Founder & Storyteller
Dr. Dana Salih Toogood (She/Her)
Kia Ora and Salam Aleikum, I’m Dana - دانة
Welcome! I am honoured to share my story with you. I am a visionary, creative thinker, somatic executive coach, retired health professional and mama - always challenging norms and exploring pathways that move beyond patriarchal and colonial frameworks, working in alignment with our stories, values, and identities. I believe the body harbors immense wisdom, guiding us through life and serving as a bridge between self-awareness and our understanding of the world. When we embrace this wisdom, we can show up authentically and unapologetically in all that we do.
I am a Sudanese-Australian, Muslim woman and it is my identity and my story that empowers me to find my voice. I am passionate about creating safe spaces where others can reclaim their cultural identity, discover authentic direction, and weave this into their professional lives.
I am a proud Mama of two wonderful human beings and our family has been warmly embraced by Aotearoa, now calling Tāmaki Makaurau home after traversing the globe from Melbourne (Naarm) Australia. With roots spanning Kuwait to Finland, USA, Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, and beyond, my life's tapestry weaves life experience, entrepreneurship and healthcare expertise from Australia and around the world.
Formerly a chiropractor and Neuro-Emotional Technique practitioner, I built and ran my own private practice, working with hundreds of clients. Over the years, I have cultivated insights from more than a decade of experience in health and wellbeing, somatic neurology, cultural safety, and trauma-informed practices. This diverse background has shaped my approach to coaching, allowing me to empower others through a holistic lens
Having faced a shortage of culturally-safe support services and navigated traditional coaching models often rooted in white-centric methodologies and toxic wellness culture, I recognized the need for a better way. I’m now honoured to support and guide you through my unique coaching service offering a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment where your story is central.
I am honoured to walk alongside you on your journey, helping you to connect with your inner wisdom and find the answers you seek in both your professional and personal life.
Work That Has Shaped Me
Across Australia and Aotearoa, I've designed and facilitated wellbeing and leadership programs for organisations, universities, and community groups - work that's taken many forms but always the same intention: creating spaces where people feel safe enough to grow.
One piece of work close to my heart has been my role as Mentor and Coach for RISE, an initiative built by Diversity Council Australia, SSI and Chief Executive Women Australia as a leadership pathway for women from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds. Walking alongside senior racialised women as they moved into leadership — helping identify and break down the systemic barriers in their way — has been some of the most meaningful work of my career.
At AUT University, I pioneered the Bright Side health coaching role, funded by the Ministry of Health. Grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā designed and delivered wellbeing programs across the university — supporting international, undergraduate, and postgraduate students through mental wellbeing, resilience, and holistic health at a pivotal stage in their lives.
For over a decade, I built and ran my own private practice as a Chiropractor in Naarm (Melbourne) — Dana Toogood Chiropractic — working alongside hundreds of clients, including many mothers, babies, and families navigating some of the most tender seasons of their lives. What began as pain-based clinical work slowly transformed into something deeper: I found myself moving beyond the mechanics of the body and into the wisdom held within the nervous system. Watching mothers heal, babies settle, and families find ease taught me that true wellbeing isn't just about treating symptoms — it's about listening to what the body is trying to say. That shift became the foundation for everything I do now.
In 2020, I presented at the International Chiropractic Seminar, sharing the mind-body approaches that have shaped my practice. I've led Women's Sacred Retreats with Benevolence Australia and facilitated Women's Wellbeing circles on two continents — in Australia and in Sudan — spaces where culture, healing, and sisterhood sit at the centre.
Long before coaching, I taught English and supported refugee and migrant communities as they rebuilt their lives in Naarm (Melbourne) with AMES Australia — work that taught me early what it means to walk alongside someone through transition. Earlier still, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, I helped build English-based curriculums for schools, laying foundations for other people's learning long before I understood it was laying the foundation for my own path.
Every space I've held — clinical, educational, cultural, or corporate — has taught me the same thing: people do their best growing when they feel genuinely safe to be who they are.