Apply mindfulness to create change in your life & your world
You have quite a special tool in your pocket - mindfulness.
Mindfulness isn’t just an opportunity to be a little less stressed, and a little more calm before you head to work in the morning.
Mindfulness can be something you turn to throughout your day, 24/7, to meet whatever is in front of you with more choice and intention.
Sometimes mindfulness feels like the opposite of that. Maybe mindfulness has helped you get more connected to yourself, your preferences, noticing what’s in front of you rather than ignoring it.
Though when what’s in front of you is terrible, mindfulness might feel like more of a problem than a solution.
If you are only working with awareness, mindfulness can almost feel like a pain point. Maybe you had been walking around not able to see, and suddenly you put on glasses and see everything around you. Your work, your relationship, your family. Instead of seeing what’s beautiful, you see what’s painful, what’s not working, what needs fixed. And then you look up and see the world around you – and get pushed to overwhelm when you see everything is on fire.
For a brief moment, you might think awareness is the problem.
Awareness is not the problem.
Awareness is the fuel that activates you to take a next step. To be more aware not only of what’s in front of you, but also to bring that awareness inside to understand what you want and need as you take next steps forward. That mix of internal and external awareness helps you engage fully, yet not overextend past your capacity.
Your balance helps you apply mindfulness - whether in your relationships, at work, or in the streets. And this applied mindfulness helps you initiate and even turbocharge the change you’d like to see.
Learn to navigate power, conflict, & uncertainty with greater clarity, compassion, & effectiveness.
Build the skills to lead yourself & your people through complexity & change.
My Approach
Collaborative
I share from my particular experiences of how change happens, while inviting in your greatest wisdom of what you need and want. You’ll find me co-teaching and inviting your experience and wisdom into the conversation.
Innovative
I teach from several lineages of wisdom, including Buddhism, feminism, community organizing, and trauma healing. Together, these help you use your power for change.
Oriented toward Wholeness
I speak directly to how we are each conditioned by our culture toward separation — by race, gender, sexuality, size, class, ability, and more. In recognizing this conditioning, you have space to heal wounds, unlearn habits of dominance, and move toward connection with yourself and others.
“Dawn’s spirit of clarity, kindness, open-mindedness and light-heartedness is a balm for our times. People feel seen and deeply welcomed in Dawn’s presence.” - Kate Siber, Durango Dharma Center
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20+ Years Practicing Mindfulness in a Body Trained to be Separate
My practice of Buddhist mindfulness has required hard-earned, practical skill-building to be present in my queer fat femme body
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20+ Years of Collaborative Coaching that Weaves the Wisdom of Your Heart, Body, and Mind
I have supported executive leaders, Buddhist activists, trauma survivors, and meditation teachers to find and take their next right step toward wholeness.
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10+ Years of Mindfulness Teaching & Mentoring Teachers
I specialize in creative courses and leadership training that weaves together the wisdom of spirituality & social justice
Move Mindfully &
Create Change
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Lead with Power, Integrity, and Inclusion
Develop the confidence and skills to lead difficult conversations, navigate power dynamics, and build more inclusive groups
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Teach Culturally Sensitive Mindfulness
Teach mindfulness to diverse audiences, creating a culture where people feel seen, respected, and part of the whole
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Move Through Conflict and Into Alignment
Guide your group through transition or conflict, evolving together into a thriving new era
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Build a Culture where Diverse Groups Thrive
Build trust across differences, reduce conflict, and create a culture where people feel valued, accountable, and connected
Specialized Support:
Has your group lost its path?
I’ve joined several organizations at a challenge point - with staff turnover or a loss of income meaning at least one person asks “Should we just close our doors?”
I’ve also helped groups navigate confusing ruptures, where everyone has someone different to blame and the group as a whole needs an updated path.
These sound like nightmares to many leaders, but I am regularly awed by how these situations can accelerate the growth and change your organization has been longing for.
You don’t have to navigate this challenge alone. I can support your group’s process to repair conflict, grieve outdated visions, call in growth, and redesign your organization to meet the future.
Teaching & Writing
Commit 2 Dharma
Yearlong spiritual practice program in Oakland, California
Program starts Sept 2026
Applications due date
EXTENDED to August 3, 2026
Upcoming teaching & community
Fat Dharma
Portland Buddhists for Justice
Finding Liberation in Relationship
Portland Trans Sangha
Join my email list to be first informed about upcoming teaching dates
Dharma QTs
Dharma Queer & Trans Sangha Online With Brooklyn Zen Center
Monday, August 17th
4-5:30p PT | 7-8:30p ET
“I had so many AH HA! moments practicing … Dawn does an excellent job of leading and supporting through this practice so I felt held as I moved through my discomfort and found myself …. It is absolutely possible to be a newbie to meditation (like me!) and discover pleasure, release, and new parts of self in the Dragon Belly practice. Do not miss an opportunity to explore the dragon side of yourself and roar with Dawn!” - Erin Brandt, she/her, Birds and Bees LLC
"Dawn's clarity, compassion and big vision are the medicine we need for the long wave work against authoritarianism and for our people. " - Belinda G
“Dawn's session, especially, just felt like a warm hug during a challenging time.” - Community workshop participant
A special part of my Buddhist teaching is an avant garde style — an innovative, boundary-pushing, experimental, radical approach — making sense of how the 2600+ year old teachings of the Buddha are relevant for our experiences today. I share this experimentation with deep respect that these teachings come from a specific time and culture, and you’ll find my Buddhist offerings most rooted in the Theravada traditions practiced in Burma and Thailand. My innovations seek to expose the white supremacy, sexism, and fatphobia in the cultural translation of these teachings to modern-day Western minds. My teaching-in-resistance often brings to life ancient texts with personal stories of surviving suffering and thriving on a path toward liberation.
About Me
Hi! I’m Dawn Haney (they/she pronouns are both great).
I weave together wisdom from Buddhism and social justice traditions, understanding identity, power, and change through my own experiences as a white, fat, queer, nonbinary femme.
I began closer study of relationships and group dynamics in my graduate work in Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia, first applying these skills to violence prevention efforts and queer organizing in Durango, Colorado.
In the past decade, I have been a voice for justice and inclusion in Buddhism and mindfulness. My impact has been in a range of roles that have included co-director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, a mentor and DEIA consultant for the global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, and a lead coordinator of a letter that instigated successful community pressure for Insight Buddhist communities to fulfill commitments to train BIPOC & LGBTQ retreat teachers. Across these roles, I am navigating my own power in leadership while inviting others to move from their own sacred power.
My home base for Buddhist teaching is with the East Bay Meditation Center, and I have taught at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, New York Insight, Access to Zen, Durango Dharma Center, and Upaya Zen Center. I have collaboratively offered innovative and popular classes on Finding Liberation in Relationship, Fat Dharma, the Dharma of Being Anti-Racist, Mudita Revolution, and the Block Build Be spirituality+social justice retreats.
