Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset - Daria Berenato on Losing WWE and Finding Herself

Episode Date: September 7, 2026

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Daria Berenato for a powerful conversation on reinvention, identity, WWE, entrepreneurship, authenticity, trauma, healing, and building life without permission.The episode dives into different chapters of Daria’s life, including:• Growing up with a drive for independence• The South Jersey “shut up and do it” mentality• Launching Demon and the meaning behind Built Without Permission• Being doubted and still choosing to show up• Walking into an MMA gym as a teenage girl• Becoming the first female WWE talent with an MMA background• Coming out on national television• Living authentically and helping others feel seen• Losing her WWE identity after ten years• Winning a championship, tearing her ACL, and not getting renewed• Healing, ayahuasca, and learning to let things flow• Surviving a terrifying home invasion and stalking incident• PTSD, safety, and the deeper story behind Demon• Reinvention, purpose, and finding her fire againThis conversation goes beyond wrestling and entertainment. It is about identity, courage, heartbreak, authenticity, healing, and the determination to keep building even when life strips away the version of you that everyone knew.Listen to the full episode now on The Determined Society.Connect with Shawn https://link.me/shawnmf32 Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com Subscribe on Apple/Spotify: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064 Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53 Connect with Daria Berenato Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedariaraeberenato/ Website: https://www.thedariarae.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedariarae The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My entire identity, my entire adult life has been, I'm a professional athlete, I'm a wrestler with the WWE, and that's no longer my identity. It defined who I was. I didn't know who Daria was or what I stood for outside of that. I am a fighter. Whether I need to be fighting things or not, I fight them. You won your championship with Chelsea Green. Chelsea Green. And then three weeks later, you tear your ACL. The biggest win of your life, they don't renew your contract. An alarm goes off. 3 a.m. in your house. You open your eyes and there's a man standing for Pete from you. Four years of messages from him with the very last message saying,

I'm finally here, baby girl. I'm on your patio. I'll see you soon and I'm going to kill that blonde bitch inside with you. You went to an ayahuasca retreat. What did the quiet teach you that being in the arena couldn't? I learned a big lesson coming off that retreat. Probably one of the hardest experiences of my life. Go forward with such vigor and build something that you believe in. I just kept showing up. And that's how I've gotten everywhere that I've gotten in life. Only we can count ourselves out, but only we can count ourselves in. That is what fuels me.

That is why I connect with your movement, with your brand. What's up, guys? I'm sitting here with Darya Baranado. She is, without a doubt, one of the most reinvented individuals that I've ever had in this seat. And I'm so happy to have her back on the show and to talk a little more deeply about her whole past and everything that she's gone through and overcame in her life. and her new, new, brand new, apparel company, demon, which I love.

I just bought four of their shirts, and she sent me a nice box because I'm one of the founders, one of the first people to wear the shirt. And so without further ado, welcome to the show. I always love your intros. I liked the most reinvented. I really take that as a compliment because I feel like it's everything you talk about on this podcast is like, just keep going. And there's kind of never a destination.

It's always a journey. So anyway, I appreciate that. The intro is the hardest one because, you know, you really want to honor the guests and you don't want to fuck it up. You know what I mean? And sometimes, you know, the speech pattern slows down and then, you know, it's just, it's a weird thing. But, you know, truly the reinvention of you has been tremendous. There's been so many things that you've gone through. You know, but I don't, I don't want to start there.

I want to start at the beginning, right? the little girl doing lemonade stands in South Jersey and Shamong, what was that girl actually chasing? Oof. The real answer. I think independence and control over her life, I had a great childhood and I love my parents and my family, but I think I wanted to be on my own.

You know, I wanted to get away from certain things, and I always had this like desire or like yearning for hyper independence. Like I wanted to do things on my own. I knew from a young age I wasn't going to want to depend on anybody else financially. And so I always had a strong urge to kind of create my own. That's interesting to me because when people have great childhoods like you did, there's usually not that yearning for independence, financial stability. Was there something that led you that maybe financial struggle?

So I think it was So my mom, my dad are still best friends to this day But they got divorced when I was young When I was like two years old And so my mom remarried My stepdad And they were together for like 20 years They're no longer together

But there was definitely You know Our financial stability came from him At that point And so when things weren't great I think she hung around For the security for our family and did the best thing for our family.

And I just hated seeing her in that position where she couldn't have full independence, you know? And so, and my dad was, you know, very hardworking, built his family company from 10 employees to 80 employees and then just sold the company. So he was kind of an entrepreneur his entire life. And I think seeing the way he operated, not ever having to answer to anybody,

and just building his own was really inspiring to me, and it was kind of like the path that I wanted. That's awesome. Thank you for that. Side note. Every time I talk to you, I feel like I learned something else that we have in common. My biological father and my mom split when I was two.

Whoa. And then she remarried another time. That was quick. That was over in a heartbeat. But my dad that raised me, They were together for about 20 years, and then they ended up divorcing. So there's a lot of commonalities. There's a lot of commonalities there.

It's always nice to learn more about you as we become better friends. I'm like, holy shit. Wait, me too. Yeah, this is crazy. No, I know. And we both were all black. Yeah, I mean, I have to, you know. It's slimming.

Yeah. You know, it looks nice. You know, you talk about this Sal Jersey attitude. Just shut up and do it. Where did that come from? And who taught you that? You know. I don't know who specifically taught it to me.

Maybe my dad from watching him. He wasn't much of like a do, I'm going to tell you how to do it, do it this way. He just led by example. Like I kind of learned most of what I know just by watching how he operated. But it was that very like shut up and do it mentality. There wasn't a lot of space between an idea and then the execution of that idea. And I felt like growing up, you know, parents are always telling your kids. kids, like, be patient, things take time. And like, obviously, circumstantially, that's true.

But I feel like more times than not in business and in success, it's actually the opposite. And so for me, as I started figuring that out as an adult, it kind of was therapeutic because I was like, this urge of rush that I've always had from birth is now accepted in this one avenue, which is business and hustle. So I operate that way. You know, with the clothing company, demon, I had the idea and we did our first drop within two months. I mean, that's everything. That's sourcing manufacturers. That's logo, design, hiring employees, storing, warehousing, everything within, I think,

maybe two and a half, three months. Because when I'm passionate about something, I want to see it come to fruition. And the more time you leave on the table, the more time you have to second guess yourself or overthink it or, you know, change your mind. and I really like organic thought. So I wanted that organic idea to kind of come to fruition. That's pretty cool because when you think of speed to execution,

patience is one thing. I think it takes patience to wait for the massive glow-up of demon or whatever is that you're building. But the initial execution has to happen quick because, as you said, limiting beliefs set in. You ask too many opinions from people that probably have never built a clothing life. Yeah, that part.

Right? And that's real because those people want to keep you where they're at so they don't lose you. But it's super important to once you have an idea, you have to move on it quickly. When I started the show and consulted with my wife about it, which is the only one I talked to about it. And she goes, great, do it. But have it figured out by the time you get home and executed it or I don't want to hear about it again. And that night I recorded my first show. Wow.

So sometimes you do need the people that are going to give you that tough love to stick that shank in your side a little bit to be like, you need to move on this. But I really love that explanation of it because the speed to execution with anything, when you have an idea and there's a purpose behind it, I think it's important. And before I move on to something else, we'll always go back to Demon. Sure. But, you know, I want you to talk about the mission behind Demon because you're not building just a clothing brand.

You're building a movement. And it is very aligned with the determined society. Yes. So I was with WWW obviously for 10 years. It was amazing. Since leaving, it was definitely kind of starting over, right? It was figuring out, okay, my entire identity for my entire adult life has been, I'm a professional athlete, I'm a wrestler with the WWE, and that's no longer my identity.

And so that was a bit of a learning curve for me. And I was like, what is it? that I care to do in this world. And obviously, acting is one of those things that I'm very passionate about and also pursuing. But I have messaging that I've always had kind of ingrained in me from child that I feel very strongly about. And, you know, it's built without permission is the tagline for demon.

And what that means to me is not waiting for societal norms to align with your vision and your passions and going through. forth with complete vigor in believing that you know what you're doing before anyone else can kind of see that. And so built without permission is kind of how I lived my entire life. I definitely wasn't a scholar in school in traditional education. I loved educating myself just not in the setting of a classroom. And so I think that led a lot of people to believe early on that I probably wasn't going to do much with my life. But I knew I was going to do something just not in the school setting. And so this clothing line is kind of for the people that were doubted like me to kind of tell you,

screw what everyone says. I was trying not to curse. Fuck what everybody says. You can curse. Yeah. And go forward with such vigor to prove to yourself to make yourself proud every day and build something that you believe in. Because a lot of times, like you said, even the people that love us most, can't see our vision because they're clouded with emotion. or trying to protect themselves from something they don't want to experience.

And only you know what you're truly capable of. And it's not a linear path. I don't want people to think, like, oh, my God, you're so strong. You can just go forward with all these pursuits and have no doubt and no, no, no, there's doubt along the entire path. Dude. There's shame. There's guilt. There's insecurities along the entire path.

That's not the secret magic of it all. It's going forward anyway. With whatever you have left in the tank, just keep. going because those monotonous things that may feel small are the tangible things that get you to the bigger goal. And sometimes your one-day effort doesn't match your day before, but you still give 100% of whatever you got that day. 100%. Imagine being a 47-year-old man and you have your 12-year-old son walking behind you on the couch and all of a sudden you hear him losing his mind and laughter. And you want to know because you're curious what's going on back there.

and I say, hey, son, what are you laughing at? He goes, you, your head, you're balding. I said, what? Here's my phone. Take a picture of it. I don't believe you. I think you're messing with me. He was right. I was balding big time. And then we got to hold a lock lab. Now, this was really cool. They sent me a bottle. It's one pill a day and my hair is growing back. But I've been super happy with the results with Lock Lab. And like I said, it's super simple. Every single day, I just take one pill and I'm ready to rock. Do it in the morning, don't have to worry about it. It's been super nice to put that into my daily routine. Lock Lab was formulated by the past president of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and one of the American Hair Loss Association's 2026 best surgeons in the world to help give men the most hair back medically possible. You can get Lock Lab 100% online and delivered direct to your door. Simply click through the questionnaire and once approved, you'll receive you'll receive

your treatment in days. If you've been thinking about doing something about hair loss, now's the time. Go to locklab.com and take the first step with a free consultation. You know, Bill without permission, and you have about five sentences that I sent you the other day. And I don't remember all of them. But the first two, Bill without permission for those who have been overlooked. Yeah. I have been overlooked my whole life. And to this day, it happens religiously. And that is what fuels me. is why I connect with your movement, with your brand. And you know, you've sent me many times. Like, you don't have to do it.

Yeah, I do. I do have to do this because for me, like, I get it. Like that made me see you so much more. Just those five sentences, I'm like, oh shit. Yeah. Like this is how I feel every day. It's really relatable. Whenever I hear you talk, I'm like, oh my gosh, I agree with so much of that.

because my story really is the underdog story. I wasn't the best, the fastest, I wasn't the isst of anything. I just kept showing up. And that's how I've gotten everywhere that I've gotten in life. You know, I tell the story because I think it's powerful. I didn't make the basketball team my first three years I tried out. My seventh grade, my eighth grade, or my sixth, seventh and eighth grade a year, I didn't make the basketball team.

Freshman year, for whatever reason, I still tried out. And then I made it and had a great couple years playing. And so I say that to say, like, only we can count ourselves out, but only we can count ourselves in. So you've got to just keep going. You've always been brave. That's the one thing when I dig into everything. You've always been a risk taker. You're always pushing that envelope of societal norms.

Yeah. When you were 16, you walk into an MMA gym. What does it take for a teenage girl to walk into a fight gym? It's funny because people, have brought this to my attention. I do, admittedly, love risk. I get uncomfortable when I feel like I'm stagnant. I'm not doing things that make me uncomfortable. That's just in my DNA. But, yeah, so walking into the fight gym, again, I wasn't scared at all. I knew that's what I wanted to do. I had seen Gina Carrano and Chris Cyborg, some of the greatest female fighters at the time before

females were allowed to fight in the UFC. And they inspired me so much. They were poised and beautiful. badass and strong and I just knew that that's what I wanted to do. So yeah, I walk into this fight gym and it's owned by this little Italian guy and he comes out and he's like, can I help you? You know, typical Jersey. And I'm like, yeah, I want to be a fighter. And he's like, what? It's like a boxing gym. They're in MMA, full MMA gyms didn't exist back then. True. And I was like, yeah, I want to be a fighter, an MMA fighter. And he's like, okay, put your stuff down. So I had like jeans on. My mom had just like picked me up from school and brought me there. I didn't have my license yet. And he was like, come on. My mom sat right there and watched

the whole thing. And he like had me doing burpees to pullups to box jumps, like just crazy, um, intense circuit training. And we did it for about, I don't know, 20 minutes. And he looked at me and goes, all right, tomorrow at 10. Like, it was like that. And I was like, okay, did he, I think I just got like hate initiated into this gym. Um, got jumped in. Yeah, somehow. And so I started showing up I was there every single day. God bless my mom. She was the best. She would drive me like an hour, 45 minutes from my house to go here. Because we lived in a really, really small town that didn't have anything like this. And then when I got my license, I would drive myself and I fell in love with fighting. Because I'm a fighter, not by career choice, but by nature. Like I am a fighter.

Whether I need to be fighting things or not, I fight them. You know, it's just the way that I operate in life. And some people like it and some people don't. But I fight with all my heart. And so when I found fighting, it just like I connected with it on such a deep level. I was like, oh my God, here's this thing. It doesn't solely depend on anything, really,

but how much you put into it and heart. You look at some of the best fighters. It's because they have that fire inside of them. And some of them are very technical and very athletic, of course. But you got to have the fight inside you. I'm reflecting on something you said. Okay.

You're a fighter by nature and you fight with your whole heart. Yes. That connected with me because I am a fighter by nature. I will fight until the death, not in the ring or on the streets, but in anything that I do. I can see it. I'm fully invested in it. And I'm, my heart is bigger than this whole room, just like yours. That exposes us a little bit.

Yeah. How do you deal with heartbreak when you're building something? Because, listen, you know, people like us, we have this tough exterior. We don't look tough. But then when people get to know us, they're like, that person's tough. But on the inside, we can be silently hurting. This part I might not have mastered yet, but I will tell you what I do. Me neither.

Yeah, it's hard. Yeah, of course, I am definitely more sensitive than I lead people to believe. I look at heartbreak, I guess, not getting my contract renewed with WWB would probably be the biggest example of heartbreak in recent years. And I really packed it all up and I just kept going. And I don't know that that's the advice I would give someone else. And then, you know, with that, I would have days where I would break down and it would be painful. But I wouldn't allow myself to do that. that too often.

Yeah. Because life is about momentum, right? Success is momentum. That's all it is. It's piled up wins. It could be, that's why they tell you, like,

successful people make their bed in the morning because it's just a small win, and it builds your confidence throughout the day to allow you to pursue whatever you're trying to do. And so I like momentum to keep going upward. And I don't do well on the down. Because I can take a downward spiral,

and I can take it deep to. Oh, boy. Yeah. I feel that right there. The highs are high, the lows are low. And that's a hard thing about individuals that are wired like us. It's like if I'm on a high, like you're going to know it. Yeah.

You know, but if I'm on a low, everybody in the house is going to know my husband or my dad is not in a good place. And that's something that I have to get better at that we both have to improve upon. 100%. Because it's not fair to the loved ones around us. It's not fair to Tony, right? It's one of those things. And it's just like, damn it, I got to get this under control. And I'm getting better at it.

For sure. But I'm surely not a master at it yet. Me either. You've brought up the WWE a couple different times. So I want to bring that in real quick. You know, you were there for 10 years, like you said. Yeah. And it ended in one phone call.

Yeah. How did that sit? It definitely hurt my feelings more than I, let social media know or anybody around me probably know. And it's, it wasn't that I took it personal because it's a business. I totally understand. And, you know,

it was more that I got signed when I was 21. I was still a forming human. And so I was there until I was 31. My entire identity, my entire adult life, all I knew out of adult living was I'm a WWW wrestler. Every single week I fly out. I'm on the road for four days a week.

I'm home in my bed maybe two for 10 years. And sometimes I'm not home for three, four weeks at a time if we have a European tour or whatever. So it defined who I was. I didn't know who Daria was or what I stood for outside of that. And so I was hurt because it was kind of like morning a loss. Yeah, of course. And I loved everyone there. from production to ring guys to the camera guys to talent to makeup department like they were my

best friends i was cool with everybody and so just that the breaking of that cycle that routine um those friendships was was hard this is a hard question to answer but i want it for the audience because i need them to sit with this okay took you eight years to win a championship you were in the first Royal Rumble, you won your championship with, who was it? It was Chelsea Green. Yeah. And then three weeks later, you tear your ACL. Right? Yeah. And that is kind of win in mid-negotiation. They let you know, we're not renewing your contract. How does one move forward and stay positive or not go into a depression state, so to speak, when the biggest win of your life and then the non, they don't renew your contract.

That's a gut punch. So a big success and a gut punch so close together. Believing in the universe and God, that's the only way I could wrap my mind around it is that I'm always being protected. I'm always being watched. And we, things come and go from our lives for the reason of the journey.

Like we are here. My belief is we are here to have a journey. It's not about the destination or else we'd be rushing to our own end. So it's about the journey and it's about learning and growing. And hindsight's always 2020. And so looking back, it's probably the best thing that could have happened to me because I think that I was becoming, numb's not a great word, but like, yeah, I was kind of becoming numb to the routine

and stagnant and I felt a little, um, a little like broken down. Like I felt like I was losing that kind of luster that I always had, that fire that I always had. And it wasn't for a lack of the love of the sport, but, you know, just going through a lot of things and politics and all the kind of things that go into a high level sport like that.

I was, I needed, I needed it. I needed, um, a wake up call. I needed, a fresh start. And so the passion and the fire I've gained back for my life over the past, what has been two years? It has been insane. I've seen it. Yeah. I've seen, you know, and I didn't know you very well when we first met. Not in the studio. I felt like after that, I really knew you. But like prior, like, I pay attention. Sure. And I could just see that growth and that internal confidence of who you actually are as a human being grow real time.

And it was really nice to see. You said something earlier that you kind of packed it away. Outside looking at, I don't think you did that. You know, you took an 11-month break. Yep. You and Tony went to an ayahuasca retreat. Oh, my God. Right?

You went to an ayahuasca retreat. Yeah. That's a major healing. What did the quiet teach you that being in the arena couldn't? Yeah. You hit the nail. the head. I learned a big lesson coming off that retreat and it was probably one of the hardest experiences of my life. But I kept getting an overwhelming message while I was there that was like

let things flow. And I think I might have mentioned this last time I was on your podcast, but it was like I was trying to force square pegs into round holes. I think things that weren't meant to be mine. And the more that I'm still working on this, but the more, that I let things flow work your ass off of course but kind of let them come and go and if it's not meant for okay I'm good with that things are coming more easily as my life it matches up with what you said that that call from the WWE you needed that yeah I saw something recently and I sent it to Sam I don't know if I sent it to Will but it was this dude talking talking about, it was just a talking head video.

Okay. And it was, you have to realize that everything you're being stripped of right now, the people that are jumping off your train, everything that you're losing, is to free you up for what God actually has in store for you so you can become the individual that can achieve that. That's powerful. It's a hundred percent fact in my mind. Yeah.

I fully believe that too. Yeah. Absolutely. So that's why it's hard. it's hard for me to say I was so upset because I was. But I don't look at any of it as a negative. I had to go through that. Just like you have to go through a breakup in a relationship

that you're not meant to be in. Like it hurts. You love the person still, but you know it's not your person. You know maybe they were dragging you down or holding you back or whatever it is. So it's like it's a hurt that had to happen. None of us anticipate and are excited for those moments.

But we understand. you have to have those. And dude, it's the same thing with friends. It's the same thing with business partners. It's the same thing. Like you love that person, but sometimes you outgrow them or they outgrow you, by and versa.

You know, it's not one way. Or just you end up not being aligned. And it's so hard for that breakup because you mourn the past relationship, but also what you think could have been. And what you're, you think could have been is not what he's saying. So we have to learn to let that go. Right. Yeah, man. So your beginning your journey was tough enough. Yeah. You're 21. And there was one

honest moment. You were asked a question. You had one second to think about it. You were asked about your relationship if you were in one. Tell me about that one second. Scary a second of my life. Yeah, so I'm 21 and one tough enough. I am in a long-term relationship with a girl from Jersey. We had moved to L.A. together. And she came from a very conservative Greek family where she was not out. I was actually threatened by her mom one time. She came to my car window, suspecting we were dating because we were hanging out a lot. And she was like screaming, like, are you with my dog? Are you? And she couldn't even say the word gay because it made her uncomfortable. So she kept saying, are you, are you? And I was kind of like being a jerk.

So I was like, am I what? I don't understand what you're asking me, because I just had no tolerance for that, especially back then. But yeah, so I go on this show and not for a second did I think any of my personal life would matter because it's a competition show. Like there's no behind the scene, whatever. And I'm in the ring doing like the interview portion of the show and his Triple H and Kristen Prouty and all these executives at WWB. I think it was Triple H that asked it.

He's like, are you in a relationship currently? Which is such a simple reality show question. Sure. But for me, it was fucking loaded because I was like, I'm not. not out yet. She's not out yet. She can't be out. And so I'm like, oh, fuck, do I lie on national television. Then everyone thinks of going in this show single, which like, that could be dangerous. And I could hurt my girlfriend's feelings. Or do I say the truth and maybe out my girlfriend? If her mom's watching it, like, I don't know what to do. And I got so nervous. And of course,

my instincts kicked in. And I told the truth. I was like, yeah, I have a girlfriend. Shout out, Christina. I called her ass right out. There was no hiding anymore. And Triple H was like, did you just come out on national television? I was like, yes, sir. Like, I'm so nervous. I made a bikini for God's sake, which that's another story in itself.

Everyone there was like fitness competitors. I'm like this rough around the edges jersey girl. I came with like my bilibon bathing suit. These girls came with like show bikinis, you know. You could just imagine the difference. And so I was so comfortable and I ran upstairs and I was like, oh my god, oh my God, and I grabbed Mandy, my best friend, and I was like, I just came out on national TV and did it do, da, da, da. And a series of events unfolded after that, but nonetheless. I can imagine. My girlfriend at the time, mom found out and it was like a whole thing. Oh, what a shit show. Yeah, what a shit show. But good on you. That must have been a rush to come out on national television when you weren't necessarily comfortable with being out yet.

Right. My parents knew, my sisters knew, but no one beyond that new. And I wasn't even like fully like identifying myself as although I was. I wasn't comfortable. You know, I wasn't really comfortable in my own skin. I think I bartended at a bar. I don't think anyone knew I had a girlfriend. So like that's where I was at at that point just to give you clarity. And it's like, yeah, I was like, holy shit, what the fuck did I just do?

So it was a rush. Again, scary thing kind of in the moment, not a good thing in my mind, became one of the greatest blessings. Because then I started living my life so authentically from that on out. because I had no choice. That right there. You know, your girlfriend at the time, mom could have been pissed.

Christina could have been pissed. Yeah. But for you, you were living your truth. Right. And it's all about honesty in the world. And a few weeks later, a fan came out publicly because of what he saw you.

I just got to go through. Yeah. Well, damn it, now you gave him to me. Because of your honesty, at what point did you realize that you living so, authentically was truly helping people in their lives. Not for a while.

Probably not for a couple years later, until a couple years later when I really started doing like media and press and, you know, I was on the cover of various magazines during Pride Month and all this kinds of stuff and people wanted to do a story. And I was like, why are all these people interested? I was so confused. And of course I would get the messages on social media like telling me about their coming out story and how mine had influenced theirs. And I, you know, it had to be a couple years later where I was like, holy crap, this is really cool.

And that's when I started kind of putting myself out there more and doing the pride parades and all kinds of other things. Because I started to realize that I enjoyed the feeling of knowing that I could make someone feel more comfortable because I was them just a couple years ago. But that's the badass part about it, right? It's like, what can we do in our lives to be so open and vulnerable that it inspires somebody else to move in their own life? It's a lot of responsibility. It is. But the messages mean everything. You get them, I get them, and when I get them, it lights me up.

Me too. I mean, except the one on TikTok the other day that someone said that, you know, he hopes I get hit by a fucking bus. Oh, well, there's those, you know, you got to take the coat with the bat. Oh, I can take the bot comments. It's fine. It's whatever. But, you know, it's just one of those things, man, that when you do something, you should

want to do it out of purpose. Have to. Because that's the impact. Have to. You know, that's how we lead here. That's how you lead in your clothing brand. Yeah. With Phil and all your employees and what you guys are cranking out there.

And it's a beautiful moment. So that, that situation to me, because I didn't know that before. Oh, really? No, I didn't. I didn't know that. And when I read that, I was like, oh, my God, this is incredible. This is everything right here. And then it led you to be the first openly gay,

I mean, WWE, female. Female. Did that feel like a weight or something that you just didn't sign up for? No, because I don't think like that. I don't think I go too deep into that. I just was like, okay, it's this thing and this is cool. I think maybe the weight was just making sure I presented myself in a way that I could always make them proud.

but I try to do that regardless but I wanted to just I think it's just like a passion of mine to try and help people that remind me of myself you know because it's that inner child in us going oh my God I can relate to how they're feeling so much right now I don't want anyone to ever feel like that

so I think a lot of my philosophy and my messaging early on in WW what I used my platform for was really encouraging young women young people to be independent and to do their own and to believe in themselves and not rely on outside kind of reassurance and validation because these were all things that meant a lot to me and that my younger self needed to hear. So it was therapeutic for me while also helping people. Well, it's very interesting because, you know, early on in your childhood, you wanted that independence, that freedom. When you're helping people, you're talking about helping women become

more independent and have more freedom and being comfortable and living an authentic life, that is someone who's on a mission. See, it's different. It's different than I want to be a WWE superstar and a champion because I want the clout. That's so fucking empty. But when you do things out of being yourself like you were, like you said, everybody else was in show bikinis.

You're the South Jersey girl, right? You show up in a billabong, bathing, suit, completely different, but also that's what's marketable. That is what wins because they can see that and be like, that girl right there is going to be a superstar because she's comfortable in her own skin. Everybody else is trying to be like everybody else. There's massive power in things that we don't know. You're very insightful.

Thank you. You're very good at what you do. Thank you. And I thank you. That was me deflecting a compliment. I don't do that. I'll go back. I'll go back working on that. So thank you. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I think it's, it's, you know, it's a product of my upbringing. I don't, I don't, there wasn't a lot of

inauthenticity around me. I think it was kind of just like, we are what we are. Yeah. I think we all deflect compliments. Sure. You know, and I just think it's because that that true inner child or the past hasn't been truly fully healed yet. Right. And also I think sometimes people may think that you really mean it you just bullshit me but in this case i i know you meant it and that's why i said thank you no i always know you're coming with genuinity it's more of yeah it's more of a me thing yeah yeah yeah well you know we're all work in progress we are we are a lump of clay i mean you know um so fast forward a little bit lost your first fight to nia jacks your first match right yeah nia jacks yeah sorry nia jacks um and then spent years grinding in the distance

disciplines and development. How did you move forward when the scoreboard wasn't showing you the success? Mentally, or how did I, like, excel? I think it's probably, it's more of a mental question. Yeah. Yeah. I think I felt like I had a uniqueness or a difference from the rest of the women. I came in as this MMA fighter.

I was the first female in the WWE to ever have an MMA background. Now there's many, and they're super successful, and it's amazing transition, I think. But I was the first and I think I just felt like, you know, I was an athlete my whole life. So getting in there and being rough and aggressive was all I knew how to do. And the women were at a turning point when I got hired from being divas to being women's champions. And so they were looking for legitimacy. They were looking for that aggression that they had not looked for in the past and the women. And I really thought I had that.

And so I, again, believed in myself maybe before anybody else did. and I thought I had something unique to offer. And so I think that's when I ended up getting called up to Raw and having a good run with the kind of MMA character that I was because people knew it was me. They were like, oh, that's that MMA girl. We saw on Tough Enough and that that is who she is. She's a fighter and she's a, you know, hard ass and that's kind of who I was. So I think that worked. I think as time went on, you have to evolve your character, of course, right?

Like you can't just stay the same. Maybe some people can, but typically you have to evolve your character as time goes on. And so I kept evolving and maybe not finding my footing quite the way I did with the first character until maybe the GM. I got the GM role and that was really natural. And again, that connected with people because for me it felt organic. It felt true to something that I had inside me wearing the suits and running the show. And so that was really cool. But yeah, you just kind of be open to evolving.

It's kind of like a moving target at all times. Love it. You said character. So in the WWE for 10 years, you didn't fight under your own name. No. You created a character called Sonia DeVille. When you build a character that is larger than you, where does she end and you begin? Oh, I don't know if I'm the best of this.

They kind of merge. You know, well, I look at my character now, and I'm in T&A now, and I'm Dari Ray. And she is a bitch. And I like to think that I'm not. So there's like a clear distinction that is acting, which I love. Yeah. That's like really cool for me because I literally get to, you know, one of the girls backstage was like, I'm not going to lie. When I first met you, I thought you were this like pretentious like girl because she didn't know me.

Yeah. She didn't know I was this tomboy fighter. Like she thought I was. was this skirt wearing, you know, pretentious kind of caring character. And then, you know, so that was kind of funny. So that's really fun because they're just not, they don't have much in common at all.

Yeah. The Sony DeVille, they, there was more in common. So I was kind of just turning up my natural thing to 100. And that was fun too, you know, because it's kind of like therapy. Perwrest thing's kind of like therapy. Yeah. Acting is too.

You get to like, get all this energy out that you have inside you somewhere, but it's not necessarily your natural energy that you live in. Speaking of that, can I tell you how cool that was last, a couple nights ago, I'm laying in bed with my wife, turn on Netflix,

I see a Tay Diggs movie. I'm like, hell yeah, let's watch it. It looks cute. And then the opening scene, I'm like, I'm in the bathroom,

brushing my teeth, and I hear your voice. I'm like, babe, hold on, pause that. I know that voice. And she goes, what you talk about it?

That's Darya. And she doesn't know, it's not. I said, no, it 100% is. I go, do me a favor, Google, what was it, what was the movie called again? His Heirs and Ours.

His, hers and ours. Phenomenal movie, by the way. Yeah, thank you. And I go and type in, just type in, you know, the first act or whatever and find out who that is. And I walk in and she goes, I go, it's her, isn't it? And I took a picture of it. I don't know, it's just a fun thing. I couldn't believe it because I had thought, oh, maybe you saw me post about it and went and watched it.

So to see that you naturally watched it with your wife and saw me, I thought that was really cool. Hell yeah. I love my friends and with the shit that they do. I support him. He's the best. I love it. I love it. It's also earned, though.

Thank you. You know, I'm not that way with everybody. Those who pour into me, I give that energy back. Yeah. Because we need each other because this shit's hard. I have to say you called me. I'm going to call you out. You called me right before the demon launch.

And you just gave me like just such a 30 second note. pep talk like so kind so reassuring you had you didn't have to do that obviously um but you like went out of your way and I thought that was really really nice well thank you I was sitting there and I felt it yeah and I love you oh I love you and I wanted you to know it yeah no I felt it because I know how hard life can be I know how hard marriage can be um blended families can be um because we have one yeah And we need people to recognize us. So absolutely. We do have so much in common.

It's fine. I'm telling you, man. We might have been separated at first. I know. It's really weird. Except I'm like probably 15 years older. That's fine. So that wouldn't work out mathematically.

You look great though. Well, thank you. That's all matters. You as well. Thank you. What are you 33 now? Yeah, about to be. Don't age me.

I got another month. Girl, I'm about to be 48. Okay. You don't, yeah. You look great. I only age. We're doing good. I only called you out on your age because you mentioned a time.

timeline. You were 21 and then 10 years. So it's been two years. Not at all. Round numbers I'm cool with. The big numbers. Forget about it. Just not. Okay. Okay. The hard part. Oh boy. I know the hard part. I don't like this one. 2022. Mm-hmm. An alarm goes off at nearly 3 a.m. in your house. You open your eyes and there's a man standing four feet from you. what went through your mind and your body at that point? Well, the alarm went off and this one particular night, I lived alone, but I had my best friend sleeping over Mandy. So when the alarm went off, I was like,

there's a chance. Mandy wanted to go sit out back. Maybe she wanted to go call her boyfriend at the time, whatever. So I was like, it must be Mandy. So my room was pitch black. I reached around for my phone and couldn't find it. And I was like, okay, I'll just go to the, alarm panel that's on the wall outside of my bedroom.

So I went to the alarm panel. It said the living room door open. And I was like, okay, that's where Mandy would have went out of. So I run into the guest bedroom and I'm like, friend, friend, you know. And I start to see like a body move and I'm like, oh, she's sleeping. She's like, what? I'm like, stay there. So I'm like, whether this is idiotic or heroic, I don't know.

But I'm like, I'm going to go towards the danger. I'm going to go into the living room. It's an open floor plan, so it's like the living room in the kitchen. I knew I could get all the lights on. I needed to see what the hell was going on. Because in my mind at that moment, it couldn't have been a human. Like something had to have tripped the alarm. But I think I knew because I told Mandy to stay there.

So I turned on all the lights and all the blinds are drawn across the sliding glass doors. So I don't know which one had been opened. So I go to the one we always use. They're perpendicular to each other like this around a corner. And I check it. and it's locked. I'm like, okay, I'm checking the lock. I'm like, okay, good, it's locked.

And as I look up, the man is right outside of the class. He's wearing all black. He has a mask on. And I'm like, what? And I think I scream something. Like, what the fuck do you want? Not knowing that the perpendicular door was open. So I stand there for a moment and he advances towards me.

So now I'm so confused because I'm like, if this is a burglar, a burglary, a robbery, the alarm's going off. The homeowner sees you. When you run, who would stick around? So I'm so baffled by that. I remember that thought. I run, not knowing, I had indoor cameras, not knowing they caught him running behind me. I got, I turned down the hallway to Mandy's bedroom.

He thought the one blind spot he had while he crossed the blinds. He thought I had ran up to stairs. So that is the only reason we got out. unscathed. So I grabbed Mandy, we grabbed the car keys, we peel it out of the driveway, we called the cops.

The cops are already on their way because of the ADT, thank God for ADT, shout out ADT. Good God. We peel out, we pull back around like five minutes later. We're on the phone with the cop.

They're like, the cops are there, the cops are there. I have my like high beam shining on my house, if you can picture it, like a road coming out in front of my house. I have the high beam shining on the house. And there's like, I'm not even kidding you,

15 cop cars. lights off came in quiet so i'm like what the hell is going on now i still don't know this guy's in my house i think i ran from him and he ran is gone cops come out they have their guns drawn their flashlights on i pull up they go is this your house and i'm like yeah they're like back the fuck up i'm like okay two minutes later they come out with this dude kicking and screaming and handcuffs. I'm like, that man just came out of my house. Long story short, they go in the cop car. They briefly interrogate him to find out what's going on. They come confront us and they're like, what do you do for a living? Like, oh, I'm a wrestler at WWB. He's like, oh, I don't know. And I'm like,

oh, you know, Hulk Hogan. He's like, oh, yeah, yeah. He's like, well, he says he's a fan of yours, but he says you guys talk. I'm like, what? What's this guy's name? Let me. me look him up on my Instagram. I'm sure he's DM'd me. They give me his name. I look him up on the Instagram and sure enough I had four years of messages from him with the very last message saying

I'm finally here baby girl. I'm on your patio. I'll see you soon and I'm going to kill that blonde bitch inside with you. Was the exact message. And then there was messages before that and before that and before that that that literally was a play by play of what he was going to do.

I'm driving down to see you now. I'll be there soon. you're going to talk whether you like it or not, like all these kinds of horrible, horrible things. Very graphic, I won't get into. But he had been planning this for years. He lived in South Carolina. He worked at Applebee's. And he decided he was going to drive to Florida, park at a church a mile from my house. I was in a gated community.

So he army crawled through the wetlands behind the gated community. Took his shoes and socks off on my patio, cut a hole in my screen patio to get in. sat there, watched me and Mandy watch TV for four hours, and then made his move. Once he saw us go to bed, he waited another two hours. He was very meticulous, but he planned this whole thing out. And he thought the only thing he missed, and he says this in his interrogation that now you can scare Lucy on YouTube, he says the only mistake I made was that she would have an alarm system.

I didn't think she had one. Thank God for that oversight. Yeah. And so whatever, I did like a pretrial thing. I got a permanent restraining order against him. And then we were supposed to go to trial, which I was quite looking forward to putting him behind bars for a long time. And then my lawyer called me and said, I'm going to offer him a crazy deal, like, you know, more than I think he might get if we go to trial. And if he takes it, he takes it.

And he took it. And so he's in jail for 15 years. Hmm. So that's my timeline. get extremely wealthy so that I can have the measures in place because he had said, well, he had tried to contact me from jail through attorneys multiple times. And then he had made it very clear in his interrogation. Like, when he gets out, he gets out and he's coming for the same thing. So it's, that's, that's the only uneasy part. He had addresses of every family member

of mine, photos of my family member's schools that their kids went to. I mean, like, he had actually tried another address before coming to my house. It was an ex-girlfriend's address. He thought I lived there. It's, yeah, it's crazy. That's the biggest cost to be in a massive public figure in doing something that you love and entertaining is something that scares the shit out of me. And so like you addressed it, talking about, you know, I've got probably what 13 years left? Maybe like 10. I think you got time served while it was all happening. Yeah, something like that.

Okay. So 10 years to have bodyguards and shit like that. Yeah. And, you know, that was my next question was always going to be, how do you reconcile the fact that he's not incarcerated forever and he's going to get out? And how do you not let that ruin your life? God and the universe. You just trust that all will be okay. And things will work out how they're meant to work out.

And then I do what I can. Because that's so far out of my control that I think for someone like me, I can't even go there. I'm like, let me just do whatever I can do. But right after the incident, I was like, I was in a bad place. I was like talking about building a moat around my house. I can imagine. These are real conversations I was having with my dad. And God bless my dad for dealing with me.

me and listening to me because I'm calling him going, dad, what kind of, what kind of back go do we need to dig a moat? And he's like, Daria. And I'm like, with alligators and sharks and shit. I swear to God, I said that. Yeah. I said, and we're going to put a gate at the end and we're going to have, you know, and. But I mean, that dissipated and, you know, but. Like, that's not in an, I don't think that's irrational. You know, it's like, you know, think about that. It's, that's a scary moment, you know, and it, and it brings more trauma, right? And it brings, you know, different reactions to different scenarios. And it's like the fact that you've gotten through that and you're strong and just that story.

Because I knew something that happened. I didn't know the details of it. Right. But that is. And I think I met you, at least by way of social media, probably maybe even only two years after that. Sure. Yeah. Still fresh.

You know? Well, we went and Mandy and I went and wrestled at SummerSlam three days after. Vince McMahon had called, I called Vince and I was like, hey, sir, you might see this on the news. This just happened. He was like, oh, my God, what do you need? And he was actually very helpful. But then he wanted to cancel our SummerSlam match. And having a singles match at SummerSlam would have been, that was my biggest feat up until that point.

And so I was like, absolutely not. So I begged him, and it was this whole long thing. But I begged him not to cancel it. And so we had our SummerSlam match. three days later. And of course, I was just like, you know, probably still in fight or flight mode. I think I was in fighter flight mode for the next three years probably. But, you know, we kept going.

It was like, I'm not going to let part of it was like, I'm not going to let this loser ruin my life. Yeah. Ruin what I have going on. Control my life nonetheless. Absolutely not. Damn. I can't even imagine. It's crazy.

It is nuts. Yeah. It's like, you know, what I always say, peeling back the curtain. It's like a lifetime fucking movie, dude. It is a lifetime movie. And I've had people reach out. But peeling back the curtain to see him there,

you know when you're a kid and you always would check the shower. Even though you know like nothing's there, you would always be like, oh, I swear to God when I peel back the curtain, it was like, nothing's going to be there. Like I did it like so nonchalant and to see something that it was like,

it's like looking for a boogeyman under the bed and one day there is a boogeyman. Fucking wild, dude. But you know what? It's kind of empowering too because it's like, damn, okay. It's not the worst thing that can happen I was so lucky. I was so blessed that it ended there.

But I'm like, if I can get through that, like, it kind of just makes you stronger. Yeah. What kind of mask was you wearing? Oh, it was a black COVID mask because it was during COVID. Oh, so he didn't want to catch COVID, but he was ready to fucking kill Mandy. Yeah. Oh, man, what a saint. Yeah. He's a real winner. You know, six feet apart.

Yeah. Very important. Oh, man. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Oh, of course. You know, it's all part of the story. about who you are and, you know, let's shift to Atlantic City.

Oh, Jesus Christ. You know what's so... I told you. I'm better now, okay? I'm better. No, I mean, listen, and it all makes sense to me, right? 2023, rest happened. You know, from your standpoint, what actually happened in that event?

And was it tied to the trauma of what happened. Okay, so what... Sean was afraid. I never owned guns. I grew up around guns, so I was comfortable with them. I know how to shoot them. But I just never owned guns. After the incident, I had talked to the cops,

and they suggested getting a dog and getting a gun. So I went and I got my right to carry in Florida, because gun laws are, you know, more lenient in Florida. My right to carry everything, I had my little guns, made me feel safer. I got my dog demon, which. which is what inspired the entire brand, full circle. Didn't know that.

Yeah. Okay. So, and yeah, it's really the brand's a lot deeper than I've spoken about. But demon saved my life is what I say, because after the incident, I got my baby demon. And I lived alone. I didn't have a significant other. So it was just me and demon getting through those months, years of PTSD and all that stuff. So full circle, my Rottweiler demon.

But I got my right to carry, got my guns. all the proper channels. My wife and I met we would go back and forth from her house in New Jersey and my house in Florida. One time, she came to visit me in Florida

and the kids were home and her flight back home got canceled because of the weather. They canceled all flights out of Florida. She couldn't get out to the next day. Well, the kids had school the next morning. Tony had to go get them.

Something like that. And she was like, do you want to just drive? and I was like, yeah, sure. I get in my car, and I said, it's perfect. I have two vehicles. I'll leave one at the Jersey House, so when I'm there, I have something to drive. It was like a whole thing. It made sense.

So we put my dog in the car. We take off. Well, two months later, I proposed to Tony. We go to celebrate in Atlantic City. Of course, we take my truck. I valet the truck. Not thinking anything of anything. we go to get the truck from valet

because we're leaving it takes like 45 minutes go by and my truck's not up like hey dude like you know where my truck is he's like just wait one minute wait one minute another half hour goes by I'm like what is going on

where is my truck can I go find my truck like now I'm getting sketched out this is bullshit yeah you know something's going on like ma'am you need to stay right here and wait for the cops I said excuse me for what

just stay right here and wait for the cops so oh I'm tracking no. The cops get there and they're like, ma'am, they found a firearm inside your vehicle. Do you have a permit to have this on you? And I said, yeah, I absolutely do, but it's Florida. And they were like, Jersey's not a reciprocal state to Florida. So it is a felony to have a gun that you legally own and registered to you in Florida in New Jersey. I said, sir, to be honest, I didn't even know what was in there. It was in my glove compartment. It was a little 380, which if anyone knows guns, it's a little baby gun.

Mind you, still harmful, of course. And I was like, I just drove my truck down. I didn't even remember it was in there. Like, I didn't even think I had it. Whatever. My bad, I'm, you know. And he's like, we have to arrest you. And I'm like, oh, my God.

He's like, and this is a felony. They arrest me. They take me down to Lenox City jail, which is not the greatest place, if you could imagine. and they processed me, they mugshot me the whole nine. And I'm kind of like, okay, this is my fate. Like, this might go bad. All I'm thinking is I need to call WWB and let them know, like, you know. So I'm in there for like three, four hours while they're processing me.

And then my dad and my wife came and got me. Call WWB and they're like, we fully support you. We have your back. We know why you have a gun. Like, you're fine. And I'm like, okay, that made me feel better. Then I call an attorney and I'm like, what am I looking at here? he's like, well, if this would have happened two years ago, the law was mandatory five to seven years in prison.

Don't even get me started with legalities and things I want to have changed because that's a whole other issue in itself. I'm like, wait a second. So a gun that, you know, I'm not a convicted felon. I don't have priors. I don't have mental history, medical history. I legally own the gun, but I cross state lines. I understand the gun laws are different. I respect that.

Five to seven years mandatory. So I said, what am I looking at? now, he said, you could still get a year. I'm like, a year in jail. He's like, yeah, I'm like, okay, what do we got to do? Let's, I mean, if that is what it is, like, let's figure it out. So now I'm going to the court, I mean a wreck. I'm like, my career's over. Everything's over. And I do take responsibility. Obviously, that is not allowed. I broke a law. I don't agree with the law, but I did break a law. So I go into court and I'm like, oh my God, this is so bad. God.

Best case scenario we can walk out with what's called DTI, I think, something like that, where you're kind of on a probation for a year. Okay. And if you do anything, like even get a speeding ticket during that year, you're going in the clinker. Which that's anxiety, Britain and up. Oh, dude, like, that's hell to live under. Yeah. I'm Ubering everywhere at that point.

Everywhere. Fucking everywhere. So I go there and, you know, we go back and forth and they ended up doing a close court because whatever. And the judge ends up getting up. And he says something along the lines. I don't want to say verbatim. But he says something along the lines of sometimes we get it wrong, meaning the law.

And it was very nice. And he was like, I would hate to see this take your life in a different direction. And so he gave me the minimum, which was mandatory probation for a year. Unbelievable. And then it got expunged. That's amazing. You know, and I know that's an uncomfortable question. And we ask the hard ones here.

Because it gives the audience a full picture of to back up my claim of you being one of the most reinvented individuals ever in the seat. And I love you and I appreciate you. And I'm so damn proud of everything you're doing. And whatever you need for me, you know, you got it. You're the best. So you are. Wait, me deflecting. Thank you.

No, yes. This is my favorite seat to sit on someone else's podcast. You know. You do a good job. I told the boys, I was like, when you see the synergy, they're my. be something to do together. Oh, you know that thought never even crossed my mind? Really?

No. You don't have brain damage, do you? Yeah, no, I do. I have plenty. I love it. Me too. No, I mean it. I think it would be cool.

Wow. Yeah. There's a lot. And you're here now. Yeah. So there's something. We are neighbors. Basically.

You know, hour and 45 minutes away. Florida is a big state. But dude, hop, skipping a jump, baby. That's it. Alligator Alley, let's go. That's it. Thank you so much for coming on. Thanks, I appreciate you.

And for those of you listening, share the show with someone you know love and trust, someone who's been through things like that. And if you want to get consistent updates on the things of the Determined Society and amazing guests like my friend Daria here, please go to our website, the Determinedsociety.com

and sign up for the updates. And until next time, stay determined.