Small Steps Create Big Shifts

Hi there! Welcome to the blog.

I’m Dani, and I’m so glad you found your way to this little corner of the internet. My hope is that this is a place where we spark conversations, we inspire new ideas, we invoke courage, we promote authenticity, we invite vulnerability, we discover more about ourselves and God’s calling on our lives, maybe meet some new people, laugh together, cry together, learn to ask questions and be curious, and over all leave better than when we came! This is a place for curiosity and connection. If there’s 2 things I’ve learned it’s these: change doesn’t happen overnight, and success doesn’t happen alone. If you want to grow, be ready for the smaller daily decisions, that when you look back you realize got you to where you are now. It’s true what smart people say, life is a marathon not a sprint! If you’re like me, you might be an independent, “I can do it myself” kind of person. I’ve fallen off a few counters just to prove I can reach my own cup… One day I’ll appreciate others as much as I’d like to.

I’m a very down-to-earth type of lady, and I tend to tell it like it is. I hope that’s ok with you! I have a very big heart, with some very big feelings, and at the same time I’m not well known for having much of a filter to be honest with you. To this day 2 of my close friends still joke that we weren’t friends in high school because they thought I was intimidating and that I didn’t like them. Maybe it was my face? I don’t know. Anyways, if my mouth doesn’t say it, my expressions will. I tell the truth out of love though! I value honesty and efficiency; I’m a real go getter. This drives my fiancé nuts when I call him on a Saturday morning and by 8am I’ve already given him an itinerary of 7 different things I have for us to do and he’s still rubbing those morning crusties out of his eyes.

I’m a private practice therapist, owner of Seeds of Hope Therapy, LLC in Madison WI! I do trauma and addiction work for teens and millennials, helping heal what we call in the therapy world “your inner child”. You might be thinking; oh boy, if you’re a go getter, how’s that going with the business thingy? Good question. My brain works faster than my body, so when I tell you my business is going places, it will eventually-I just can’t make them all happen right now! I love being a therapist. It’s my calling, my passion, and it’s something that allows me to make a difference here on this planet every day, leaving it better than I found it! I think a lot of us in the therapy field sort of became who we needed when we were younger, which leads me to my next “about me” thing…

I’m a paraplegic *gasp… That’s right, I’m a paraplegic who owns a business and has a fiancé and is a fully functioning adult! Society has a lot to say about people with disabilities, and a joy of mine in life is proving to people that I can accomplish things that they didn’t think I could. (some might call that a toxic trait; I call it motivation… probably another one of those toxic traits). I was born with Spina Bifida, a common birth defect. I grew up around primarily able-bodied people who were wonderful, but they didn’t look like or do things like me. It wasn’t until I was 11 and found wheelchair basketball that I truly realized what paraplegics were capable of in this world, and I knew I wanted to have a higher standard of living for myself. I still play basketball to this day, alongside some paralympic level women with gold medals, espy awards, etc. but what I love most about them is that I get to watch them be moms, wives, successful in business, get degrees, and win at life in general. And one of them will be next to me at my wedding! They are a wonderful tribe of empowering women, and they helped inspire who I became today.

I’m also a family gal, a foodie, and a Christian! My faith in God is what got me this far. I’m a sister, a daughter, a cousin, and an auntie to basically a whole football team! One of my goals in telling you this is to see the many hats I wear, and that therapy isn’t my whole life. I have goals of writing books, becoming a mom, doing more public speaking, doing consulting and training for other therapists, traveling more, and being a joyful, well-rounded person and whatever else God calls me to be! I love comedy, rom coms, books, farmers markets, flowers, sports, Disney movies, and so many other random joys of life.

This blog will represent all of that. We won’t just cover one topic, because I want it to be relevant, real-life topics that need to be talked about! So forgive me if it feels chaotic or not cohesive at times. There will be days when things get serious and therapeutic, there will be days when we talk business strategy and all things private practice, days when things are sarcastic and lighthearted because life is weird y’all. My goal is to bring people together and be in community, and to add value to your life! I’m here to encourage you to take the next step, whatever that looks like for you. For me one of those things was starting this blog! I’m grateful you’re along for the ride with me. I’m just here to plant the seeds.