Business Developer / Consultant / Life Coach

Dana Loftus

Hey, friends — I’m glad you’re here!I’m Dana, and I help people simplify complexity and move forward with clarity.I’ve spent more than 25 years as a multidisciplinary business developer, consultant, and life coach, building and supporting projects across the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and Costa Rica. My work has ranged across real estate, consumer goods, retail, e-commerce, food and beverage, manufacturing, hospitality, media, technology, and urban economic planning.

BUSINESS CONSULTING

I specialize in building startups from the ground up, with a focus on innovation, systems architecture, brand positioning, and problem-solving. I help move ideas from zero to one by designing the systems, frameworks, and infrastructure that allow founders and organizations to launch, adapt, and grow.When you’re stuck in the day-to-day, it’s hard to step back and see clearly. You need strategic support. That's where I come in.I bring an objective perspective, grounded in first-principles, Lean Manufacturing, agile development, and Design Theory, to identify where small shifts can reduce friction, unlock potential, and build momentum using what you already have.I’ve spent decades in the trenches, so I understand how personal the work is, how overwhelming, heavy, exhausting, and isolating it can be, and what’s at stake. I also know how valuable it can be to have a clear, steady strategic partner to help you regain perspective, zero in on opportunities, tap into your own strengths, and move forward with confidence.

Experience

I started my first business at 18, built a seven-figure real estate portfolio by my mid-20s, and have developed leading, first-to-market brands at local, national, and global levels. I’ve also launched and run a successful business in a challenging emerging market (in a language I didn't yet speak), and grew it during the pandemic. Those years were… character-building.Creatively, I’ve worked as a professional photographer specializing in music, brand, and lifestyle photography for outlets and brands including Billboard, Rolling Stone, Nike, Starbucks, and Budweiser in Chicago. I’m a professional baker and recently developed one of Mexico’s top three sourdough bread bakeries and gourmet markets. And in 2015, one of my projects received an International Architizer Award for Product Design, selected from a global field of submissions.This is going to sound crazy, but thankfully, it's not all highlights. I’ve had my fair share of failures, too, some of them spectacular. As anyone who’s been there knows, it's brutal. But if I’ve learned anything, a big part of success is experimentation, the courage to keep trying, and learning what not to do. It’s all good information, and it’s shaped how and what I work on today.Currently, I’m developing several new large-scale projects through my incubator, Design Theory Lab, ranging from new product development and creative e-commerce to community impact initiatives.

Life Coaching

I bring the same grounded, analytical, and supportive approach to my work as a life coach.My life has been shaped by curiosity and immersion — from extended travel and long periods living in remote regions abroad to repeated reinvention and change. I’ve sailed from Panama to Fiji over 7 months, solo-cycled across New Zealand and Australia, practiced spiritual hermitage in India, and moved more than 50 times, just to name a few.On the flip side, I’ve also struggled with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and how I show up in the world. There have been days when I felt so lost, hopeless, and overwhelmed that I didn’t want to get out of bed, or worse. But, ready or not, I did, and that decision made all the difference.These experiences have deepened my empathy for others and rewired my understanding of what’s possible outside of your comfort zone—namely, everything. They've given me greater insight into my own strength, adaptability, resilience, and our universally shared desire for connection, security, and purpose. More importantly, they've allowed me to meet people where they are, especially during times of transition or uncertainty.A significant part of my coaching work focuses on addiction and rebuilding identity. I support people navigating compulsive behaviors, emotional eating, substance addiction, trauma, ADHD, relationship challenges, abuse, and major life transitions.My approach is committed, compassionate, and 100% non-judgmental. I help people identify what’s holding them back and how to move forward in ways that feel empowering and sustainable. Whether you realize it or not, you're in the driver's seat. Change is always just one decision away.

Personal Philosophy

Over the years, mostly the hard way, I've learned that self-care is an engine that modulates everything I do. If I don't prioritize my mental health, nutrition, sleep, movement, time in nature, and continued learning, curiously, nothing else works—at least, not for long. As the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. Some days it feels like a full-time job, but I can’t think of a single time I’ve been worse off for prioritizing it. Whenever I feel stuck, stressed, or drifting off course, or whenever I'm supporting others through the same, that’s always where I start.When it comes to my worldview and personal operating system, I've been shaped by a mix of Taoism, Stoicism, contemporary thought leaders, radical honesty, and an often uncomfortable self-compassion practice. Together, they remind me to slow down, stay present, focus on alignment, accountability, non-attachment, and the imperative art of taking care.Sustainable progress, in my experience, doesn't come from force or perfection. It comes from small, consistent, imperfect efforts, and course-correcting often enough to stay in flow.
And flow, my friend, like rafting downstream, is the sweet spot.Currently, I live in a remote, coastal town in Costa Rica with six rescue dogs from three different countries and a host of jungle bugs.

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