Hey, I'M DANA.
I’m a certified empowerment life coach, having practiced for thirteen years, serving hundreds one-on-one and thousands in workshops, group courses, retreats, and more.
Before that, I spent a decade as a grassroots activist and organizer in the anti-war and anti-globalization movements.
What can I say? I love disrupting systems–inner and outer.
“Everyone I know has a big ‘but’; let’s talk about your big ‘but.’”
- Pee-wee Herman
Maybe you have some questions, like:
A teacher of mine once said, “You’re special—but you’re not so special that this work won’t work for as you if you work it.” Yes! I’ve worked with people who’ve done little to no inner work to seasoned coaches, healers, and leaders in their industries…and the framework I teach is elegantly structured to meet anyone where they are now. Everyone has conditioning that limits them, inner kiddos that need attention, and desires to be seen, heard, and understood.
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We immediately move insights into action. The program begins building momentum before the first session, so you’re primed with support and intentional structure to start engaging immediately.
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Assignments, practices, and experiments are woven into every session and between sessions. We curate an engagement and accountability rhythm that works best for you and your life to fully show up for this curriculum. The process & curriculum want to be in a living relationship with you–they will work you if you’re willing.
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We’re not fixing your problems like a tire needing a patch. We do the work to help you become more engaged, alive, sensuous, aligned, satisfied, profoundly self-trusting, and awakened to the world OVER TIME. There are vital, big, bold moves that happen relatively quickly, but the long haul’s the game.
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There’s no judgment, advice-giving, or mother-knows-best vibes here. Healers are people who accept us as we are in such a way that gives us permission to do the same. This is part of the gift of the coaching relationship.
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I teach spiralic learning, which means that you WILL circle back on your oldest patterns, which is NOT a bad thing. We honor the path you’ve walked, show you new ways to be with yourself, and teach you how to treat your big ol’ baddies like the guideposts they are.
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You can’t get this wrong. Every step will point you toward becoming more yourself. That’s it. That’s the whole message.
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I’m never not doing my own work, and I use my own life experiences and relationships as offerings for supportive work when helpful. This differs from what many experience with more traditional therapies where the practitioner is relatively unknown/unknowable. I believe in creating resonant connections that foster warm curiosity all around.
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Most folks come to this work because they either don’t know what they want, or they do and don’t know how to get there, or they have a bunch of things they thought they wanted (or genuinely did want at one point) and now they don’t anymore–and in ALL cases, they want to
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Whether you’re woo-woo, not woo-woo or just woo-curious, you mightPerhaps you’re a little woo, or a lot woo (or just woo-curious), and want feel stuck in their lives and have tried many different approaches to keep ending up in the same place and want to dig deeper, know themselves more, get to the absolute heart of the issue.
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let’s connect over a 30-minute discovery call
In 2023, I launched my podcast, “Crying in my Jacuzzi: the ebbs & flows of living an examined life.” The name came to me as I was, indeed, crying in my jacuzzi…I thought OMG CAN I ACTUALLY NAME SOMETHING THAT WEIRD? Saying yes to that still fills me with delight, trust, and confidence every single day.
My husband and I met in an Irish pub in southern France in 2001. We lost touch, then I found him again on Friendster (iykyk) in 2006. What we thought was a sexy weekend turned into a whole life together. So, I know a thing or two about cultivating healthy relationships for the long haul.
I do deep, serious work with my clients, and we do it with loads of lightness and humor (what I lovingly call “irreverent reverence”) to bring critical, transformational warmth to their darkest, shadow-iest bits, which need to feel safe, accompanied, and cared for to be truly tended to. I’ve got over 10,000 hours of proof that we can have a good time doing hard things.
My coaching philosophy is rooted in a holistic, relational, and non-pathological perspective, embracing the wild and abundant paradoxes of humaning together. Grief in joy. Hopelessness in hope. Freedom in limitation. Aloneness in connection. Tenderness in strength. Confidence in doubt. Perfection in imperfection. Stability in uncertainty. Light in the depths. Trust in the unknown.
I don’t do “fixing” (because you are not broken nor a problem)...instead, I focus on you fostering authentic, wildly satisfying relationships inside and out, creating a space where your expanding connections to yourself drive not only meaningful personal transformation but also encourage our collective evolution. This approach invites you to embrace growth and navigate your journey with expansive self-trust, compassion, and clarity.