Diana Medina is a first-generation Mexican-American poet, educator, and coach born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her mission in life is to use her gift with words to bring more clarity, compassion, and comic relief to the world. In 2021, Diana released her debut poetry collection, Healing Out Loud through Alegria Publishing. Her writings have also been featured in Modern Latina Magazine and StoryCenter.
She is the Founder and Chief Merriment Officer of Off The Clocker, a company that provides poetic interventions for an ever-changing world in the form of events, coaching, consulting services, inspirational merchandise, publications, and performances. She is also the Program Director at The Practice Space, a Bay Area nonprofit that seeks to build confidence and community through communication skill development programs that advance inclusion, develop empathy, and elevate underrepresented voices for people of all ages.
Diana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from California State University, Northridge and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is trained in public speaking, storytelling, stand up comedy, improv and transformational coaching all of which inform her poetry, education, and coaching work.
Diana wears her love for community proudly on her sleeve and uses that love to guide her strategy tactics, work style, and coaching approach. She has dedicated her career to being a champion for causes that strengthen, empower, and educate the communities of color. She has spent the last decade architecting programs and community building initiatives in the areas of criminal justice, youth development, education advocacy, and family engagement all over the state of California. She has trained and organized parent leaders to advocate for increased investments in California’s public schools, managed large scale community programs providing resources and services to low income families in Los Angeles, helped county governments all over California better track their data on supports provided to individuals in the criminal justice systems, and has coached people of all ages to find and use their voice to navigate systemic barriers and be agents of change. Utilizing her skills as a poet, storyteller, educator, and coach, Diana is passionate about distilling and presenting data that’s powerful, yet accessible, developing messaging that sparks dialog, and facilitating collaborative healing spaces to help individuals transform community narratives. She is convinced that devoting her life to these endeavors will ensure she leaves the world better than she found it.
Diana is also a chihuahua mom, foodie, pop culture enthusiast, curator of fun facts, sister, daughter, and aunt. She loves cooking, coffee, puns, thrift stores, knitting, hip hop, home decor, and her huge hilarious Mexican family. All of which she has a poem or story about. Diana is now venturing into writing, performing, coaching, and other creative endeavors in order to let her purpose come out and play and inspire others to do the same.
Professional/Educational Accomplishments and Honors:
- Program Director and team Swiss Army knife at The Practice Space
- Master in Public Administration from the University of Southern California (Fight On!)
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Northridge (Go Matadors!)
- Alumna and member of the Creative Arts Task Force for Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.
- Alumna, Education Pioneers Graduate Fellowship Program
- Alumna, Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs Program
- Founding member of the International Taco Council
- Host of Monthly Storytelling Open Mic at Capital Storytelling
Personal Accomplishments and Honors:
- DogMom to Kika, Off The Clocker’s in house PAWlicy advisor, and beloved fur baby.
- Youngest daughter of Jose & Natalia
- Baby sister to 7 siblings
- Cool Tia to 22 nieces and nephews
- Resourceful reinventor of leftovers
- Founder and Chief Merriment Officer at OffTheClocker.com
- Published Author
- Novice Knitter