HOPE.
A supportive enclave for triumphing over work trauma and building the lives of our dreams
Have you been waiting for this space?
📚 If you feel trapped in a toxic job, and you're ready to DO something about it.
📚 If you're exhausted from working out of alignment with your values.
📚 If you want to work that fulfills you and pays you ABUNDANTLY, but you're scared that's not possible.
📚 If you want to kick Imposter Syndrome in its awful little face, for good
📚 If you want to feel confident, big and HOPEFUL again in a world telling you you have to be small to fit in...
... You're in the right place
Imagine...
You're in the library. It's 8 at night and you have work due in a few hours. On your left is the little nook you always set up in when it's time to Get To Work™️. You look at it with a vague pit of anxiety in your stomach. There's a bunch of other people that way, too. All studying at separate desks. All in little bubbles of solitude, doing what they're Supposed To Be Doing.
To your right, you hear faint laughter. And then "wait WHAT?!!" ... More laughter follows.
The clock is ticking and your deadline looms, but something about those voices call to you... So follow them down the stairs to a hidden room behind a heavy door.
You push through and on the other side, a bunch of open faces turn toward you, smiling.
"You made it!" someone says, and pulls out a chair for you.
Immediately, you're sharing and debating with a group of people who are thoughtful about the world and care about their place in it. They want to share those thoughts with you and they want to hear from you.
They dream big and expect bigness from you. It doesn't feel overwhelming Not as a burden, but as a birthright.
All of a sudden, you're in community with people who are funny and weird, and happy to share their successes and bond over their traumas, and EXPECT to grow, succeed and triumph, no matter what the world tells them.
HOPE is emanating off of each of them. They're pouring it out of themselves into you. And vice versa. They're committed to HOPE and that commitment makes you feel brave enough to commit to that as well.
--
This is the little enclave that I found in the basement of my college library my freshman year. It's where I felt like "holy shit! I am somewhere special where I finally fit with the people around me and we're really about to do some amazing stuff in our lives."
It was a place to heal, to laugh, to dream. Before the world tried to tell us to be less, there we were, being more. It was before I got ravaged by capitalism, before I started cutting off pieces of myself to fit into systems of oppression that rewarded me with jobs and a life I didn’t even want.
That basement was where hope lived.
It's where I asked my friend what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she answered "an actor" with no fear or hesitation. No "I'm going to try." She just owned it.
That’s the kind of confidence and clarity that permeated that space.
And, it's the kind of space you deserve too.
I'm ready for HOPEThat's why I created HOPE.
In a world where toxicity is misunderstood.
Where you're blamed and gaslit.
Where you feel isolated and hopeless.
Where you're told to be satisfied with less.
Where most career advice is there to uphold patriarchal white supremacy, capitalism, and oppressive systems of power, blaming YOU for not fitting into them and teaching you the "secrets" to landing ANOTHER toxic job that pays you $5 to do something you don't even want to do....
(*takes a deep breath* I'm a little passionate about this, can you tell? 😅)
...In a world full of allll that BS, HOPE is a refuge.
It's a community where you’re understood and believed.
It's a place where you can heal with the support of people who know what you've been through and where you're going.
It's the hidden enclave behind that heavy door where you can get your dreams back, and be celebrated as your full, unedited self.
HOPE is a place for people who believe (or want to belive) that we CAN build the lives we want NOW. Not after the revolution, but as a part of it.
Hear what Jess had to say about group coaching from Dara:
Hey there! I'm Dara.
I’m Dara M Wilson, the Career Clarity Queen (sometimes people call me the Career Clarity Witch, :) ). I help women and nonbinary folks who've endured toxic workplaces shed corporate trauma and build lives they love by decolonizing their relationships to work.
I balance spiritual and psychology-based inner healing tactics with actionable strategy for a well rounded approach to growth and alignment.
Basically, I'm not going to BS you about systems at work against you...
...but I'm not going to let you off the hook for doing what you CAN control...
...and we're going to have combine a little mindset work with some real behavior change...
...(plus some incredible support and witnessing from a loving enclave that believes in and celebrates you)...
...to make *amazing transformations* happen.
How'd I get here?
Well after surviving a toxic job that jeopardized my health and discounted my contributions, I rewrote my story, rising to leadership roles in dope companies aligned with my values, and added over $100K to my salary in just two years, all while earning the respect I deserved and doing things I actually cared about.
There was a time I didn't think that was possible (hello, hopeless brain after toxicity??), but with the right resources and the right approach, I made it happen.
Then I did it again.
Then I helped other people do it.
Now I help people land roles they love that fit into lives they've CRAVED.
I'm also a visual artist, comedian, writer and dog mom, who believes work should fit your life, not the other way around.
What do you get from joining HOPE? Let's talk dominoes:
Escaping and recovering from toxicity takes real commitment. It takes being willing to open your mind to new ways of thinking about work and really putting your back into your own healing.
Is it worth it?
What if I told you that on the other side of that work was a fulfilling job that valued you, paid abundantly, and let you make the impact you really want to make in the world??
Maybe that gets your raring to go.
Or maybe the part of you that knows you're "supposed" to want those things smears a smile across your face, says "Wow! This sounds like exactly what I need! I'll think about it!" and tucks this page away into the back of your mind as another thing you "should" do when the timing, and money, and hope that it's possible for you, and permission to prioritize yourself urgently all magically line up perfectly.
I'm reading you a teeny little bit, but it's with all the love in the world. Because, truly: Fair enough. This toxic shit is EXHAUSTING. It's really got to be worth it to do use your energy on something else.
So, what if I told you that as SOON as you start doing this work, dominoes start falling:
- Your confidence changes. You remember who TF you are.
- You start wearing that hairstyle you were worried was too unprofessional.
- People start saying "wow you really seem different!"
- You start saying no to doing what you don't want to do, so your life is filled with things you actually want.
- Your relationships change. You communicate with your partner more confidently, and it's easier than ever to get their support for the things you want to do.
- You joyfully invest in relationships that lift you up and spot the ones trying to hold you back.
- Money starts finding you.
- You start attracting what you want to you.
- Opportunities to do that play you always wanted or that marketing project for the brand you love come finding YOU.
- Your living situation will change - You're in an enclave where you're reminded of your greatness and what you deserve everyday. Are you going to keep living with a funky-ass roommate who's mean to boot? ABSOLUTELY not.
What you think is POSSIBLE changes once YOU make the commitment to investing in your own HOPE.
Will you get a values aligned job that pays you how you want to get paid? Yeah, if that’s what you want.
Will your resume, elevator pitch, LinkedIn page, interview answers get better? No doubt about it. I mean, with your reclaimed confidence and ability to articulate exactly why you're the shit, how could it NOT?
Yes, we're starting with your career, but the DOMINO EFFECT ripples through your entire life.
I'm ready for HOPE
Travis
Dara - You have quite literally saved my life. Before working with you, I carried a lot of baggage that I couldn't name, but I felt its heaviness and the pain it echoed whenever I contemplated going back into the workforce. I felt fractured, drained, and aimless. I still carried the wounds from all the times I worked on teams that weren't a match. I no longer had the energy to tolerate unsupportive environments.
What was even worse, I didn't know what to do next neither finding solace in what I had done in the past nor clarity on what to do next.
Then I started working with you. You taught me to listen to myself and to tune into what my intuition was telling me all along. You gave me the courage to lean into and embrace what felt right regardless of how it might look according to external expectations. You restored me.
Best part of all, you've lit the fire in me to believe in myself by actively claiming what I needed and desired and by taking steps to get there.
You did that, Dara! I will forever be grateful to you! I want to give you your flowers and tell you that you are amazing. Knowing you has been a gift in itself.
Thank you for helping me heal! Thank you for helping me reclaim my power! Thank you for giving me the clarity I so longed for to embrace my gifts and to create a path where those gifts will be acknowledged, valued, and celebrated!
Here's what you'll learn in HOPE:
THE POWER OF INTUITIVE GOALS
- How to identify your body's "stop signs" ... so you can stop blaming yourself for your own abuse.
- How to crack your true North Star ... so you’ll finally experience the energizing, bound out of bed, expansive lightness and freedom that is running TOWARD something versus running AWAY from something else.
- How to identify your own values and the sneaky signs of toxicity ... so you can fearlessly take on another role without worrying about it being toxic.
THE FREEDOM OF RELIABLE MOTIVATION
- Why working harder has left you exhausted and exploited ... instead of celebrated, promoted, and paid $$$.
- The counterintuitive importance to adding MORE to your plate ... so you never have to deal with burnout again.
- The trick to falling in love with saying "NO" ... so you can fast track your next promotion with more energy than ever.
THE BEAUTY OF RECOVERED CONFIDENCE
- How toxic companies seek out high performers ... so you never have to wonder "why me?" again.
- How to identify the real roots of imposter syndrome ... so you finally understand why just leaving the toxic job wasn’t enough shake the trauma for good. And then how to do just that.
- What makes you vulnerable to toxicity ... so you'll finally stop hopping from toxic job to toxic job.
- How to own your work narrative ... so that destructive feedback will CEASE TO MATTER.
- How to master the values forward job search approach ... so you can completely remove REJECTION from the job search process.
- How you’ve been trained to undervalue your own work ... so imposter syndrome becomes a faint memory.
It's all a part of my time-tested framework that I've used to help countless people escape toxic roles and recover from the lasting impacts they leave behind.
Check it out:
Lara
"Dara is incredibly empathetic, and through an intersectional lens, she disrupts the automated processes that many underrepresented folks get stuck in. That, frankly, hold them back, oppress them, and hinder their success.
When I joined, I was really focused on 'How do I get more job interviews?' But when I left, I had the tools I needed to navigate my career in the direction I wanted... I continue to discover things about myself and the narratives I've fallen prey to because of corporate America. I'm actively thinking about how to reframe them based on our conversations and the larger group discussions.
I believe there's a gap in career coaching, where we're told to conform to the standard of the majority. We're told to think about what others want, instead of focusing on our own needs.
Dara fills that gap and shows us that already have what we need; we just need to voice it and take back our agency in our chosen path."
Let's get into the nitty gritty. What's included in HOPE?
Want to know what you get when you walk through the door? I got ya.
For six months, you'll get access to the enclave, and all this:
Bi-Weekly Gatherings:
Dive deep into transformative group coaching sessions where you're evolving in real time. This is a chance to share your journey. To commune.
A Library at Your Fingertips:
Video after video guiding you on your path from from career clarity to personal revolution, anytime, anywhere.
The Inner Authority Workbook:
Your personal manifesto. Each activity crafted to help you peel back the layers of doubt and wear your truths proudly. Designed to draw out your deepest convictions and polish them into a life you love.
Direct Line to Guidance:
With Voxer access, you can reach out to me walkie–talkie style. Whether you’re celebrating a win or need a moment of support, I’m there.
The HOPE Enclave:
A digital community with peers who understand where you've been and where you're going. A space where you can get what you need, whether it's support, celebration, or anything in between. Share stories, complain, cheer and laugh: It's you're own library basement.
Whatever Else I Cook Up:
::Twirls mustache:: I'm always thinking of ways to better serve you, and as long as you're in the Enclave, you'll have access to what I create for HOPE (e.g. I'm cooking up a Values-Forward Job Search bootcamp for May/June. HOPEies/HOPEfuls/HOPPIN JOHNS/What do we want to be called?? will get that as a part of their membership)
I'm ready for HOPE
Pricing
HOPE offers tiered, class-equitable, pay-what-supports-you pricing for six months of membership. This model is inspired by Simone Seol and the Green Bottle Model from Worts + Cunning.
Please read the guidelines and choose the price that supports you.
Please keep in mind that when you opt into a lower price when you can truly afford a higher price, you are limiting access to those who need the gift of financial flexibility. If buying this program means making short-term sacrifices, having to get creative, or asking others for financial support, but does not jeopardize your safety, I ask that you use those resources before using the sliding scale, as doing so will limit opportunities for others.
You being honest about your financial situation helps us to grow a healthy and sustainable community.
Go back in time with me
I walk to the front of the room. I’m about to give a presentation. I make a joke about how I’m not going to make anymore jokes, because I read a study that says people don’t take women who make jokes seriously.
I’m not going to stop making jokes.
I’m not worried about being taken seriously. These people are excited to hear what I have to say, and they expect me to succeed in this presentation.
I talk about how well our latest project is going.. I’m honest about what didn’t work, and what we’ve learned from it.
I’m not worried about hiding the truth or getting into trouble. I’m an adult in an environment that celebrates truth and growth, which are both values I hold dear.
I shout out people who contributed to the work and let them speak to the room about what they did.
I’m not worried about sharing the spotlight, just like my manager was eager to share the spotlight with me. We all know how important it is to get recognition for the work we’ve done and know we succeed as a team. We’re aligned on this.
The room is full of people who support me, my team, and the work we’ve done. I can feel the support on my skin. It’s light and warm. Sometimes it crackles, especially when I do a weird celebratory dance move, which I just did, because I’m weird, and that’s ok here too.
It’s not like the cloying, sticky humidity of “we’re a family here / you don’t smile enough / you need to be smarter to succeed here” that used to cling to me like heavy denim on a hot summer day.
I’m out of the toxic jobs.
I’m past the imposter syndrome.
I’m in a role I love, getting paid WELL, to do something I care deeply about, and my colleagues love having me there and celebrate me every day. And I celebrate myself without fear.
That was my real life.
It was possible for me, and it’s what’s waiting for you, too.
Start your journey toward your dream.
Join us, in HOPE.
