Hi! I am Danielle, a Life & Leadership Coach, nonprofit co-founder, and social impact consultant.
My Story
For most of my life, I played it safe. I followed society’s “rule book.” I went to a good university, chose a stable career path, and after graduation started thinking about “settling down.”
From the outside, everything looked fine. But inside, I was slowly checking out.
I was working as a classroom teacher and overworking myself to exhaustion in a job I didn’t even enjoy. I was in a relationship where I felt unsatisfied, unloved, and unnoticed. I had neglected my hobbies and the parts of me that felt creative and alive. I could feel myself sinking into what I worried would become an eternal rut, and I was numbing out the disconnect with my three vices of choice: booze, food, and reality TV.
I could feel my life passing me by. Each day came with dread, because I knew I wasn’t living anywhere near my fullest potential. I’d lie awake at night thinking, Is this it? Is this my life? Is this as good as it gets?
I co-founded a girls’ empowerment nonprofit in Guatemala, and that experience changed me forever.
Because here’s the part most people don’t talk about: launching a nonprofit is not just “heart-led.” It’s hard. It’s stretching. It’s messy. It’s leadership in the deep end.
I made mistakes. I learned the hard way about boundaries, sustainability, and what happens when you try to do everything yourself. I learned that passion isn’t the same as strategy. I learned that a mission won’t carry you if your systems, finances, team culture, and communications can’t support it. I learned how quickly burnout can creep in when you care deeply, and how essential it is to build structures that protect the work and the people doing it.
I also learned….
How to build.
How to take a big vision and turn it into real programs.
How to train teams.
How to create curriculum.
How to steward donors and partnerships with integrity.
How to adapt when things don’t go as planned.
How to keep showing up when the work is bigger than you, and the stakes are real….
And then, one day, it hit me: I was in charge of my life.
Just like I had the power to create that mess, I also had the power to change it.
That realization led to a decision that changed everything. I broke out of my comfort zone and kicked the status quo to the curb: I quit my teaching job, got rid of most of my belongings, and booked a ticket to Guatemala.
What was meant to be a six-month adventure turned into a six-year, life-altering chapter.
While living in Guatemala, I finally gave myself the space to truly discover who I am, what I want, and what my most extraordinary life actually looks like. I met my husband. I made lifelong friends. I found my purpose in supporting girls and women to step into their power, their voice, and their leadership.
That chapter is a huge reason I do what I do now.
Because today, I don’t just coach people through personal transformation. I coach and consult leaders through real-world leadership.
I support socially-driven leaders, nonprofits, and mission-led businesses to bring their vision to life in a way that actually works: clear strategy, strong foundations, healthy team culture, and sustainable growth. Whether you’re launching a program, scaling an organization, rebuilding after a hard season, or trying to lead without losing yourself in the process, I bring both sides of the equation: the inner work and the practical work.
The truth is, leadership is personal. And impact requires structure.
That’s why my work sits at the intersection of purpose, power, and planning.
My experience shaped my two core beliefs that guide how I live my life and how I support my clients:
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Living an extraordinary life is our birthright. You deserve a life that brings you passion, joy, and purpose, not someday, but now.
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Investing in yourself and your dreams is one of the most generous things you can do. The world deserves you at your best. When you ignore your well-being, your desires, your growth, and your needs, you show up as a depleted version of yourself. But when you invest in your dreams and commit to your own healing and wholeness, you gain the confidence, clarity, and capacity to lead well and create real change.
I’ve been where you’re at!
I know what it’s like to feel, deep in your bones, that you’re meant for more.
I know what it’s like to feel lost, disconnected, and unsure how you got so far from yourself.
And I also know what it’s like to take the leap, build the thing, and become the version of you who can hold what you’re asking for.
As your coach and consultant, I bring together my personal story and professional experience as an educator, nonprofit leader, and coach to support you in building a life, leadership style, or organization that’s aligned, sustainable, and truly thriving.
Your time is now.
Let’s build what you came here to build, and let’s do it in a way that doesn’t cost you your life force.
a little about me!
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Danielle Skogen is a feminist life and business coach, consultant, strategist, speaker and advocate fiercely dedicated to co-creating a world where all women can reach their fullest potential, live lives they love, and step up into their power to lead the change our world needs.
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Certified Life + Health Coach
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Girls’ Empowerment & Gender Equality Non-Profit
Bachelor of Education French Immersion Teacher
Fundraised over two million dollars for women and youth centered causes
REALgirl / REALwoman Master Instructor
Rotary President + Member
Board Member of Asociación SERniña (present), Real Humanitarian (present), and Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (past)
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Elliance Business Impact Award, First Place Finalist 2026
University of Alberta - Horizon Alumni Award Recipient- recognized for global impact
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women - Selected Canadian Delegate
“Be The Change” Women’s Leadership Award
Keynote and Selected Speaker (Fund for Innovation and Transformation, Global Affairs Canada, Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, Spur Change, University of Alberta, and more)