About
Dana Killion
an American author
Growing up in small-town Wisconsin, Dana developed an early curiosity for the world beyond the confines of small-town life, finding inspiration in the intrepid explorer, Nancy Drew. That fascination for things under the surface evolved into the novels of Cornwell, Fairstein, and Evanovich and Dana’s thirst for more exhilarating pastures set her on a path to study fashion design at the University of Wisconsin and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
After decades in the industry, Dana’s personal life forced a change. Trauma forced a change. First, a move into writing fiction because reality was too raw, then memoir when pain needed an outlet, now a move into self-help because no-one should do trauma alone.
Today, Dana is an author, speaker, and trauma-informed guide who writes about what happens after the worst moments of our life.
And how we choose who we become next.
After decades of working in the fast-paced but occasionally scandalous apparel industry, Dana sought more control of her life and returned to her early love of story.
She created a new female protagonist, Andrea Kellner, and an accompanying mystery series born out of the long-lived, albeit amplified, desire to shed light on shadows.
The series, commencing with the gripping Lies in High Places, renders a journey through crime and corruption countered by Andrea’s confidence and ability to confront deceit.
Dana’s debut memoir, Where the Shadows Dance, laid out the deeply personal story of her own love, lies, and leaving.
Her follow-up, Becoming Unbreakable: A big sister’s guide to trauma, is the compassionate companion to therapy she wished she’d had.
Over an eight year period, Dana experienced a series of profound personal traumas—including the unraveling of a long marriage to an alcoholic, the loss of both parents, a cross-country relocation, and ultimately the death of her oldest son. Through each experience she took something, strengthening her skill set, and refusing to allow the worst of life to destroy her desire to be emotionally whole. That process became the foundation for her upcoming book, Becoming Unbreakable: A Big Sister’s Guide to Trauma.
Today, Dana speaks with audiences about trauma, resilience, and the work required to move past survival to wholeness. Blending lived experience, emotional intelligence, and straight talk. Dana is a survivor who has done the real work and extracted a process she happily shares. She’ll hold your hand through the work, or hold your hair while you vomit out the pain. She’s your trauma big sister who knows what it feels it through it all.
Dana currently resides in Chicago and Tucson, Arizona with her kitty, Isabel, happily avoiding snow and strengthening her heart.