HEY. I’M DANA.

Yay! Professional photos taken by my friend and rockstar photographer Ian McLaren.

All these photos were taken at the property where we do our retreats, Cypress Resort & Marine, because it’s very special to me—it’s one of the first places I went after my mother died in 2016. (Are you grappling with messy, complex feelings from losing your mother to death or estrangement? You should come to a retreat!)

OK, now the bio stuff: I’m the creator and host of I Swear on My Mother’s Grave, a podcast you can learn all about here.

I’m also a SAG-AFTRA actor in television, film and voiceover. I have had fun scenes as a sassy doctor, sassy sister, sassy bartender, and sassy lawyer on TV in shows like The Big Leap, Chicago Med, Empire, Inferno, Proven Innocent and Hot Date. I have also done theater in Chicago and regionally for over 20 years, with companies like Steppenwolf, Northlight, Timeline Theatre, Raven, American Blues, Theatre Squared, Steep and About Face (where I was nominated for an Equity Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actress). I am a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf in Chicago, and am represented by Grossman & Jack Talent Agency in Chicago, Illinois.

I’m a speaker delivery coach for TEDxChicago, and I coach people privately. I am a professional moderator/emcee and host. Hire me to help make your event run smoothly by a professional who is not only going to bring great storytelling and energy, but a lot of needed sass and levity!

My husband Jonathan and I recently moved from Chicago—our home for 20 years—to live in Traverse City, Michigan. I am looking forward to becoming a moderator with the National Writers Series in Traverse City, and well, kayaking.

I am looking forward to kayaking.