Reclaim your voice, your choices, and your life—by releasing what was never yours to carry.
I help you break free from the patterns, pressure, and past experiences that keep you stuck—so you can finally move forward with clarity and confidence.
Book Dana to Speak at Your Event
What are you still carrying that isn't yours?
Take the 7-minute Power Shift Diagnostic™ QUIZ to identify exactly what is draining your power—and how to take it back.
Remember who you were before the world convinced you to forget.
It's not about what broke you.
It's about the mindset that rebuilds you.
As someone who suffered decades of narcissistic abuse and domestic violence, I know that we often feel like our circumstances are unique; that no one else is going through what we are going through, and no one would believe us if we told them the truth. I also know that it’s not always safe or financially feasible to leave an abusive situation, so there is no judgment here. Just support, community and information.
So, I invite you to engage with all the resources provided herein, to find empowerment to heal, shift your mindset, and create a life around who you were always meant to be. 💕
Follow Dana’s personal journey through her memoir trilogy
Gasping for Air: The Stranglehold of Narcissistic Abuse
Dana’s best-selling debut memoir that tells the true story of her life with a narcissistic partner and the abuse she endured. Spanning from early red flags to the courage it took to finally escape, Gasping for Air pulls back the curtain on narcissistic abuse and lets survivors know they are understood. (“It’s not just vanity – narcissistic abuse is real, insidious, and it can happen to anyone,” Dana emphasizes in her story.)
Choking on Shame: The Scapegoat Child in a Narcissistic Family
The #1 New Release prequel to Gasping for Air, this upcoming memoir delves into Dana’s tumultuous childhood. It exposes how growing up with abuse and trauma set the stage for accepting toxic relationships later in life. Choking on Shame is a courageous look at the childhood wounds behind the shame – and how understanding those early injuries is key to breaking free.
Rising from the Ashes: Breaking the Cycle of Narcissistic Abuse
In the highly anticipated sequel, Dana shares the next chapter of her journey: healing, empowerment, and rebuilding a life of joy and purpose after abuse. Rising from the Ashes will inspire readers to break the cycle and emerge stronger than ever.
Want a PREVIEW before you commit?
Download the first two chapters of Gasping for Air – free
Get a powerful glimpse into Dana’s story of survival, awareness, and healing.
Who I Work With
Why Dana?
Survivor & Advocate: Dana isn’t just talking about overcoming narcissistic abuse – she’s lived it. With decades of firsthand experience, she speaks with authenticity and empathy about surviving narcissists, from a painful childhood to a toxic marriage.
Bestselling / Award-Winning Author: As the author of Gasping for Air: The Stranglehold of Narcissistic Abuse, Dana shines a light on the hidden realities of emotional and psychological abuse. Her memoir – inspired by her own life – became a #1 bestseller, validating countless readers and bringing awareness to covert abuse. trauma.
Inspirational Speaker: Dana has quickly become a sought-after speaker for conferences, corporations, and community groups. She has been featured on nearly 300 podcasts and media interviews worldwide, sharing her story and insights with audiences around the globe. Event organizers praise Dana’s warm, engaging style, raw relatability, and actionable takeaways.
Empowering Identity Strategist: In addition to speaking, Dana offers self-guided and supported courses that provide practical tools and heart-centered guidance for rebuilding self-worth, setting healthy boundaries, and aligning time and energy towards the life you truly want and the version of yourself just waiting to live it.
The Real Obstacle
The issue isn’t talent, intelligence, or opportunity.
The biggest challenge faced by individuals
and teams
is internal:
self-limiting beliefs.
They crush confidence, block creativity, and keep people
playing it safe and small.
Why Dana
With certifications in Emotional and Positive Intelligence
Over two decades leading top sales teams and helping hundreds of people
Dana turns EQ into a powerful tool
for leadership, growth, and success.
The Power Shift
After hearing Tara speak, audiences don’t just leave inspired
they leave empowered.
They walk away with tools they can use right away to lead more
effectively, communicate with clarity,
and show up with confidence. Dana delivers relatable stories,
real-world strategies, and actionable
insights that stick.
A Speaker that disrupts what you believe and empowers you with the truth to excel!
Dana S. Diaz is the speaker that curates the Power within through unflinching truth.
Deep down, you know there’s something bigger waiting for you.
You’ve got an amazing idea one that people need but you’re not sure how to take the first step.
With the right strategy and a coach who’s been there, you know you could build something powerful. You don’t want to waste time (or money) chasing methods that don’t work you want a proven path.
You’re ready to learn what it really takes to start and grow a successful business that lasts.
Looking for a Dynamic Expert Podcast Guest?
Dana S. Diaz is not only a powerful speaker—she’s also an exceptional podcast guest. With over 300 interviews to date, Dana brings clarity, compassion, and credibility to every conversation.
Whether you're producing a podcast on mental health, women's empowerment, trauma recovery, mindset or relationships, Dana offers a voice that’s both authoritative and relatable. The trauma made her funny, too!
Topics Dana can speak to:
Red flags and what they reflect about ourselves
Empowerment with boundaries, boundaries, and more boundaries!
Healing from narcissistic abuse and toxic relationships
Covert emotional abuse and trauma bonds
Childhood trauma and toxic family systems
Rebuilding self-worth and identity
How I Help
Courses
Neuroscience-based programs designed to help you take back your life
Group Program
A personalized & powerful 6-week experience for those wanting results and support
Expert Contributor
Insights & tips from the perspective of someone with lived experience
Keynote Speaker
Dynamic & Compassionate, encouraging & empowering
How Your Inner Dialogue Rewires Your Brain (and keeps you stuck in toxic cycles)
Most people don't realize how words impact—and even determine—their beliefs about themselves, as well as the trajectory of their lives.
As I shared in my second memoir, CHOKING ON SHAME: The Scapegoat Child in a Narcissistic Family, I absorbed my mother's references to me as an "accident" and a "mistake." The resulting combination of low self-esteem and unworthiness led to a twenty-five-year-long relationship to an abusive and violent narcissist whom I married and now share a child with.
My story isn't unique, though.
A Harvard study demonstrated the shocking reality that children hear approximately 18 negative statements for every positive one.
What's worse is that those negative statements, through repetition, cause the brain to believe those words are true; and when we believe something to be a truth, that truth creates our reality.
How?
Thinking or hearing negative words or statements:
Increases cortisol—the stress hormone that induces anxiety and other mental health issues
Lowers immune system function and even plays a part in autoimmunity
Changes the structure and functionality in parts of the brain, thereby impairing perception and decision-making capability
(That last consequence is the most important concept to understand when asking why women so often remain in adverse circumstances, and also explains drug and alcohol addiction. It's not a logical or rational choice; it's an inability to discern perception from truth.)
Neuroplasticity dictates that the words we think and hear, along with what we see and experience in the world around us, develop our sense of perception. Our nervous systems then settle into the comfort of those perceived beliefs, and subconsciously lead us into dynamics that prove those beliefs to be true.
Using my childhood as an example, the verbal and physical abuse I endured compelled me to believe that I really was a "mistake," and therefore did not deserve better than what I was given. That is what led me to repeat that familiar dynamic with my first husband, and the reason too many people repeat toxic cycles and repeat generational trauma.
The good news is that neuroplasticity works to our benefit, as well! Just as the repetition of negative words and statements can hinder our health and happiness, replacing them with positive words and statements can promote them!
The key to achieving success with this is self-awareness.
Next time you find yourself thinking or saying some self-deprecating phrase or hear someone insult you, stop and:
😁Reframe: Turn the negative statement into a positive one. Even less than ideal situations can be perceived in a positive sense. For example, instead of voicing, "I'm so stupid," say, "I am still learning." Instead of saying, "I'm broken," say, "I'm reasonably affected.
😁Repeat: Say the reframe out loud. Three times is the magic number. If you're a real go-getter, write the reframe on a post-it note, on a mirror, or on a whiteboard, if you have one.
😁Rewire: The more often you reframe and repeat, the more your brain will become accustomed to the new thought process. Eventually, your brain will automatically think and say the more positive reframe without so much effort on your part, and then your perception will adjust accordingly.
It's pretty powerful to know how to harness control of your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. What's even more powerful is the change that is created by replacing negative thoughts, and the expansion you'll see in yourself, your relationships, your health, your career, your income, and your overall happiness, as a result.✨
For those who are ready to learn more about how to take back their power—and their life—I offer two self-guided courses that show you how to shift 5 areas of your life to your highest (and happiest) benefit.
🔗Take the Power Shift Diagnostic Quiz to determine which course will best get you to where you want to go!
What others are saying
TESTIMONIALS
A story of strength and overcoming fear and finding self worth! This book was very well written and demonstrated a story I have seen several friends and family go through. The isolation from family and friends, the verbal and physical abuse or even just belittling and loss of self worth. Seeing how the author over comes and find her strength. How after time, she had a great friend who was there waiting. Finding real love with a supportive and caring man and being willing to open up and take a chance to love. I hope many women read this and see it can be anyone and help loose the stereotype and blame, to find ways to prevent this from happening to friends and family or even themselves! A recommended read for all!
AMAZING!!! A MUST READ!!! I couldn’t put the book down! If I didn’t have to work or do life, I would’ve read this cover to cover without stopping. It’s such a well-written, beautifully horrifying story. Dana is honest, raw, and shares intimate details of her relationship that anyone can relate to who has been in a narcissistic relationship. She reminds us of the subtle signs of this behavior that are so easy to overlook and justify when you’re first in it - and then making it hard to leave years down the road -especially when there is a kid involved. I love that the chapters are song titles. There is so much creativity, brutal honesty, and even some humor in this book that make it an easy read. I recommend this book for everyone! Even if you haven’t been with a narcissist, it’s good to know the subtle signs of this behavior and often we encounter people like this in our lives at work and in other situations. I’m going to purchase more books and give them to the people I love that I know would benefit from reading them. Thank you, Dana for sharing your story with us!!
Riveting Truth Here! Dana Diaz is profoundly brave and on a mission in this lifetime. Her book, Gasping for Air took me on a ride that I could relate to through her honest portrayal of what it is like to walk through fire and come out in one piece. Diaz's tempo and pivotal truth-telling uncover realities in living we often hide behind, deny or become desensitized enough to think they are normal. She has stepped up repeatedly to take a ride through hellish hallways all to share with her readers the truth behind abuse and narcissism. Brava, Dana Diaz for dropping the curtain to unveil the cold and brutal truth of a system that is eating humanity from the inside out. And I can't wait for the prequel. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Definitely a MUST read!!! This book grasped my attention from the beginning and I couldn't put it down! Very well written, as it walks you through the experience of an abusive relationship and its toll on everyone involved. This book gave me an enlightened understanding of what victims go through when under the control of a narcissistic personality. Not only was this a great portrayal of how manipulation and control can affect a family, it also gives a heightened awareness as to how it weighs on an individual to the point of trauma induced health issues. Hopefully, this story will be helpful to others in similar situations. Great job Dana!
Very good read. Dana is a great author and knows how to grab the reader. Finished this book in only a few days and can’t wait for the next one!
A great read! I loved this book! Such an important and painful topic, written with such honesty and compassion. I couldn’t stop reading it and rooting for Dana! I have an adult daughter and will be giving her this book. I hope Dana’s well-written reflections of her experiences will help shed light on the warning signs of a relationship with a narcissist. The stories of helplessness, love, optimism and persistence should resonate with every woman of every age!
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