Getting to Know Denalee Chapman of Idaho Falls

EastIdahoNews.com is highlighting hardworking people who make our local businesses a success. Every Sunday, we’re Getting to Know YOU!

1. Name, job title and company: Denalee Chapman, certified life coach, certified meditation practitioner and YouTuber. I have a Youtube series called “Here in Idaho Falls,” highlighting all the amazing people, places and fun things to do in Idaho Falls. I’m also an author (books on amazon or on my website), a public speaker, and a betrayal trauma/abuse coach with Betrayal Trauma Recovery.

2. What does your company do and what are your responsibilities? Let’s just talk about the YouTube channel here. In our ever-growing, beautiful community, we highlight the places, people and events in east Idaho. We want the people who live here to know more about “home” and visitors to feel welcome and learn about some of the amazing things to do in Idaho Falls. Watch one of the episodes in the video player above.

3. Where were you born and when is your birthday (don’t need to include year)? I was born in Rigby. My parents were born and raised in Rigby and Ririe. I only lived in Idaho for the first 10 months of my life, after which, my parents moved to California. I grew up in California, Michigan and Pennsylvania. I was born on a very cold December 14th in the Rigby Maternity Home which was previously my great-grandparents’ house!

4. How long have you lived in eastern Idaho and what city do you live in now? We moved to Idaho Falls in 2015 from the Las Vegas area. We raised our children in Sitka, Alaska and before that, on the island of Guam.

5. Tell us about your first job after high school/college. I began working at The Osmond Studio in Utah as a tour guide, working my way into television production. After years in the production business and having moved to Alaska, I produced and hosted a magazine-style TV show which was aired throughout southeast Alaska and shared with local access stations in the interior of the state. When we moved to Nevada, I hosted a few small shows including one season of a talk show aired on Las Vegas One. TV is fun.

6. What is the best business decision you’ve ever made? I listened to my son, who trained me in e-commerce. In 2017 I started an e-commerce store which was wildly successful. I went back to school (after 41 years away) in 2019 and after one semester of running my e-commerce business and going to school full-time, I realized it was just a little too much. I sold the store in the summer of 2019 and focused on taking about 20 credit hours/semester to finish at Brigham Young University-Idaho getting my Interdisciplinary Studies degree with an emphasis in creative writing.

7. Tell us about your family. Brad’s (my husband) career was in marine tourism, which is why we lived in Guam, in Alaska, and near Lake Mead in Nevada. He worked as a SCUBA instructor and a boat captain. We have five children and 16 grandchildren, living all over the world.

When our youngest graduated from high school in Henderson, Nevada, we moved up to Idaho Falls where the pace of life is slower, the cost of living is better, and where we both have roots. We live in the numbered streets and love the historical feeling of the area.

We’re very proud of each of our children and grandchildren. They’ve all followed their passions in life. Our oldest grandchild, Jace Chapman, recently won an Emmy Award for his lead role in the Netflix show, “The Healing Powers of Dude.” Although he’s the one who has been publicly recognized, all of our grandchildren are uniquely remarkable. They’ve learned from their parents that hard work and passion lead to achievement.

8. Tell us about a movie or book that has inspired you the most in life. This is a hard one because I love reading and I have learned and been inspired by so many books. But here’s a shot — “Magnificent Obsession” by Lloyd C. Douglas is an old, page-turning novel that speaks to our hearts about the importance of relationships and the opportunity for change and personal progress. Its message is about the value of quiet service and love for others.

9. Tell us about a lesson you learned from a mistake you made in your career/business. Well, this is funny because my real career is motherhood and I’ve made a kazillion mistakes and learned almost as many lessons.

As far as business mistakes, the most important thing I’ve learned is to be meticulous in tracking the money coming in and the money going out. It stinks to owe a lot of money to the government.

10. What is a goal you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months? I want our YouTube channel to be the go-to place for quick information on amazing Idaho Falls. The goal: Weekly uploads with a waiting list of people and places to highlight next.

11. What is one piece of advice you have for someone who wants to do what you’re doing? I’m not sure who originally coined this phrase, but it certainly applies — “Do what you do best, hire out the rest.” If you want to host a YouTube show, instead of spending oodles of time figuring out how to edit, upload, and even artistically record – bring on a partner (or partners) who are already good at those jobs. Then follow your passion putting time and energy into what you do best and love the most. If you’re an author, hire an editor. If you’re good with details, find someone with big-picture vision to team up with. If you love demolition, find someone who likes to build, etc.

12. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I’d just be kinder to myself. I would lighten up on self-pressure while continuing to pursue my vision.

13. Where is your favorite place to eat in eastern Idaho? Um, home. Sorry … I don’t have a good answer for this one. One of our kids lives with us right now and he’s a major good cook.

14. Tell us something surprising about yourself. I love diving and have been through Guam’s Blue Hole down to 125 feet staring out into the Marianas Trench. I’ve been to the top of the volcano, Mt. Edgecumbe, in Alaska. I’ve been skydiving in the desert sky of Nevada and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and up again. Through it all, standing still, looking up into the Northern Lights dancing through the sky just might be the most thrilling thing I’ve experienced.

15. How do you like your potatoes? Baked. Definitely baked, with crispy skin, flaky flesh, real butter and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

If you have an employee or co-worker who we should get to know, email rett@eastidahonews.com.