Dana Taylor (she/her), Coach

While Dana loves all forms of climbing - she has a specific love for trad climbing and helping trad climbers with strength training and movement coaching.

“I believe most people don't know what they're truly capable of. I help climbers come face-to-face with their perceived limitations while giving them physical and mental tools to go further. I am passionate about helping climbers meaningfully engage with the complexities of climbing as a way to learn more about themselves.”

Email: dana@projectdirectcoaching.com

Proud sends

Separate Reality - 5.12a Trad - California (pictured)

More Monkey than Funky - 5.11c Trad - California

Cookie Mix - 5.12a Sport - California

Echando Raises - 5.12b Sport - Mexico

Cara Cortada - 5.12a Sport - Mexico

Trucutrulove - 5.12a Sport - Mexico

"Working with Dana over the past few months has been one of the most empowering and transformative experiences of my climbing journey. From the very beginning, Dana stood out not just as a skilled coach, but as an incredibly motivational, empathetic, and deeply understanding person. She met me exactly where I was, both physically and emotionally, and gave me the confidence, courage, and support I needed during a time when I truly needed it most.

What really set Dana apart was her ability to blend practical climbing exercises with thoughtful reflection and journaling. The hands-on drills we did on the wall were always purposeful, and the reflective exercises were accessible, yet just challenging enough to spark real growth. This balance made the work sustainable and meaningful and it genuinely stuck with me. Around the 8-10 week mark, something clicked in a profound way. I had what I can only describe as an "epiphany" while on a climbing trip to Finale, Italy.

I suddenly felt an incredible weight lift from me, mentally and physically. The consistent work we’d done started to show not just in my climbing, but in my mindset and my overall sense of ease on the wall. For me, this was a huge breakthrough. Dana was always there for my questions and doubts, no matter how small or tangled. Her support helped me stay motivated and grounded through moments of doubt and difficulty. I never once felt judged, only understood, encouraged, and seen. If you’re looking for a coach who truly listens, who brings wisdom through experience, and who empowers you from the inside out, Dana is it. I’m incredibly grateful for everything she’s given me, and I can’t recommend her highly enough."

-Headpoint Training Athlete, Josephine Robinson

A woman with long brown hair smiling in a mountain landscape with rocky peaks and a bright blue sky with a few clouds.
  • A female rock climber in a blue tank top and beige pants climbing a red sandstone cliff, wearing a white helmet and safety harness.

    Training for trad climbing isn't something most climbers think about-but Project Direct coach Dana Taylor is here to change that.


    Originally from Chicago, Dana spent years sport climbing at the Red River Gorge before catching the trad bug on a trip to Wadi Rum. In this episode, she takes us through her journey into the world of limit trad climbing, what inspired her to pursue coaching, and how she's helping clients take their trad climbing to the next level.


    We also dive into some epic multi-pitch adventures at Mazama, wild mountain bike descents, and a few pivotal moments that shaped Dana's climbing career.

    Ground Up Podcast with Dana Taylor
  • Close-up view of a rugged, textured mountain rock face with a forested slope below, under a clear blue sky.

    “I went from second-guessing every single piece of gear to firing cams and moving above them with confidence. I am no longer that sport-climber friend whose gym strength is useless on granite. My year of trad boot camp has led me to challenging climbs that require both sporty gymnastic strength and level-headed trad assuredness.

    Trad climbing trains me to trust my own judgment and ability in tenuous situations. 

    Trad climbing is practice for the type of life I want to live: a life of my own design; a life where the path is not neatly laid out before me.“

    Blog by Dana Taylor: From Bolts to Cams
  • A woman with black hair smiling, wearing a black tank top, in front of a brick wall, with a fitness or climbing setting in the background.

    “Dana has been such a gift to me. When I started, my goal was to really work through my mental game related to fear of failure and my own sense of self-worth. I was worried that those feelings would burn me out as a climber. Through her, I’ve started to appreciate how big climbing is - that it’s not just about grades but these large unquantifiable things like community and heart.

    She breaks me out of a too shallow achievement-oriented mindset and provides very simple reflective exercises on and off the wall - it’s both a philosophy and a practice. I feel changes in my climbing - when I go on a route, it’s a more immersive, beautiful experience and something that I can imagine carrying with me the rest of my life.”

    -1 on 1 Athlete, Emily Liu

    Get on Dana's Waitlist!
  • A woman rock climbing on a large rugged cliff face with a section of overhang, under a clear blue sky.

    "Dana has absolutely knocked of out of the park creating the space for me to actually follow through on climbing training for the first time in my life.

    I met Dana on the road in J tree right after she finished teaching an architecture class from a starlink from the top of a boulder. Turns out I needed a woman that would make me feel seen, validate me, totally nerd out on the science with me, and be the ultimate stoker."

    -1 on 1 Athlete, Alana Kamahele

    Learn more about Custom Training!
  • A woman rock climbing outdoors, reaching for a handhold on a brownish-orange rock face, with a crash pad and leaves on the ground below.

    “Working with Dana was such a wonderful experience. Her keen attention to detail in both my lifting form and climbing movement was invaluable.

    I also appreciated her understanding of my life and how to help me get the most out of my training. Her feedback was so thoughtful and intentional. She made me feel motivated to work harder but also always made me feel proud of whatever I had accomplished that week, big or small.”

    -Deann Synder

    Custom Training & Movement Coaching

“In the 5 months that we worked together, I broke out of only climbing 5.6-5.8 trad and started projecting and sending 5.9 and 5.10. My indoor sport on-sight grade also improved. I felt stronger, smoother, and more in control on outdoor boulders that I had struggled with in the past and was more consistent in sending V4/V5 projects within a few sessions.

Not only did Dana know her stuff around strength training, projecting tactics, and climbing drills that would help me overcome my weaknesses, I had grossly underestimated just how valuable working with someone who knew the local crags would be. Even though we did all of our coaching over zoom, it almost felt as if she was there at the crag with me, knowing she had been there before not too long ago and touched the same routes.

I also really appreciated her intuitive coaching around mindset and headgame. The journal prompts she gave me to reflect on my projects and process were very compelling. When she asked me things like “what the tape inside my head was playing,” I really felt like she knew how to dig and reveal the hidden truths that I had trouble seeing for myself that were indeed holding me back.

Lastly, over the course of the past 5 months of working with Dana, I never once got an injury. This is a huge testament to her use of Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) as the approach to almost any exercise or drill. I was someone that was consistently plagued every year with pulley tears, FDP strains, and elbow tendinitis. She really listened to me and saw how her programming impacted my body and recovery, and was able to adjust accordingly based on what I needed.

Anyone looking to level up in their climbing while being treated compassionately as a whole person with the most stoke ever would be lucky to have Dana as a coach!”

-1 on 1 Coaching Athlete, Mimi Ang

A smiling man wearing a red helmet and climbing harness, surrounded by climbing ropes, on a rock face in a vertical rock climbing setting.

coaching experience + education

Certifications + Education

Currently pursuing a Masters in Counseling Psychology

NASM - Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)

B.S. Architectural Studies - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

M. Arch - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Trad CLimbing with Dana

Dana's dedication to trad climbing is infectious – she once cleaned bathrooms in Yosemite for months just to master its legendary granite cracks. She channels that hard-won experience and passion into her coaching, specializing in helping climbers to:

  • Understand Crux Movement on Trad Routes: Often, harder trad lines still have a sporty crux. Dana helps trad/crack climbers understand more bouldery movement to unlock cruxes.

  • Transition Confidently to Trad (Especially for Women): Dana focuses on helping women make a transition from sport climbing to trad climbing skills in a safe and supportive environment.

  • Manage Fear of Falling: Master your head game for fear of falling for both sport and trad climbing through proven mental strategies and practice.

  • Perform Under Pressure: Develop crucial mental skills for managing performance anxiety on redpoints or onsights so you can climb your best when it counts.

  • Strength train for climbing: Building targeted strength and resilience to enhance your performance and prevent injuries. Applying force is at the foundation of everything we do as climbers.

All in all, Dana wants to make trad climbing feel more accessible to everyone. Through dedicated coaching, she is working towards achieving this vision, sharing her love for the sport and empowering climbers to push their boundaries.

It's really important that the coach you work with is the best one for you. You can sign up to meet with a coach using the link below – we will reach out and schedule a time to have a conversation.

A woman rock climbing on a red sandstone cliff, wearing a white helmet, blue tank top, beige pants, climbing harness, and climbing shoes, using a black safety rope.
A woman rock climbing on a large vertical granite boulder with climbing gear and safety ropes.
Young woman with long brown hair, sitting on rocks outdoors, smiling at the camera, wearing a light blue t-shirt and dark jeans.

Want to meet & work with dana?

“I joined Project Direct because I wanted to be part of a coaching team that genuinely helps athletes maintain a positive relationship with our sport through personalized training.

Nothing at PD is cookie-cutter, we invest the time to get to know our athletes, and we build programming that's custom, specific, and effective. Also, as a former dirtbag, I feel right at home working alongside a team that prioritizes outdoor climbing.“