We recently had the chance to connect with Dafi Shanti and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Dafi, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I love my quiet morning time, when I slowly roll into the day ahead. I always begin with stretching, followed by my morning ritual of gratitude, prayer, and meditation. Ritual is very important to me. Consistency supports me. I spend my mornings chanting and doing brain puzzles — both awaken my spirit and my mind.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Intuitive, Integrative Spiritual Life Coach, Author, Healer, and Medium.
My work is about helping you recognize and change the automatic patterns that keep you stuck and suffering — the old stories that once protected you but no longer serve you. When we create awareness, we create change. We shift the way you respond to present challenges such as depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship struggles.
By transforming limiting beliefs, you recalibrate your inner world.
I am deeply passionate about empowering individuals on their journey toward a life they truly deserve. As an Integrative Coach, my work is guided by the Law of Attraction, channeling, and reprogramming old narratives. I am certified in Past Life Regression Therapy (PLR) by Dr. Brian Weiss and am also a Pranic Crystal Healer.
I provide a safe space — and permission — to want more, to learn how to ask, and to receive
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In 1994, I faced a life-threatening diagnosis: a brain tumor called meningioma. I underwent a six-hour surgery that transformed my life beyond anything I could have imagined.
From the moment I woke up in the recovery room, I knew I could no longer live the way I had before. My spiritual journey began then. Alongside it came painting and writing.
They say that when the brain has been opened during surgery, people often experience profound changes — becoming more creative, more positive, more connected to a higher power. I know I experienced all of that and more.
Since that event, I have been driven by a deep desire to be of service — to help others feel inspired by their lives. In my work, I create space for clients to want more, to ask, and to receive. I help them see the lesson in whatever life brings their way, while providing tools to face doubt and fear. Together we release shame and guilt, shift perception, and step into empowerment.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of being alone has been part of my story.
It began in childhood, around age seven, when my brother was assigned to babysit me. That fear stayed with me for many years. I could not release it.
For a long time, I remained married simply so I would not be alone — even though I felt deeply alone within the marriage. I was afraid to leave and live by myself. I believed that as long as I was with someone, I was not alone. Those were inaccurate thoughts, and inaccurate thoughts lead to inaccurate decisions.
After my divorce, I began to truly experience what it means to be alone — and to discover its depth and beauty. I spent much time by myself. I learned to go to movies alone, dine alone, and even travel alone — all the way to India.
Years later, when I needed to leave another seven-year relationship, that old fear rose again. I remember one morning at Club Med in Mexico, meditating as the sun was rising. I heard clearly within me:
“You have been alone since you were born. You are going to be okay.”
When I left that relationship, I mastered the art of being alone. I learned to enjoy my freedom and my power.
After my divorce, I had already deepened my spirituality and my connection to God, so I knew how to return to it. When people would ask, “Do you live here all by yourself?” I would smile and say, “No. I live with me, myself, and God.”
Facing my fear fully — unfolding it moment by moment — is what made me stronger. Looking back, I can hardly believe how long it kept me frozen.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am in the process of working on a new project: creating a children’s book.
A few decades ago, I worked as an early childhood professional with children ages 3 to 5. It was during that time that I first heard the title of a children’s book in my heart. But just as we sometimes place special items in different drawers, that is what happened with this project. I kept it in the back of my mind and never really did anything about it.
About two years ago, my two grandchildren were visiting me for the holidays. Mela was six years old, and her younger sister, Shir, was four. One morning, they joined me while I was having my coffee by the big window facing the backyard. They were both sitting with me on my large lounge chair. As I always did, I began telling them stories. I have always loved using my imagination—telling stories and singing songs with children. After all, I did it for so many years.
Out of nowhere, the children’s book that I had kept in one of my “drawers” in the back of my head suddenly popped up. I decided to tell it to them. I had never told this story before, nor had I shared my idea of writing and publishing a children’s book.
I could not believe the reaction of the two girls. They were fully engaged, and to my surprise, they kept asking me to tell the story again and again as I continued creating it. I was speechless to receive such a reaction, especially since it was my very first time telling the story to children.
Now Mela is eight years old and in kindergarten, and Shir is six and in preschool. Yet the story still had not been written—it remained in my heart and mind, waiting for the right time.
It was only when I shared the idea of the book with my best friend, Valerie, that it truly hit me: I had to bring it to life. I booked a two-day getaway for the two of us at Sycamore Resort & Spa to do some spiritual reflection and writing. When I told Valerie about the concept, the story, and my ideas, she immediately said, “It’s a great story. You must write it. I want to buy it for my grandchildren.”
The very next morning, I could finally see myself actually writing it. As I got out of bed, I handed Valerie the new journal she had bought the other day, grabbed my laptop, and went back to bed to write the very first chapter of my book..
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I know, as people tell me all the time, that they will say things like: “ there is nothing that stop you to do anything, I can’t believe you travel the world all by yourself, aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you afraid to live alone in this big house? You have so much energy you always doing something, nothing stop you, I wish I was like you, you have so much courage, you do so many things all the time .
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dafishanti.com
Image Credits
Amber Sophia
