Private coaching with Dasha Gaian
When everyone relies on you, where do you turn?
You make difficult decisions. People depend on you. And long after the day ends, your mind is still on duty — replaying conversations, weighing what’s next.
I offer a steady, attentive space to work through what’s weighing on you, reconnect with the network of support already available to you, and help you reveal an authentic next step.
You can be capable and still need support.
You know what you need: rest, a boundary, an honest conversation, a different way forward. Then the pressure hits, and knowing isn’t enough.
- You finish work, but keep carrying the decisions and conversations into your evening.
- You’re supporting people at work while worrying about someone at home.
- You keep circling a decision because each option affects people you care about.
- You spend more energy than you want managing how others might react.
- You’re accustomed to being the person who holds things together, with few places to speak freely yourself.
- Under pressure, the perspective you normally have becomes harder to access.
Slow down enough to hear yourself.
You can bring the situation as it is: the conversation you’re avoiding, the pressure you can’t shake, or the decision you don’t yet have words for.
You don’t need to prepare a polished explanation.
I listen closely, reflect back what I notice, and ask questions. Sometimes I’ll gently challenge an assumption or offer another way to see it. We slow down enough to notice what the pressure is doing to you, and make room for thoughts, feelings, and physical experience that can get lost in the rush to solve the problem.
As more room becomes available, we explore what matters, what is yours to carry, and what you want to do next.
Support you can feel.
When you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel alone, even when the people around you care. Knowing that support exists isn’t always the same as feeling it.
In our sessions, we co-create a relational safety where you can truly land. I pay attention to what’s happening in you as we talk, and bring your attention to what you may have missed.
Through our sessions, your nervous system rewires around safety. You come to know what steady feels like, and how to reconnect to support and resources already available in your life.
What a session can look like
Imagine you arrive with a conversation you can’t stop replaying.
An email you’ve rewritten three times. A meeting you’re dreading. A message you can’t send.
We begin by settling together for a few minutes, then start with what happened. Instead of analyzing the other person, we notice what happens in you as you tell it. Maybe your breath gets shallow. Maybe you speak faster. Maybe something other than frustration is underneath.
We stay there for a moment.
The circumstances haven’t changed. But you may no longer be standing in quite the same relationship to the problem.
The process
Slow down. See clearly. Choose.
1
Slow Down
We create enough space to notice what’s actually happening beneath the automatic response — without forcing anything to change.
2
See Clearly
Together we explore the emotions, assumptions, patterns, needs, impulses, and possibilities that become visible.
3
Choose
As awareness and capacity grow, so does your ability to respond differently — in your relationships, leadership, decisions, and daily life.
This isn’t a rigid three-step method. We move between these processes throughout our work together, following what is most alive and useful.
What we can work toward
- Clearer decisions when the stakes feel high.
- Honest conversations without losing your own perspective.
- Boundaries that reflect your actual capacity.
- More ability to receive support and share responsibility.
- Less time consumed by replaying, rehearsing, and second-guessing.
- More room for your relationships and life beyond work.
We choose goals that matter to you and return to them throughout our work.
Coaching isn’t a promise that difficult feelings or circumstances disappear. The aim is to meet your life with more awareness and choice.
Working with more than your thoughts
Stress can show up as a tight chest, a racing mind, or the feeling that you must keep pushing through. Somatic coaching includes attention to that physical experience alongside conversation and reflection.
You don’t need previous experience with this approach. We work collaboratively, at a pace that respects you and the life you return to after each session.
Sometimes the workload is unreasonable, responsibilities are unclear, or a relationship needs to change. Our work includes distinguishing what is happening within you from what needs attention around you.
About Dasha
Steady, attentive, and on your side.
I’m Dasha Gaian, a somatic coach and facilitator. I work with individual clients and groups in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
My approach is informed by extensive training in somatic and trauma-informed methodologies. I serve as Chief of Staff at the Global Restoration Institute, a nonprofit bringing trauma-informed approaches to diplomacy and policymaking. bringing trauma-informed approaches to diplomacy and policymaking.
My coaching draws on somatic and trauma-informed approaches. Instead of only talking about what’s happening, we work with what your whole system is holding — so insight settles into your body and becomes a felt difference in how you respond, relate, and choose in your everyday life.
I grew up in Ukraine and have lived in multiple cultures across the globe, which gave me a felt sense of our interconnectedness and a deep cross-cultural resilience that informs my work. Today I live in Washington, DC.
Dasha's powerful presence and insights have strengthened me as I've navigated painful experiences. Dasha expands my perspective so that I see more of what's happening on different levels. Dasha masterfully picks up on the deeper roots of a situation, beyond the narrative of my surface-level story. She can often feel (physically and emotionally) what I am not yet consciously feeling. When she shares aloud what arises when she is attuning to me, my awareness grows.
Dasha is highly attuned and perceptive, compassionate and truly loving. I feel deeply felt and cared for by her. In her reflections on what I share, she zeros in on the most subtle aspects of my tone and my somatic energy, as well as following my verbal content. I learn about myself and feel myself more deeply in her presence. I am repeatedly in awe of her ability to provide grounding and spaciousness for me. I highly recommend Dasha as a personal growth / trauma integration coach.
Working with Dasha brings a profound sense of clarity and restfulness. If you're anything like me, starting this inner work can feel overwhelming and difficult to navigate alone. It can be confusing, emotionally challenging, and even intimidating. Dasha helps ease these difficulties by guiding you at the perfect pace and creating a safe, supportive space for your growth. Her teachings and guidance have always been practical and easy to apply, which has been truly life-changing for me. If you're considering starting this journey, don't hesitate — reach out to Dasha today. I'm so glad I did.
Three months of private coaching
- Twelve private, 55-minute sessions
- Online, usually weekly
- Available in English, Ukrainian, and Russian
- Goals shaped around your real circumstances
An ongoing relationship gives us time to recognize recurring patterns, revisit what happens between sessions, and support changes across real situations.
I take on a limited number of 1:1 clients at a time so I can give each person real continuity and attention.
Fees are shared during our introductory conversation.
This work may be especially useful if…
- You’re capable of holding a great deal for other people but have difficulty finding the same clarity when you’re inside your own experience.
- You know what you need to do, and still can’t get yourself to do it when the pressure is on.
- You’re navigating work pressure, a leadership challenge, a relationship, or an important decision where the answer isn’t obvious.
- You’ve gained insight through therapy, coaching, or personal development and want to live it, not only understand it.
- You want someone who is both attuned and willing to gently challenge you.
This probably isn’t the right fit if…
- You’re looking for a fixed program, a quick fix, or techniques to apply on your own.
- You want someone to tell you what to do rather than help you see more clearly for yourself.
- You’re in acute crisis and need clinical mental-health support rather than coaching.
Questions you may have
- Do I need experience with somatic work?
- No. You don’t need any previous experience or particular vocabulary. I’ll guide the process, and we’ll work at a pace that suits you.
- What can I bring?
- Work pressure, decisions, difficult conversations, boundaries, relationships, and competing responsibilities — whatever is weighing on you.
- Is this therapy?
- No. Coaching supports present-day challenges and development. It does not replace psychotherapy or mental-health treatment.
- What happens in the introductory call?
- We discuss what brings you here, what support you’re looking for, and whether working together feels suitable.
- How quickly will I notice a difference?
- Many clients notice something shift within a single session: more clarity, more space, or a change in how something feels. Deeper patterns usually need repetition and time, which is why my primary work happens over several months.
You don’t need to have it figured out before we talk.
Bring what is on your mind. We’ll explore what kind of support would be useful and whether this is the right fit.
Book a free 15-minute conversation