Hi, I'm Dani. Welcome to Glow & Grow Anyway!

I’ve called the Washington, DC area home for over twenty three years, working across hospitality management, IT, and language teaching. Over time, that mix of roles taught me how to adapt quickly, learn fast, and keep moving even when life gets complicated.

And yes, life has thrown more than a few challenges my way: two divorces, chronic health issues, and years of battling a fibroid that left me severely anemic. At my lowest point, I needed a wheelchair or a walker, and spent three years largely bed-ridden. During that time, weight gain, pain, and isolation pulled me into a deep depression.

In 2024, a successful surgery gave me a second chance at mobility. Recovery has been slow, and I’m still navigating knee pain, obesity, and exhaustion, but with Mounjaro and steady lifestyle changes, I’m working my way back. Bariatric surgery may be part of my future, but right now I’m focused on forward progress, one step at a time.

After years of teaching Bulgarian to American diplomats, my government contract at the U.S. State Department ended abruptly. I went from what I believed was a secure life in the Washington, DC area to my parents’ tiny apartment in Bulgaria, facing a full reset and asking hard questions about what income and stability could look like next.

That reset is what led me into AI-guided online business building. I use AI tools to help narrow business ideas, validate demand, simplify tech decisions, and create a clear, realistic plan that fits real-life constraints like health limits, financial pressure, and limited energy. I’m building this business while living it, and I share what I learn in a way that’s practical, honest, and doable.

That experience is the foundation of Glow & Grow Anyway, a space for midlife women facing health struggles, financial uncertainty, or the challenge of starting over. If you’re rebuilding too, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure out the next steps in isolation.

If you’re rebuilding too, this is where I write. These notes are written for you.

Moments from My Midlife Rebuild

Little pieces of my life, my healing, and the journey I’m sharing with women like you.

If you’re here because you’re thinking about income, not just healing:

Some women come here to read and reflect.
Others are ready to think about what comes next.

If you’re starting to ask what kind of work fits your energy, health, and real life constraints, I created a simple tool to help you think clearly before you waste time building the wrong thing you can't sustain.