Meet Danielle Anderson | Cofounder of walk with dada

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Without risk, there is no reward! Taking risks leads to growth and knowledge and it’s important to be comfortable taking risks as you develop a new business while also being smart about where you put your dollars.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I had a crazy idea to start my dream business, a sandal company, walk with dada, that was ruminating inside of me for a while. We launched while my infant son was still learning to crawl and while balancing my 9 to 5 job. I’ve always wanted to start my own fashion business, and as I’ve realized in life, there never seems to be a “perfect time” for anything.

After working at some more traditional clothing brands, specifically women’s contemporary brands, before ending up at my current job at an online framing company in New York City, my husband and I moved to Atlanta in 2020 to settle down and plant roots in a city we both grew up visiting and love.

I’m proud of how far my cofounder, Courtney, and I have grown walk with dada, thus far. It’s been so fulfilling and yet challenging, to create our very own sandal brand. We face challenges in every department all the time, and for us, it’s a learning experience that helps us grow together and as a brand to work through decisions together every day. We always tell each other to just keep taking baby steps and focus on the now and we will make more and more progress each day.

Walk with dada is a small-batch leather sandal brand that is ethically made and that we are very proud of. We are keeping it simple and focusing on dependable high-quality materials to build a product that eliminates overconsumption and waste. We are just getting started and the focus this year is growing our brand awareness as much as possible so more people can walk with us!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
~*ATL Weekend Itinerary*~

Friday
Friend arrives!! ◡̈
7 pm Dinner and Drinks at Muchacho
8:30 – Concert at the Eastern

Saturday
9:30 am Little Tart for coffee and croissants
10 am Take a stroll through Grant Park
3:30pm Shopping in West Midtown
6pm cocktail at Bar Blanc
7pm Dinner at Little Sparrow
9pm Northside Tavern for a nightcap and to listen to some tunes

Sunday
10:30 am Breakfast at Rias Bluebird
12 – Heavenly Foot Massages near Ponce
Walk around Ponce City Market if we have time before she has to catch her flight!
Time for my friend to head home 🙁

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my cofounder and ride or die, Courtney Bolton. She and I decided to start this company about four years ago and it has been such a joy working with her every day taking baby steps to grow our brand while raising babies and having full-time day jobs.

Website: walkwithdada.com

Instagram: @walkwithdada

Facebook: @walkwithdada

Image Credits
photographer – Alejandro Mandujano