Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Dantus
Hi Tanya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey to becoming a psychotherapist and coach has been anything but linear—it’s been a beautiful, messy adventure of self-discovery, healing, and transformation across cultures and traditions.
Growing up between Mexico and the United States with a complex family dynamic—split parents, a stepmother, all half-siblings—I often felt caught between worlds, never quite fully belonging anywhere. This intersectional identity experience taught me early on about the nuances of navigating different spaces while carrying the weight of intergenerational patterns and cultural expectations.
After completing my BA, I felt called to return to Mexico to immerse myself in indigenous wisdom and healing practices. There, I began the deeper work of addressing my own inherited trauma and cultural baggage. I discovered the power of women’s circles, somatic work, and holistic approaches—becoming certified as a yoga therapist, facilitating rituals and circles, and exploring how movement, dance, and ritual could facilitate the healing I was seeking for myself.
Life circumstances eventually brought me back to the US, where I continued my personal healing journey at Shakti Rising, an alternative women’s recovery center. Living and apprenticing there for two years, I studied herbalism and worked alongside women in recovery, witnessing how community and embodied practices could transform lives—including my own.
The experience of becoming a single mother accelerated my healing in profound ways. Motherhood became my greatest teacher on boundaries, saying “no,” and breaking codependent patterns I’d inherited. I knew that if I wanted my son to pursue his dreams someday, I needed to model living my own and break the cycles I’d witnessed. This realization propelled me back to school to earn my Master’s in Counseling Psychology while raising my young son.
My professional journey also led me to spend seven years living and working in Germany, further expanding my understanding of cultural influences on identity and healing. Along the way, I became a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, equipping me to work effectively with trauma at the body level—something I had experienced firsthand.
What emerged from my personal healing work was the “RIFRA Method” (Root-Impact-Feel-Reflect-Action), which I developed by testing what actually worked in my own life. This approach now helps my clients—particularly sensitive and successful women who struggle with boundaries and people-pleasing—to heal at the root level while creating practical change in their lives.
Today, I run a practice that weaves together traditional psychotherapy, coaching, Somatic Experiencing, and expressive arts. I also lead group programs like “Right HerStory,” where women reclaim their narratives through guided storytelling and performance. Watching my clients transform from constantly saying “yes” when they mean “no” to confidently owning their power affirms that sharing my own healing journey was worth it.
What I know now that I wish I’d known earlier is that our deepest wounds often become our greatest gifts. My own cross-cultural journey through belonging, codependency, boundary struggles, and finding my voice has become the foundation for helping other women do the same. That’s the beautiful alchemy of this work—personal pain transformed into purpose
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The path to building my practice has certainly had its share of challenges. Like many healers and helpers, I had to learn that my own healing needed to come first—something that didn’t always come naturally to me as someone who was conditioned to put others’ needs before my own.
One of my biggest struggles was balancing single motherhood with building a professional practice from scratch. There were nights of working after my son went to bed, moments of questioning if I could really make this vision work, and the constant juggling act that any parent-entrepreneur knows well. Learning to ask for help and create support systems was a lesson I needed to learn repeatedly.
Cultural transitions presented another layer of complexity. Moving between the US, Mexico, and later Germany meant rebuilding community and professional networks multiple times (not to mention having to learn German at age 35 & then pass a professional examination in GERMAN to be able to practice there—a challenge that tested my resilience in ways!).
Perhaps the most challenging aspect was embracing the vulnerability of sharing my own healing journey as part of my work. There’s a delicate balance between authentic connection and appropriate professional boundaries. Finding that sweet spot took time and continues to evolve. This challenge connects to the unrealistic expectation that therapists should have “all their stuff together.” The truth is that healing and growth are ongoing journeys for everyone—including those guiding others. I subscribe to the idea that leadership means being able to admit one’s vulnerability and model things like admitting a mistake, apologizing or making an amends. Learning to embrace my own humanity while still showing up as a leader for my clients has been both challenging and profoundly enriching.
The business side of healing work came with its own learning curve. Transitioning from the mindset of “I just want to help people” to valuing my expertise and creating sustainable business practices wasn’t always comfortable, but it was necessary to continue serving others effectively.
These challenges, while difficult, have ultimately enriched my work. They’ve taught me firsthand about resilience, adapting to change, and finding strength in vulnerability—lessons that inform how I support my clients through their own transformations.
As you know, we’re big fans of Tanya Dantus. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) with experience at prestigious institutions like The Meadows, I help high-achieving professional women who appear successful on the outside but feel stuck, disconnected, and weighed down by codependency, attachment wounds, and inherited beliefs. I’ve come to recognize this constellation of symptoms as what I call “Modern Detachment Syndrome” – a widespread but often misunderstood condition many women experience in today’s high-pressure world.
My RIFRA Method (Root-Impact-Feel-Reflect-Action) is a unique approach that blends Somatic Experiencing, Depth Psychology, and Expressive Arts to address these challenges at their core. Unlike approaches that focus solely on behavior change or past analysis, this method helps women heal at the root level while creating practical change in their present lives.
I’m known for creating safe containers where women can explore their full range of emotions—especially the ones our culture often discourages, like anger and grief. Through both individual and group work, I guide clients in reclaiming their authentic voice and setting boundaries without guilt, moving them from emotional overwhelm to deep clarity and confidence.
My signature program, “Right HerStory,” is truly the pinnacle of my work and absolutely unique in the therapeutic landscape! This transformative 6-month journey guides women through reclaiming their narratives and culminates in powerful stage presentations where they share their stories. The energy in the room during these presentations is electric—audience members find themselves moved to tears, witnessing the raw vulnerability and strength of these women claiming their voice. It’s medicine they didn’t know they needed! What’s most beautiful is the blurring of lines between who’s healing and who’s being healed—the presenters step into their power while audience members experience their own profound shifts. There’s simply nothing like this out there combining therapeutic depth with the transformative power of witnessed storytelling.
What sets my work apart is the unique blend–the integration of cross-cultural perspectives with evidence-based practices, the therapeutic background + coaching, the traditional + more alternative or expressive arts approaches. Having lived and worked across different countries & studied so many different modalities, I bring a unique understanding of how cultural, familial, and other contexts shape our sense of self and belonging. My clinical training as an LMFT combined with my Somatic Experiencing certification adds a crucial body-based dimension to the healing process, addressing trauma where it’s stored—in the nervous system and body.
I’m most proud of witnessing the ripple effects when a woman transforms her relationship with herself. When she starts honoring her boundaries and speaking her truth, it affects not just her life but her relationships, work environment, and how she parents. Through our work together, my clients create fulfilling relationships, meaningful careers, and lives fully aligned with their values. That generational healing is what drives me every day.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve always found the concept of “luck” fascinating because what looks like good or bad fortune often reveals itself differently with time and perspective. That said, I recognize I’ve been fortunate in many ways.
I’ve been lucky to encounter powerful teachers and mentors at pivotal moments in my journey. From the indigenous healers in Mexico who expanded my understanding of somatic work to the women who guided me at Shakti Rising, I’ve been blessed with guides who appeared when I most needed their wisdom. These encounters weren’t purely random—I was actively seeking growth—but the timing and quality of these connections certainly contained an element of serendipity.
On the flip side, what initially seemed like “bad luck” often became transformative turning points. My journey through single motherhood while building a practice might have appeared challenging on the surface, but it forced me to embody the very boundaries and self-trust I now teach. The financial and emotional pressures became my greatest teachers.
Similarly, my experience living abroad in Germany—with all its difficulties of learning a new language and navigating different systems—enriched my work in ways I couldn’t have planned. The outsider perspective gave me insights into cultural conditioning that now inform how I help women recognize and release inherited patterns.
Rather than luck, I prefer to think about alignment. When I’m aligned with my purpose and values, opportunities seem to emerge, connections deepen, and even challenges become growth opportunities. This doesn’t mean there aren’t genuine hardships or privileges that impact our paths, but it does mean we can work with whatever circumstances arise.
I believe strongly in preparation meeting opportunity. The “lucky breaks” in my business came after consistent work and showing up authentically. The client who refers five friends, the invitation to speak at a conference, the perfect collaboration partner—these appear when we’ve laid the groundwork through dedication to our craft and service.
What I’m most grateful for isn’t luck but the resilience to transform difficulties into wisdom that serves others.
Pricing:
- Individual Therapy: $250/session
- Coaching Packages: Start at $500/month
- 6-Month Right HerStory: Early Bird +Launch Special $2994 (Payment Plans avail) (Regular: $4995)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tanyadantus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanyadantus
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyadantus
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-dantus/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TanyaDantusDreamCoach
Image Credits
Credit: Lunazul Photography (picture with white cloth & writing at table).
Gunnar Deuring (yoga pose & hand extended in field)
