A home to help a mom and entrepreneur start over

Daniela Santangelo’s home is filled with peace and inspiration.

Inside her foyer, her entrepreneurial spirit shines through. It’s become a space of motivation with vision boards, a workstation, reading chair and even some gear for exercising. 

Artwork by Daniela’s two young boys, Nino and Rocco, hangs proudly on her walls and refrigerator. 

Her home celebrates the family life they’ve built together, one that looked very different before St. Vincent de Paul helped Daniela start over in their new home.

That's because in May 2022, life as Daniela knew it fell apart.

Separated from her husband earlier that month, she got an unexpected call. The board of the tech startup she and her husband founded and ran together in Miami suddenly put her on administrative leave. She came to learn about some of her husband’s unethical behavior that resulted in their both being pushed out of the company they had grown to be worth $100 million.

“How do you look back at the last seven years of life personally and professionally, growing a company to $100 million and then losing everything?” Daniela said. “Put it this way, it wasn’t the exit I was planning on — but I did get the honor to be the primary parent to my children and eventually gained inner peace again.”

Daniela ended up alone in Miami with Nino and Rocco, who were just three and five at the time. With no income, no child support, no family nearby, and a non-existent co-parent, Daniela found herself wondering how long she could pay for food, let alone the rest of their bills.

By December, she’d fought through a high-conflict divorce and the court approved relocation to Phoenix with her children.

“I packed my apartment, put 12 boxes on a plane, shipped my car, and moved us in with my mom and stepdad in Cave Creek,” Daniela said. 

She felt blessed to have family in Arizona happy to take her and the boys in while she caught her breath. 

“I was grateful for them,” Daniela said, “but I knew that I wanted and needed more for myself and children.”

The entrepreneur in her was still there. She had an eagerness for independence and a strong drive to rise from the ashes better than before to create a new home for her sons and herself. 

But those initial days of rebuilding were hard, even while having her parents’ house for a homebase.

“At my most vulnerable, I never imagined needing food stamps to feed my kids or navigating the Department of Economic Security,” Daniela said. “It’s hard to ask for help, hard to admit your need.”

It was Daniela’s mom who suggested calling SVdP for a food box. Not long after, two SVdP Vincentians (Mary Helen Sotelo and Felix Fornino) made a home visit to meet Daniela. They volunteer out of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Cave Creek. 

“When the Vincentians came to our home, I expected paperwork and judgment,” she said. “Instead, they prayed with me. They brought a food box and helped my kids with clothing. They treated me with respect, like a neighbor, not a charity case.”

According to Mary Helen, preserving dignity, no matter the circumstance, is part of compassion and at the core of the home visit experience for Vincentians as they serve their neighbors in need.

“The best thing about St. Vincent de Paul is meeting the people at their level, understanding their situation and just the joy we can bring into these people's lives,” Mary Helen said. “It's like a burden has been taken off their backs, and when we leave and pray with them, oh my goodness, sometimes the tears are overwhelming, and they really touch your heart. The hugs and the gratitude, it makes it all worthwhile.”

That was just the start. A few months later, a house became available for rent down the street from Daniela’s mom — close enough for family support, far enough for independence. It was perfect, but out of reach financially.

Daniela had been applying to jobs and knew she would have an income soon. She didn’t want to miss out on this ideal rental, so she reached out to the Vincentians to inquire about rent assistance. 

“She carried herself very well,” Felix said. “She was going to get a job, a very good, high paying job, and she was educated. She seemed like she was on the ball. And if things worked out, if she passed this hurdle, everything would be fine.”

SVdP ended up approving over $3,000 for her deposit and first month's rent.

“It wasn't just money,” Daniela said. “It was dignity. It was someone saying, ‘I believe in you. I see that this is just a blip in your story and that you are so much more than this setback.’” 

In March 2024, Daniela and the boys moved into their rental home, and that Christmas they had their very own Christmas tree.

With stable housing, Daniela took a contractor job. That cascaded into launching Freeway, a public-private initiative connecting entrepreneurs and startups to talent, capital and community. She bootstrapped it at first, until she was able to find funding and grow the business. Daniela has her sights set on building global bridges to Phoenix and helping grow its profile as a hub for tech startups and innovation.

“The loss of my prior company was the catalyst for me to do something more purpose-driven,” Daniela said. “I’m a community builder, and I attribute that to my grandparents upbringing.”

Daniela is a first-generation Italian American. She said a lot of her strength comes from her grandfather who immigrated from Italy. He demonstrated what it meant to open their home to their neighbors, dine together and grow to form a beautiful community.

“He passed away Christmas morning 2023,” Daniela said. “He is my guardian angel that gives me strength every day.” 

Daniela hopes her boys recognize her family’s resilience in her. She imagines herself somewhat of a warrior — a mom who fought to reinvent herself and rebuild a life of peace, prosperity and hope, not only for herself and her family, but for her greater community. 

“My boys are now seven and eight,” Daniela said. “They’ve watched their mom move through despair, reach for hope, secure an income, stretch for a new dream and create the life and home that is our new joy and firm foundation.

“I think it's important for them to know the support that’s available in communities,” she continued, “that kindness does exist, and that asking for help is brave, especially if it propels you to your next step.”

Daniela was a featured speaker at SVdP's 2025 Restoring Hope Community Breakfast.