Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Petersen.
Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up just outside Salt Lake City in a conservative community where mental health, emotions, and identity weren’t things people were allowed to talk about—especially for boys. On the surface, I looked like a “popular kid,” but underneath was a deep fear of not being good enough or being accepted for who I truly was.
At home, I was bullied relentlessly by my older brother and his friends. I was sensitive, expressive, and different in ways I didn’t yet understand, which made me an easy target. The torment was mostly verbal, sometimes physical, and it was daily. It left invisible scars I carried for decades. From a young age, I learned to hide the parts of myself that didn’t fit in. I internalized the belief that who I was wasn’t acceptable, and that shame became unbearable.
It wasn’t just sadness—it was suffocating. By my early teens, I didn’t want to exist. The thoughts of dying weren’t fleeting; they were constant, obsessive, and all-consuming. Every day felt like a battle to pretend I was okay while quietly wishing I wasn’t here. My body started expressing the pain I couldn’t voice—through chronic GI issues, migraines, and years of unexplained physical pain.
When I discovered alcohol, it became my survival tool. It numbed the noise and quieted the war inside me long enough to function. Outwardly, I built a successful twenty-year career. But internally, I was unraveling. I didn’t realize I was living with untreated depression and PTSD. I thought that constant ache was just part of life.
In 2002, I moved to Los Angeles, hoping a new environment might bring peace. It didn’t. I hadn’t faced the pain beneath the surface, and within a year, I was back in Utah—back to the same patterns, the same loneliness, and the same emptiness.
Then everything changed after losing my brother Jeremy. His death shattered the illusion that I was fine. The grief broke me open completely, and for the first time, I couldn’t numb it. In 2015, I entered treatment in Los Angeles, planning to “reset” for a few months before returning to work. But treatment changed everything.
In early 2016, I experienced what I can only describe as a spiritual awakening—a moment that redefined my understanding of life and myself. For the first time, I felt connected to something greater than my pain. It was a presence—gentle but powerful—that offered peace where I had only known suffering. That moment of connection was the beginning of faith for me. It became the anchor that helped me keep going, even when the healing work felt impossible.
I learned that trauma isn’t just something that happens to us—it’s something that lives in us until we meet it with compassion. Healing wasn’t about fixing what was broken; it was about remembering who I was before the world told me to be someone else.
I took a full year to focus on recovery and rediscovery. I knew I couldn’t return to my old life. I started volunteering at the very treatment center that helped me heal, which grew into a full-time role, and eventually into leadership. For nearly a decade, I devoted myself to helping others find the same light I had found in my darkest moments.
In late 2023, after a difficult separation from the organization I helped build, I found myself at another crossroads. It was painful but necessary. I needed space to realign with my purpose. I went to Maui to stay with my close friend and now business partner, Laura Ramos. In that stillness—surrounded by the ocean, nature, and reflection—the next chapter revealed itself. The vision for Redefine was reborn: stronger, clearer, and more aligned than ever before.
In 2025, we opened Redefine Wellness & Treatment in Scottsdale, Arizona—a center built on the belief that true healing requires treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Our model integrates neuroscience, psychiatry, somatic and energy work, spirituality, and functional medicine in an environment of deep compassion and authenticity.
Today, I split my time between Scottsdale and Los Angeles, continuing to grow Redefine with future plans to expand into Los Angeles, and other areas.
My journey taught me that healing doesn’t erase your past—it redeems it. The pain that once made me want to disappear has become the foundation of my purpose. I spent most of my life believing I wasn’t worthy of love or belonging. Now, my mission is to create spaces where others can finally see that they are.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not even close. For most of my life, I made things look smooth from the outside—career success, confidence, the ability to keep moving forward—but internally, I was unraveling.
I grew up carrying pain I didn’t understand. For years, I lived with untreated trauma, depression, and shame. I didn’t have the language for what I was experiencing—I just thought something was wrong with me. I used alcohol and achievement as ways to cope, to stay distracted from the pain. That survival pattern eventually took a toll on my body, my relationships, and my spirit.
Even when I finally entered treatment, the road to healing wasn’t easy. Healing asks you to face everything you’ve spent your life avoiding. It’s messy and uncomfortable, and there were times when it felt unbearable. I had to rebuild not just my life, but my understanding of myself.
One of the people who changed everything for me was Laura Rhodes‑Levin, the therapist who truly helped save my life. She stayed by my side through every stage of the healing process—educating me, guiding me, and accepting me in a way I had never experienced before. Her compassion, directness, and steady belief in me helped me rebuild from the inside out. I often call her my “spiritual Yoda,” because that’s exactly what she became—a grounding force and a mirror for my own potential.
And then there was Maxx, my golden-doodle. He came into my life unexpectedly and reached me in a way no human could. He carried me through some of my darkest seasons—before treatment, during it, and every day after. He had this incredible ability to calm me and remind me that love didn’t have to be earned. When he suddenly and unexpectedly passed away—within 48 hours of the separation with the organization I had helped build—it felt like my entire foundation had been ripped away again. But even in that heartbreak, I knew something bigger was happening. It was as if life was clearing space for what was next.
None of my recovery and journey forward would have been possible without the constant support of my family. Their love and steadiness gave me something to hold onto when I felt completely lost. They never gave up on me, even when I had given up on myself—and that made all the difference.
The road has never been smooth—but it’s been sacred. Every heartbreak, every challenge, and every loss has carved out a deeper capacity for compassion and purpose. Redefine exists because of those difficult seasons—not in spite of them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Redefine Wellness & Treatment?
Redefine Wellness & Treatment isn’t just a treatment center—it’s a deeply personal mission born from lived experience, profound healing, and a commitment to create something that didn’t exist when I needed it most.
We specialize in treating trauma, PTSD, and co-occurring mental health disorders using an integrative, neuroscience-informed, and deeply human approach. We believe that true healing requires treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. That belief is woven into everything we do—from the moment a client walks through our doors to the way our team shows up with presence, humility, and heart.
Our services include comprehensive psychiatric care, trauma therapy, neurofeedback, somatic therapies, and functional medicine, all delivered in a setting that’s warm, beautiful, and intentionally designed to help people feel safe. Our clients aren’t just treated—they’re seen, heard, and met exactly where they are.
What sets us apart is our commitment to authenticity. We don’t believe in cookie-cutter care. Every aspect of our programming is personalized, trauma-informed, and relationship-driven. We take time to understand our clients’ stories, not just their symptoms. Our clinical and medical team works collaboratively to co-create a plan of care that’s both science-backed and soul-honoring.
We’re also known for our exceptional design and atmosphere. We created Redefine to feel more like a sanctuary than a facility. The environment is calming, elevated, and curated with intention—from lighting and art to natural textures and sound. Healing isn’t just internal—it’s also impacted by what surrounds us. We take that seriously.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the culture we’re building. We are building something with integrity—where every staff member, every client, and every family is treated with the utmost care and respect. Our team brings not only expertise, but deep compassion. Many of us have walked through our own healing journeys, and that gives us a kind of empathy and presence you can’t manufacture.
I also want people to know that Redefine was born from love—the love I found through healing, the love that saved me, and the love I now offer to others through this work. We don’t just want to help people survive—we want to help them redefine what’s possible for their lives.
Our flagship location is in Scottsdale, Arizona, and we have future plans to expand to Los Angeles and other areas. My vision is to create a network of healing spaces where people can come home to themselves—where healing isn’t clinical, but sacred.
What are your plans for the future?
Right now, I’m fully focused on nurturing and growing Redefine Wellness & Treatment. We opened our first location in Scottsdale in 2025, and it’s been incredible to watch the vision come to life—offering a truly integrative, neuroscience-informed, heart-centered space for people to heal from trauma, anxiety, depression, and more.
But this is just the beginning.
We’re already preparing for expansion, with plans to open additional locations in Los Angeles, and other areas in the coming years. Each of the places hold deep personal significance to me, and each will represent a community we believe can benefit from this type of holistic, compassionate care.
Beyond physical expansion, we’re also developing more ways to serve—through workshops, intensives, partnerships, and even retreats. I want Redefine to be a place where healing meets excellence—a standard-bearer for what truly transformative mental health care can look and feel like.
On a personal level, I’m continuing to deepen my own spiritual practice. That massive shift that began for me in 2016—when I truly began to awaken to purpose, faith, and healing—continues to guide every step. I know I’m not here just to build a business. I’m here to help people come home to themselves. And whatever I create going forward will always come from that place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://redefinewt.com
- Instagram: daniel.petersen.1004837
- Facebook: daniel.petersen.1004837
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-petersen-657bb5161
Image Credits
these are all my owned images
