Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Danielle Delima. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dr. Danielle, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I grew up in Cameroon in a home grounded in discipline, respect, and excellence. Purpose wasn’t something we talked about – life was about doing what was expected: study hard, get good grades, succeed. Thankfully, I genuinely loved school. Learning became my safe place, and I quietly promised myself I would continue my education as far as it could take me.
At 17, I moved to the United States with that same determination. Education became my vehicle – from undergraduate studies to a Ph.D., to landing a role at one of the world’s top technology companies. On paper, I had achieved the dream. But internally, something deeper began to stir.
Early in my career, I believed I could fulfill my purpose within corporate walls – by climbing the ladder and making an impact from the inside. But eight years, two children, and countless achievements later, I felt exhausted… and unfulfilled. I realized that what I was truly called to do went far beyond professional success.
My purpose was not just to achieve – it was to break cycles, pioneer paths, and awaken others to their own power. I wanted my work to liberate time, create generational impact, and illuminate what is possible – especially for those who, like me, came from worlds where dreaming wasn’t encouraged.
Leaving corporate America was not a rejection of what it gave me – it was an honoring of what I now know I’m meant to give the world:
Freedom, elevation, and a blueprint for those ready to rise.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a real estate entrepreneur, mentor, and cycle-breaker – but at the heart of my work, I help people reclaim ownership of their time, identity, and future.
My husband Franz and I are the founders of Arise and Own, a coaching and education platform built for individuals and couples who are ready to step out of survival mode and into true ownership of their lives. Our journey began as real estate investors and business owners, but over time, we realized our deeper calling wasn’t just to build wealth – it was to build freedom, and to show others how to do the same.
What makes our work unique is that we lead with lived experience. We’re immigrants – from Cameroon and Haiti – who followed every rule of success: get the degrees, climb the corporate ladder, work hard. I earned a PhD, Franz earned his Master’s from Cornell, and we built careers in tech and finance. But even after reaching those milestones, something was still missing: alignment.
That realization is what birthed Arise & Own. We don’t just teach people how to invest in real estate or buy businesses – we teach them how to invest in themselves, rewrite inherited narratives, and build a life that reflects their values.
What excites me most is witnessing people wake up to the truth that they are not stuck. Whether through mentorship, storytelling, or practical wealth-building strategies, we create space for brave conversations – the kind that help people bridge the gap between who they were told to be and who they are becoming.
Right now, we’re in an expansion chapter: building out our mentorship programs, releasing resources, and preparing to host deeper conversations around legacy, partnership, and liberation. Arise & Own isn’t just a brand – it’s a movement for those ready to break cycles and build new ones.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience – The Willingness to Rise Again and Again Growing up as an immigrant, nothing was handed to me. I had to learn how to adapt, rebuild, and keep moving even when things felt impossible – from mastering a new language to navigating elite academic spaces to leaving corporate America after earning a PhD.
Advice: Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Develop resilience by facing challenges head-on and trusting that temporary setbacks are not final. Every time you get back up, you expand your capacity.
Relentless Work Ethic & Mastery of Tools (AI, Data Science & Leadership)
I built my career in high-performance environments – as a data scientist, AI specialist, and program manager. I learned early that technical skills open doors, but discipline and follow-through keep them open. Whether I was managing AI programs or closing real estate deals, excellence was non-negotiable.
Advice: Master your craft. Learn the tools of your industry deeply – not just to use them, but to lead with them. Hard work is not glamorous, but it is a multiplier of every opportunity.
Radical Self-Love & Inner Work
This one came later – but it changed everything. I realized I couldn’t build a free life with a survival mindset. I had to unlearn overworking, perfectionism, and performing for approval. Self-love isn’t soft; it’s strategic. It allowed me to walk away from success that wasn’t aligned… and build purpose on my own terms.
Advice: Invest as much in your inner world as you do in your résumé. Therapy, reflection, mentors, rest – these are wealth tools. You cannot pour into a life you don’t feel worthy of.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Over the past 12 months, my deepest growth has been internal. I’ve been on a personal evolution journey for years, but this past year, something shifted: I stopped chasing worthiness – and started allowing it.
I began nurturing a real relationship with the highest version of myself. Not as a vision of “one day,” but as someone I could embody now. I practiced receiving joy, rest, success, and softness without guilt. I realized I didn’t have to suffer to deserve a beautiful life.
But the greatest awakening – the one that changed everything – was understanding that it all begins with me. Every trigger, every disappointment, every moment I could have pointed outward… I turned inward instead.
I stopped blaming circumstances or people, and I asked,
“What is this reflecting back to me? What is this here to teach me?”
That level of ownership – taking radical accountability for my emotions, my choices, my energy – became the most liberating work of my life. I learned to see everything life throws at me as a mirror, an invitation to expand or repeat. And I chose expansion.
This combination of self-love and self-responsibility has transformed how I lead, how I parent, how I build legacy. It’s no longer about perfection – it’s about presence. And that, to me, is true freedom.
Contact Info:
- Website: ariseandown.com
- Instagram: thedanielledelima
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielletoupo/
