My name is Danielle Johnson. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in a small town just outside of Madison (DeForest, Wisconsin). I loved all sports growing up (still do) and am grateful to have the athletic ability to play them. My focus and love has always been basketball. I was given the opportunity to play on many AAU teams and racked up numerous boxes of hardware. One of my favorite memories was playing in a tournament in Portland, Oregon with the Playground Warriors. The stands were packed with college coaches and Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt were up on the balcony. The nerves on that stage were insurmountable. I will always remember bringing the ball up as the point guard and getting the ball stolen from me at half court. I have always had big emotions – it was certainly a double-edged sword. But, managing my emotions was never something that I learned, nor did I have a coach or mentor to help me. I would go on to have a memorable career and am very grateful for the accolades I accumulated. But, I will always wonder “what if” I had managed my emotions better and had more confidence in myself.

I went to Edgewood High School in Madison and graduated with high academic honors. I played four years of varsity basketball and was named All State Honorable Mention and picked for the All-Star Team. Our team made school history when it was the first to win a conference title, first to win Regionals and first to go to Sectionals. In the game to go to State, I remember the feeling of quicksand as we lost the lead and the deficit grew. We began playing not to lose instead of playing to win. We could not manage that feeling and lost a close game. I also enjoyed playing four years of varsity soccer. My senior year our soccer team took second in the State of Wisconsin and I was the goalie. The nerves on that stage were electric and I will always remember the only goal the other team scored to win the game.

I was accepted into Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, a premier academic college. I graduated with a degree in Economics and a double minor in Legal Studies and Political Science (basically a double-major – what an overachiever). I was grateful to start for four years on the varsity basketball team. I was named MIAC Conference All First Year Team, MIAC Conference Athlete of the Week, MIAC Conference Honorable Mention (3 years), and team MVP. Our team made school history when it made playoffs for the first time. Although I had two knee surgeries in college, I graduated with 949 points (51 points shy of 1,000) and still hold a place on many of the career stat lists for almost all categories. As of the time of writing this, I am still the 14th ranked on the all-time scoring list for Macalester, but dang that 51 points stings.

Most of my college career I dreamed of going to law school and being a business attorney. I went straight from college to the University of St. Thomas School of Law where I earned my Juris Doctor (J.D.) and graduated cum laude in the top 20% of my class. I checked all the boxes:  law review, dean’s scholarship, dean’s list, dean’s award, moot court, and president of the Business and Corporate Law Society. I passed the bar in Minnesota and then Wisconsin. I entered the legal working world after the Great Recession with the largest class to ever take the bar (lucky me). But, I hustled and persevered. I didn’t have as linear of a legal career path as others, but I made many lifelong connections and a book of business. I earned many career honors: 2019 Up & Coming Attorney (Wisconsin Law Journal); 2021 Class 40 Under 40 (In Business); 2021 Rising Star (Wisconsin Super Lawyers); 2022 Rising Star (Wisconsin Super Lawyers); 2023 “One to Watch” in Real Estate Law (Best Lawyers); and 2024 “One to Watch” in Business Organizations; Corporate Law; Real Estate Law (Best Lawyers). I spoke at conferences, authored articles and volunteered my time in many capacities.

After over a decade in my career, it became clear to me that I might be destined for a different path. I earned a certificate in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), which is a way of helping someone change their thoughts and behaviors to help them achieve their desired outcome, reduce anxiety, and improve their overall wellbeing. I also became a certified Skill Enhancement Trainer through I'm Possible Training owned by Micah Lancaster.

I wasn’t born with ice in my veins or nerves of steel. I was born an empathetic healer, which means I feel my feelings and those of others that most people cannot. That is a lot of emotions for one person. But, that is why I am most qualified to coach athletes on their emotions. I am teaching from experience and authenticity. I am very good at picking up on other’s emotions and making real connections with people who trust me implicitly. I put in the work and educated myself on my journey to self-discovery to recognize these emotions and use different tips and tricks to manage them. I want to help you on your path to being the best you. I am not trying to make you into Michael Jordan or Caitlin Clark because you can’t be someone else. But, I can help you be the best version of you and take advantage of your given abilities. I failed over and over again in my life, but, for those reasons, I succeeded. And, you can too!

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

– Michael Jordan