Did you get sent here because you need a people-first person? Good.
I’ll fix your policy or deliver the talk before either become a headline
Most of my work starts when something happens in your organization or somewhere else that hits a little too close to home. You saw the increase in accessibility lawsuits.* Or you got a complaint. Or Legal sent you a fun little email. Or you’re planning an event, and someone said, “we’re going to get canceled,” and you suddenly look at your speaker panel more objectively.
Whatever it is about DEIA that brought you here today, you’re in the right place.
Because you can’t afford the legal, reputational, or revenue fallout of getting it wrong
You’re one complaint away from court or the headlines (or both and not in a good way), if your organization is experiencing any of this…
Two people can report the same issue and get two completely different outcomes
Your policies haven’t been reviewed in, honestly, no one knows how long
Your DEIA efforts look great on LinkedIn, but you know that most of it is a façade waiting to crumble as soon as someone makes a request
You want to amplify more diverse voices, but you’re afraid of what that might look like
Today’s employees and audiences can spot lip service faster than ever. I’m here to make sure your systems and values hold up under scrutiny, under pressure, and under the kind of attention that becomes news.
Here’s the thing beyond the scary stuff:
Inclusion helps your bottom line, too
16%
of the population experiences a visible or invisible disability (accessibility helps everyone, not just the people who are obviously disabled)
$0
Cost for 56% of workplace accommodations (median one-time cost: $500)
90%
of businesses retained a valued employee after implementing accommodations
*I’m an academic at heart, so the sources for these claims are at the bottom of this page, in APA format, of course.
I’m Dannie Lynn and I’ve been helping businesses not get sued or canceled since 2008.
I’m a firm believer that if we focused on people instead of just profits, we could change the world. Some folks say that’s impossible. I’ve built my entire career proving them wrong.
By day, I lead leave and accommodations work in the private sector, focusing on disability equity and helping employees thrive. After hours, I’m the HR consultant, facilitator, and public speaker across corporate America, pushing policy and representation forward for disabled folks.
Image Description: Photo of Dannie Lynn wearing loungewear and holding a coffee mug. She’s leaning against a wall of books and sitting on a rug.
The general chaos:
I contain multitudes and have always thrived when I have multiple things on the go. I’m a licensed IRS Enrolled Agent and work seasonally as a TurboTax manager. I’ve spent time on multiple boards in governance and coach students on careers. I’m a seven-time published author, a sought-after guest contributor, and a frequently quoted expert in my field. Plus a person who reads 500–600+ books a year and shares the best parts with my 100k+ fellow book nerds online. In case it’s not obvious yet, I thrive in the land of high stakes, lots of rules, and humans involved. This is thanks to being an autistic ADHDer with 10 years of post-secondary education and 15+ years of work experience. I’m annoyingly good at building workplaces people actually want to stay in while simultaneously preventing lawsuits and protecting the brand. Turns out those things aren't mutually exclusive.
Oh – I’m overqualified, too:
Education: BA, Media & Marketing Management (Albion College). MS, Human Resource Management (Indiana Wesleyan University). Certificate, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Stanford University). DBA, Human Resource Management (Capella University).
Awards: I’ve been named the 2023 NAEA Emerging Leader of the Year, one of the 2020 100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs, and received the 2019 Albion College Young Alumni Award. At Google, I earned the Disability Inclusion & Accessibility Innovator Award for reshaping initial candidate interactions.
A few notes:
I’ve gotten to where I am today because of a community of incredible people supporting me. The woman who adopted me and became my mom when I was 16. Friends who don’t flinch when I need a shoulder. My wife, who will move mountains to solve any problem, big or small. And a whole lot of people in between.
I’m not here to be an inspiration to disabled people everywhere, because I’m not. I’m here to be useful as a member of corporate America and the disability community who is highly qualified to support both.
In brief: people expert • business strategist • DEIA advocate and educator • seven-time nonfiction book author • published academic • tattoo hoarder • passionate traveler • aggressive food segregator • hotel pen collector • autistic adhd’er • debt free millennial
read recent press →
Dannie Lynn is frequently featured in top international media outlets featuring her expertise in the areas of human resources, DEIA, side hustling, and personal finance.
Yes, I’ve done a lot of shit
Here’s an overview, organized in timeline form.
Becoming an Entrepreneur
Freelancing turned into a full-fledged business: Focused On People was launched in 2008, a place for all my advocacy and passion projects. Starting in marketing, it has grown with me and is now focused on consulting, speaking, and writing (all the stuff you’re reading about right now).
Undergrad Era
Thought I wanted to major in pre-law: Interned at the state capitol. While I didn’t become a lawyer, I still eat laws for dinner and keep up with them because rules + people + consequences tickles my brain (and lucky for me, it’s my day job).
Early Career
I got fired: My boss didn’t like that I had multiple jobs and hobbies, so he fired me and told me to run “Dannie International” full-time. I am now unapologetic about them. I quite literally wrote the book The Side Hustle Girl. They are part of the package when you hire me.
Digital Nomad Life
Like most early-2000s entrepreneurs, I had a digital nomad era too. From 2015-2017, I was a full time entrepreneur living out of my suitcase and traveling the world. Most of the nearly 100 countries I’ve visited happened in this era.
Day 1 at Google HQ
Nowhere to sit: There wasn’t a single conference chair I could fit in because at the time I weighed 415 lbs. Eight hours later, I leave with a charley horse from perching on the edge of the table all day. I tell you this as a reminder that accessibility is very rarely simply about a wheelchair ramp.
Living Corporate Life
I became fluent in Corporate America and held on to my values: I learned the ins and outs of how persuasive messaging, stakeholder management, and executive logic work in corporate settings, and still kept my spirit of civil disobedience. I also participated in my first workplace walkout in 2018.
The World Shuts Down
Disability finally makes headlines: The pandemic made the gaps in accommodations more obvious, and companies scrambled to figure out how to meet requests.
You really didn’t think this policy through
As my business grows in the early 2020s, I come into more organizations as a consultant to help HR figure out how to deal with situations like, “Your bereavement policy is four weeks per death, what happens when someone loses 33 family members in wartime?” and “Yes, someone requested an accommodation for the salad bar grapes to be cut into quarters instead of halves.” (These are real cases that I consulted on).
Externally Celebrated
All the awards: I became a recognized changemaker, named the 2023 NAEA Emerging Leader of the Year and one of the 2020 100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs. At Google, I was awarded the DI&A "Accessibility Innovator" Award for reshaping initial candidate interactions and held the title of Alphabet Accessibility Academy Professor, the highest level of accessibility education and advocacy work.
Board Leader
More leadership beyond my day job: I stepped into board service with the National Association of Enrolled Agents in 2023, moving from individual cases to governance that shapes the profession. It works well with my gig as a seasonal tax manager for Intuit since 2021.
Published…Again
In 2024, I publish my 7th book: Keep Your Day Job (Routledge). Now I have seven books, published academic work, industry writing, and regular speaking. I also get published in the HBR Work Smart series book (chapter 6).
Today
HR, taxation, & accessibility: I lead leave and accommodations in the private sector, so yes, my day job is federal and state law, policy, and the reality of program administration. Outside of my day job, I’m still doing what I’ve always done: pushing for real representation and better systems through consulting, speaking, and the work I lead inside organizations.
Image Description: Photo of Dannie Lynn leaning against a wall looking out a window. She's wearing athletic clothing and her hair is in a messy bun.
You’re probably thinking, “great, she checks that box”
While my credentials are important, so is the context of my lived experience as a:
queer • married • biracial • plus-size • neurodivergent • first generation American • Disabled • cisgender woman
…who was raised lower class and is now a debt-free member of the upper class.
The policies I help craft and the stages I speak on impact my disability community and me, so yes, my identity matters.
Perception matters too, though. I don’t look like many of those identities. That means I’m not here to “check mark” everything on your DEI list — especially the realities people face when they’re perceived to belong to a group I’m not visibly read as. Make sense?
If it isn’t obvious yet, I have some strong beliefs.
Those beliefs make for good business and a space where everyone is entitled to respect.
I care deeply about folks' humanity
Each one of us has something meaningful to contribute to the world in our unique way. I am unequivocally steadfast in my heart for diversity and inclusion and ensuring that opportunity isn’t just a word we put in a mission statement.
What this means for you: You’re dealing with a straight-shooting, kind-hearted, and extraordinarily savvy woman who gets shit done without sacrificing people for the sake of profits.
I’m in constant motion
I’m also an AuDHD’er (I’m autistic and have ADHD). Travel is my obsession. History is my greatest inspiration that propels me forward from city to city. I’ve been to all 7 continents, more than 100 countries, and every US state.
What this means for you: I carry a worldly perspective and bring dimension and depth to the work we do together. I’ll likely take comprehensive notes on every conversation and prefer feedback in writing.
I’m brave (usually) and want you to be the same
I’ve done hard things in unfamiliar places on purpose. I refuse to let fear or danger keep me from exploring our global community.
What this means for you: I’ll push you (lovingly) past performative safety. I’ll nudge you to make bolder decisions, guide you through the real risks, and build systems that support you after we’re done working together.
I’m honest about money, painfully so
I used to be downright stupid with money. Like serious debt and scary lawsuits bad. But in 2018, after staring down the mountain that was $165,000 in debt, I turned things around, and now I’m debt-free.
What this means for you: I’m not here to perpetuate harmful financial decisions. If hiring me doesn’t make sense, I’ll tell you not to. Your investment in me should provide a clear ROI and have clearly defined outcomes.
Assume positive intent and disagree thoughtfully
Diverse opinions matter. But if an opinion impacts real people, I’m going to ask what facts and data it’s based on. I don’t believe “this is how we’ve always done it” is a valid business or personal strategy.
What this means for you: We can disagree. We can debate. We cannot be sloppy with claims that harm people.
I swear a fucking lot
I counted. In a 15-minute conversation with a manager, I said fuck 16x.
What this means for you: If that’s a dealbreaker, better to know now. If it’s refreshing, welcome.
Inclusion is not optional in any element of business.
Black Lives Matter. LGBTQIA+, disability, and women’s rights are human rights. Inclusion should be baked into every element of business, and not just be a department.
What this means for you: I expect these beliefs from you, too, if we work together.
What others have said about me
While NDAs limit case studies, I’m lucky to have colleagues who have said some pretty cool things.
Ready to Work Together?
Consulting
I ground my accessibility and disability work in U.S. employment law (ADA, PWFA, PUMP Act, Title VII, and more) and a marketing brain that knows how change actually gets approved, funded, adopted, and communicated.
When you hire me, you’ll get end-to-end, real-world accessibility execution, including:
Executing an accessibility idea from start to finish: selling it to executives, folding it into company policy, and even marketing the change externally.
Auditing policies, practices, and what’s really happening behind the scenes.
Building accessibility-first strategy and accommodations systems based on feedback and suggestions from your own audience surveys and legal compliance.
Strengthening hiring, promotion, and performance processes that reduce bias and inconsistency
Accessibility strategy, training and implementation support
Creating an accommodations process that’s consistent and defensible
Who I work with: small-to-mid-sized orgs with HR, but little or no in-house disability/accommodations expertise. Executives, HR teams, managers, legal teams and internal champions.
Time commitment is custom to what you need. Some organizations need a few short sessions, others need longer multi-month support. Either way, you’ll know what we’re doing and why I recommend it before we start working together.
Note: Virtual works well for most strategy and process work. On-site can be useful for leadership sessions and training.
Speaking
My talks challenge performative approaches and common beliefs while equipping audiences with the tools to craft change within their own situations, regardless of their seniority or authority at work. Typically, my speaking topics revolve around disability and accessibility in the workplace and the current research I’m conducting, tailored to the audience and event.
Current signature presentations:
The Duality of Corporate DEI
Building for Accessibility First
Multipassionate Employees Are Your Future
Keep Your Day Job: How to Leverage Your Side Hustle to Grow Your Corporate Career
Formats: keynote, workshop, or breakout — in-person or virtual. And yes, I can customize based on your audience and goals.
Your booking includes:
30-minute planning call with organizers
30-minute speaker meet-and-greet (if relevant)
The presentation (in-person or virtual)
Optional post-event book signing
Event promotion via my social + email list
Optional add-on: panel or second session at the same event
What to expect after you reach out
We email about your needs or connect via phone/Zoom
I offer you 1-2 bespoke solutions, with space for negotiation on scope in the case of consulting.
You book your preferred solution, and I get to work.
Reinvesting in access
A note about pro-bono projects
This business exists because of the support of my community. I continue the cycle by giving back.
Each year, I take on a select number of pro-bono projects for organizations I believe in. If budget is actually a problem and you’re doing good work for society, you’re welcome to reach out. I also financially support work that expands equitable access for marginalized folks, and I prioritize hiring marginalized suppliers whenever I can.
About those books…
Questions I’m frequently asked
Which accessibility/disability laws do you work with and how do you keep up with them?
At my day job as leave manager, I build processes that require an up-to-date understanding of law and policy on the federal and state levels. I’m also personally committed to keeping track of the rules of law and have been since undergrad — it’s kind of my thing. Lawyers (and HR) like working with me.
Aren’t accommodations expensive?
Not automatically. Most accommodations cost $0 to implement. What ends up costing you more is usually a lack of processes and inconsistent decisions on policy (I help fix that).
We have NDAs /sensitive internal stuff. Are you used to confidentiality?
Yes. A lot of this work is sensitive. You’ll notice the lack of case studies here because almost all the work I’ve done is under NDA. We’ll set boundaries and protect people and process while still getting to the root of the problem.
Will you help us say “no” to accommodations?
I’ll help you create a consistent, compliant process for evaluating requests. Sometimes that means approving. Sometimes that means exploring alternatives. Sometimes that means meeting in the middle.” What I don’t do is rubber-stamp denials.
Sources
I’m an academic at heart, so here are the sources for those claims above, in APA format, of course:
Rogers, A. (2019, October 1). How Gen Z could change corporate culture -- and how we can keep up. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/09/30/how-gen-z-could-change-corporate-culture-and-how-we-can-keep-up/?sh=7c7535cb64ca
Accenture. (2019). Equality = Innovation. Getting to Equal 2019: Creating a culture that drives innovation.
“Dannie Lynn Fountain is a unicorn. It's rare to meet someone with the depth of experience she has in marketing, social media, messaging, strategy and branding AS WELL as the high emotional intelligence, together in one unstoppable force. An entrepreneur at her core, she has an instinctive understanding of what the market (whether that be her audience, her organization, and demographics beyond her) truly needs.”