The Dana Lee Project

12/03/2025

The snow may have melted, but I am still savoring the day that was yesterday. 🥰

The feeling I get when a client from years ago reaches back out and we have the most incredible conversation right before she experiences the type of workout environment among other women that her soul has been yearning for for quite some time now. ❤️‍🔥

Putting on a great playlist and training a few incredible ladies who showed up for themselves on a snow day. Who come to lift, yes, and end up being part of something so incredibly soul-filling that redefines and takes “I need to build strength and improve my balance” to a whole ‘nother level. Something so magical that even I cannot explain at this point in my career… and I helped create it! 🤯

The joy that is felt when I lead my weekly group mentorship call and listen to each woman share from their heart the truth of what they are going through and the woman they are becoming who lean into themselves, making decisions from that place in their hearts and in their knowing of how they want to handle this bump in the road they recognize coming up again and again - yet, this time having the strength and power, coupled with wisdom, to see what is the REAL unfolding for them so they have the certainty in choosing a radically different way to handle it - to handle themselves - this time.

The intimate and powerful conversations I have the luxury of holding every single week with a client who said YES to herself mere months ago and went all in, only to witness the incredible life of she is creating for herself, moment by moment, day by day. Choosing herself even when it’s the most difficult thing to do. 🙌🏼

The awe I have for one of my clients in her 20’s who recognized mentorship was something she wanted to because her relationship with food and her body does not need to be perpetually played out for any longer than necessary. To see her roll up her sleeves and do the difficult work of handling the real s**t, frankly inspires me and I wish I said that out loud in our session yesterday. I certainly felt it. 💖

And that was just a Tuesday 🥰

12/02/2025

The feeling overwhelmed me. I did something for myself that has been a long time in the making. Years in fact.

Truth be told, even though I’m not a mom and chose to never have children, I feel like there is something built into the biology of a woman that has this nurturing, caring aspect for others that leaves ourselves to take the scraps. Not only take the scraps, but you better be grateful for those scraps. It has a flavor of “put up or shut up,” with a salty side of “nobility and honor.”

This journal right here represents something - It’s a gift I received from a friend who knows me very well and who would always give me things over the years that really spoke to who I am and what I’d appreciate. Yet, this journal has been sitting here, unused on a shelf in my coffee table since it was gifted.

About a week ago something came over me - and it was spoken to me loud and clear - Dana, stop putting off how you REALLY want to up-level your life. Use the beautiful journal now. Get rid of your mediocre clothes and jewelry now. Immerse yourself in the Alpha Femme experience with Melanie NOW. It’s an entire year working with the mentor I know is for me and although I offer that indulgence for my clients, I hadn’t allowed it for myself even though it’s what my soul and identity have been craving. I denied myself and kept lying to myself about wanting this year-long experience of support.

Maybe it has something to do with this upcoming year - 2026 is when Steve and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. 2026 is when I celebrate turning 50. What exactly am I waiting for to be living the next level of my beautiful life?

And just like that, I am pages deep with silky Parker jotter writing (my favorite writing utensil) that makes me really cherish not only what I’m writing, but how it’s just flowing out of me.

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my clients and followers over here at The Dana Lee Project! The gratitude I feel for having you in my life, or touching my life in some way runs DEEP 🙏🏼💓🫶🏼

Reminder:
🥧 Food is food. It’s not good OR bad. You are not a good person or a bad person for eating food. You do not need to earn the pie. If it tastes good to you, enjoy it. If it does not, it’s ok to NOT eat it. (Even if someone made it expecting you to eat it.)
🚶🏼‍♀️If you exercise, it’s because it simply feels good to move your body and your quality of life is better for it. Again, you do not need to earn the pie.
🗣️ No beating yourself up today for eating what you enjoy! Be kind to yourself ❤️ being kind to yourself reduces the feeling of shame. & Shame is a driving emotion behind the desire to overeat.

If you take these concepts and bring them into tomorrow… & the next day… and the next, it can have the power to change how you experience the holiday season like never before. If you struggle with any of this, I’m always a DM away. 🤗 May you enjoy Thanksgiving and take good care of yourself in the process 🙏🏼

11/23/2025

Have you noticed more and more women are choosing to drink less (or not at all) even when they don’t consider themselves to necessarily have a “drinking problem?”

No rock-bottom moment. No intervention. No dramatic story arc.

Just… a quiet knowing that alcohol isn’t adding to their life the way it used to.

Maybe you’re noticing this too:
👉You’re trying to improve your health and one glass keeps turning your next morning into molasses.
👉You’re tuning more deeply into your energy, your emotions, and your body and something inside whispers, “That wine isn’t helping.”
👉Or maybe you’re just tired of feeling like you need a drink to “take the edge off” when what you really crave is genuine peace.

This isn’t about morality or labels or “good vs bad.” It’s about alignment.

And it’s about deciding that the way you want to feel matters more than the habit you’ve been conditioned to keep.

As Mandy shared in the video, letting go of alcohol (whether for a season or for good) becomes less about restriction and more about reclaiming clarity, creativity, and emotional bandwidth. It’s a subtle shift from “I should cut back” to “I want something better.”

And honestly? That’s the same energy behind Food Freedom.

You peel away what numbs you.
You reconnect with what nourishes you.
You create a life where you don’t have to check out because you actually like being present in it.

If this topic is tugging at you… if you’ve been “sober curious”… or if you just want to hear about the pressure women feel around drinking (and why so many are stepping away from it)… then you’ll love this week’s conversation.

In this enlightening video, we explore the numerous benefits of giving up alcohol and embracing a healthier lifestyle. From improved physical health and ment...

11/21/2025

Hosted an AWESOME pelvic floor health seminar at my studio earlier this week with the entertaining, witty, and wildly compassionate Melissa Morgan, OT — a pelvic floor specialist who works her magic out of her office in Fair Lawn NJ. She was an open book and no question or topic was too much for her to take on. We remembered to snag a pic, but only after a few women already left. It was a fabulous turn out! So great to see this many women wanting to learn more about their health & their bodies that they sadly never learned through their OB/GYN.

And yes… yes, that is a va**na pillow. ((.))
Because around here, we educate without shame and give props where props are due. 💕😏✨

11/16/2025

Let’s address the elephant in the room.�
You say you want to stop emotional eating. You say you want to quit bingeing at night. You say you want a peaceful relationship with food…
…but inside, there’s a very real part of you whispering:�
“No I DON’T want to change! And no one can MAKE me.”�
And that part isn’t wrong.�
That part is scared and is trying to protect you because food has helped you for a long time. A VERY long time...�
🍫 It soothed you when no one else did.�🍕 It distracted you when life felt too heavy.�🍷 It numbed the loneliness, the stress, the overwhelm.�🥨 It gave you something to control when everything else felt uncontrollable.�
So, of course there’s fear! Of course there’s resistance. How could there NOT be?�
You’re not just giving up a habit, you’re giving up a coping mechanism that’s been holding your emotional world together like glue.
And if no one ever taught you how to handle life without using food for comfort…�
Then change doesn’t just feel hard, it feels threatening.�
That’s why Mandy wanted to show you a short video I recorded about this part of the process that no one really talks about.�
I talk about how to handle taking a step forward to heal when the fear of change, especially when the part of you that’s been bingeing and soothing through food is convinced it can’t survive without it.

Tune in here:

In this inspiring talk, Dana explores how fear can hold us back from making the changes we need to grow. Whether it’s fear of failure, rejection, or the unkn...

11/11/2025

We decided to take a little break from the deep, serious stuff this week. No food freedom lessons, no mindset breakthroughs, no “inner work” required.
Instead… we’re talking ghosts. 👀�
Yep. You read that right.�
Mandy and I sat down to answer one of the most random questions:
“Have you ever seen a ghost?”�
We shared some eerie stories, the moments that made us question what’s real, and had a few laughs along the way. Think of it as gal talk with a paranormal twist. No filters, no scripts, just two friends being themselves.�
If you’ve ever had an experience you can’t quite explain… or just want to see a lighter, funnier side of us, this one’s for you. 👻

In this episode, Dana and Mandy are diving into one of the spookiest questions yet: “Have you ever seen a ghost?” 👻What starts as a fun Q&A quickly turns in...

11/05/2025

What happens when you’re growing, changing, setting boundaries, but your friends aren’t?

It’s not about drama or falling out. It’s more like realizing you’re reading a new chapter, and they’re still re-reading the last one. You love them, but the connection just feels… different.

As we get older, we come to realize how precious our energy and time is. We start craving honesty over harmony, depth over small talk, and peace over people-pleasing. And sometimes that means letting certain dynamics fade so real growth can happen.

It needs to be said that this is one of the reasons it can feel so difficult to let go of weight on your body, or to truly decide to heal your relationship with food for GOOD.

If your friends are living in a world where it is comfortable to commiserate on the topic together, and this has always been a way to relate to each other, it can feel extremely daunting and difficult to commit to change. Especially knowing that it may mean those friendships will also have to change in some capacity.

I'm not gonna lie. That letting go can feel like a grieving process.
Yet, through that discomfort freedom and new, supportive friendships can be found.

In this week's episode, Mandy and I talk all about how to navigate these types of friendship shifts with compassion, clarity, and way less guilt or obligation.

Have some thoughts on the subject? Comment under the video- We’d love to hear them!

Join Dana and Mandy for a heartfelt discussion about the role of boundaries in deep, lasting friendships. They explore what healthy boundaries look like, how...

11/04/2025

What a great entry back into “reality” after my amazing trip through the Mediterranean (more to come on that…) Here were are, a handful of women gathering to walk among the trees, where the conversations hit deeper. ❤️ certainly a breath of fresh air for all. (More local hikes to come. stay tuned. Maybe even snowshoeing!)

10/21/2025

A rainy day in Cannes turned into the sweetest reminder…
Today, I am so grateful to explore the Mediterranean and savor pastries without punishment. Joy doesn’t need permission. 🇫🇷🥐

10/15/2025

Why you’re always tired:
It’s not always just physical. It’s often emotional. Especially if you are one to carry grudges from five years ago.
Replaying arguments you lost…
Maintaining relationships that drain you….
Saying yes when you mean no…
Your body gets exhausted from carrying all that weight. Fatigue is often the physical symptom of emotional overload.

10/12/2025

Every single decision, big or small, including decisions about food and how/what to eat, shapes our happiness, health, and overall fulfillment.

That may seem obvious when you read that. like, duh Dana.

But then the real question becomes… are you actively participating in those decisions, or have they been set on autopilot? or... do you sometimes feel like the decision-making process is completely out of your hands and decisions are made FOR you?

It's ok to be on autopilot. Often times that's a part of how we cope and manage to get through overwhelming times in our lives. I've definitely used that tactic during rough patches in my life.

At some point though, I realized how numbed out and disconnected I feel when that happens something's gotta give.

This week Mandy & I talk about what it means to embrace change and conscious decision-making instead of resisting it, because doing so opens the door to so many more options and possibilities. Not in an overwhelming way, but in a get-your-power-back kinda way.

Listen in to our conversation here:

In this video, we dive deep into the power of the choices we make throughout our lives — and how those decisions shape our happiness, health, and overall ful...