Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Dan Mangena is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and public speaker. Recently named in the Wall St Journal as a "Master of Success", he is completely self-made and has spent decades perfecting his world-class coaching methodology. His books, podcasts, events & retreats continue to help captains-of-industry and private individuals alike live an abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life. He offers many unique and effective free tools via his website.
You’re a best-selling author, radio host, international speaker, master money manifestor, and the creator of the Beyond Intention Paradigm. Can you tell us more about your work and how you ended up where you are today?
That’s all true, and I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved, but really I’m a dreamer. That’s what I encourage us all to do: dream, but dream with your eyes open!
I started out as a young upstart really, back home in the UK. In a fit of youthful, rebellious rage (after losing my place at the prestigious University of Oxford, thanks to the UK grade scandal) I decided to prove that I didn’t need anyone’s permission to become successful.
Flash forward to my mid-twenties - I had made and lost two multi-million dollar fortunes…and I was ready to check out. I wanted to end my life, but the process of finding a way to do so effectively is what actually saved me. It put me on a path to discovery that gave me all the tools I needed, to create a life of abundance that was here to stay.
Once I had a method that worked, and that I knew I could replicate in others, it was time to take it out there and start teaching. I trusted in the process, followed the call to teach and it has enabled me to have an incredible, abundant life.
What does Beyond Intention Paradigm do?
The main drive behind creating The Beyond Intention Paradigm was about structuring a process by which I could take a dream or intention, and bring it from my inner world to my outer, lived experience.
So I built a powerful four-step model for breaking through blocks and rediscovering your true path. A cutting-edge strategy of turning the concept of gratitude on its head to help you gain momentum, align manifestation, meditation, and effort for laser-focused results.
I knew that so many people struggle with mental blocks. resent the biggest block to their own dreams being realised. Once I had tested it and seen that it worked, I wanted to lay it out in such a way that others could take it and make it their own. I want them to be resourced with whatever they need to create their unique, dream life of abundance, joy, and purpose.
You are completely self-made and have spent decades perfecting your world-class coaching methodology. Have you encountered any major challenges during your journey and how have these affected you?
Oh yes! Many, many times. The idea that successful people have had it easy is for the birds! I have had so many challenges on my journey to where I am now. A lot of success is about failure, and how you deal with/perceive it.
Some of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered include my aforementioned suicidal tendencies (that was a big one) and also spending my life without my relatively late diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.
That was a challenge that was pretty devastating for my life in ways that I hadn’t even begun to at the time, but thankfully the diagnosis – late as it was - unlocked a lot for me and ultimately gave me the permission to lean into the gifts that came from it.
I knew that the way I needed things laid out for me, in order for them to make sense, would make for a great jumping-off point to show others how they could create a road map to success. Any kind of success too, not just the same as mine.
I would like to add that “self-made” doesn’t mean that I think I did this all myself. I was challenged on this on a podcast once, and I would love to just take the opportunity to share here that my meaning by that, is that nobody gave me what I now have in my life, yes, BUT without the people who have supported me on my journey, I would not be here today.
Is there something special that keeps you motivated?
I’m a father now, which is a huge motivation for me, but I also really get fired up about awakening others to their abundance. We all have a dream, even if it’s a relatively modest one. I want to get people really fired up about theirs, identify exactly what their dream life looks like, and then give them the tools to bring it into their lived experience.
I say that abundance is your birthright and that the natural state of the universe is abundance. The more people I see going through my programs, achieving lifestyles that they never thought possible; the more I see this in action and it’s addictive to me.
Can you share your best tips on how to succeed in life?
Well…where to begin?! I think fundamentally you need to start with your inner game. You have to accept full responsibility for your life. You are the sole architect of your experience. The universe doesn’t lie after all, so wherever you find yourself today is the sum total of choices that you have made.
This is not to encourage you to sit in judgment of that, self-flagellating and focussing on what you did ‘wrong’. It’s about honestly assessing where you are now, in order to chart a course for moving to somewhere else. You can’t plot a course, whether on a map or a sat nav, without first knowing where you are. The same is true of life.
Once you have that, and absolute clarity on where you want to get to, you will find that things fall into place much easier. When you have done the detailed work, that laser-guided focus will give you absolute clarity on which choices support your journey.
What makes you feel ‘out of your comfort zone?’ How do you handle these types of situations?
I developed a system that I call “Micro-Shifting” which is all about pushing your ‘edge’ and not your buttons. I did this in response to the crippling overwhelm that occurs when we feel outside of our comfort zone.
I think that a problem for me in my early days, was that I really didn’t have a comfort zone. Or to put it another way: I hadn’t done the work to establish where my edge was. So I blindly forged ahead, driven purely by the need to become a millionaire in order to prove the education system wrong.
I think I was way out ‘over my skies’ before I even knew it. The walls came crashing down and that’s why, ultimately, I was driven to suicide.
By developing a methodical system in Micro-Shifting, it was like turning the lights on! I could see where my edge was and then incrementally push it out in strategic baby-steps. That way I wasn’t hit with subconscious overwhelm and the resulting shutdown.
So, what’s the next big goal or project for Dan Mangena and how can someone get in contact with you?
Well, firstly I would love to hear from any of the readers. The best way to do that is through my website – www.dreamwithdan.com.
The next big projects for me right now are my TEDx talk that will be available to watch around about the end of November and working on my next book. Other than that, I am just continuing to do what I do; empower people to live a more abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life.
