The Pleasure Project with Dana Skoglund

We all know failure is part of success. We know we have to fail our way forward.

So why are we still so afraid of it?

Because we’re not actually afraid of failure itself. We’re afraid of how it will feel — the disappointment, embarrassment, rejection, shame — and what we’ll make it mean about ourselves.

Maybe I’m not good enough.

Maybe I’m not cut out for this.

Maybe this isn’t possible for me.

In this episode, I’m sharing what I discovered when I took an honest look at my own failures — including one pattern I’ve been repeating for YEARS despite knowing exactly what I’m doing.

We’ll talk about how to create safety to fail, why self-trust isn’t trusting that you’ll succeed, and the difference between learning from failure and actually applying what you’ve learned.

Because if you want to live a big, fully expressed life, failure isn’t optional.

The goal isn’t to stop failing.

It’s to fail better.

In this episode:

• Why fear of failure is really a fear of feeling
• The difference between failing and being a failure
• How the meaning we attach to failure keeps us playing small
• How to create enough safety and self-trust to take bigger risks
• The subtle way failure can turn into pressure and “I should do more”
• Why debriefing your failures isn’t enough
• The gap between knowing the lesson and actually applying it
• My own pattern of trying to do too much — and the fear underneath slowing down
• How to fail → feel → learn → apply → try again

Success is built on a big pile of failures. The goal isn’t to avoid adding to the pile.

It’s to become someone who can fail, feel it, learn from it, and apply the learning to the next attempt.

Let’s go fail bigger — and fail better.

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

Becoming isn’t about turning yourself into someone new. It’s about stripping away everything that isn’t really you.

In this episode, I’m sharing a portion of what I taught at my recent Art of Becoming Retreat—specifically, the four ways we leave ourselves and self-abandon in the name of staying safe.

We’ll talk about:

• How your past can quietly shape what you believe is possible for your future
• Why fear of the unknown is often really a lack of self-trust
• How fear of judgment, rejection and disappointing people pulls you away from yourself
• The outdated identities and patterns you may still be carrying long after they’ve stopped being true
• Why becoming “her” isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about becoming more fully you

This is the work of updating the stories you’ve been living inside, building self-trust, and learning to stay connected to yourself even when life feels uncertain or other people have reactions.

You become her by being more you.

And if you want to explore this work with me in person, join me for The Stories We Live By on October 1st at Pranify Yoga—a two-hour workshop weaving together Hindu mythology, hypnosis, memory reconsolidation, subconscious work and future-self work to change the stories shaping your life.

Click here to register

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

What if the limits you believe about yourself aren’t actually true?

In this episode, I share the incredible stories of comedian Kathy Buckley and disability advocate Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer—two women whose lives were shaped by circumstances that could have easily defined and limited them, but didn’t.

Their stories were a powerful reminder that so many of the limits we live inside are old beliefs, assumptions and identities we’ve picked up along the way.

We’ll talk about how those stories quietly shape what we believe we’re capable of, the power of having someone see beyond our limitations, and the question Kathy left me with:

You have a life. What are you going to do with it?

If you’ve been telling yourself you’re too old, too scared, not confident enough, inconsistent, incapable, or simply “not that kind of person,” this episode is your reminder that you are so much more than the story you’ve been telling yourself.

The limit does not exist.

If you’re ready to stop letting old stories and limiting identities decide what’s possible for you, join us inside The Pleasure Project Program.

This month, we’re focused on building confidence. I’m teaching my Confidence Codes, a simple four-step process designed to help you create more self-trust, take brave, aligned action, and become the version of you who stops holding herself back.

If you're ready to skyrocket your confidence and blow past your perceived limitations, I’d love to have you inside PPP.

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

What if the most important question isn’t What do I want? but Who am I becoming? In this episode, I’m exploring identity evolution—how the way you see yourself shapes the choices you make, the habits you build, and ultimately the life you create. You’ll learn why your identity doesn’t have to be defined by your past, and how to start intentionally becoming the version of you your future is calling for.

Ready to stop waiting for your future self and start becoming her now? Join me for The Art of Becoming Retreat, an intimate day designed to help you reconnect with who you are, clarify who you’re becoming, and begin living from that identity now. September 12

[Learn more + reserve your spot]

If you’re ready for ongoing support in becoming the version of you who feels more confident, alive, aligned and obsessed with your life, The Pleasure Project Program is my year-long coaching experience for exactly that. We work on the mindset, emotions, nervous system, habits and identity shifts that help you create real change that lasts.

[Learn more about The Pleasure Project]

And if you’re a coach who wants to become exceptionally skilled at creating deep, lasting client transformation, check out my Integrative Coaching Certification. You’ll learn how to coach the whole human—mindset, emotions, behavior, somatics and the subconscious—so you can feel more confident in your sessions and create the kind of results clients rave about, refer and come back for. [Learn more about the Certification]

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

What if feeling good wasn’t just the reward for success… but part of how you create it?

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a Pleasure Project coaching call to explore the science and practice of hardwiring your brain for more pleasure.

We naturally have a negativity bias—our brains are wired to notice problems, threats, and what’s not working. But through self-directed neuroplasticity, we can intentionally strengthen the neural pathways for joy, gratitude, connection, creativity, motivation, and possibility.

In this episode:

• Why positive emotion gives you an advantage in productivity, creativity, motivation, and resilience
• How your brain’s negativity bias can keep you stuck in stress mode
• How to raise your emotional “set point” through self-directed neuroplasticity
• The simple 12-second practice for beginning to hardwire positive experiences
• Why savoring pleasure isn’t indulgent—it’s training your brain to experience more of it

Because if the goal is to feel good… we might as well get really good at feeling good when it’s already here.

Are you a female business owner? Click here for free access to the online Catalyst Business Conference

Join me on Saturday, September 12th for The Art of Becoming Day Retreat. Click here for details

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

This week, I learned a lot from one very simple experiment: I stopped consuming podcasts, trainings and nonfiction for seven days.

It was harder than I expected.

• What happened when I stopped consuming podcasts, trainings and nonfiction for a week
• Why the experiment felt a little like a detox
• The new boundary I’m testing
• How I’m making the next phase of The Truth Experiment more tangible and actionable
• The specific 30-day process of becoming, identity evolution and easeful ambition that I’m committing to
• Why I’m pursuing a stretchy income goal with not a penny from pressure

Click here to save your spot for the Art of Becoming Day Retreat

Click here to join the Catalyst Summit for Women Business Owners

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve already learned from trying to hold 13 different intentions at once, why I realized I was making the experiment way too complicated, and the simpler framework I’m using going forward.

• Why the beginning of any change can feel exciting… until reality sets in
• The emotional cycle of change and why “uninformed optimism” eventually wears off
• What I noticed about my own perfectionism within days of starting the experiment
• Why self-judgment isn’t the problem—the real question is how quickly you catch it
• How meditation taught me to think about changing old mental patterns
• Why 13 shifts became too much to consciously track every day
• The much simpler TRUTH framework I’m using instead
• The small unpredictable things I did this week to shake myself out of routine
• How I’m practicing more visibility, invitations and courageous business action
• The extremely useful question my brain spent way too much time asking: Am I cool?
• Why I’m experimenting with less input and more silence
• The uncomfortable question: Am I constantly consuming because I don’t want to be alone with my own mind?
• Why I’m taking a break from podcasts, trainings, nonfiction books and social media input this week
• What I hope silence will do for my creativity, voice and body of work

If you’re listening in real time, I’m speaking at the Dare to Dream Summit in Kelowna on Feel It All to Have It All, and I’m also doing 25-minute Rapid Shift Sessions at the event—another first for me and another very fitting Truth Experiment move. Get your ticket here.

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

I’m back on the podcast—and I’m kicking things off with a brand-new 60-day project.

I turn 50 in two months, and I’ve been thinking a lot about who I want to be as I move into the second half of my life.

I want to feel free, alive, vibrant, courageous and fully expressed. I want more adventure—not necessarily through more travel, but by bringing novelty, bravery and unpredictability into my everyday life.

Because while routines can support us, they can also make life feel increasingly familiar. And when everything becomes predictable, time can begin to feel like it’s flying by.

So I created The Truth Experiment: a 60-day personal reinvention project built around 13 shifts designed to upgrade how I think, choose, create, express myself and respond to life.

In this episode, I’m sharing the full experiment, why I’m doing it, and the woman I want to become through the process.

• Why familiarity can make time feel like it speeds up
• How to create more adventure without leaving your everyday life
• Why unpredictable results require unpredictable action
• The connection between courage, confidence and identity
• What it means to tell, express and live your truth
• How I’m approaching my 50th birthday as a threshold for reinvention
• Why commitment matters more than gripping for a specific result
• How surrender and acceptance can coexist with empowered action
• Why I’m choosing to create, participate, express and ask more boldly
• My commitment to return to the podcast every week and share the experiment as it unfolds

I’ll be sharing the behind-the-scenes of this experiment on the podcast each week, along with what I’m learning, where I’m being challenged and what begins to change, so make sure you subscribe to The Pleasure Project Podcast so you don’t miss next week’s update on how the first week of the experiment goes.

The next month inside The Pleasure Project Program is focused on fun, play, freedom and becoming less constrained by the patterns of the past.

To experience this work alongside me and receive deeper coaching, tools and behind-the-scenes support, apply here.

Follow me on Instagram to see The Truth Experiment unfold in real time.

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

If you’ve ever felt called to become a coach — or you’re already coaching, teaching, healing, mentoring, or guiding people, and you know there’s more depth available — this episode is for you.

This is a special, limited-time replay of my recent masterclass, where I shared the heart of my Integrative Coaching Mastery Method and why I created my certification.

After 13 years of coaching, more than $100,000 invested in training and certifications, and years of working with clients who sometimes knew exactly what they “should” do but still couldn’t create lasting change, I realized something important:

Change doesn’t only happen in the mind.

A belief is not always just a thought.

It can live in the body.

The nervous system.

The emotions.

The subconscious.

The identity.

The habits and behaviors that keep people repeating the same patterns.

And if we want to become truly transformational coaches, we need to know how to work with the whole human.

In this masterclass, I share the five layers of change every masterful coach needs to understand: mindset, emotional, somatic, subconscious, and behavioral. I also walk you through why mindset alone isn’t always enough, how to know when a client needs a different layer of support, and what it actually takes to become the kind of coach who can create deep, lasting transformation.

You’ll also hear a live coaching demo where I guide someone through a real belief shift using several of the five layers in real time, plus stories from students currently inside the certification.

This episode is also an invitation into the 2027 cohort of The Integrative Coaching Mastery Certification — a 12-month certification and business mastermind for big-hearted humans who want to become masterful, integrative coaches and build meaningful work around the transformation they’re here to create.

Inside the certification, you’ll learn how to coach across all five layers of change, practice your skills, receive mentorship and feedback, do your own deep personal work, and build the business foundation to help the right people find you, trust you, and hire you.

Early enrollment is open for a limited time.

If you feel the pull to become a coach — or to become a more skilled, confident, integrative coach — I invite you to listen to this replay and apply for the certification.

This may be the moment you stop circling the desire and start becoming the coach you’re meant to be.

• Why fear is not a stop sign when you’re stepping into your next level
• Why most coaching tools only address one layer of change
• The five layers of change: mindset, emotional, somatic, subconscious, and behavioral
• Why mindset alone often isn’t enough to create lasting transformation
• How emotions drive action, avoidance, self-sabotage, and desire
• Why nervous system regulation and somatic work matter in coaching
• How subconscious tools like hypnosis and NLP can accelerate change
• Why behavior change requires more than information and willpower
• What it means to learn, live, and lead as a coach
• Why coaching is not just about having tools — it’s about becoming the person who can hold the room
• What’s included inside The Integrative Coaching Mastery Certification

The 2027 cohort of The Integrative Coaching Mastery Certification is now open for early enrollment.

This is a 12-month certification and business mastermind where you’ll learn how to coach the whole human, practice until you trust yourself, and build the business foundation to get paid for your work.

Early enrollment includes 6 extra months inside The Pleasure Project Program so you can begin your own personal transformation before the certification officially begins.

Apply here

Early enrollment is available until June 12th and the cohort is limited to 12 women.

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how my coaching certification came to life — including the imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and identity shift that came with saying yes before I felt fully ready.

After 13 years of coaching, five different certifications, hundreds of clients, and a lifetime of studying transformation, I realized there was something missing from so many coaching trainings: a truly comprehensive approach to lasting change.

Most methods focus on one or two layers.

But real transformation happens through multiple layers: mindset, emotional, somatic, behavioral, and subconscious.

That’s what led me to create The Five Layer Method — the framework I now teach inside my coaching certification program.

In this episode, I share:

• The unexpected question that led me to create my certification program
• Why I spiraled into imposter syndrome after saying yes
• How I coached myself through fear, self-doubt, and overthinking
• Why doing it before you feel ready is often part of the work
• What I learned after taking five different coaching certifications
• Why one modality is rarely enough to create lasting client breakthroughs
• How coaching skills can help you whether you want to become a coach, grow your wellness business, lead teams, support your kids, or create deeper transformation in your work

I also share why coaching skills are so valuable for yoga teachers, wellness practitioners, healers, and heart-led leaders who want to make a bigger impact and create more valuable offers.

In just a few days, I’m teaching a brand new free live masterclass called The Five Layer Method that Creates Confident Coaches and Client Breakthroughs.

Inside the masterclass, I’ll walk you through the five layers of change and show you why this method is so powerful for helping people create lasting transformation.

I’ll also be coaching live and demonstrating my Belief Transformer process, so you can experience the work in action.

And if you’ve been considering my coaching certification, I’ll be sharing details about early enrollment for the 2027 cohort.

When you join by June 26, you’ll receive a special early enrollment discount plus six months inside The Pleasure Project Program before the certification even begins, so you can start receiving coaching, experiencing the tools, and watching the method in action.

Click the link below to join the free masterclass.

https://www.danaskoglund.com/5layermethod

Click here to join The Pleasure Project Program