Meet Dani Olafson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Olafson. 

Hi Dani, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I started in endurance sports like ultramarathons and triathlons while I lived in Canada as I worked on my bachelor of science. By the time I began my Master’s in psychology I was competing yearly for Team Canada in triathlon. However, training for triathlon in northern Canada meant training alone indoors, and my master’s degree meant that I spent most days alone in the lab or researching in my office. I decided to start a new hobby that involved interacting with others, jiu jitsu! I fell completely in love with the sport largely for the amazing community I found within in worldwide. When I traveled, I would drop in at gyms and be treated like family and didn’t matter where I was: London, Amsterdam, Vancouver, and of course Nashville. After finishing my first master’s degree I found myself on a trip visiting my best friend in Nashville. I of course dropped in at a jiu-jitsu gym in Brentwood called Profectus Brentwood where I fell in love with their style of training, community, and my now fiancé. I decided I wanted to reside in the US so I began a second master’s degree in conflict management at Lipscomb University. Last winter my fiancé, Fayyaz, purchased Profectus Brentwood from his mentor so the two of us have been managing the gym ever since! While I manage all client relations at the gym, I also started my own company doing productivity/performance coaching for people around the world. Using my master’s in psychology, I created an 8-week program which I run online as well as one-on-one which teaches people the psychological sciences behind habit formation, mindset, motivation, scheduling, and overall efficiency. My program has blown up and been highly successful. I find myself so happy in the life I’m living now as I get to work side by side with my fiancé every day at our jiu-jitsu gym, Profectus Brentwood, and work with people around the world teaching them how to better their lives. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been an interesting road to get here, but I would not say bumpy! Starting out, I had a rough go with my first master’s degree as I started with neuroscience research before switching supervisors (adding a year onto my degree) and working on cognitive psychology/physiology. Further, this is most definitely not where I thought I’d end up geographically or where I thought I’d be career-wise! I did my master’s in psychology with a heavy focus on conducting my own cognitive/exercise physiology so I thought I’d end up in a career-focused around data analysis, research, or very psychology focused. Starting my own business in the middle of a pandemic was definitely a challenge! Beyond just the business side of things, I had to completely develop an entire program that could actually help people change their lives through education and application…the biggest hurdle was siphoning 10 years of a formal education in psychology down into 8 weeks. I initially started by simply coaching people one on one, and with each person, I was able to clean up my program and make it more and more efficient. The big challenge I have now, is balancing managing the jiu-jitsu gym my fiancé and I own, Profectus Brentwood, my own online performance coaching company, training to compete at worlds in triathlon for Team Canada, and training jiu-jitsu. I’m still on a windy road of balancing everything in my life, but it’s one heck of a fun road to travel on! 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear many hats professionally! I manage (and run a women’s BJJ class) a jiu-jitsu gym in Brentwood that my fiancé and I own called Profectus Brentwood. My day-to-day is filled with the constant needs of running a small business! In addition to the gym, I also started my own company doing productivity/performance coaching for people around the world. Using my master’s in psychology, I created an 8-week program which I run online as well as one-on-one which teaches people the psychological sciences behind habit formation, mindset, motivation, scheduling, and overall efficiency. I saw a trend in people trying to better their lives, people would start a diet plan, workout plan, or a habit plan…but fail after about a month of starting it. Lastly, I also run an Instagram account (@daniolafs) which I post about my day-to-day training for triathlon and jiu-jitus as well as showcase running my two businesses! 

I am so proud of all aspects of my professional life and how they’ve developed. But I am most proud of my coaching program, which is what I am most known for. I am proud of my coaching program because it differs SO much from what your average “influencer” is doing. My master’s and undergrad in psychology allowed me to develop an amazing program that genuinely helps people. Many of these online programs take advantage of people, they help people very temporarily but do not actually equip people with the tools and ability to support themselves outside of the program. Ethically, I could not do that. So, I created a very special program which has actually helped people stay on track and advance in their goals LONG after they complete it. I love my job(s) but in particular, I love my coaching program as I see how much I’ve helped people every day. 

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Community. I believe that the thing that is fundamentally missing from everyone’s lives is having a supportive community that they frequently engage in. My fiancé and I own a jiu-jitsu gym, Profectus Brentwood, which yes, teaches kids and adults jiu-jitsu…but is so much more than that. We work very hard to develop a tightly knit community within the gym. Jiu-jitsu is a sport that is known for being “cult-like”, similar to crossfit and it is completely due to the community aspect which exists. You trust your training partners SO much; you literally trust them to protect your safety as you practice jiu-jitsu which creates many bonds. Jiu-jitsu is the reason I found the love of my life and moved to a whole new country. Without jiu-jitsu I never would have met my fiancé, Fayyaz, and I’d still be living in Canada with a completely different life! I likely would have never started my own coaching company, and never had the opportunity to build and be a part of this beautiful community here in Nashville. 

Contact Info:

• Email: dmolafso@ualberta.ca
• Website: https://profectushq.com/brentwood
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniolafs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dani-Olafson-206526816750153/