Profile: Dani Kind

by Jess Salgueiro

I have had a love affair/crush with this woman for years.  The lucky twist of fate that allowed me to play her kids' nanny on the TV show Workin Moms for several seasons was such an enormous gift.  The moments I get to chat with this REAL human is such a pleasure and inspiration for me.  We were chillin' in the makeup trailer a few weeks back, and her accessibility and kindness blew me away. Enough is enough. I knew I needed to profile the authentic spirit which is Dani Fucking Kind.

yah..dat right.

Do you have a favourite failure?

I don't know if it's a favourite because it felt so gross but when I first started booking jobs I was nervous and didn't have the confidence to ask questions so I'd bring my cell phone on set and hide in that. A producer called me out on it one day and said it was rude. He was right. It was a way to hide when I was on set and looking back I regret it because I see courageous beautiful young actors who are so green coming on sets and asking every department questions. To me, it looks fearless and is so inspiring. I now ask a ton of questions regardless of the set I'm on. I've come to learn that people are proud of their jobs and asking them about it not only teaches me but is a great way to connect to someone in a sea of big ego's and weird industry shit.

Is there a younger part of yourself that you had to mourn/let go of in order to grow?

Dani and her sis.

I think there's a real grieving that comes with having kids. I could go on a novel sized rant here... When we get married there's bachelorette parties to celebrate as if we are single "one last time". It's a way to say bye to a former part of yourself and your life. When you have a baby, theres a baby shower to celebrate the baby. To collect things for the baby. No one tells you that after the baby you will feel very lonely in your body. That you went from sharing it with someone, to vacancy. That your spirit will still totally feel like you, on the inside, but all of a sudden this body is foreign to you and you don't know how to dress it. There's a part of yourself that dies and a huge part that you grows that you get introduced to. But the part that dies needs to be mourned respectfully.

What have you gotten better at?

I'm working on compassion. The 15 year old rebel in me wants to fight everyone. Age helps with this and so does having kids. Age has slowed me down a bit and will continue to and my kids helps me see all adults as their tiny selves.

What scares you?

Being myself in social settings. I get anxious about it. I don't drink anymore and that used to help me ease into those things but after all these years I still get quite nervous entering social settings by myself. I eat a lot of tiny foods now.

The always jovial, “Anne” on Workin’ Moms

Is there a part of your body that you love/appreciate more now than you ever did before?

After having kids I tried working very hard at "getting my body back" (not possible: please see above message on mourning. It. Is. Dead.) Every night my kids lift up my t-shirt and snuggle into the fattiest parts of my stomach. It's their original apartment. They won't fall asleep unless a part of them is somehow touching my tummy. It's a swift kick in the face, daily, to be kinder and softer on myself.

What are you looking forward to?

I'm looking forward to getting to know my art more, my kids more and myself more. I'm looking forward to these three relationships and all the growth that comes with them... and the kicks in the face.

You can watch Dani as Anne on CBC’s “Workin’ Moms” or as Mercedes on SyFy’s “Wynonna Earp.” You can also follow her at Insta: @danikidnofficial and on Twitter: @DaniKind

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