Dani Laindear

Ch-ch-ch-changes! 🌀

In the last 2 months, my life and trajectory and all the dreams I was building my life from changed drastically, basically overnight. Yes, another pivot! 🤪

The dream life / career comeback that I’ve spent the last year rebuilding had to be mostly set down due to receiving a complex health diagnosis. Not completely, but mostly. I’m working a little, but not “enough.” And as a single mom, that changes everything - again! 😅

Because how the hell am I supposed to have a career, make money, live a life of purpose, be a present and responsible parent, and maintain my health as my priority all at once? That’s what I’m in the messy middle of figuring out!

So these last couple months, I’ve been adjusting to new meds, completely cut out alcohol, caffeine, and so many other things, and had to drastically reduce stress (both mental and physical) to the best of my ability, all during summer break

I turned 37, my daughter turned 9, and I’ve been really prioritizing our connection and joy in the midst of all the grief this transition has also brought. I took a massive social media break, went inside, listened to my body, and am now deep in the process of asking... now what?

I don’t know what it will look like exactly, but I’m here to find out. And I know I’m not alone, so let me know your experiences with real-life logistics and factors like health changing your dreams, your life, and where that led you - and maybe it was something more true to you on the other side?

Your questions are my questions, so let’s figure this out together!

Sharing this unfiltered, unedited, raw-vocal clip as an untrained singer because I’m at a place where it feels important to do things I love, loudly and imperfectly ✨

Since I started acting again after such a long retirement, I’ve been tapping back into my love of singing as well. I’m extremely unpracticed, and my connection to my voice is very rusty, but I just reached out to a vocal coach and may be starting my first-ever voice lessons soon. Here’s to starting new things in your late thirties (and at any time, for that matter) - it’s never too late!

I also realized that if all I share online is a polished, finished product or “end result,” I’m not being real about the process. So here’s to the process - failures, successes, and everything in between!

I’ve loved Les Miserables since I was little, as so many others have. Musical theater kid at heart, forever ❤️

This was an interesting one - getting pitched an executive producer role on an AI series, as a very pro-human filmmaker 🎬

It was my first time having to evaluate whether or not I’d be willing to be paid to take on an AI project, and for now, that’s a no for me

Until there are industry-wide regulations, and a way for the environmental impact of AI to be drastically reduced (if that’s even possible), it’s not something I integrate in my personal life or in the filmmaking process

I didn’t expect to be joining this conversation so soon after Seth Rogen’s recent interview with stating that “if your instinct is to use AI… you shouldn’t be a writer.” He goes on to talk about the creative process being innately, inherently human, to which I wholeheartedly concur 💛

Filmmakers and actors, what are your thoughts? As a SAG actor and very analog writer and producer, I’m all about keeping humanity at the core of this industry, and beyond ✨

Sometimes self-taping gets… colorful 👹😂

I only ever record 2-3 full takes for an audition (unless requested otherwise), but the tech / lighting shenanigans, the side flubs, and sound interference sure do make for an interesting time, every time 🎬

Who else has some unsavory self-take bloopers? Excuse the potty mouth 😂

Here we go again… again!

Yesterday, at almost 37, I wrapped my biggest modeling job since retiring at 25. Less than 2 weeks ago I shot my first SAG film since retiring fully from acting in 2015. And just this Monday, I started pre-production on the first short film I’ll have produced since leaving behind my production company in LA 11 years ago!!

I’ll share more about this film project soon, but I had to announce the news! I’m SO excited to be back in film production - consider me officially un-retired 🎬

I know I keep saying that “this is just the beginning” every time I come out of another retirement after exiting the entertainment industry in 2015… but it really feels that way!

All in the past 3 weeks, this influx of work and opportunity has coalesced to bring me into what feels like the start of yet another new chapter as a divorced single mom who’s done almost nothing for the last decade but start new chapters….

But this time, it’s where all three of these careers that I love - and left behind when I left LA to get married - are coming back together in this harmonious (if wildly busy) flow. I truly never could have imagined how quickly these jobs would come in, but I’m pinching myself with gratitude 🙏🏼

I’ll share more as I go along, but for now I’m going to soak it all in - enjoy my first upcoming weekend off in 5 weeks, snuggle my daughter and my dog, and then get back to work. Because… this is just the beginning 😉