As a child I loved to write, with a particular inclination toward scary stories and other types of fiction. This was where I truly thrived, but over time you could say that the mundane aspects of life took precedence, and that creativity was dimmed. Teachers and professors told you what to write, and later, as an intelligence officer, cable writing didnât exactly align with tales of ghost cats and spooky dolls. Once I resigned from the CIA, I realized I really didnât have a skill that could translate to the real world. I had never loved any job that I had ever had, and I had quite a few. Sure, there were aspects of each experience that I liked, but I didnât find my true love until I returned to writing. It was only then that I realized this was my calling and I did have a skill that translated to the world outside of the CIA after all! I then hit reset, started over, and I have officially âcome home to myselfâ, as International Business Coach Dana Grant would say.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dana, and speak with her not only about being an International Business Coach and Master Question Asker, but also a host of global retreats, keynote speaker, and co-founder of CaliâFlour Foods. Danaâs work has expanded into helping people discover the power of using their intuition to make life-changing decisions in their day-to-day lives. She speaks of âcoming home to yourselfâ and she is on a soul quest to see everyone reach their full potential.
Dana describes herself as a master question asker, podcast host, entrepreneur, and creative with deep roots in both healing and adventure. She has worn a lot of hats over the years: co-founder of CaliâFlour Foods, international coach, former business lobbyist with records that have still not been broken, speaker, and most recently, she has just finished her first book and she spends her time âzoomingâ around the globe supporting and celebrating people. She has a heart thatâs always been drawn to service, community and connection.
Dana says that her biggest challenge has been releasing the need to prove her worth through performance. For a long time, she was caught in the cycle of overachieving, over giving, and constantly showing up for others while abandoning herself. She wore success like armorâchasing the next milestone, the next title, the next âyesââbelieving that if she could just do enough, she would be enough. But that way of living broke her down emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
The real breakthrough came when she was forced to slow downâwhen her health, relationships, and sense of purpose all collided and asked her to choose something different. Thatâs when she began becomingâlearning to live from truth, not trauma. Choosing to rest, to receive, to honor herself without needing to earn itâthatâs been the most radical, and rewarding, challenge of her life.
Dana described defeating a debilitating illness and going through a season where her body quite literally shut down. She was in chronic pain, deeply fatigued, and no one could give her clear answers. She was told by more than one doctor that sheâd just have to âmanageâ it for the rest of her life. But something in her refused to accept that. She had this quiet, persistent belief that her body wasnât her enemyâit was trying to get her attention.
Defeating that illness wasnât a quick fix, Dana describes it as a deep unraveling. She had to change everythingâwhat she ate, how she worked, how she thought. She began learning to listen to her body, to slow down, to nourish instead of numb. She sought out holistic practitioners, functional medicine, and trauma-informed therapy. And, she says, maybe most importantly, she learned how to feel her emotions instead of powering through them. Dana believes that so much of our pain is our body screaming what our mouths are too afraid to say. For her, healing wasnât just about getting betterâit was about becoming whole. That journey taught her to stop outsourcing her power and start partnering with her own wisdom. Itâs why she does the work she does nowâto help others come home to themselves the way she had to.
Danaâs tips for fighting an illness:
- Listen to your body like itâs a trusted friend, not a broken machine. Your symptoms arenât punishmentsâtheyâre communication. Your body is trying to tell you what your soul may not have the words for yet. Slowing down to listen is one of the bravest things you can do.
- Be your own advocate. No one knows your body better than you. If something feels off, trust yourself. Keep asking questions. Keep searching. Just because a practitioner canât find the cause doesnât mean the cause doesnât exist.
- Heal the emotional, not just the physical. Dana had to face the fact that unresolved trauma, burnout, and over-functioning were contributing to her illness. When she started healing emotionallyâsetting boundaries, releasing shame, honoring her needsâher body started responding.
- Let support in. Illness can be incredibly isolating, but you donât have to go through it alone. Find a community, a coach, a support groupâanyone who reminds you that youâre not a burden, youâre human.
- Give yourself permission to rest. You donât have to âearnâ rest by being productive. Rest is a form of resistance in a world that wants you to push through everything. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause and be present with whatâs real.
In her coaching business, Dana teaches her clients to use their intuition to make life-changing decisions in their day-to-day life. She explains that intuition is that quiet, inner knowing â the nudge that speaks before fear or logic gets too loud. She believes everyone has it, but most people are just too busy or too disconnected from themselves to hear it. To use your intuition in daily life, youâve got to slow down and actually listen. That might look like journaling, meditating, walking in nature, or just getting still and asking, âWhat feels right?â not just âWhat makes sense?â
Life-changing decisions often come down to what aligns with your peace, not just your plan. Intuition doesnât always shout, it whispers. But when you learn to trust it, youâll find itâs one of the most powerful tools for creating a life thatâs authentic, aligned, and wildly fulfilling. Dana has built her client base through connection, trust, and word of mouth. She shared her story, showed up consistently, and created results for the people she worked with. That ripple effect turned into a community. It didnât happen overnight, but within a couple of years, she had a solid client base, and from there, it expanded globally. She now has helped over 3,000 clients across 9+ countries. Dana now primarily coaches high achievers who are ready to scale their impact without losing their soul.
Managing 3,000 clients across 9+ countries isnât about doing more â itâs about doing things smarter, with structure, soul, and strategy. Dana has built systems that support both personalization and scalability. That includes digital platforms, automated touchpoints, group coaching models, and a solid team. But even with all of that, the real key is presence. When she is with a client, whether itâs one or 100, sheâs all in.
For anyone managing multiple clients: boundaries are everything. You must protect your energy like itâs part of your business plan. Clear communication, systems that work while you sleep, and the ability to delegate are non-negotiables. And finally, donât forget the heart. People donât just want a service â they want to feel seen. Stay connected to that and youâll always stand out.
Manage your energy first, and your time will follow.
Danaâs biggest time management tip is to align your calendar with your energy, not just your tasks. Know when youâre most creative, most focused, most social, and batch your activities accordingly. She calls it âenergy-based scheduling.â Dana recommends time blocking like itâs a boundary, not a suggestion. Schedule rest and play, not just work. This keeps burnout at bay. Automate and delegate everything that doesnât require your personal magic. And, most importantly, prioritize what matters, not just whatâs urgent.
Currently, Danaâs biggest project is expanding her global coaching platform to support even more high-achieving women who are ready to step into their next chapter â whether thatâs building a soul-led business, healing from burnout, or rewriting the stories that have held them back. Sheâs also writing her second book which focuses on resilience, reinvention, and the power of coming home to yourself. Between that and hosting The Dana Grant Show, sheâs all-in on amplifying voices, creating safe spaces for transformation, and building a legacy that reflects love, truth, and possibility.
Danaâs first book The Truth Within The Lie will be out soon. Â In the book, Dana delivers a no-fluff, fire-breathing wake-up call for anyone done pretending, performing, or settling for less than what they came here to be. Drawing from her own powerful story of resilience and spiritual realignment, Dana guides readers to reconnect with Universal Principles that govern all creation â principles like alignment, intention, truth, and divine timing.
The Power of Starting Over
Dana Grant feels that no matter where you are in life, itâs never too late to hit reset, reclaim your story, and create something aligned with who you truly are. So many people feel trapped by their past decisions or current circumstances, but she believes that transformation is always possible when we give ourselves permission to grow without judgment. Whether itâs changing careers, healing old wounds, or stepping into a new identity, the journey of becoming is a beautiful, ongoing process, and itâs one Dana is passionate about supporting others through.
If you would like to learn more about Dana Grant, please visit danagrant.com.
This article was originally published on OpsLens.com.