By Gino Terrell
The Talker
You can usually find Twila Dang, founder and CEO of Matriarch Digital Media, at The Coven, a coworking space in the Twin Cities. While the mother of three didn’t have any formal training beforehand, that didn’t stop her from hosting a weekly show at myTalk 107.1, a talk radio station serving the Twin Cities.
Dang learned the many aspects that went into producing, managing and budgeting a show, and remembers thinking, “I could do something with this.”
The lightbulb moment came when the then-stay-at-home mom of 12 years cracked a joke with her friend Alexis Thompson, a host at myTalk, that ‘she was good at talking but didn’t get paid for it.’ Dang remembers Thompson repeating the joke, and saying, ‘I don’t think that’s funny,’ and recommended she apply for an opening at the radio station.
But the path to hosting her talk radio show wasn’t so straightforward. The Virginia native came to Minnesota more than three decades ago, much to the disappointment of her family, who wanted her to stay close to home.
Her father gave her two choices—either North Carolina or a college in Virginia. Her plan was simple: “I wanted to go as far away as possible.”
Eventually, she decided on Minnesota when as a teenager she stumbled across a Hamline University brochure and called the 1-800 number to chat with the head of the psychology department. Ultimately, her parents supported her decision.
It was at Hamline University that she met her husband, earned her degree in psychology and sociology, and initially decided she wanted to become a therapist until she realized she was a better talker than a listener.
In 2016, Dang decided to create a podcast that empowers women to be their unapologetic selves. The sociology major realized that all too often women are taught to fit society’s ideal that usually points out what’s wrong with them.
She Googled two things: First, she searched “Women’s Podcast Network,” and nothing showed up. The second was “Matriarch,” and the only things that popped up were a public relations firm in South Africa and a restaurant that had closed.
She added two more words to “matriarch” and those were “digital media.” Nothing showed up on Google. “I don’t think you’re going to get a better sign,” she said, of how she came up with the name for Matriarch Digital Media.
“While the pandemic was hard on all of us, it took [Matriarch Digital Media] from a small entity to a larger platform that helps us expand remotely.
“At The Coven, our ‘Women in Podcasting’ monthly gatherings brought in about 20-40 people. Our first online gathering [during the pandemic], there were 2,500 people. We got exponentially bigger…and [we noticed] it was bigger than us,” she said. “Now we get to work with women all over the world. The pandemic taught us the work we do is needed.”
“I don’t want to be the only Black person, the only Black woman, or the only person of color. I’m done waiting for institutions to make it happen.”Twila Dang
Lack of formal training was never a problem for Dang. Throughout her career she’s been humble enough to learn from colleagues and mentors. She’s also blazed her own path when it comes to her career, with a “no shame” motto to go along with a “no apologies for life” approach. “It didn’t take any effort for me to say, ‘We can do this differently,’” she said in describing the Twin Cities-based media company that helps women share their voice.
In addition to founding her own digital media company, she’s also leaving her mark at Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), where she produces and co-hosts the “small change: Money Stories from the Neighborhood” podcasts.
She was also instrumental in bringing in an intern of a color, a young woman who would have otherwise been overlooked because of the lack of access to technical skills the role initially called for.
“The only reason I’ve gotten as far as I have is because mentors helped me along the way,” said Dang. “I use my time and energy to help others. I don’t believe that I should be here and not reach back to give others a hand. If not, I’m not doing enough.”
One of her frustrations is getting people to understand that what she does is serious. “When I hear things like ‘your little podcast,’ or ‘You can really make money doing that?’ I say, “Yeah, it’s a career.”
One of Dang’s biggest contributions to the Twin Cities is providing opportunities for women of color. She’s demonstrated that she’ll do even more to empower women than she talks about and is always looking to build her network to provide opportunities for others.
“When I created this business, it started off more selfish than selfless—like, I have my own podcast,” said Dang. “I know enough now that I am helping to make an impact in the community. I want to build a pipeline.
“I don’t want to be the only Black person, the only Black woman, or the only person of color. I don’t think that’s necessary anymore,” she adds. “I’m done waiting for institutions to make it happen.
“I made sure I created an all-women staff to give them an opportunity,” she said. “To get paid to do this and pay others for their work—I needed to know that this wasn’t impossible.”
She credits her success, in part, to motherhood. “Becoming a mom, you have to set a better tone so that you can model better behavior for them,” she said. “That created a level of fearlessness that I needed to become an entrepreneur. Starting a business is nothing compared to having children.”
Her advice to young women who want to pursue a similar path: “Remember, you get one life. What are you going to spend your time on? Do everything you can to enjoy every moment possible. I never want a young woman to take as long as I have to get to where I am now.”
