Dayna Steele

Dayna Steele (born August 11, 1959) is a radio and television personality, entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker and Democratic candidate for .
Early life
Dayna Frances Nicholson was born on August 11, 1959, in Houston, Texas, to William (Bill) and Frances Nicholson. She graduated early from Dulles High School at 16 and enrolled in Texas A&M University to study pre-med before changing her major to theater.
Career
On a dare, Nicholson tried out for the new student run radio station at Texas A&M University. She began her career in 1977 at KAMU, where Sunny Nash was program director of the NPR affiliate. After a few months, Nicholson moved to Top 40 WTAW ("92W" 92.1FM) in Bryan, Texas. In 1978 she left Texas A&M University early to pursue her career as a major market radio disc jockey.
Her first big break came just after she turned 18 and began work at KRLY (Y94) in Houston. Over the next twenty years Dayna Steele became synonymous with Houston radio, lending her voice to CHR/Top 40 104 KRBE (1979-1981), 97 Rock (KSRR) (1981-1982) and AOR rocker 101 KLOL where she became known as “The First Lady of Rock ‘n Roll.” Steele was featured as one of the top female disc jockeys in the country on the Friday Morning Quarterback “Women of Rock”. That next year, Steele was nominated as Radio Air Personality of the Year by Billboard Magazine. Of the five nominees, Steele was the only woman to be nominated. In 2010, Steele was inducted into the www.texasradiohalloffame.com.
Retail and Online Business Expert
In 1995, Steele launched her first retail business, The Space Store, specializing in the largest selection of online space memorabilia and NASA merchandise. In 2000, she sold the business to SPACEHAB, a NASA aerospace contractor but continued to work in the executive division of the company and eventually opened a large storefront directly across from the Johnson Space Center. In addition to selling space-themed collectibles, the store scheduled astronaut signings and other fun NASA-themed events for the community. Steele resigned from SPACEHAB in 2005.
As a result of The Space Store’s success, Steele makes frequent appearances on radio, television and internet talk shows discussing social media, social media marketing and business networking. She is the creator of Your Daily Success Tip, a concise, motivational email designed to help her database of readers jumpstart the day with positive success advice. YDST is also featured on ABC Radio's "Hey - It's Your Money" hosted by Daria Albinger.
Author
Armed with her radio and retail experience, Steele began her motivational speaking career and wrote her first book, Rock to the Top: What I Learned About Success From the World’s Greatest Rock Stars, a rare combination of memoirs and motivational advice that she learned during her long career. The foreword for the book was written by KISS guitarist and friend, Gene Simmons. She has since released an updated version of the book entitled Rock to the Top: It Now Goes to Eleven. She added an eleventh chapter on Communication "Answer the Request Line" as well as an afterward by friend, rocker and fellow entrepreneur Sammy Hagar. In July 2012 she published her second book 101 Ways to Rock Your World: Everyday Activities for Success Every Day, a book filled with 101 success tips that can be used daily to achieve goals in business and in life. This led to a series of 101 Ways To Rock Your World Books including:
*On the Golf Course: 101 Ways to Rock Your World (2013)
*Welcome to College: 101 Ways to Rock Your World] (2014)
*In the Classroom: 101 Ways to Rock Your World] (2015)
*Havana: 101 Ways to Rock Your World] (2015)
*LinkedIn: 101 Ways To Rock Your Personal Brand: Grow your network and build your business!] (2016)
*101 Ways to Rock Online Dating: How to find love (or not) in the digital world!] (2019)
In 2016, Steele releasedSurviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and A Really Big Glass of Wine. She chronicled her mother's journey with Alzheimer's in a series of Facebook posts from the diagnosis to her mother's death in 2015. Steele also became the Chief Caring Expert and spokesperson for Caring.com.
Speaker
Today, Steele has become a world-renowned speaker, giving keynote speeches for corporations, schools and many other organizations including TEDx Houston and the Melissa Etheridge Cruise in 2019. Her portfolio of speeches includes: The Rock Star Principles of Success]in which she reminisces about her days in rock and roll and what she has learned from her own career as well as from other successful artists, and The Rock Talk which pairs Steele with a seasoned rock star, combining music as well as lessons learned from the lives and careers of these performers. Her co-presenters include:
Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon)
Brad Gillis (Night Ranger, Ozzy Osbourne)
Gary Pihl (Boston, Sammy Hagar)
Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick)
Television Series
Steele is the creator and host of The Rock Business] video series featuring successful rock artists turned successful entrepreneurs. Installments for the series can be seen in YouTube.
Political career
On May 31, 2017, Steele formally announced her candidacy for the 36th Congressional District of Texas as a Democrat. She won in the primary race against fellow Democrat John Powell in March 2018 receiving over 72 percent of the vote. She faced the incumbent, Republican Brian Babin, in the general election on November 6, 2018, and was defeated, earning 27 percent of the vote. Had she been elected, she would have been the first Congresswoman for the Texas 36th district. Her platform was Healthcare + Education = Jobs.
Personal life
Steele resides on the water in Seabrook, Texas and has been married to Charles Justiz, a corporate aviation consultant and author, since 1992. She loves traveling, cooking, playing golf and water sports. They have three sons. As a family, they donate Google Chromebooks to high school students in need in their area and around the country.

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