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Over thousands of years, philosophers have developed powerful tools to explore the good life—what makes life meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling. You can learn to use these tools to live with greater depth, purpose, and confidence. I can help.
Watch my TEDx talk on how to rebuild hope after your worldview falls apart.
Hi, I'm Dr. Danielle LaSusa. I have studied, taught, and coached philosophy for over two decades.
Philosophy, which simply means "love of wisdom," is about purpose, identity, and seeing the world clearly. I offer friendly and accessible conversation, compassionate listening, and a healthy dose of humor to help you think through the practical concerns of everyday life.
I talk with clients all over the country, both remotely and in-person in Portland, Oregon, and I specialize in serving new mothers.
I love helping people discover new perspectives and ways of thinking, and I have seen these shifts transform lives. I want to help you transform yours.
Let's awaken your inner philosopher.
“Danielle helped me when a decade of therapy couldn’t touch my incapacitating existential dread, fueled by my discarded religious upbringing, lack of sense of self, and loss of hope in humanity. She showed me that my ‘educated’ view that the world is a terrible place was really just a way of giving up. She seemed to have a quote, book recommendation, and/or Buddhist teaching for literally every single situation, and through them, she taught me how to draw comfort from the world, and more importantly, from myself.
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What Does It Mean to Make a Person?
What could be more philosophically confounding than creating a human being? How do you wrap your brain around the huge transitions in identity, values, responsibility, relationships that comes with motherhood? What if being a mom isn't all what you thought it would be?
Get help sorting through these changes and claim your own identity as a mother that feels powerful, centered, and whole.
Join Our Mother Den Community
Mother Den is a Free Online Hub to connect with new and expectant moms to share in the existential transformation of motherhood, so we can embrace our messy, beautiful new selves and rewrite the rules of motherhood, together.
Join our den for respite and revolution. Click the button above and get instant access to your free membership.
“I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the arrival of my second child, after really struggling postpartum with my first. After a year in traditional therapy, I still felt frustrated, stuck, and overwhelmed. Danielle cut straight to the heart of the limiting thoughts and stories I was caught in. Through her gentle encouragement, she helped me fully honor my pain while also challenging my negative self-talk. After a lifetime of feeling doomed in motherhood, I am now so much more confident, capable, and patient with myself. I never thought, at six-weeks postpartum, I could feel this good.”
The Meaning of Motherhood Course
The Meaning of Motherhood online course is part philosophy class, part motherhood wisdom circle. Through video lectures, reflection prompts, reading and resource lists, online discussion boards, and live monthly discussion circles, this course provides a place for you to connect with others and brings compassion, philosophical depth, and critical thinking to motherhood.
Making sense of motherhood is hard. Let’s do it together.
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“It’s hard to put into words how deeply I have been needing these conversations in my life, and how invaluable they are to my own healing and sense of peace.”
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Latest Blog Posts
This month, in keeping with this year's theme of Generosity, I have something really exciting to share with you—but first, a little story:
A Vietnam War veteran once told me about when he was out in the jungle and came upon a herd of elephants. He watched as all the mother elephants got into a big circle to protect the babies in the middle. As he told me this story, his eyes reddened and he said,
"The thing I wanted more than anything in the world was to be in the center of that circle."