An Inspired Chat with Dayna Steele

Dayna Steele shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Dayna, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Spreading facts and dispelling falsehoods: https://www.daynasteele.com/todaysfacts

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Dayna Steele, a Texas Radio Hall of Famer and bestselling author, has built a career as a broadcaster, writer, and speaker, but her most powerful work may be on stage. She is the creator and star of The Woman in the Mirror, an award-winning dark comedy drawn from her own journey as an Alzheimer’s caregiver. The play blends humor and heartbreak to shed light on the realities of caregiving, capturing both the chaos and the humanity of the disease. Beyond her radio legacy and numerous books, Steele has become a leading advocate for caregivers and brain health, using her creative voice to spark conversation, comfort, and change through theatre.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that forever shaped how I see the world was the day my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Sitting in that doctor’s office, hearing the words, I felt the ground shift beneath me. Suddenly, life wasn’t about career goals, book deadlines, or radio ratings—it became about caregiving, patience, and finding grace in the hardest moments. Watching the disease steal pieces of my mother’s memory was heartbreaking, but it also opened my eyes to the incredible strength of love, humor, and resilience. That experience not only changed the way I see the world, it inspired me to write, speak, and even create my play The Woman in the Mirror, so others walking this journey know they are not alone.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The deepest wound of my life was watching Alzheimer’s slowly take my mom away from me. It was devastating to lose her piece by piece, and for a long time I didn’t know how to process the grief, the anger, or the exhaustion that came with being her caregiver. Writing and performing The Woman in the Mirror became my way through it. The play let me pour all the pain, the absurdity, and even the humor of that journey onto the stage—and in doing so, it gave me back a sense of peace. Every performance feels cathartic, like I’m releasing a little more of that weight, and at the same time connecting with others who carry their own hidden wounds. That connection has been the most healing part of all.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think a lot of really smart people are getting it wrong by what I call “lazy thinking”—relying on social media posts and memes as their main source of news. That’s dangerous, because it blurs the line between fact and clickbait. Every morning, I spend about three hours digging through multiple news sources—right, left, and center—curating, verifying, and distilling what I find into a short, nonpartisan list of facts. No opinions, no speculation, just the truth as best as it can be pieced together. It’s not easy work, but I believe separating fact from fiction is more important now than ever.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing? 
I don’t have many regrets, I take all the big swings. There is no such thing as failure, just lessons. If I have to pick one, not making the effort to take The Woman in the Mirror to a bigger stage or platform in 2026. No one thinks of that subject matter for a streaming series – but the humor is there as is a story so many can relate to. And Off Broadway in New York with rotating sets of actors – I know it could be done like Love Letters . This story about Alzheimer’s, caregiving, and resilience deserves to be seen on the biggest stages, reaching audiences who need it most. I’ve always believed in “go big or go home,” and this is my chance to go all in—not just for me, but for every caregiver who has ever felt invisible.

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Image Credits
Dayna Steele
Alan Carvalho
Christine Tremoulet

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