Meet Danny Toy, Founder and Life Coach
Hello! My name is Danny Toy and I am a Life Coach, Crisis Transitions Coach and founder of Stepping Stones Coaching. Having studied Life Coaching at the ICF accredited Life Purpose Institute in San Diego, CA I utilize many of their materials in my practice.
Congratulations on taking your first step towards achieving your goals, and thank you for considering Stepping Stones, Coaching For Life. I look forward to meeting you and working together!
The Basics: I am the youngest of six kids born in Queens, New York and raised on Long Island. I attended the State University of New York, College at Oneonta where I majored in Communication Studies and met my future wife of 37 years, Diane. Together, we have raised three human kids, Matthew, Michael, and Lauren and three canine kids, Woody, Murphy, and Cafe.
My Career: Prior to pursuing Life Coaching full time, I walked a bit of a Jack of all trades path. I spent the early years of my career as a radio disc jockey and VoiceOver artist in New York, before transitioning to operations management and later, sales management in the broadcast and digital media industries. From there, it was off to the startup world, overseeing operations in micro mobility and on-demand transportation. Through it all, I have worked shoulder to shoulder with rock stars and celebrities, sold multimillion dollar sponsorship deals, and managed a broad range of people, from high earning sales professionals to young, early career individuals from rough backgrounds and all of us, just trying to figure it out. I’ve also spent long bouts struggling with “life stuff”.
Life Stuff: They say you should never judge someone till you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, and I have learned that firsthand. In my case, while my childhood was largely full of the love and laughter of a big Irish family, it was also scarred by alcoholism; loud laughter often turning to screaming and fighting and ultimately, over time, healing. But there was plenty of damage done, and each member of my family, all sharing the same home, experienced and grew from it differently.
As a young professional I overcame self doubt and “imposter syndrome” to build a successful career. After accepting a big promotion and relocating with my wife and three children to Washington, DC, it seemed life couldn’t get any better. When the eldest of our three children was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of eight, our world came crashing down. For a short time we were homeless while relocating back to New York, before getting our son’s two-plus years of treatment on track. We are blessed that Matt survived, and each of us in my family carry the many memories and lessons of life with a critically ill child - again, each experiencing things differently.
Fast forward to my 50th birthday and the start of a two year bout of unemployment, depression, and an overwhelming sense of worthlessness. I had been unceremoniously fired from my job in an industry that was consolidating and my age made me a less desirable hire. With a mortgage, one child in college and a second on the way, we relied on the help of family and eventually, public assistance in order to survive. Ultimately I had to reinvent myself and thankfully, enjoyed several years building businesses and managing teams in the high-tech, micro mobility startup world.
Then, my life partner and soulmate Diane was diagnosed with breast cancer in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, beginning a journey of surgeries, a variety of treatments, physical and emotional healing.
Stepping Stones: Ours is not a special case; not better nor worse-off than anyone else. But, we’ve had more than our share of challenges. Through it all, whenever I have questioned my purpose in this life, I kept coming back to how many people I have helped along the way, and how many have helped us. If I ever were to forget, the cards, letters, and emails from former employees, colleagues, and neighbors who I’d helped in some way are there to remind me. Sometimes one’s purpose is clear at the outset. Sometimes, like in my case, it takes a little longer.
I have learned that through the most difficult challenges, the way through it all is by taking just one step, then looking to find the next, and then the next, until we cross to the other side. Above all else, I have found that people in our lives are key providers of those Stepping Stones. Incorporating my education in the field of Life Coaching, it is my great hope that I can help you find those Stepping Stones to get where you want and are meant to go. Welcome to Stepping Stones, Coaching For Life!
While I engage in general life coaching, my areas of expertise include: