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"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Welcome to Be Heard! A place for you to share your stories, feel empowered, and most importantly, be heard and know that you are not alone. Click on the "Share" tab above to have your voice be heard!
- Know that it's not your fault, and you don'’t deserve to be treated badly for ANY reason.
- Remember to keep your head held high, and try to surround yourself with positive and supportive people in your life.
- Confide in someone you trust.
- Treat yourself to a bubble bath, a shopping trip, or a mani pedi. Take care of yourself :)
- Write in a journal and let it all out.
It WILL get better, you CAN get through this, and you CAN be heard. You are not alone!
Did you know that 1 out of every 3
children and teens are bullied?
Help change these statistics.
Dani Who?
Hi I'm Dani and I'm an actress, teen fashionista, and self esteem/anti bullying advocate. As a victim of severe bullying myself, it was my experience that inspired me to create Be Heard. To learn more about me, click the "About the Founder" tab above!
Please fill out the form below to share your story. Once submitted, your story will be reviewed and added to the "Your Stories" page, unless specified otherwise. Please include if you would not like your story featured on the page, Dani completely understands and repects your confidentiality if you choose to keep your story private.
* Your Name or Nickname:
* Your Email:
(This will not be shared)
Age Range or Grade Level:
* Share your story!
Please note if you would NOT like your story published to the "Your Stories" page. Otherwise, your story will be published!
Also be sure to include how you heard about Be Heard!
Click on the link above to go to Dani's self esteem, health, and fitness blog, Free To Be Me!
Dani is also the proud creator of Dani California Outfits!
Have outfits put together by the one and only Dani California, customizied to your personal style! Any occasion, any style, and any age!
www.danicaliforniaoutfits.com
Dani is a proud part of Champions Against Bullying!
Kids, parents and teachers needing solutions on how to put the brakes on bullying, should check out:
www.championsagainstbullying.com
It's easy to lose confidence in yourself or have low self esteem sometimes, but here are some tips that can help!
Make a happy playlist:
Make a playlist of your favorite songs that make you happy. Try and choose songs that have encouraging lyrics! When your having a down day turn on this playlist! Try not to listen to depressing songs all the time either, this puts you in a down mood.
Make a compliment list:
Make a list of all of the things you like about yourself, then tape it up on your mirror. Everytime you look in the mirror replace your negative thoughts about yourself with the positive compliments from the list!
Don't doubt you who are
Always stay true to who you are and dont doubt that. Dont second guess who you are based on what others think!
Hang out with positive people
Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself and are positive people. Don't waste your time on those who make you feel bad or make you lose confidence in yourself!
Take care of YOU
Remember to take care of yourself, and sometimes a little pampering doesnt hurt! ;) Take bubble baths, eat chocolate occasionally, wear lotion that smells good, write in a journal, etc!
broken_girl's Story (9th Grade)
"I was sexualy abused at home for 5 years and i told a cop about it and sum how it got out at school. everyone teased me about it. then i started getting teased about my weight. i started to cut. peopel saw my scars and teased be about them saying it was from my dad. i would spend hours in the bathroom crying. its my freashman year and everyone is saying i am pregnate and have stds. i attempted suicide becuz i couldnt handle it anymore. my mom pulled me out of school to be home schooled. but i am still bullied everyday. my dad is out of the picture. thats my story and i just wanted to be heard."
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Dina's Story (Age 13)
"Bulling Isn't cool. I was bullied in elementary school. Mainly third grade. Everyday i was called ugly,stupid,and the list goes on..... Words hurt more than you think -__- . Bullies are pathetic. They have nothing better to do than bully someone. To all of those who are victims, remember, you don't have to take it. You are strong and all of you are beautiful no matter what anyone says. Don't be scared to hit back or just tell someone. Don't cut, it'll only make it worse. Don't try changing just to 'fit it'. Be you. Be strong. Be independent. You have words, say them. Even though it seems like it, you're never alone. Over 500,000 teens commit suicide each year, Don't be one....."
S's Story (Age 19)
"I am 19 this year, and just realised that I've been bullied silently for the past few years. I had a "best friend" who had been treating me badly over the years, calling me names and insulting me in "joking" tones. She always had fights with other friends, and I was the one to stand by her side, advising her and others, tried to make peace with everyone. She likes to give others the "silent treatment", where she completely ignores a person and let others feel guilty even though at times she's clearly the one at fault. But she would never say sorry. A few months ago, she got angry at me and another friend when we did not want to watch a horror movie with her. And until now we've not talked. I have apologised to her over and over again, just so that everything could be peaceful again, but still she chose to give me the silent treatment. I felt hurt, angry, humiliated and stupid. I felt that my other friends had all turned against me, no longer hanging out with me, only with her, although they told me I was right. They were all so afraid of hurting her feelings that they chose to hurt mine. No one listened. I did not know who else to turn to.. After reading up resources and realised that this is a toxic friendship, I decided to let go. I want to break free from such friendships. Thank you for having this place.. where I can share my story, and really feel that I am heard. I sincerely believe that all of us here deserve happy, healthy friendships."
Abby's Story
"I was homeschool from 2nd grade to 7th grade. Then, my family moved and we thought if I went to 8th grade in public school I would make friends faster. We were so wrong. At first only one girl talked to me at all. But she was the kind of person who would build you up then tear you down. She was mean in a round-a-bout way that seemed "nice" or "helpful" but really hurt. She told me I needed to change myself. Then, one of my other classmates, my neighbor, started to join in on the nagging and namecalling. He told me I was "retarded". He was constantly telling me to hang out with the other girls in our class who always ignored me. I felt alone and scared. I started to believe them. I thought I was stupid, ugly and not good enough. I was too scared to stand up to them. Too scared to cry or tell someone what was happening. I started to feel depressed, angry and I hated myself. I was thinking about cutting and suicide. I just wanted to die. Finally I started to get so scared of myself and the idea of suicide that I told my parents everything. I tried to talk to my school counselor but she refused to consider that the girls and boys in my class were being rude and mean. She only told me to try harder to be friends with them. We are only a few days away from graduating. Recently I've started to become angry and excessively rude with my classmates. Some part of me wants them to hurt too. To know how much they hurt me. But if I told them, they wouldn't listen. They're too sucked into their selfish lives. All they care about is themselves and their popularity. I wish they would see they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. All around the world people starve to death and all they care about is clothes and cars and electronics. I don't know what makes me angrier. They're selfishness or how they treat me and the other kids in our class who aren't "cool enough" for them. GET A LIFE PEOPLE!
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Donna's Story (High-Schooler)
" Thanks for setting up this website! It's important that people who get bullied have a place to let out their pain. Getting bullied hurts so much, no matter what is being done to you. When I was younger, I got bullied at home by my sister, and she continues to bully me today. It's tough having to face her all the time, because out of all the bullies I've had, she's the longest-standing and she knows so much about me -- more than anyone else would know. I feel betrayed by her, and she may be a legal adult at age 21, yet she's more immature than little kids I've seen. I know she's insecure, because she constantly compares herself to me, but I don't do that, and I hope she stops. But things keep getting worse, because as I grow older, she sees me as competition, and I'm no longer just her "lil sis." She used to tell me I was anorexic, mess with my mind, hit me, scratch me, push me, and just beat me up. She enjoyed putting me down to make herself feel better. I wish I had a different sibling...
Another memorable time when I got bullied was in 8th grade. My bully made fun of me for my race, and she always insulted my hair and my eyes. She tried to copy my homework every day, and she would gang up on me with the one friend she had. My group of friends didn't like my bully either, so one day, the bullying got so bad, that my bully and her friend threw bags of chips at me while I sat across the table from them. I got up, yelled swear words at them at the top of my lungs, and my friends defended me. It felt empowering knowing that not only did I myself have courage, but my best friends would take a stand for me, especially in public. I know that using swear words isn't a positive thing, but I was so angry and my bully was already swearing at me, and I felt it was acceptable in that situation."
Tiffany's Story (Age 15)
"I first started realizing the harsh reality of bullying in middle school. For the first year everything seemed normal, but that following year, everything changed. I started getting bullied by older kids and fellow classmates for reasons such as my freckles, skin color, and hair color. They would chant mean remarks on the bus but I never told anyone because I thought it was my fault. Of course, I thought it couldn't get any worse, but it did. My last year in middle school a group of kids verbally abused me, and cyber bullied me constantly saying that I should kill myself. It was so bad that sometimes I wouldn't go to school because I didn't want to face those group of kids. And on top of that one of the most important people in my life passed away. I would come home crying every single day, I started becoming depressed, and started having anxiety attacks. My parents finally got involved with the school, but the school didn't help. Instead the bullying got even worse, as if it fueled the bullies even more. Thankfully, it was summer time, and I didn't have to seem to worry about them, but I started worrying came my first year of highschool. I thought everything would be different because we weren't in middle school anymore, I wished that they had grown up over the summer and realized that what they did was wrong. It didn't happen, instead they kept going and kept spreading rumours that weren't even true. Everything seemed to be going horribly, that I even transfered schools eventually being homeschool I left during the middle of the school year leaving all my friends behind, because I didn't want to be there anymore. But now that I removed myself from the issue and had friends and parents that helped me through it, it showed me that in the end it will get better, that some day you'll be able to look back and say " they made me who I am today, someone strong and amazing, because I was able to stick through all of that and become the person I am today." So to anyone thats being bullied, please realize, no matter what it will get better, you just have to see the light. "
Brittany's Story (Age 16)
"Hello, I'm 16 and have been bullied practically my whole life. When I was being bullied at school, I developed anxiety and to this day have panic attacks. I barely can leave the house sometimes. It wasn't really that bad until the 8th grade. There were guys that would kick me down the stairs and girls that made a facebook page about be saying awful awful stuff. Lies obviously. But when I wasn't in school, trying to ignore them, I was at home dealing with a tempermental father who got so angry it made me physically sick sometimes. He only hit me once when I was six but I believe he hurt my mom which still kills me. All the stress led me down a lonely and dangerous path where I turned to cutting and it's shameful but sometimes it feels like the only way. I feel paranoid, I feel like nobody understands, I feel pathetic, and I feel like somehow it was my fault for not being better. On the otherhand I am trying hard to overcome my issues. I've learned to replace the blade with dance, most of the time. I am trying to be happy because I know that is the only way I can heal. I would like to share my story because more people need to realize they aren't alone. "
Tabitha's Story (Age 13)
"I have been bullied recently, but I didn't even know it was bullying till I talked to my mum about it. I was punched, hit, verbal abused, had coments left on my facebook and was taunted. I was ill with stress for weeks, I had to have blood tests, and go to the doctors every other week. Sometimes I was even too scared to go to school, so I lied and said I had a throat infection. When I told my mum, she told the school. They moved me away from the bully in all my classes. The bully tried to intimidate me a few times, but I told the school. Now, it has stopped (Hopefully :p) and I realise that telling did make it better, even though I did doubt that a few days after. I regret not telling for the 3 months that it was going on. Now, I am so glad it it all sorted :) "
Shery's Story (Age 13)
"hey everyeryone i dont know if that bullying or what but i have about 4 bestfriends and friends but in school there are like some girls think that im ugly and not like them and i cant talk with them or play with them or any and at school i cant be the popular or the girl that known or any thing im just a normal girl a nerd an ugly one and i hate that but my friends are amazing thanks god to have them btw i love this site :)"
Anna's Story
"I have been bullied and I hope many others can speak out against it. In highschool I cried almost everyday I when I came home and to this day I still feel like I still have some of those insecurities."
Jamie's Story (Age 19)
"I started being bullied in about the fifth grade. I moved from a very large school where I got along with most everyone, to a very small school. Everyone knew everyone and everyone's business. There was one girl that decided that she was going to make my life hell which she did until I graduated. She would tell me that I should just kill myself and that I should wear a helmet...Just in case. I know that in the end, she will get what she deserves, but it really hurt. She turned everyone against me because they saw what she did to me and didn't want to be on the receiving end. My self confidence has taken a big hit and I cringe when I see her, but I do know that what comes around goes around."
Stephanie's Story (Age 16)
"Whoever said, "Sticks and stones can break my bones; but words will never hurt me," was wrong. I have been homeschooled since I entered the fifth grade, so I have been isolated from the real world, and I depend on the Internet as a way to communicate. Eleven was when the cyberbullying began. It was my first real look at the people chatting in cyberspace, so I was new, and didn't know exactly what to expect. I couldn't get away with posting my work, because it would only be called crap. I would either be called stupid or told that I was brain washed for my beliefs. So my first impression wasn't at all what I had expected. The worst experience came when I was fourteen. This girl had been pretending to be my friend for months, but that ended (apparently it had never even begun) soon. She told me that she talked about me to two other bullies who taunted me constantly. I was told that no one liked me, and that I was annoying & stupid. Yes, it was online, words will always have the same affect on someone. It's hard to trust people in general now, both online & off. I find myself thinking that everyone is only pretending to be nice, or that my artwork isn't good enough to even be looked at. After all, who really wants to look at something made by someone who "no one likes?"
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Tess' Story (Age 15)
"I was bullied in middle school, and it was the worst thing ever. Kids taunting me, and calling me names, because for some reason, they thought I was less than them. I had to go to homeschooling because of these people who were being mean to me. Eventually I became stronger, when I found real friends through acting. It made me SO happy. I don't think anyone should have to be bullied. Why can't people just be nice? I think that if all the nice people can come together, then, it definatley defeats evil, just by the nice people being happy."
Kiki's Story
"I was bullied every day by everyone in my class from grades 3-5. They would ridicule me for no apparent reason, it got so bad that I had to see a counselor and eventually changed schools."
Rachel's Story (Age 16)
"A few years back I started at a new school. The first few weeks of school I made a lot of friends and thought they were really nice. That all changed when no one would talk to me anymore but I didn't understand why. I later found out that a rumor had been started about me that I transfered from another school because I got kicked out. This was obviously not true but everyone of course believed it. MOre and more rumors kept getting spread and it got so bad that I had to drop out and become homeschooled. I am in high school now and go to a new school and have all new friends but I still run into people from my old schooland they still talk behind my back and stuff. But I have learned to ignore it but it still hurts. This website is awesome btw!"
Hi I'm Dani and I'm an actress, teen fashionista, and self esteem/anti bullying advocate. Be Heard is a safe place to share your stories, feel empowered, and most importantly be heard.
It was my own experience of being severely bullied that inspired me to create this site. My experience really opened my eyes to the reality that 1 out of 3 children and teens are bullied, and I am determined to change those statistics. Too many stories go un-heard and too many voices are lost in the process.
I want victims of bullying to be able to utilize Be Heard in a positive way. A place for them to feel that they have a voice and are heard, as well as know that they are not alone, and they can get through this.
I am also the creator of Dani California Outfits. I style, create, and put together outfits for people as a way to express and embrace themselves through fashion. Having a new outfit creates an instant confidence boost and let's the real you shine. Dani California Outfits is a proud part of Be Heard and encourages you to have an outfit created to help embrace who YOU are and to give you the confidence boost you need.
Embrace, Empower, Inspire.
-Dani California, Founder of Be Heard
Your an actress? What can we see you in?
I am the host of Nordstrom's "Dear BP" series, and can also be seen in a national Mini Cooper commercial as well as an Alltel commercial. I am also guest starring on a new children's show coming soon!
What is your advice for someone who is being bullied?
Confide in an adult or someone you trust. Try and keep your head held high, and surround yourself with positive and supportive people in your life. Remember that it's not your fault, and you don't deserve to be treated badly for ANY reason. If the bullying gets to the point of someone threatning psychical harm, report it to the police. Know that it WILL get better, you CAN get through this, and you CAN be heard!
Could you come to my school and speak?
Yes, I speak to groups at schools, camps, and events about bullying, self esteem, and positive body image. If you would like to request me to come speak to your group, you can contact me by clicking on the "Contact" tab above!
What websites can I find you on?
There are links here on Be Heard and on Dani California Outfits to where you can find me online. Those include, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Blogspot (Blogger), and Tumblr.
SUMMER 2011
Dani was interviewed for girlsonit.com Check out the interview and read the article HERE
Dani is featured on FearlesslyGirl! See why she's fearless HERE
Dani is featured on WeStopHate! Check out her video HERE
FALL 2010
Dani will be attending and walking the red carpet at the Dream Magazine Launch event benefiting Children Of The Night on November 6th. Tickets for the event are available HERE
SUMMER 2010
Dani will be speaking about anti bullying and self esteem at various Summer camps! To have Dani speak at one of your schools, camps, or events please use the contact form above.
SPRING 2010
Dani has collaberated with, and is a "Star Champion" for Champions Against Bullying! Visit their website at www.championsagainstbullying.com
Dani is currently being featured on Deko Posh's website! You can check it out at www.dekoposh.com (Scroll down to the middle of the homepage)
Dani is is one of the "Teen Honorees" at the Jeans Bring Dreams event! She will be awarded and speaking at the event on March 25th.
Did you know Dani speaks to groups of teens about self esteem, positive body image, and bullying? Please fill out the form below if you are interested in booking Dani to speak at your school, camp, or event!
Dani welcomes all questions, comments, and inquiries!
