are.
SPEAKER_04It's important that mom says it so that when she goes out into society, she'll still hear the same message. It'll come from a different person that she'll be a little bit more she'll be quicker to be bought into the message because she's heard it before, you know, and I call it the billboard effect. You know, you see the Nike check here, there, and then you start to see it on the billboard. You start to see it on your favorite athlete. It's not that seeing it one time on the billboard or in the store is going to convince you to buy it, but you keep seeing it over and over and over again. So now your heart is warm to it, you know.
SPEAKER_03I like the billboard effect.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yes, it's real, and and so, and that's how human beings are bought into marketing, you know. And so you you if a message is correct, it's gonna be, you know, correct all the time. Hey, you need to be able to learn how to tie your shoelace. You gotta
Island Bites And Healing Through Food
SPEAKER_04start to potty train so you don't go out into society pooping and peeing on yourself, right? I'm just saying they're gonna continue to hear that. Right. It's not just at home, so you don't have to be nervous about what you're saying because they're gonna hear it again. Yeah, and then they're gonna have that silent moment that they will never admit to you. Oh my god, mama's right. Oh my god, mama's right. Oh my god, I have to get my stuff together because mama's right, and yeah, right, to impress friends, to impress the coach, which is normally 90% of the time the mentor, right? And so, yeah, my mentors started with great coaches. Thank God. I was fortunate to have amazing coaches at every level of life because that isn't always the case. There's some high school coaches or junior. That really are just there to punch the clock, get the check, and go home and mind their business. My coach allowed people to stay at her house. The spiciest Puerto Rican woman you would ever come across and like beat up security guards that just would not let us be great at events, like track and feel events. And like they would try to, you know, do little shady things like not give us the proper lane when our team was the yeah, and man. But she was like, we're not happening. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Was not happening on her watch. Made sure all of our girls got full scholarships to some university, didn't even if it wasn't D1, she was making sure that you got a full scholarship somewhere. Yeah, made sure that you got yourself to class. You got a boyfriend? No, no, no, no. Make sure he walks you to class and he needs to go to class. Right, right, right. So if the best code, she's amazing. That's an amazing mentor. Literally, there are things that are we would probably consider really stupid and hilarious that I will never forget because my ninth grade me just really witnessed so many hilarious things. One time, no joke, I brought, I was walking through the hall with this boy, and she stopped us because she also monitored the hallways. P teacher, track and field teacher, and hallway monitor. And she was like, she took me aside. She was like, uh-uh, mommy, look at his shoes. A boy that has dirty shoes has no place in your life. Because guess what else is gonna be dirty? I'll leave that to your imagination. She's right because if you can't even take care of your fingernails and your sneakers and they're dirty, what else is dirty?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you can tell a lot about someone by their shoes.
SPEAKER_04So now as grown ass, me as said Dom. I'm like, my brain will not allow me to forgive men with dirty shoes and dirty fingernails. Not happy.
SPEAKER_02Fingernails, fingernails, especially, oh man, keep your nails clean. So yeah, fun fact for you guys for my life. I love it. Our listeners are gonna enjoy this episode. This is great. Oh, yeah. So great. So then when you transitioned when you went from that high school to college training, what what kind of changes did you see happen? I mean, I know we heard about this during your TEDx talk, but like great questions. So this kind of even kind of leads into something.
SPEAKER_04You guys are asking like the best questions in the world. Like normally when I do podcasts, you know, we get the surface stuff, but I will say the best podcasts that I have done, people ask these kinds of questions. Well, because these are the interesting questions. Because they are, and and and they lend themselves to other things, and you'll understand why I am where I am and why I do things the way that I do because of these questions, right? So, again, if anybody got sidetracked, ask that question again just so Yeah, the question.
SPEAKER_02No, I did I I won't forget. So when you went from high school into college, what changes did you see happen? Like for you personally, and then just very humbling.
SPEAKER_04You're working through your yeah, yeah, very humbling because you know, as a senior in high school, your top stuff in the nation, you're crushing it at states, yeah, and then you get to college and everybody's passed.
Olympic Dream Formed In Childhood
SPEAKER_04Yes, right? Everybody's passed. You got some girls that are 6'2. Now what? Right? They're like power cleaning my body weight, and you know, just all of these things. So you kind of start all over again. That humbling feeling sets in really quickly. They're no longer appealing to you like when you came in on your recruit trip because they roll out the red carpet. And at that time, um, when I was recruited, you know, there were the universities were able to do a lot. Um, shout out to Reggie Bush, he changed that for us, and you know, they busted him on a couple things, getting some things under the rug, so they stopped that. So you guys will never be able to experience what we experience um just being recruited. But, you know, it was amazing for me to just witness being humble in such a respectful way. You know, I wasn't able to eat two slices of pizza and have a whole turkey sandwich before practice anymore. I don't know how kids are able to do that in high school, but and still perform at a very high level. That was not happening, you know.
SPEAKER_03And you couldn't like go out and to parties either.
SPEAKER_04No, we we found time to party. We found time to party, not so much in season, but off-season, absolutely. But again, for our sport, because it's such an individual like uh sport, there is nobody to like tag in if you roll an ankle or you get tired, like basketball. There's no bench, no, no, no, no, no. It's you in the one lane all the way around until you hit the finish line. Yeah, there's nobody to blame anything on, it's just you. So for me, I I just really understood how to compartmentalize life and time management became a thing. Time management, yeah, that's your whole thing. I didn't know what time management meant in high school, you know? Mom's picking me up here to take me there. And but being a city kid, again, growing up in New York, um, versus somebody that's living in like maybe a Florida or the public transportation already is built into your life, and it's not like a thing that you it's not a second thought.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04You know, it's just like okay, we're gonna jump on the five trade here, we're going into the city, and that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04No, no, no. If you're like living in Arkansas, I can imagine as a high schooler, okay, so mom has to pick us up, just take us here. No, that didn't really, you know. My mom, like, she was still at all the events, but it wasn't that pressure. You know, I'm looking at mom's here and they're like stressed out because they want to sign their kid up for these sports, but they're thinking about, oh my God, how much of my life am I gonna have to dedicate? But back to your question time management, um, nutrition, and like going from top stuff talent to not bottom of the barrel, but looking around like, oh, I got some work to do. Yeah. And I have two and a half years to do it. Yes. Oh man. Maybe less.
SPEAKER_03It sounds like a lot of time, but it's not, isn't it?
SPEAKER_04It's not, not at all. Right before so ninth grade to the senior year. I'm just gonna tell you parents, or those of you who are listening that are in high school, just sit, just consider just chop that down to two and a half to three years. Senior year doesn't even exist. I started getting recruited at the beginning of my sophomore year, end of freshman year, the letters start to come. Yeah. And don't worry, they'll start to come from like Christian schools and small universities. And then between the end of your sophomore year and the beginning of your senior year, the heavy letters start to come.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04Right? So don't get discouraged if you're a freshman or a sophomore and you're not seeing the letters that you want to come from, like the huge universities. The fact that you're getting any letters is just very important. Yeah, you know, and so even if you first don't get recruited to a D1 school, that is okay. Yeah, that's okay, you know. Um, tuition is tuition, and a scholarship is a scholarship, and you can always transfer. So that's that's very important. But yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's great advice. I really love that you're spilling out that advice because you think about all the the ways that media and movies kind of make put so much pressure on that senior year. Oh, yeah. You don't really think about all the other years. Um it's kind of like I I worked at a university for a while, not from a uh sporting recruitment side of things, but just in an you know, walking through that admission process and kids thinking like, hey, like I need to step it up from the get-go.
SPEAKER_04You know, it's it's very difficult. Oh, yeah, because you lay the foundation. Okay, so again, those of you who are listening,
Parenting, Accountability, And Grit
SPEAKER_04parents or kids in high school, it's going to be incredibly difficult for you to make a GPA wonderful if you mess it up in your freshman year. Right. Your freshman year, it's a blank canvas, it's the easiest time to get A's, you know, and and B's, but it's like free grades. And then if you mess it up freshman year, it is the hardest thing in the world to get it going, you know. So you might as well just do all the things you can do to make sure you're you're getting your grades great, uh, your freshman year, because it can also serve as a huge booster by the time you get to the end and you're having those classes that are kicking your butt. You know, if you already have a wonderful foundation that you're starting from, that that starting point, oh my gosh, it's a game changer. Yeah. And guess what? It doesn't matter if you are just amazing on the field, on the court, if you are not good in the classroom, you're not going. Student, athlete. Student comes first, athlete comes second. So there's a reason why they put it in that order, not athlete student. Okay, so get your grades together and make sure that you're doing all the things to make sure you're not compromising that. Because when you take the ACTs and the SATs, they put the score together with the GPA to then give your final overall score to get into the university. So if you have a wonderful GPA and not so great scores because you're not a good test taker or whatever the reason is, you still have an opportunity, right? If you're not so great, you know, in terms of the GPA, but you have killer SAT scores or ACT, uh, or if they've taken any other standardized tests that I'm not privy to, you can still make it because you know you did the other side. Yeah. So it's not like the end all be all if one isn't uh great.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's good advice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a lot of people think that's really good advice. Yeah, they don't. They definitely don't. I think that that is so valuable. All right, so for sake of time and because I want to go into it. We could talk because I'm like, I don't know, I'm like holding back on all the things I want to talk about. I'm like, okay, can we go hang out? Yeah, we gotta talk about TEDx and we have to talk about the Olympics. Well, yeah, yes. So what do you want to talk about? All the six that was happening or all the great talent.
SPEAKER_04Okay, let's go Olympics first because I think our viewers would appreciate that, and then we can talk about the hot stuff going on with TEDx.
SPEAKER_03Yes, yes, yeah, okay, yeah, let's talk about the Olympics. Okay, let's talk about the Olympics.
SPEAKER_02Okay, what part do you want to know? Yes, yes, yes. Well, what you know, I mean, you started as a kid uh dressing up as an Olympian, yep, knowing that you wanted to go to the Olympics. And so let's let's just jump into qualifying for the Olympics and that feeling of getting there and what you felt maybe first day. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_04So at the national championships, because every country has their respective national championships that will it ultimately serves as the qualifier to get to the Olympic Games, it was just a s such a huge sigh of relief off of my shoulder. But I'm one of those people I I don't know if this is like a trauma response or I don't know what in the world happened to me where I don't believe anything until it's actually happening. I don't believe any deal or contract has actually happened until the ink is dried. I don't believe, like, you know, and I wasn't one of those kids that got left on the stoop with a promise that I'm coming to pick you up at five to go to the park or whatever, you know. My parents delivered on all of their, you know, things that were expected. So I'm just like, I don't know what that is. But for me, even at that qualifying uh national championships, I'm just like, all right, well, that's cool. It still felt like, but until I got into the Olympic village in London in 2012, then it hit me. Waking up every morning to go to breakfast and seeing Venus and Serena sitting on the bench, or being in line waiting for, you know, they had McDonald's also in in the food courts, like being in line with LeBron and Michael Phelps just with our trays, like cracking jokes. I'm like, this is really happening. This is really happening. You know, yeah, they come over to track and feel to support us, cheer for us. We go over to basketball or gymnastics, um, you know, hanging with Gabby Douglas. Like, it honestly, there is an outer body experience that happens to all of us simultaneously, where we're just like, so you're that person and you're that person. Wow. Right? Um, so amazing. But it's it's it's really cool. And that, you know, people in Hollywood
Coaches, Mentors, And Life Rules
SPEAKER_04and the entertainment industry are fans of us, and we're fans of you. Like Lil Wayne is like screaming for us, really? That's so true. Drake's excited to get a picture with us. It's it's really cool. It's really, really cool. What a time to be alive. And in my opinion, I'll go on record to say that year was probably, I'm gonna say, not even probably, the best Olympics of our lifetime. You know, we just had all of the greatest, the all the greatest uh athletes that we know, they were alive at the same time and competing, you know? Yeah, pranking. So, yeah, Kobe and LeBron on the same Olympic team. It it Usain Bolt still in this in the sport, and we're probably not gonna see another athlete like him for a very long time. You know, the 100 meters, you're not supposed to be 6'5 and that fast. Yeah, he's an anomaly, seriously. Yeah, kind of like Michael Phelps, his body was designed from God to be like a fish. Yeah, his fingers and his toes are webbed. People, I don't know if a lot of people know that. Yeah, why are you why are your toes webbed? Right. That's teenage, but he wouldn't, you know, but it's not because this is the way God made me. What are you gonna do about it? Nothing.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I love it.
SPEAKER_02You know, I love it. Man, that wingspan he had too. Crazy.
SPEAKER_04Like, this is what I'm made for. Right.
SPEAKER_02And he makes the butterfly look like it's just like barely moving in the water. You're just like, ooh, this is like an easy stroke to do. No, it's not incredibly difficult.
SPEAKER_04So, you know, yeah, my experience there was surreal and so happy that I'll be able to tell my grandkids about it.
SPEAKER_03So when you're about to race, do you just have to block out? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_04So for me, delivering a TED talk or being on any stage or being in front of any number of people is is very comfortable for me. Very comfortable. And again, playing sports, putting your kids in sports, even if it's something that they're not gonna be a professional at, you start to train the nervous system and different responses in your mind and your body for things long term that can be applied to other areas in life. You know, who knows? Who knows? Who knew that I was gonna be uh a motivational speaker or just speak to large groups of people? You'd never know. I bet your mom knew. Thank you. Yeah, your mom knew what she probably knew. She gave me crap all my life for being a chatty patty, right? Dominique report card, right, from the teachers. Dominique is a great student, interacts well. She's also a distractive influence. So shout out to all the people that were chatty patties in school that got in trouble for talking too much. What are y'all doing now in life? Are you in journalism?
SPEAKER_03Executive disposition. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Right. So don't try and stifle that too much in your kids if they're chatty patties. You know, that just means it's a tell that later on they're probably going to be helping people in some way. Mine just it landed me on radio and landed me on, you know, Good Day NWA at a radio show called Morning Kiss with Don Blake. And hey, hair chatting with you ladies on this mic and entertaining y'all through these waves.
SPEAKER_03And I want to hear about TEDx. Yes. Because that was real, I don't that's number two for me.
SPEAKER_04Yes. It's Olympics and then TEDx. That's so awesome.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yes. Those are great. Yes. Number one and two. When you were thinking about what you were going to talk about, what was your kind of what was your goal? What did you want the takeout?
SPEAKER_04I know immediately. I knew immediately. You did? Yes, but I had to figure out. And you know, they uh shout out to Elizabeth Perry. Um wonderful human being. Yes. She put the TEDx on and really uh insulated us with uh amazing, an amazing support system. We had coaches and we had all the support that we could possibly receive in such an easy and seamless way. I don't know if other cities really get to experience it. And a lot of people in other cities have three months, three, I'm gonna say it again, three months to prepare. We had one month. That's what I was gonna say. I think. Four weeks. Okay. So the the direction and being intentional, it had to be so on point that we didn't have the luxury of skipping steps for the preparation. And then to put the amazing production that she did behind it.
SPEAKER_03It was seamless. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_04And then, you know, the venue at the momentary, low hammer. It was amazing. It was amazing. It was so I knew immediately that I didn't have to be or do something that I wasn't already. And I really just thought about the message that I give to people in mentorship, in
From High School Star To College Humility
SPEAKER_04business, and every day, even family members, you're not where you want to be because you're effing lazy. And again, I'm not being an asshole and saying that to you, but every time I was able to step outside of myself and get uncomfortable on purpose before I was forced to, I was able to do magnificent things, right? Why do I have to get fat before I learn and develop great habits to stay lean and to stay where I need to be to be fast? So identifying where you want to be and getting the tools like finding a great coach, finding great, you know, a spouse that aligns with your values so you're equally yoked. Why, if you're a pro athlete or you're a yoga teacher, why are you gonna go pick up somebody that hates doing anything? You know what I mean? Yeah, that's Zen, somebody like uh in a in a hard metal rock band that doesn't want to do any kind of physical activity that has no vision or want to have children. If that's your why are you why are you doing that? Right. You're just messing up your trajectory of life on purpose for no reason. So in my mind, you're just being lazy from doing the things that you need to do to get you where you want to be. You're effing lazy. And until you can see that, we are not equally yoked in life to spend time with each other. So before you guys get mad at friends, family members, coworkers, people that you want technology to be hired into a space or give you an opportunity, ask yourself Am I ready to level up or am I equally yoked to that person based on how I see them living their lives? Don't bring your ass over here if you're not willing to wake up at four o'clock in the morning, exercise, and eat great. You're gonna hate me. Yeah, you're gonna hate my guts. Right. Right. So there's either one, one or two ways this can go. Well, I'm either gonna keep up with you or you're gonna keep up with me. I'm either gonna get dragged down by your crappy ass, you know, habits, and I'm gonna get sucked into your world, or you're gonna level up, right? You might be uncomfortable at first, but it'll become your normal. Right. And then you can't go back to that. No, it's the Bentley and the Mazda. Once you sit your ass in a Bentley, it's tough to go back to a Mazda. Shout out to all the Mazda people. I'm just saying.
SPEAKER_02I know exactly what you're saying. Hey, those Mazda people leveled up, Mazda people.
SPEAKER_03But I'm saying once you sit in a Bentley, it's different. But what I like what you're saying because maybe before they were in the Mazda, they were in a little boxcar beater before that, and the Mazda's the level up. And then you keep going. Right. Yes. I liked your talk because I had my own conviction because I'm always trying to be better. I'm always trying to push my kids to be uncomfortable. I always tell them, you can't be stagnant. You gotta, if you're unhappy with with where you're at, whether it's at a sport or school, even Like a social situation. Yeah. You have to do the work within. Yes. And I I try to remind them and not do as I say, not as I do. I try to also replicate. They watch you.
SPEAKER_04Oh, they watch you. And also, um, proximity is very important, you know? Yeah. Where are you spending your time? Who are you hanging out with? Because if you don't have what you want, that is okay. If you put yourself around the people and the situations that are already having those things, doing those things, like our brains just assist, like we'll just manifest it by proximity. Yes. You know? And so for me, I like the idea of saving and do what first of all, you ain't make your money ain't making no extra money. It's not having babies just sitting in a bank account, right? So the only way it can make babies is if you go put it into something else. Even if you go borrow it from the bank to go put it into something else, then it will have babies, right?
SPEAKER_03You're in charge of the money. Hey, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Right? That that's my philosophy on finances. And so for me, I'm always going to, if it's my last thousand dollars I got in life, my last $500, it it has, it's not gonna do anything sitting in my pocket. I might as well spend it on marketing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I might as well, because guess what? It only takes one time for somebody to say yes for that $500 to turn into $2 million. That's it. We're all one deal away from amazing success.
SPEAKER_03I hear that all the time from people that are really successful, including you and other entrepreneurs. It's that you don't hear about the times they were told no. Right. I was told no. Because you have to hustle and you have to you have to be okay with no and knowing that.
SPEAKER_04No has to feel like yes. Yes. For me, no registers just not right now. Yeah. But you're gonna say yes. Yes, right? You have to say yes because I have the best products. Yeah. Right? But you're crazy if you don't say yes. So not right now, but we're gonna get back to you saying yes.
SPEAKER_03Well, the conviction I felt, and I knew that you had struck something within me with saying you're lazy because as someone who's been entrepreneurial myself and worked for myself and also having kids, a lot of times we do feel so busy to the point of exhaustion. But at the end of the day, when I'm not maybe pleased with where I'm at with these goals, I have to look at what are my small daily decisions and habits doing. And then I have to say, or why am I not, you know, towards a fitness goal or just a personal, you know, health or nutrition. I have to sit back and say, okay, I can't be woe is me because I know I didn't do this and I didn't do that, and I made these choices instead.
SPEAKER_04And you're human, right? So then when you have that moment and you're human and you're a woman. So that means at least four weeks out of the month, you are not you. And people have to understand that hormones are and leave me alone, okay? I know that I'm not me. You know that I'm not me. So let's just stop. I'll see you in four weeks so we can make sound decisions. Because right now I just need sugar and to be left alone. Yeah. So uh within that, you know, within that same idea, I also want people to rely on your tribe. Understand? Like when you give up on you, it's
Time Management And Student-Athlete Reality
SPEAKER_04your job to pick the right people in your life to shake you out of it. Because you can't do this by yourself. And going back to that equally yoked thing. If you have a significant other, friends, family member, family members that can acknowledge, okay, that's not you. I'm gonna give you five minutes to cry about it, and then tomorrow we're gonna have a real conversation. That's me. We can always cry. We're human. Yeah, sometimes you just need to say stupid things, get it out of your mouth. Yeah, and then we get it back together. Yes. Get out of that funk. So I'm not gonna sit in the funk with you for more than 48 hours max. Yes. Okay, because we could be on vacation. But 24 hours, you say what you need to say. I'm going to listen. Yeah. I'm gonna try my best not to absorb to get to where you are to start to be bought into the BS. Because most of the time it's BS. Right. You just want to say stuff. And uh, yeah, we get it, we gotta get right back to the the solution and the game plan.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and then getting productive, not busy, because I feel like we're all busy, and and I feel like that's something that even the most I'm gonna use air quote successful, because maybe some people are successful, but it's not something they're passionate. They're good at it, but they're not passionate about it. Correct. So maybe they're busy and they're successful, but they're not being productive. It's something that brings them.
SPEAKER_04It's also a trauma response. Being busy is a trauma response to distract yourself from doing the hard work. Yeah, you know, and I for me, being in motion, before I can sit down and start to create paperwork and all those things, I gotta clean my house first. And it looks like a being like a psycho, but it does. So relatable. Why am I color-coding my closet right now when I do the same? Put this deal together. I can't be so relatable. But I'm gonna be washing like rugs, like stupid. So funny. Everybody has their thing, and once you can acknowledge and admit, okay, this is what I need to get me in the mood, you know?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um for sure.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I just mean is a thing. Oh, I'm a I'm an anxiety rage cleaner. If I have something to work out, I have to put on music and just because my home, if it's cluttered, my mental state will never dirty house, dirty car, dirty mind, dirty business.
SPEAKER_04For sure. Never forget that. And my staff knows if I'm around and your windows aren't tinted, I'm looking into your car.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_04That you're telling me what you're coming to do for me.
SPEAKER_03The paper producer has said that I need to tint my windows.
SPEAKER_04I need to do that before this is dirty, dirty, yes, dirty house. My car is dirty car, dirty mind, dirty business. So again, I'll give you 20, 40, 48 hours to clean a car up. Because we all have the days where we're just throwing things in the back. Yeah. But if you're cups after three weeks, two weeks, four weeks, and that thing's still dirty, your mind, and that's how your life is operating. Yeah. So I'll admit it, I'm in a dirty car zone right now. You know, I'm working with contractors, I'm hiring, I'm going through podcasts, I'm doing all the things, and I give myself till tomorrow. Oh, me too.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna go tomorrow too. Yeah, yes. Okay, let's do it. Let's all agree. You call yourself a serial entrepreneur. I want to talk about that because we have to wrap it up. So let's talk about all the things that you do.
SPEAKER_04Okay, that's a trick question.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, all right.
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna give you the compacted version. So Wellness 360, uh DT Fitness Club. We're NWA's number one personal training company. We're virtual mobile local. Uh, we have now expanded to three locations, four here in a couple weeks. I might have to come back and tell y'all all about that. But uh, yeah, we are in Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville area. And so, really, that that's my baby, right? So that's the first business that I started when I got to Northwest Arkansas while simultaneously competing. Um my coach thought I was a psycho. He was like, How are you gonna do this? I said, watch me.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_03Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh so there's Diamond Training, um, which is everything wellness under one roof. And then there is uh Island Bites, which I co-founded with my mom, Clean Caribbean catering. And so she's one of one, you know. There is no other clean Caribbean food that you're gonna find in Northwest Arkansas. It's gonna be tough to find Caribbean food, period.
SPEAKER_03I was wondering, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yes, right. And so um, so there's that. Also, there is commercial real estate and residential real estate, but we're pulling away a little bit more from the residential, going into commercial because do your Google schmoogles and your research. Commercial real estate is where's that? Yeah, okay. And then there is just a lot of media work in, you know, so a lot of broadcasting. I've also kind of scaled back from that just because it takes a lot of time, energy, and effort. You guys know production is real. Thank God you don't have to do that much of it, but it's time right, right, right. Shout out to Brock. Thank you, Brock. Shout out to Brock. Shout out to Brock, and uh, and so yeah, so media work and then business consulting, right? So it wouldn't make sense for me to do what I'm doing, go as far as I'd like to go without uh helping people be just as good or better, right? For me, paying it paying it forward, uh, duplication is a must. If you're good at something, if you're really passionate at something, who are you inspiring? Who are you pouring back into? And if the answer is nobody, you're selfish and you're disgusting, in my opinion. Right? You're you're taking away from the process for the greatness to continue and for the cycle to continue to happen, to be greater. And so that reciprocity for me, it's
Qualifying And Living The Olympic Village
SPEAKER_04always ever present. So when people are saying, Well, they're asking me to do this for free, is it really for free? Because will will you have the experience if you don't do that without uh a dollar in terms of monetary currency being exchanged? Because sometimes the bigger currency is the experience because you can't get the money because you didn't do it. Right. Yes, I agree. I did a lot of free work, but same free is depending upon how you put that free system together or the paid system, right? So are you asking, hey, can I have this content in exchange for me, you know, not charging you a dollar amount? Am I able to shadow you? You know, so finding a way to make it worth it for you so then you can go and ask for money is also very important, you know? Somebody that's worth $80 billion telling you, I want you to wash my car for me every single day and detail it all with bells and whistles. Today in 25 25, Dom's doing that. Yeah. What time do you want me there? 5 a.m. I'll be there at 3 30. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You want a latte with that? Just checking. Because it doesn't matter. Everything that they do on the most basic level, I want to know what toilet paper they're using, what newspaper they're reading. Yeah. That's going to help me by proximity to get to where they are. Yeah. You know? So agreed.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I want you to be my children's coach when I do that.
SPEAKER_02I'm like, can we do like a can we do an encouraging phone chat with you like every week? Like the link in the bio.
SPEAKER_03She has no, she does. I checked her link out. Yeah, you actually can. So, okay, before we wrap, tell us your favorite thing. You kind of talked about what you love about the area, but what is your most favorite thing about living in Northwest Arkansas? Right, support.
SPEAKER_04Community. Support. So as we evolve into, you know, our population is expanding, Walmart's doing their damnest to bring all the people here. And so we love it because one of the things, as a as an ad a real adult, right? And I'm talking to all the people that are over 35, over 30, you start to look for community in a different way than when you're in college, right? So when you're forced to be in the Dixon area in Fayetteville, you're like, man, I would really love to sit down, have a nice drink or a nice coffee and hear piano in the background and maybe see a waterfall. You know? And be able to have a conversation and have beautiful, a beautiful ambiance and an environment that's nurturing. Is it too much to ask for? So definitely not we have you know spaces like the Compton opening up and the motto and all of these new big city, we can call it big city, that feel of an environment, the appreciation is growing. But I I really I've always had a deep love and passion for Northwest Arkansas because I am from big city, you know, Jamaica. I've lived in Atlanta. Um I lived in LA before moving here. And so I can see the city while looking into the forest before the city is built. And I see I'm the I'm a geek. I'll go and sit in on all the city planning meetings to know where they're gonna build, all the Starbucks and all the Home Depots five years earlier, ten years earlier. I want to know where everything's gonna be and where our city is um act, where the landscape is what what what is it gonna look like in that amount of time? And so that will always tell you companies like Walmart, Tyson, you know, they have plans. And the plans are large. And what does that look like uh long term for that kind of corporation? And then the trickle-down effect is real. That'll ultimately tell you, you know, how far your dollar can go. Um, but again, to answer your question, move somebody moving from New York to Northwest Arkansas. When I first got here, I was like, how much is uh a cocktail? I'll have 16 of those. 16. I could not believe it. Not any more though. I know, but still.
SPEAKER_01I know what you mean.
SPEAKER_04You know? Hey, they went up through the city. From LA in 2025 to Northwest Arkansas, their mind is still big.
SPEAKER_03Like, I can get a smoothie that's not Erwan for like seven dollars here.
SPEAKER_04Oh man. So those little things, like asking, like seeing how much a coffee costs, I said, oh no, no, this is home. I'm planting the flag here. Yeah. And so I I'll I'll travel back and forth to anywhere. But I love Northwest Arkansas because of the community and the support. If you have a great idea and you put get a brick and mortar tomorrow, it's gonna go. Yeah, you're gonna get the support, you're gonna get the recognition. But obviously, also you have to be willing to put in the hard work to build that credibility and to make sure your your brand is worth a crap. But as long as those things are in place, you're gonna get the love, you're gonna get the support. And it's just amazing to see that this this can be real life. And it doesn't have to take a long time, yeah, you know?
SPEAKER_03So people I can see why people hire you for motivation and no, because I really want to get out there.
SPEAKER_02I'm like smiling and want to cry and laugh and all I'm having so many emotions right now.
SPEAKER_04Ladies, I've I did so much sales training in in my life just because sales really excites me. That's it. And if you don't have any kind of like formal education and you just devote yourself to being in an environment or finding a mentor to learn sales, you literally will change a trajectory
Performance Nerves And Speaking Confidence
SPEAKER_04of your life and the people that come from you. It's amazing. It's magical. It's so spiritual to me.
SPEAKER_03That's it.
SPEAKER_04That's awesome.
SPEAKER_03So speaking of sales, go ahead and let our listeners know where they can find you and follow you on WhatsApp.
SPEAKER_04Sure. You can find me on social medias. Instagram is Dominique V Blake. Um the goal, well, the golden girl. I have a yellow background, so it'll be easy to pop up uh once you plug my name in there. Uh on Facebook, it's Dominique Blake, Ollie, O-L-Y. That's their version of ESQ for being an attorney for being an Olympian.
SPEAKER_02Okay. I just learned that recently too. I was like, I saw a couple of people, oh why, and I was like, oh, that's why. Oh, yes. I was like, that's not part of her name. That's not her last name. I was like, oh, I think her name is Dominique Blake Ollie. I'm in Paris to meet that we're going to be able to do that. I mean, it's amazing. Yes, good to know that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. If you and then, you know, if you follow me on Instagram, all the other outlets are there. And I follow back, so feel free to DM me, stop by, say hello, share, like, comment, subscribe. You know, all the good things. So thank you, ladies, for having me. Yes, thanks for coming. Um I would love to in a couple weeks, a lot's gonna change. So hopefully, y'all can make some time for me to come back and uh gift you and share all the goodness.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Thank you for being here. Thank you. Hey, thanks so much for listening today. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at People of NWA. Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_00People of Northwest Arkansas with the two Danielles, produced by me, Brock Short of Brock Entertainment. Please rate, review, and like us on any podcast platform where you listen. For more information about today's guests and the show, please check the show notes. Thanks for listening.