Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani La Barrie.
Dani, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Danielle, but I’m better known as Dani. I was born in Homestead, Florida to island parents (from Trinidad & Tobago). I grew up as an only child, and have four older half-siblings. Growing up in Homestead, the idea of beauty (to me) were girls who were “thick” or “curvaceous.” I am on the thinner side. On the ‘outside,’ things looked fine but inside, I felt like I didn’t belong; I had a hard time feeling pretty. To this day, I am still on my self-love journey. Through middle school, high school, and college, I struggled with self-esteem issues that I made sure to hide. I didn’t like my glasses or my braces, and I especially hated my acne, to say the least.
Having been raised by strict, island parents who taught me to be very careful in my surroundings and always mind my p’s and q’s, over time, I developed issues with anxiety (to no fault of my parents). During and after college, I found myself committed to unhealthy relationships that eventually evolved into codependency. I not only created and fell into unhealthy habits but I self-medicated with substances detrimental to my health… This went on for some years. Eventually, I realized I was in an unending, unfulfilling cycle. I wanted more to life but I didn’t know what ‘more’ was. I felt like such a hypocrite. Here I was telling people not to do the very things I was doing.
Even though I wanted so badly to help others, I really needed to help myself. So I made the commitment to really work on myself. I started with little habits like stretching/practicing yoga as regularly as possible, and trying out guided meditations I found on YouTube. I started reading more self-help books and attending personal growth and development workshops and training. Now, I work part-time as a clinical director at a substance abuse treatment center in West Palm Beach and have a thriving virtual private practice where I coach people on creating a more fulfilling life without the use of people, substances, or things.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some of the struggles along the way included having to let go of people I thought were my “friends”. No longer fitting in the same box that I used to fit in. Before I got to where I am now, I felt very alone at times. Feeling like I didn’t quite belong because I had not yet made new friends that were more in alignment with who I was aspiring to be, meanwhile in the process of letting go of old friends who were doing the things I no longer wanted to do.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
I’m a licensed psychotherapist and happiness transformation coach. I am known for working with people who recognize they fill their unhappiness with things like sex, shopping, drugs, and alcohol. I have a virtual private practice where I coach people who are feeling unfulfilled and stressed out, online. My clients love it because it’s convenient, comfortable, and confidential.
My book ‘Stories of an Ex-Party Girl: How to feel happy and good about yourself without alcohol & drugs’ made Amazon Bestseller for Hot New Releases. What sets me apart from others is having professional as well as personal experience with mental health and substance abuse. My clients find that I am very effective because I’ve ‘been there’ and can very much relate to how they’re feeling.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have begun working on myself sooner. It took me about five or six years before I realized I had a problem and how contradicting I was living my life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 102 NE 2nd St #122
Boca Raton, FL 33432 - Website: www.DaniLaBarrie.com
- Phone: (954)646-8868
- Email: dani@danilabarrie.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danilabarrie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danilabarrie
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilabarrie/
Image Credit:
Workshop Photos: Erik Lieux Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
