By: Maria Williams

One night, while dreaming, Dana Grant saw herself standing in front of a blue door. Its white curtains swayed in the breeze, and a warm light filled the room. When she opened it, she was met with an unexpected visitor—herself. She reached out her hands for an embrace.

“She took my hands and thanked me for all the work I’ve done and every version of myself that got me here because it hasn’t been an easy road,” she shares. That moment in her dream made Grant realize just how far she’s come and inspired her to go back and hold space for every other version of herself, that which has helped her get to where she is now. 

Today, Grant is an accomplished life coach, keynote speaker, and podcast host. From the outside looking in, her story appears to be one of effortless success. But her journey has been far from it, consisting of resilience, inner strength, and learning to love herself even when it proved difficult.

In a recent episode of The Dana Grant Show featuring the inspiring Amberly Lago, Grant opened up about her struggles with self-image. Having an eating disorder while she was growing up to then being 50 pounds heavier at a certain point in her life led to a difficult time showing compassion to these previous versions of herself. 

“For most of my life, I had the image of needing to be skinny,” she shares. “I had an eating disorder for years, and when I started healing, I gained weight exponentially.”

As a child, Grant would indulge in sugar as a way to escape from the stressful home she grew up in. “It was a divided home, and there wasn’t a lot of peace for me,” she says. “I used to fill up my clarinet case with blow pops and fruity candies, and I would stay in my room practicing and eating candy as a stress mitigator.”

This early coping mechanism made it difficult for Grant to embrace herself for who she is, leading to more serious self-image issues later on in life. In a world that pressures women to look and be a certain way, many can relate to her experiences and the struggle of hiding parts of themselves that don’t fit into the mold. 

“I erased pictures with my new baby because I thought I looked horrible,” she continues. “But I want all those moments back.” Deciding that love and compassion are the answer, Grant worked on fixing her mindset, and her physical reality followed suit. 

She became consistent with asking herself, “Does this feel like love,” and only made decisions based on the answer she gave herself. “I became really heart-centered on what I wanted my goal to be, not ego-driven.”

Grant continues, “I think we have to connect to our hearts and look at what we love about our journeys. To gain weight is a journey. What did I love about that? I love the healing element of learning why I did it. I’m sad for that version of me because she was in so much grief. But I don’t shame her anymore. I have love and compassion for her.”

Through her dream, Grant was reminded that even the version of herself that she was previously unkind to is deserving of love, respect, and compassion. Her dream was more than a personal revelation, though. It was a universal experience that resonated with so many people. 

Many individuals have parts of themselves that they’ve hidden away, moments they’re not proud of, and versions of themselves that they’d rather forget. But Grant reminds us that it’s because of these previous versions of ourselves that we are who we are today. “I didn’t get me here; that version of me did. She’s the one that evolved and did the work, and I’m just a product of that,” she says. 

In October, Grant shares that she’s turning 60 years old and is now at a place in her life where she embraces every version of herself with love and acceptance. As she inches closer to this milestone birthday, she can look back on her journey with a deep sense of gratitude. 

As a Master Certified Life Coach, Grant works with clients to help them uncover a similar sense of pride and understanding of how powerful they truly are despite the negative feelings they may harbor towards themselves. 

If you would like to learn more about Dana Grant’s journey or how she can help you on your own, be sure to visit her website or tune in to her podcast for more nuggets of wisdom.

Published By: Aize Perez