ABOUT
Dan Smith
Founder and Principal
Hello and Welcome to SpeakEasy Life Guidance.
My name is Dan Smith. My entire life experience has led me to the founding of SpeakEasy Life Guidance and the creation of the Peaceful Pragmatism process and practice.
One of my primary attributes is that I am not a licensed therapist. I am not in the business
of diagnosis but rather I listen, participate and give of myself. I draw on my abundance of life experiences from childhood to present as well as the experiences of people I have known and worked with, to develop an understanding of my clients. I actively partner with my clients to discover and develop solid pragmatic life skills that are individually workable and recognize our options to deal with the many challenges which life brings.
Having faced many challenges myself — being bullied, constant moving as a child, divorced parents, alcoholism, prescription drug dependency, divorce, weight issues, psychological misdiagnosis, dealing with other’s addictions, depression, suicidal ideation, lack of any spiritual direction, financial crisis, self-esteem issues and many others. I have learned to navigate my way through these challenges and maintain not only a positive outlook but also embrace these challenges as a catalyst for positive personal growth and the opportunity to help others.
I was encouraged to form SpeakEasy by the people I've been helping over the years. I have an innate gift to connect with people, listen, and help guide them to solutions that work specifically for them.
I believe that healthy non-judgmental two-way communication is invaluable to getting to the root of challenges, identifying areas for improvement and creating actions to move through those challenges having learned something. I've been told by many people from all walks of life, my passion for helping others is infectious.
I invite you to come, sit and talk with me.
SpeakEasy Life Guidance was founded as an alternative to traditional commonplace therapy, counseling, and life coaching practices.
The SpeakEasy — Peaceful Pragmatism process and practice is not diagnostic or prescriptive. One key reason SpeakEasy is so effective lies in the fact that Dan is not a therapist. Dan works from a place of personal experiences incorporating, sensitivity, humor, intellect and the true desire to help others.
The name SpeakEasy was carefully chosen with the intention of capturing the feel and style
of the sessions. Sessions should have the distinct ease and comfort like that of speaking with an old friend, safe, honest and non-judgmental. SpeakEasy Life Guidance provides supportive counsel. We are non-academic and non-theoretical in our approach.
Our “real life” approach means we work together with our clients in partnership from a place of shared experience, mutual respect and never from a place of criticism or judgment. If you have ever felt therapy, coaching, counseling was an “Arm’s length” activity that is not the case here. In SpeakEasy, problems will be identified and addressed as a team using the Peaceful Pragmatism Process and Practice to develop an effective way to deal with past and present concerns as well to avoid creating the same issues in the future. It is a practice you can take with you in all areas of your life.
Dan has successfully supported many people over the years with his gift of relating, understanding and helping others. It is his privilege and passion to be here to support and guide you through your personal journey.