Relational transformation. Collective care. Embodied presence.
I'm Drisana "Dru" McDaniel (she/her), a visionary facilitator and a passionate advocate for transformational activism.. With bespoke training and curriculum development, I empower individuals, groups, and organizations to embark on journeys of profound change, fostering intercultural competence and healing for a more inclusive and empathetic world. My approach marries the art of contemplation with the power of action, aiming to cultivate transformational justice in every endeavor.
My heart beats for crafting events that bridge souls, believing deeply in the magic that unfolds when we dive into our shared human experience and heal collectively. My work is a testament to the power of radical interconnectedness and the potential for collective liberation.
As an alumna of the College of Charleston, where I studied Women and Gender Studies, and Sociology, my academic journey laid the groundwork for my work. I further honed my expertise with a Master's degree in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Currently, I'm deepening my inquiry into the nexus of philosophy, religion, women's spirituality, and the psychospiritual path as a doctoral candidate..
In what ways may I meet what arises on my path?
alchemy is…
a process whereby we meet what we have not yet lived into, and in doing so we pick up wisdom, experience transformation, or discover healing.
The Alchemy of Now® is a framework that was created in 2020 as a response to the activism of should; the impulse to either fix or to blame; and the serial articulations of what needs to happen, what must happen, and what has to change. In the face of these times of global pandemic, devastating racial unrest, and environmental crises –our responses range from cries to recover a troubling past; for a return to a “normalcy” that keeps oppressive and dehumanizing structures intact; working with efforts to stay with the trouble of this present time; and/or yearning to create a new future made of possibilities yet to be realized.
On one end of a continuum of how we can be with crisis, individuals perceive little meaning, depth, dimensionality, or transcendent significance in the world. In this state, people may feel empty, disconnected, without a sense of home, and lacking in a profound inner self. Many may find themselves desperately striving to establish a meaningful identity. Alternatively, crises can lead us into a sense of collective belonging, where we are compelled to relinquish control and predictability to engage with and nurture the emergent, turning toward what arises with contemplation and critical introspection.
The Alchemy of Now is a blueprint for the growth we experience on the psychospiritual path; an ethos; an experiential course intensive is designed to meet the yearnings of those who seeking to better understand how to approach their lives from a place of intention, integration, and curiosity; and a tool to support facilitation for groups and teams in organizations and for individual coaching. It’s especially useful in healing-centered community organizing. The ways that we give attention, talk with, and make meaning with each other; the design of our collective spaces; and the space we give to creativity and alternative ways of knowing and being all create context for recovery and imagining new futures. Contemplating the framework in collective fugitive spaces where we gather as wounded healers, affords us an opportunity to share, to bear witness to what is, to co-create, innovate, and experience healing with each other.
Ways We Can Work Together
My work lives at the intersection of healing, justice, and imagination. I support individuals, communities, and organizations in navigating the tender and often tangled work of becoming—becoming more whole, more honest, more aligned with what matters most. Whether you're in a moment of transition, seeking clarity, or building toward something larger than yourself, I offer guidance, facilitation, and partnership rooted in embodied wisdom, collective care, and liberatory practice.
These offerings are portals. Each one is an invitation to move with intention, to stay with what’s emerging, and to cultivate the courage to reimagine how we live, work, relate, and change—together.
Individual Guidance & Integration
For those navigating change, seeking clarity, or tending to the quiet call of transformation. These one-on-one sessions are a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect to your inner wisdom. Together, we explore the intersections of your healing, purpose, and presence—drawing on practices that support both personal insight and collective liberation.
Liberatory Organizational Development
I partner with organizations ready to move from performative equity to embodied transformation. Rooted in systems thinking, liberatory traditions, and body-based insight, my approach fosters relational accountability, cultural attunement, and the daily practices that make collective care a reality. This is a strategy as soul work — where transformation is lived, not just imagined.
Community-Centered Facilitation
I design and hold space for reflection, repair, and reimagining. Whether through workshops, facilitated conversations, or collaborative projects, my facilitation invites honest engagement across differences—building capacity for collective care, cultural healing, and future-making that is grounded, brave, and inclusive.
Transformational Thought Partnership
Bring your vision, your questions, your edge. I serve as a co-conspirator and mirror for your boldest ideas—offering reflection, resonance, and inquiry as you move through creative, strategic, or scholarly thresholds. This is a space for deep thinking, courageous reimagining, and aligned action.
The Transformative Teaching Collective is a worker-owned cooperative founded to promote social justice education in the South Carolina Low country and beyond.
“Life is full of paradoxes, and within their depths lie opportunities for profound understanding and growth.”
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