Befriending Chaos
What if life was a collaborative partner, rather than a problem to be solved?
Hello + happy Tuesday!
Register for this week’s group calls here:
🌀 Group Call #1: (Tuesday, 8/20/24 @ 6pm PST // 9pm EST): Register here.
🌀 Group Call #2:** (Wednesday, 8/21/24 @ 9am PST // 12pm EST): Register here.
**This call features structured breakout groups of 3-4 people.
Today’s inspiration:
“Because of the routines we follow, we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure… and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art: to bring all our energies to each encounter, to remain flexible enough to notice and admit when what we expected to happen did not happen. We need to remember that we are created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.”
—Maya Angelou
During seasons of uncertainty—maybe it’s a career transition, or a loss or heartbreak; maybe it’s the repercussions of surviving a global plague, or the implications of existing inside a democracy in potential decline (you know…like what we’re collectively experiencing now)—your brain exhausts itself in attempts to manage the uncertainty, and reassert some semblance of control. You get tunnel vision, and lose perspective.
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You’re overwhelmed, but no matter how many “self-care” boxes you check, you can’t shake the uneasy sense that the “other shoe” is about to drop. Even meditation offers little relief, because it’s just more time you spend grinding away at the anxious thought loops in your mind.
You’re great at putting out fires and responding to the urgency of the moment, and, it’s getting harder to ignore that a lot of things that are important to you (joy and fun! time with people you love! creative projects and artistic self-expression!) keep getting shoved to the back-burner.
You want to stay engaged and informed, but if you’re honest, that often looks more like doomscrolling than anything that actually feels like effective action.
Speaking of: Your attention span is fractured, your nervous system is frayed, and even though you know at least a few strategies that would bring relief, you seem unable to apply what you know (which makes you feel even worse).
You long to deepen your relationships and experience authentic connections, but your post-COVID social engine is…different, and it feels impossible to plug back into the pulse of community.
In these moments, the last thing on your mind is how you might surrender to the forces of change. Instead, you try to manage the chaos and keep it under control every cautious step of the way.
And this isn’t about awareness—you have plenty of that (if anything, you sometimes wish you could be less aware of…oh, everything).
You could be the most aware, knowledgeable person on the planet. But all the knowledge in the world doesn’t change the fact that **knowing something doesn’t automatically result in behavior change—**and this is where the support of a coach comes in.
“Befriending Chaos” offers a practical model—a roadmap—for how to live differently. It requires reallocating resources, and getting honest and specific about priorities—and then putting structures and experiments in place to explore and honor those priorities.
It’s engaging with change and staying grounded along the way.
It’s learning to be guided by your body and heart, as much as your mind.
It’s operating from a place of authentic-to-you well-being, so you can stay engaged and available to the people and causes that matter most to you.
This three-month coaching program is elegantly structured and highly personalized to help you quiet the external noise, discover creative ways of living through such intense times, and connect to a visionary*** orientation to reality that is dynamic, engaging, participatory, and surprising.
You’re invited to deepen your engagement with the world, and I’ll be walking alongside you each step of the way.
***And what do we need now more than ever but a bigger vision for what’s possible for ourselves, for each other, for all living beings, for the whole planet? For systems and organizations? For the types of thoughts, beliefs, and ideas we hold as fact, or inevitabilities?
“Only chaos creates the abyss in which we can recreate ourselves.”
Margaret Wheatley
Intentions and Outcomes
Develop self-trust, even/especially when faced with challenge, struggle, change, and uncertainty
Put your inner critic where it belongs (in the backseat) and learn to be guided instead by your higher self
Reduce inner-urgency, clarify priorities, and connect to your values so you can stay engaged and stop getting distracted/derailed by the noise
Soften the dominance of the mind, and incorporate the wisdom of your body and heart as equally supportive aspects of your intelligence
Connect to a sense of inter-connectedness with the world (no “bootstrap pulling” here; you don’t have to do any of this alone)
Partner with chaos (yep) instead of letting chaos knock you off your center
Uncoil from cultural programming and embody a new way of being via customized somatic practices and exercises.
Augment your 1:1 experience by tapping into the vibrant and vivacious wonder that is the Self Made community (optional)
What’s included
Intake - 75-90 minutes
This is a deep dive into your story: Your strengths, challenges, and what you’d like to focus on in your coaching program. I’ll ask you about your goals and vision for the future, what motivates you, and what gets in your way.
We’ll establish a foundation for a coaching relationship that’s based on mutual trust and respect.
I’ll use this information to craft your unique program.
Custom program design & development plan
Your program will be both creative and outcome-based; you’ll be invited to consider new narratives for how you see yourself, and you’ll be working toward tangible, measurable results.
My approach is holistic: You’ll expand competency across multiples realms of your life, and explore the issues you want to address while plugging into a sense of vitality and aliveness along the way.
Nine (9) 1:1 coaching sessions - 50 minutes each
On our calls, we’ll discuss your progress, address new discoveries (and breakdowns!), and continue to refine your coaching program so that it’s always precisely tailored to you.
You’ll reflect on illuminations, breakthrough’s, and aha’s, and how to apply those learnings to your lived experience
We’ll check in regularly to ensure that progress is being made on program outcomes
Practices, self-awareness exercises, and more resources than you can shake a stick at
Between sessions, you’ll engage in practices, observations, somatic exercises, and more, all intended to support your personal development so you can embody change.
You’ll begin to engage with uncertainty from a place of curiosity, learning practical steps take aligned action in the direction of befriending chaos in your life.
Pricing & Payment Options
Pay in full: One time payment of $1,500
Payment plan: Three payments of $525
Please don’t hesitate to book an ALIGNMENT SESSION with me if you’d like to discuss coaching prior to making the financial—not to mention, time—commitment. We’ll spend an hour together and discern mutual fit for an ongoing coaching engagement. I DON’T DO HARD SELLS. Let’s be together and if it’s a good fit, great! You might also leave our conversation with a handful of resources and suggestions for stuff you can get started on on your own. I’m on your team either way <3
YES YES YES I’m ready to BEFRIEND CHAOS →click here!
Testimonials
“When I met Dani, I was at an inflection point and ready to make changes across different areas of my life. All of this change, all at once, seemed daunting yet exciting for my personal growth. Having Dani as a thought partner was invaluable in navigating challenges and gaining unique perspectives. Throughout, she customized her holistic and dynamic approach to my evolving needs. Without Dani's creative guidance, I would not have undergone such a profound transformation. The tools she provided remain an essential support, helping me navigate through challenges with continued effectiveness. It was a transformative experience that gave me a fresh glimpse of my true potential.” – Malinda H., client
“Before coaching, I was dealing with ever-present overwhelm. I thought there was just something wrong with me, and that I was incapable of handling the challenges that life brought me. I was also going through many major life changes, and working with Dani helped me make sense of the purpose of those changes and how to survive them with mindset shifts, not just quick fixes. And holy shit, I don’t think I would have made it through any of it without the light on my path that provided. I untangled so much of the stuff that was holding me back and I was able to just be completely present with my brother through the end of his life. That was the moment I knew my experience with coaching had changed me.” – EmRo, client
“I knew I wanted to work with a coach who could approach things from the perspective of an artist. I was struggling to figure out how to balance making art for self growth versus as part of an art career. I was apprehensive about explaining the nuances of the various aspects of being an artist. Dani was able to hear and reflect back what I was expressing with the understanding of someone who had their own relationship with art making and creativity. The most impactful part of working with Dani was learning fresh tools and practices for grounding. Before coaching, my stress and anxiety had me forgoing lots of mindfulness practices. Dani helped me revisit and build upon tools that I had used in the past.” – Siyu S., client
Are you living into your own questions? Do you suspect your nervous system could use some care and tending? Are you ready to expand into a more grounded, engaged way of being in your life? This is deep work and if you’re curious/ready, I’d love to chat.
SELF MADE empowers you to liberate yourself from societal programming and step boldly into a life of your design. Posts are written by me, Dani Cirignano, writer, Integral Coach, and recovery guide based in San Francisco, CA.
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Thank you.