Recognized as an expert in workflow design, engagement strategies, and power dynamics in collective spaces, Dāna James created CX to help you break free from that overwhelm and get back to your core purpose.

Coaching for Creatives Who Care

Hey, I'm Dāna James
Artist. Strategist. Coach for Culture Shifters.

You’re a creative force with a mission—and I see you. You care deeply about your work and the world. But between navigating under-resourced teams, oppressive systems, and the constant pressure to produce (with sparkle!), it’s easy to lose your voice—or your mind.

That’s where I come in.

I’m not just a coach—I’m a co-conspirator for your goals. As a champion of the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) movement, I’ve spent years helping creatives and nonprofit professionals untangle from the old narratives we’ve been sold: that productivity equals worth, that boundaries are optional, and that fundraising has to be extractive to be effective. (Spoiler: It doesn’t.)

My coaching is a space to get honest, strategic, and liberated. We question everything—especially the “best practices” that uphold harm—and co-create new ways of working rooted in justice, care, and actual sustainability.

Who I Work With

My people? Oh, they’re the magic-makers. The world-benders. The boundary-pushers.

They’re creative professionals, nonprofit leaders, cultural workers, and community organizers who are done dimming their light just to survive systems that were never built for them.

What We Can Work On (a.k.a. the real-life stuff you wish someone would help with)

Untangling yourself from perfectionism, urgency, and all the other “respectability” traps
Finding your footing through leadership transitions, imposter spirals, or burnout city
Building a better relationship with feedback so that your fundraising, storytelling, or strategy work is actually rooted in community-centric practices
Developing your networking artistry—especially those strategic relationships that can propel your career forward
Navigating power dynamics and expectations in subcontracted projects without losing your peace (or your rate)

Let’s be real: you don’t need another checklist. You need a thought partner, a mirror, a hype woman, and a strategy nerd who knows how to bring it all together.

That’s me.

I pull from years in project design, grassroots engagement, and technology implementation, plus my deep roots in the arts (yes, I’m that music-theater kid). I’m also a proud data nerd with a love for spreadsheets and sketch comedy, so you can trust me to keep it real and joyful. I blend analytical chops with creative fire to help you move forward with purpose and power.

I’m not here to help you fit in—I’m here to help you break the mold. My coaching isn’t fluff or performative pep talks. It’s deep, strategic, liberatory work designed to help you build power, speak truth, and move with clarity in systems that were never built for us.

We’re not just setting goals—we’re shifting culture. Together.

“You make sense. You are enough. Be seen.” – Me

(but also, a mantra I want you to carry into every room)