We recently connected with Dana Mason and have shared our conversation below.
Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I hope to build a legacy centered on empowering individuals to take control of their health and well-being, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. I want people to remember me as someone who helped them reconnect with their true and best selves, find balance in their lives, and achieve a state of harmony that radiates through their personal lives, families and communities. I strive to be remembered for practicing with compassion, being a trusted guide, and leaving the world a little brighter through small acts of kindness and care. I hope my knowledge and approach to wellness will inspire a ripple effect, encouraging others to prioritize holistic health and pass on what they’ve learned to the people around them and next generation. Ultimately, I would feel fulfilled if people remembered me as someone who genuinely cared and made their lives a bit better by knowing me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an accomplished veteran in both the music entertainment industry and the realm of holistic healing. With a career spanning three decades, my journey has been marked by astute leadership, adept management, innovative solutions, creative finesse, and a profound dedication to personal growth and transformation. In the music entertainment sphere, my expertise has shined brightly in a series of leadership and marketing roles. As a multi-platinum and gold award-winning executive, I have worked with Grammy Award-winning musicians and hip-hop pioneers such as Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Wu Tang, Lauryn Hill, David Bowie, Jill Scott, Tina Turner, Tech n9ne and more, I recognized the power of music as a universal language and its power to heal. Throughout my wildly fun music career, my passion for personal growth and holistic well-being steadily grew. Drawing on my 20+ years of spiritual studies and empathy-driven nature, I officially embarked on a new path as a skilled healer, advisor, and holistic practitioner in 2024. Earning numerous certifications in various healing modalities, I crafted a unique approach that blends counseling, sound healing, and intuitive guidance to facilitate transformative journeys for my clients.
I was also fortunate enough to meet Dr. James P. Norris, affectionately known as Dr.J, on hip hop’s 50th birthday. We forged a partnership and co-founded a mental health program called Rhythms of Healing, that provides mental health counseling to underserved communities. We blend my holitistic expertise with his clinical expertise on the healing foundation of hip hop music. Our unique program teaches the fundamentals of meditation, breathwork, and sound (music) healing combined with clinical mental health therapy, in an intimate group setting. We have designed 1-day workshops, 4-day workshops and lastly the 13-week wellness cypher intensive program that takes a deeper dive into your mental health wellness journey.
We also created The (ROH) Rhythms of Healing Certification Program, launching February 1, 2025. This program is available to psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health counselors seeking culturally relevant training. Teachers, community leaders, and anyone looking to be of service, the (ROH) Counselor Certification Program offers clinical research, tools, and post-certification support to assist the work that is so necessary for a healthier community.
The Rhythms of Healing Counselor Certification Program is an innovative certification program designed to help psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health counselors from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, build a cultural connection that harmonizes the elements of hip-hop culture, meditation, and wellness practices into a transformative healing experience for the participants. For more information about the workshops, wellness cypher and certification program, go to www.rhythmsofhealing.us
I am so proud to be of service to the communities that are often overlooked. These communities have fewer, quality mental health resources and even less access to practitioners and clinicians that share the same cultural background. My solo practice and my co-practice with Dr. J, allows me to merge my love of music and wellness everyday!
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are so many books, articles and teachers that have had a tremendous effect on my personal/spiritual growth as a music executive to independent contractor, to holistic entrepreneur. Here’s my shortlist:
1. All You Need to Know About the Music Business – Donald Passman
2. Conversations With God Vol. 1,2,3 – Neale Donald Walsch
3. The 4 Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
4. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up – Dr. Iyanla Vanzant
5. Any book by Neville Goddard
6. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
7. The Autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda
8. Nothing is Missing – Nicole Walters
9. Hidden Potential; The Science of Achieving Greater Things – Adam Grant
10. The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X & Alex Haley
11. Mankiller: A Chief and Her People – Chief Wilma Mankiller
12. The Science Mind – Ernest Holmes
13. The Big Payback – Dan Charnes
14. Preparing Future Counselors to Work with BIPOC Identified Males:
The Integration of Hip Hop in Counselor Education – Dr. James Norris, Dr. Ian Levy & Dr. Adrienne S. Braggs
Again, a shortlist, but literature that I tend to re-read, highlight and gift. I hope readers find inspiration in one of these titles.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was that my sensitivity, which ultimately is a reflection of my intuition, is NOT a liability but my superpower.
It wasn’t until my later adult years that I finally got the lesson that my “knowingness” was not an active imagination or paranoia. This sixth sense of feeling the truth of people, situations etc was a true superpower and I needed to trust it no matter the lack of physical evidence or “facts.” More often than not, when I would doubt myself, doubt those gut feelings, I would do myself a disservice and the lessons would come hard and fast. Earlier in my career, I was in a very challenging industry where like most industries, a woman’s assertiveness is condemned as unlikable, disagreeable or hard to work with. Being a smart woman in a world of male-dominated mediocrity, made it exceptionally difficult to be heard and taken seriously. There were so many times I had the proper strategy, the right solutions, backed by facts and intuitive knowing, only to be dismissed and to have the very same strategies and solutions re-presented by a male counterpart and was praised as “out-of-the-box” problem solving or “genius approach.” Self-doubt killed that powerful inner voice for a while until I was able to find my way back to authentic myself. I went through a season of deep spiritual transformation that gave me the tools to harness my inner knowing which in turn, made me a stronger, sharper executive in the latter years of my career.
Now, I unapologetically embrace my sensitive nature and my intuition is my north star, without doubt. My self confidence, my decision-making skills, and leadership abilities are sharper than ever and I am deeply grateful for the challenges that ultimately led me to a better version of myself.
#stayinspired
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danamason.me
- Instagram: @atdanamason.me
- Other: https://www.rhythmsofhealing.us
Image Credits
Image1 /Personal Photo: Rikki Hughes
all other images: Jason Clark for Jason Clark Photography www.jasonclarkfoto.com
Red Sweater Images only : Todd Westphal Photography www.toddwestphal.com