This is Dani Tan’s story of bringing her whole self to a new chapter in her public speaking career.

Dani Tan (she/her) is a multicultural powerhouse with Chinese, Filipino, and Puerto Rican roots who traded her thriving corporate career for a mission that lights her up: coaching first-gen women to step into more freedom, power, and possibility at work and beyond.

Her latest chapter? Delivering transformative talks while traveling the world.

Unsure how to find, scope, and price speaking opportunities

“I was navigating many things to own my speaker identity—from how to even find [virtual] opportunities while traveling, to figuring out how to scope or price them once they came my way…”

Eleven years. Five industries. Eleven promotions. Sample coordinator to VP at a company worth billions. 

Dani Tan has built her career on constant reinvention and radical self trust. 

But the higher she climbed in corporate America, the more she noticed what first-gen professionals weren’t taught: how to advocate for themselves, how to negotiate, how to be seen as leaders without burning out as the “yes” person.

“I knew how hard it can be to figure it all out on your own—to be the first in your family to graduate university, to pursue a career with no roadmap, to sit in rooms where no one else looks like you. 

That’s why I felt I needed to give back, to share what I’d learned, and to make sure others didn’t have to navigate it alone.”

The spotlight she never asked for (but the one that made the most difference)

Growing up shy and reserved with cultural values where children were meant to be seen and not heard, Dani never imagined she’d end up speaking on stages.

“I hated public speaking on so many levels [laughs], which is so funny because it’s my job.”

But in her corporate career, her boss saw something she didn’t—that she was a natural presenter. He pushed her to speak at industry conferences, and though she was terrified, she said yes.

“I don’t want to let fear be the reason I don’t try something. So I went for it. And then I just kept getting asked to speak.

What I realized along the way is that people connect with me more when they hear me speak.

It was just amazing that I went from somebody who was terrified of speaking in public to being recognized for talking.”

And when Dani launched her coaching business, she asked herself:

What’s the most natural way for people to really get to know me?

That realization led to a bold experiment. On International Women’s Day 2023, she committed to running a workshop every Wednesday for the entire month on Linkedin Live—and it landed with exactly the right people.

“Soon I became a top voice on LinkedIn.

And I just got a message the other week that completely blew my mind. It wasn’t even from a client—it was from someone who had only attended my free workshops.

She told me, ‘Thank you so much for your workshops. I would’ve never had the confidence to advocate for myself, but I did—and I just landed a new job with a salary increase.’

And the best part? She’s first-gen, a daughter of immigrants—so seeing her win like that makes it all the more meaningful.

I always say—if me being a little nervous, scared, and vulnerable helps someone else feel seen and safe enough to step out too, then I’d rather do that than hide.”

​​But stepping into her speaking identity while building her business came with a new set of own challenges:

• Shifting industries: Dani had built credibility as a speaker in retail and e-commerce, but stepping into career and leadership speaking without a big brand name to back her up felt daunting and raised the question—would people take her seriously?
  
• Making her talks personal: Her most powerful moments on stage happened when she blended her tactical advice with her lived experiences—but sharing her personal life felt vulnerable 

• Landing speaking opportunities as a digital nomad: Life as a digital nomad felt like an exciting adventure—but Dani was wondering whether this would limit her visibility and speaking opportunities

The Latinx Pop-up Speaker Directory: A virtual event that opened doors

With her Chinese, Puerto Rican, and Filipino roots, Dani often felt like she existed in the spaces between checkboxes—never quite fitting into just one category.

But Steph’s reminder stuck with her:

“You can still own who you are by being exactly who you are.”

Dani loved that the event opened up a world of virtual speaking opportunities and gave her a community where she never had to shrink or edit herself.

That’s why she’s shown up for the pop-up directory three years in a row: 

“Steph is brilliant, but what really stands out is how much empathy and care she brings to her community.

Because she leads that way, she naturally attracts people who are just as unique, thoughtful, and fun. So anytime she puts something together, I want to show up and support her.”

Beyond opportunities, towards real connection

But what truly kept her connected to the community wasn’t just opportunities—it was the people.

“It didn’t always have to be about business. Sometimes it was just connecting with really interesting, inspiring people. That mattered to me.”

The Speaker Movement community became more than a space to find speaking opportunities for Dani.

It was a place where she could geek out over money conversations with finance coaches, or get inspired by fellow digital nomads who were also building their speaking career while traveling (and having a whole lot of fun along the way). 

These seemingly small connections nudged her to expand how she thought about her own life and work.

A mindset shift: The power of embodied coaching

Dani’s biggest fear was if she kept traveling, the speaking opportunities would dry up. 

Conferences, workshops, collaborations—she believed those doors only opened if you were rooted in a big city like New York, where she had built her career.

Instead of dismissing Dani’s fears, Steph offered a thoughtful reframe:

“Steph said it was possible to have a thriving speaking career while traveling—but you have to commit to that possibility. If you don’t, you’ll create barriers before they even exist.”

What made Steph’s coaching powerful wasn’t just the helpful mindset shift—it was the embodiment. 

She didn’t just say you could do business differently—she was modeling that for her community. 

This gave Dani the confidence to stop doubting whether speaking and traveling could coexist, and start imagining how to weave them together in her own way.

“Most of us end up following some textbook or framework for running our businesses, but Steph? She questions it. Challenges it. She wants to do things that make sense for her lifestyle which I think is so unique.

That’s what I respect the most about her.”

The Impact: Turning self-trust into action 

Steph’s coaching planted the seed: speaking and traveling didn’t have to cancel each other out. Dani took that belief and started working on a plan.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, she leaned into her own coaching style—reverse engineering. 

She mapped out the opportunities she had already landed and asked herself:

“How do I make this happen again, on purpose, and on a larger scale?”

Collabs that expanded her vision

Through collaborations with money coaches and other mission-driven business owners in Steph’s community, Dani realized her work was so much more than career coaching—it was about economic power. 

About showing first-gen women how a solid career strategy could translate into more freedom and possibility. 

For the first time, she saw her coaching through a new lens and uncovered fresh angles for speaking topics.

“For those who grew up with financial scarcity, earning more isn’t just about income—it’s about creating safety and stability, the foundation to give back to our families and our communities. 

These strategies shouldn’t be gatekept.”

Owning her multi-cultural identity 

For years, the expectation to assimilate kept Dani from embracing the richness of being Chinese, Puerto Rican, and Filipino.

Steph’s community shifted that, giving her the confidence to bring her whole story to her talks:

“My multicultural identity is something I’ve been working to own my whole life.

Because yes—people want tactical strategy—but they also want you to integrate yourself and your story into your talks.

Being able to weave those stories into what I present and speak on now is such a joy.”

Trading exhausting performances for joyful presence 

For the better part of her speaking career, Dani showed up with perfectly polished talks that looked good on the outside. But inside she felt disconnected—like she was putting on a mask just to get through it.

“It felt performative. I’d black out, get the applause, and still not remember a word.”

She knew she couldn’t continue to build her public speaking career this way—it felt absolutely unsustainable. That’s when Steph’s gentle reframe cracked something open: 

“Steph said, ‘Who decided that a speaker has to look and be a certain way?’ And that made me gradually change my approach. Yeah, speaking is still a big deal for me—but it doesn’t feel like an exhausting performance. I can show up as myself and it feels amazing.”

Connect With Dani

Website | Podcast | LinkedIn

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