Today we’d like to introduce you to Danya Kalla.
Hi Danya, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my spiritual journey around six years ago. I was reliving a lot of the same patterns in my life, getting a lot of the same results, and knew there had to be more than what I was taught. I decided to take matters into my own hands and get to finding a solution for my feeling so stuck. I was able to find a community of like minded people, and threw myself into a program that I had been 100% avoiding. I was invited quite a few times from a great friend of mine to attend this Emotional Intelligence program and I had politely declined every single time, until I reached a turning point in my life in which I knew the next step was to dig deeper within and acknowledge the toxic and self-sabotaging behavior I was so used to. I was enrolled into the Emotional Intelligence program and from there everything started to fall into place and I started to fall in love with the process of taking responsibility for every single thing in my life. I got to face the deepest, darkest parts of myself in a way I might never have done had I not taken the leap and done something that made me extremely uncomfortable.
I realized in joining this program that life wasn’t actually working against me, but that it was actually working FOR me. All of the hardships, trials, tribulations, sadness, grief, disappointment was all leading me to the mirror where I could take a good look at myself and assume responsibility for the life I was creating. From that program until now, I have implemented taking full responsibility for any and all situations that were occurring in my life, and if I wasn’t the direct cause of my circumstance, then I took responsibility for my responses and my choices surrounding the circumstance. After my plunge into Emotional Intelligence, I really became focused on what I ate and how frequently I exercised my body and shifted my focus into creating a lifestyle that was congruent with my spiritual path. Lifestyle With Danz was born shortly after that. Lifestyle With Danz encompasses Mind, Body and Soul through practice of eating clean movement of the body daily to ensure strength and maintain mental discipline and soul practices such as meditation, reading, journaling etc. It’s a lifestyle that has helped me create a better path for myself, and I know once I started to do all things harmoniously, everything just made a bit more sense.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely is never a smooth road when diving into yourself and looking into the mirror and being real with who you are at your core. I do wholeheartedly believe this kind of spiritual work and lifestyle is a never ending journey. Full of ups and downs, LOTS of downs, which lead to new paths, new hope, and new ways of being. It’s a journey that of course you want to share with the people around you in hopes for a better collective, but at the end of the day, you do it alone, and within, and with the knowingness that as long as you control your SELF, the world will ultimately be a better place, and that by staying true to your goals and your ambitions, you are inspiring the people around you. There are many moments where I have to remind myself to give myself grace and to forgive myself for falling back into old, deep rooted patterns. Whether it be the emotional set back, or the lack of motivation to eat healthy and move your body, there is always a chance to redeem yourself, and that is what I mean when I say, the work is never-ending. As humans, we’re creatures of habit. Our habits become so ritualistic, that we forget we’re even doing them. I’m lucky in that I get to work with people on a daily basis, so I get to practice all day long with people from all over the world and all different ages. I call it practice, because it’s a never ending mastery. Mastering your emotions, responses, impulses and staying disciplined to a routine for the betterment of your life takes GREAT WORK. When you’re on a path to spiritual enlightenment, I think it’s safe to say there will be many things along the way that will test you, however those tests are meant to shake you and to grow you, into a more enlightened being. My biggest and most powerful life lessons always came from the most difficult times in my life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It’s taken me quite a bit of time to put some kind of title on what it is that I do. I would love to say I am a Spiritual Influencer and Lifestyle Coach. Being a spiritual influencer really has no age discrimination and has no end game other than to make the world a little bit better than the way we found it. How do we make the world a better place? We live the lives our souls are meant to live. We create a lifestyle that is congruent with our ultimate goals. We stay true to the compass of our heart and remain disciplined in our daily activities to be sure we achieve our Soul’s purpose. We hear people say it all the time “Life Is Short” but we see so much animosity towards one another on a daily basis, a lot of which could be avoided if we looked at each other and saw each other through a lens of tolerance or even more ideally, acceptance. The thing is, a lot of us don’t even know where to start the process of “unlearning” toxic behaviors or spiritual exercise, and that’s where I come in. To shine a light into the life of people and create a plan for success. Success only happens if you work for it and like I said, achieving greatness takes GREAT, CONSISTENT, WORK. One of my favorite things I ever learned from the Emotional Intelligence program I attended a few years back, was that people do the BEST they can with what they know.
Most of us, I speak for myself included, were taught beliefs based on what our grandparents taught our parents, and what our great-grandparents taught our grand-parents and so on and so forth. A lot of that passed down knowledge is passed down just for the sake of teaching, and not so much for the sake of deep rooted searching and learning. If we really took the time to look at each other from THAT perspective, we might not judge each other so harshly and we might just see a bit more of ourselves in a stranger than we originally thought. My goal, is to leave the community of people I am involved with, feeling like they are lighter than before they met me, that they are more spiritually sound after having spent time with me, and that they are more disciplined and consistent with their lifestyle choices by holding them accountable to their OWN goals. – So with that being said, what is it that I do? I am a Spiritual Influencer and a Lifestyle Coach. I INFLUENCE the awakening of your souls’ true purpose by sharing parts of my journey, listening and deep understanding. I serve as a common ground for everyone and anyone, a safe place to be who you are, a safe person to come to when you’re feeling lost or judged. The person you reach out to whether you’re going through hard times with your partner, your family, your work, your fitness journey, your body image. A person to talk to about your goals, your fears, your insecurities. A guide to your new and improved Lifestyle and someone to assist in holding you accountable for creating the life you’re meant to live. I believe I was put here to help people understand that we ALL go through it. I would love to live in a world where everyone to believe that WE ARE ALL AUTHENTICALLY PERFECT AND THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON THAT WE DON’T LIVE LIFE EXACTLY THE WAY OUR HEARTS WANT US TO. To piggy back off that, I grew up in a Muslim home, attended many a Muslim Sunday School, only to realize that separating myself from other human beings based on the religion I was assigned at birth, was not the life I wanted to live.
I quickly became the black sheep of my family for the rules I broke, and the life choices I made on my path to self-discovery, and while I’m certain if we asked my family how deeply I broke their hearts, they would probably tell you it was all worth it. My religion is Love and Connection. It is eternal and it is all inclusive. It does not judge based on the color of skin or region of birth. It sees you for your true essence and nothing more. Being a Spiritual Influencer and Lifestyle Coach is an interesting title, because it’s not something you really go to school for. I fell into this role and it is what has made me happiest and feel the most fulfilled. Connecting with people deeper than surface level and really seeing a shift in their mentality is what inspires me to keep on this path. What sets me apart from most would be my extroverted personality that elicits an “anything goes” type mantra, so long as it is congruent with your hearts true purpose. I don’t judge based on your past transgressions and Spirituality and Lifestyle changes are for ANYONE AND EVERYONE. You don’t have to be in a certain demographic to begin your journey. You just have to start somewhere and that is what I aim to be for people: The starting point of your journey, an “accountability friend”, if you will.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you are looking for a sign to begin your Spiritual Journey and make some significant changes in your lifestyle that are going to benefit you NOW and for your future, and you find yourself reading this article, this is your sign. To anyone who reads this: if you need ideas on how to begin your journey, tips on how to eat clean, ideas on how to motivate yourself, someone to be a listening ear, if you need someone to sage you or if you simply just need someone to be on the other end of the screen while you share your fears, I am that person. I am a better person when the people around me feel better for having been around me. I am happy when I can make a significant difference in the lives of the people I am around, even if it’s just by reading these words. You are not alone, you’ll never be alone in your trials, the work you do within will be yours to do alone, but you ARE NOT alone and you can have ANYTHING you want in this world if you stay true to yourself and work for it. Sometimes you just need a little Spiritual Influence and Lifestyle Shift 😉
Contact Info:
- Email: thedanzafranz@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Danzafranz
Image Credits
Tucker Ray @chucksandawhitetee , Depot @depotMSA , Alvin Holguin @alvinholguin
