Danielle considers herself incredibly fortunate to be able to pursue her passion and make a difference in women's lives through her career. As an entrepreneur and the proud owner of a women-only strength training gym in San Francisco, her journey in the field began after years of working as a personal trainer. The fitness industry is predominantly male-dominated, and Danielle recognized the lack of spaces where women and marginalized genders could comfortably learn about and participate in strength training. Motivated by this realization, Danielle took the leap and founded her studio in 2019.

For Danielle, her career as a gym owner and personal trainer is not just a job; it's a platform to create meaningful change and uplift women. She is deeply fulfilled by the impact she has made and continues to make within her community, teaching people to embrace their strength, both mentally and physically. Her studio has taught hundreds of women (maybe even thousands at this point!) how to lift weights - and it brings Danielle so much joy to watch her clients get strong!

Steve serves as the Director of Operations for a financial firm, enjoying the flexibility of working from home and creating his own schedule. Danielle also has the autonomy to structure her own time. We both feel fortunate to have careers that allow us to do meaningful work we enjoy while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We feel lucky to have the ability to prioritize our personal lives, well-being and our relationships.

We both grew up with different family traditions from one another and we've really enjoyed having the opportunity to create our own throughout our marriage! Whether it's holidays, birthdays, vacations, or even our weekly date night we always look forward to these opportunities to come together and have fun.

One of our favorite traditions we look forward to each year is our week-long summer trip to Mammoth Lakes for the 4th of July. This adventure includes hikes through the beautiful Sierra mountains with our dog, Jack, as well as paddle boarding, watching fireworks, and celebrating the warmth of the Summer sun!

Another is our yearly family dinner and celebration during the holiday season where we take the time to reflect on our accomplishments and the events of the year, and talk about what we want to do in the coming year.

We love to take lots of photos so we can relive the memories of these activities and events. Photography is a hobby we both enjoy - and find it extremely rewarding and also very useful! We both feel so lucky to be able to experience travel with our family and see the world together. And with the anticipation of adding a child to our family, we are very excited for the opportunity to establish new traditions that will bring even more love and significance to our growing family.

Our Border Collie named Jack holds such a special place in our lives and hearts! Like most border collies, Jack is VERY intelligent and clever (he can open and close his own treat cabinet!) and he never fails to amaze us with his intuitive nature. Jack is so friendly and affectionate and we cannot wait to introduce him to a new brother or sister! (he loves every kid he meets!) 

Not only does Jack brighten our lives, but he has also played a significant role in bringing our family closer together. His presence encourages quality time, whether it's going on long walks to the park where he can chase the ball (did we mention he is VERY fast?!) or engaging in playful activities like hide and seek and chase. Jack's love and companionship has changed our lives for the better and we feel so lucky he's our pup!

Our home in San Francisco, CA is extremely special to us because it has been in Danielle's family for three generations! Danielle's great-grandparents and then later on, Danielle's grandfather, resided in this home. We both feel there is so much family history and love in this house and feel lucky to be able to raise another generation of children in such a special place.

Our home is three bedrooms with a backyard to play in. The local elementary school is three blocks away. We live 7 blocks from Ocean Beach and the beautiful Pacific Ocean, where we can whale watch and see dolphins directly from the shore! Our home is also just 3 blocks away from Golden Gate Park, where there are endless playgrounds, biking and walking trails, museums, and other fun activities throughout. It is the biggest park on the West Coast! Most of the homes in our area are single-family homes - which means there are young families and children all around us.

What we love most about living in San Francisco is the diversity - anyone who lives here gets the privilege of being exposed to so many different cultures, beliefs, and ways of life. Danielle also grew up in the Bay Area, and feels it helped shape her world view in positive ways. It is also the one the reasons Steve chose to move here and make it his permanent home. Being able to attend Chinese New Year celebrations, Pride Parades, and try cuisines from all over the world is so much fun.

Both our families are very excited for us to welcome a new child to our lives! Steve's family lives in Salt Lake City, a place that is dear to his heart, as it's where he grew up. Meanwhile, Danielle's family are all local Californians.

Steve's parents' home is nestled near the mountains and ski resorts and is the gathering place of many family holidays and celebrations. Whether we venture back for holidays, or they visit us in the Bay Area - or at our vacation home in Oregon - our time together is nothing short of delightful. Laughter fills the air as we play games, explore the mountains on hikes, hit the slopes, and relish in the art of cooking together. In fact, we recently had the pleasure of introducing Steve's mom to the joys of paddle boarding!

Meanwhile, Danielle's dad (aka "Pops") lives just a few hours away from our Bay Area home on a beautiful five-acre countryside property. It's the place where we frequently retreat for fun summer activities - enjoying swimming and sunbathing and getting away from the fast pace of city life. But that's not all! Danielle's two aunts and uncle also reside in the vicinity, creating a vibrant community of love and support. Our family gatherings at Pop's house, be it for celebrations, holidays, or casual get-togethers, are always filled with warmth and laughter. On Christmas Eve, Danielle and her dad team up to create delicious home-made lasagna and fresh-baked focaccia bread (a nod to their Italian roots!) that brings the entire family together.

HI! We hope that our profile has given you a better understanding of who we are! While we understand you may be reading over many of these letters, please know we are an open book. Feel free to ask us any questions or share any concerns you may have for you or your child.

We are Danielle and Steve. We met 9 years ago when we were both members at the same local gym. Danielle, being the strong and outspoken girl she's always been, made plans to watch Netflix at Steve's house one night, and the rest was history! We were married 3 years later, and have been married a total of 6 years now. The most important thing to us, always, is to live a life full of fun and adventure.

Danielle grew up with working class parents and didn't always have everything she wanted as a child - but her parents always made things fun and she never felt as though she lacked anything. Danielle was raised to believe that despite her circumstances, she could grow up and do anything she set her mind out to do. Those values have stuck with her for the last 37 years, and were especially helpful when she decided to start her own business. While Danielle takes her career seriously, she still believes family should be about fun - they should dance, and sing, and do things that make each other laugh. A home filled with laughter and love is what she's always dreamt of having with her husband and children. To have her own family feels so exciting and hopeful for her. She can't wait to dance and sing and create beautiful art with a child - the same way her own mother (may she rest in peace) used to do with her.

On the other hand, Steve grew up in an upper middle class family and was fortunate to have many opportunities to pursue education, travel and explore all the world has to offer. Steve is so excited to teach his child about life and instill the values that both his mother and father instilled in him. Steve believes that education shouldn't be limited just to schools but that kids should be exposed to all kinds of activities and cultures to help them develop into caring well rounded individuals. He believes that a family should support one another, and parents should ensure they give their child every opportunity possible to do what they love in life. Life is too short to not pursue your dreams - and we both believe a child should be given every opportunity possible to succeed at whatever it is they feel called to do, create, or be.

Adoption has always been our first choice when building our family. We want as open of a relationship with you as you'd prefer. Our communication with you would be 100% based on what your preferences are - but we are open to sharing photos, letters, emails, videos, phone calls and future in-person visits. Most importantly, from day one, your child will always know you are their birth mother, that you love them deeply, and that you made the absolute most selfless decision to choose us as their parents. We will always honor your relationship and bond with your child. A mothers love is like no other and we respect and understand that.

It truly feels like a special opportunity to watch a child flourish into an adult. To hear them say their first words, and watch them learn how to read, and see them go to school and have hobbies and interests that are different from our own. We hope our child can someday teach us things! We will parent your child with love and laughter, and give them a life full of fun and adventure. We love to travel, and we hope to someday show our child the world. We will encourage your child to follow their dreams, we will support them in discovering who they are, and we will provide a stellar education so they can achieve whatever it is they decide to do. We promise you that he or she will grow up knowing how much you love them and understand the magnitude of this decision.

Steve & Danielle