Welcome to Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan
Inspiring Conversations to Live and Lead with Presence
Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan is a weekly personal growth and leadership podcast hosted by psychologist and executive coach Dr. Dan Peters. Each episode features honest, in-depth conversations with thought leaders, authors, and experts about what it means to live and lead with presence — from authentic leadership and self-awareness to resilience, creativity, conscious parenting, neurodiversity, mental health, healing, and the courage to be fully yourself.
Dan’s purpose is to bring hope, connection, awareness, and wisdom to the world — to inspire people to become better versions of themselves and have a positive impact on humanity. That’s what drives every conversation on this show.
With over 30 years of clinical experience guiding individuals, families, and leaders, Dr. Dan brings psychological depth, warmth, and real talk to every episode. Whether you’re navigating a career transition, seeking greater self-awareness, or simply ready to stop performing and start living, this podcast will meet you where you are.
We have this moment, this day, and this life. Make it a Great One.
New episodes every Thursday.
PODCAST
Recent Episodes
February 26, 2026
Dr. Debra Clary
The Curiosity Curve: Why Great Leaders Ask Better Questions
February 19, 2026
Kenneth Thompson
From Misunderstood to Mastery: Purpose, Resilience, and the Courage to Grow
February 12, 2026
Guy Winch
Mind Over Grind: How to Beat Burnout, Rumination, and Workplace Stress
COACHING WITH DAN
Most people who come to me have done well by external measures. They've built careers, led teams, raised families. But something feels off—an exhaustion that doesn't go away with rest, a sense that they're performing a role rather than fully living their life.
I don't help you do more. I help you access more of who you actually are.
The Four Capacities
Body Wisdom
That gut feeling before a hard conversation. The tightness in your chest when something's off. The exhale when a decision finally feels right. Your body is constantly giving you information. Most of us have learned to override it.
Reading the Unspoken
Walking into a room and sensing tension before anyone speaks. Knowing a conversation shifted even though the words stayed polite. Picking up on what someone isn't saying. You already do this—you've just been taught to dismiss it.
Living in Alignment
That gap between what you say matters and how you actually spend your time. The quiet frustration of succeeding at things you don't really care about. The courage to close that gap—to match your actions to what you value.
Inner Knowing
Those moments when you just know—without being able to explain how you got there. A decision becomes clear. A direction feels right. You didn't think your way to it. Learning to trust these moments instead of dismissing them.
"These aren't soft skills to learn. They're capacities you already have - waiting to be reclaimed."
My Approach
What I've found is that when we stop exhausting ourselves with constant proving, we actually show up more powerfully—clearer, more grounded, more effective. The outcomes we've been working so hard to achieve often come more naturally when we're operating from our full capacity, not just our thinking mind.
When my clients learn to access their complete capacity—body wisdom, intuition, alignment—they don't just feel better. They lead better, decide better, connect better. Not by working harder, but by finally working from all of who they are. And this shift doesn't stay contained. When we show up more grounded and present, the people around us feel it—our team, our family, our organization. The ripple effects reach further than we'd expect.
This isn't about adding more to our life. It's about accessing what's already ours.
Over 30 years of clinical work, I've seen the same pattern again and again: bright, accomplished people operating from only part of their capacity. They've developed their thinking and emotional skills but lost touch with other ways of knowing—body wisdom, intuition, alignment, the kind of clarity that doesn't come from analysis.
My approach draws on that clinical depth combined with my own journey through this same shift. I've spent my career helping people see what they couldn't yet see in themselves. Coaching is where that work comes most alive.
What coaching looks like:
One-on-One Sessions
Virtual or in person in the San Francisco Bay Area
We Start Where You Are
No formula, no script
Practical and Grounded
Not abstract, real work with real impact
Built on Trust
Honesty and genuine care for your wellbeing
This isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about accessing more of who you already are.
Coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy or counseling. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or manage mental health disorders. If necessary, referrals to licensed mental health professionals will be provided.
WHO I WORK WITH
I work with anyone ready to lead their own life with presence.
Executives & Professionals who’ve achieved external success but sense there’s more — more capacity, more alignment, more aliveness.
Professionals who want to be at their best — to harness their abilities fully and experience more meaning and impact in their work.
People experiencing burnout who've given everything to their work and are ready to find a more sustainable way to lead and live.
Parents who want to show up with presence rather than parent through fear and performance.
People in Transition career change, life stage shift, or simply feeling called toward something different.
Gifted, 2e & Neurodiverse Individuals navigating the gap between their advanced capabilities and their areas of challenge.
Anyone who's spent their life achieving and is ready to start fully living.
If something in you is saying "there's more" - there is.
ABOUT DAN
I’m a psychologist, executive coach, author, speaker, and host of Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan.
It would be a privilege to work with you.
For over 30 years, I’ve worked with people of all ages and backgrounds — with a specialty in gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodiverse individuals. That work gave me a window into something most of us experience: how much we live in our heads, and how much we’ve lost touch with other ways of knowing. Body wisdom. Intuition. The sense of what’s aligned.
As co-founder and Executive Director of Summit Center, I’ve spent over 17 years building and leading a mental health organization — wearing every hat from clinician to chief executive. That experience gave me a deep understanding of organizations, teams, and the people in them.
Coaching became the natural extension of all of it. The clinical insight, the leadership experience, the patterns I kept seeing in bright, accomplished people who were operating from only part of their capacity. I help people access more of who they are — not by adding something new, but by reclaiming what’s already there.
I’m the author of several books on parenting, anxiety, creativity, and neurodiversity, and my podcast reaches thousands of listeners each week with conversations about presence, purpose, and what it means to be fully alive.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and have three young adult children. When I’m not working, you’ll find me running, hiking, designing, or creating.
