We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dana Grant a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

One of the most impactful pieces of advice I ever gave a client was:

“Stop negotiating with your worth.”

She was a brilliant creative entrepreneur — the kind of person who pours her heart into her work. When she came to me, she was stuck in a consulting contract with a company that constantly undervalued her. They’d ask for extra work outside the scope, delay payments, and subtly chip away at her confidence by questioning her rates and ideas.

She kept saying things like, “Maybe I should lower my fee just this once,” or “They’re a big client, so I don’t want to push back too hard.”

That’s when I looked at her and said, “You keep negotiating with your worth like it’s up for debate. It’s not. You bring value. You solve problems. You create results. You don’t need to keep proving that.”

It was a turning point.

From there, we worked on re-establishing her boundaries, rebranding her offerings, and restructuring her pricing so that it reflected her real value — not her fear. Within two months, she had respectfully ended the contract with that client, signed two new aligned partnerships at double the rate, and started showing up with a level of clarity and confidence that changed everything.

The result? She went from people-pleasing and over-delivering to owning her space in the marketplace — with grace and power.

The takeaway: When you stop negotiating your worth, the right clients — the ones who value you — stop negotiating with you.

Dana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Dana Grant — Master Question Asker, Soul Liberator, and Life Celebrator. I help people wake up to their own brilliance, get crystal clear on what they truly want, and build a life or business that reflects their deepest calling.

My path into this work has been anything but linear — and that’s what makes it so powerful. I’ve spent years working in leadership. I co-founded a national food brand (Cali’Flour Foods), and led teams in both corporate and creative spaces. Through it all, one truth kept surfacing: I have a gift for asking the right questions — the kind that crack things open, the kind that lead people home to themselves.

Today, I blend all of that experience into transformational coaching and strategic mentorship. I work with ambitious entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders who are ready to rise — not just in their careers, but in their clarity, their confidence, and their capacity to lead with purpose.

I help clients who are stuck at a crossroads — in business, identity, or direction — and guide them back to clarity. Whether someone is building a brand, scaling a business, or simply redefining what success means on their own terms, I’m the person they call when they’re ready to stop playing small.

What sets me apart: I’m not a cookie-cutter coach. I’m a truth-teller with a lot of heart and a wild belief in human potential. I see people clearly — often before they see themselves. I ask the bold questions. I hold the mirror up. And then I celebrate like crazy when they rise into what they were always meant to be.

What I’m most proud of: The transformations. The moments when clients go from “Can I really do this?” to “I am doing this.” The podcasts launched, the businesses built, the brave decisions made. That’s the real win for me.

If you remember one thing about me and my brand, let it be this: I’m here to help you get unstuck, stand tall, and celebrate the hell out of your life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn? That I had to earn rest.

For years, I believed rest was a reward — something you only got after the grind, after proving your productivity, after everyone else was taken care of. I wore busyness like a badge of honor. If I wasn’t doing something, I felt guilty. Lazy. Behind.

The backstory? I come from high-achieving environments — both in corporate settings and entrepreneurial ventures — where being “on” 24/7 was the norm. Add to that a personal drive to do it all and do it well, and I found myself constantly pushing, producing, and performing… until I burned out. More than once.

The real shift came when I started asking myself:
What if rest isn’t a reward? What if it’s a right?

I had to unlearn the idea that my value was tied to how hard I worked. That breakthrough didn’t just change how I operate — it changed how I coach. Now, I build rest and recovery into my clients’ business models. I help them design success that feels good, not just looks good on paper.

Because at the end of the day, sustainability isn’t soft — it’s smart. And rest? That’s where the real magic regenerates.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the most defining moments of resilience in my journey came when I walked away from the safety of a steady, high-paying corporate career to pursue my calling — helping others transform their lives and businesses.

I had just transitioned out of a high-level corporate and lobbyist role, co-founded a food company, and was now stepping into an entirely new creative industry — with no roadmap, no formal training, and a whole lot of self-doubt whispering, “Who do you think you are?”

At the time, I had climbed the ranks, held leadership roles, and was managing teams at some of the most respected institutions. From the outside, it looked like success. But on the inside, I felt a pull I couldn’t ignore — a deeper mission to use my voice, my intuition, and my lived experience to guide others.

The moment I made the decision to leave, reality hit hard. There was no paycheck on the 15th and 30th. No built-in structure. No one telling me what came next. I had to build it — all of it — from scratch.

I was offering coaching, workshops, and transformational support, but it took time to find my rhythm, refine my message, and attract aligned clients. There were times I questioned everything. I had moments of “Did I make a mistake?” but I always circled back to purpose. I knew I wasn’t called to play small — and neither were the people I was meant to serve. Now I am a seven-figure business!

That season taught me that resilience isn’t about never doubting yourself — it’s about hearing the doubt and choosing to show up anyway. It’s about leading yourself through uncertainty with vision, intention, and a whole lot of grit.

Today, I coach clients through the very same kind of leap — whether they’re launching a business, stepping into leadership, or redefining what success means on their terms. And I do it with the wisdom that only comes from walking it myself.

Because I believe in this truth: If you’re brave enough to choose yourself, everything can change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danagrant.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealdanagrant/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedanagrant
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-grant-408522a2/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealdanagrant

Image Credits

Amy Termini Photography