

Dani Giddens (she/her)
Staff
Climb Out of the Darkness Program Manager
Dani is a survivor of Postpartum Anxiety, Depression & OCD, and a relentless advocate for perinatal mental health support.
In 2009, she stumbled through a thick fog of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) without telling a single soul. The catalyst for her involvement in perinatal mental health can be pinpointed to one pivotal moment when a friend openly discussed a debilitating battle with PMADs. How impactful to hear someone speak their truth! She discovered that there is strength in processing trauma and empowerment in sharing stories. It is her mission to hold a brave space for these once taboo conversations to be openly spoken into existence.
Dani is a trained GPS leader, offering support groups in her community for birthing people in the perinatal period. She joined PSI in 2020 as a volunteer in the 2nd cohort of the Peer Mentor program, where she continues to provide 1:1 peer support to folks currently experiencing one or more PMAD.
She was thrilled to join PSI’s staff in 2021 supporting the Climb Out of the Darkness Event and its leaders worldwide, and is energized by leading a Climb Out of the Darkness event in her community.
Outside of this important work, Dani earned a BA in Communication & French from Western Washington University in 2007, is married to her college sweetheart, and is mom to 3 rambunctious kids. If she’s not therapeutically tending her garden, you’ll find her trail-running, hitting the slopes at Mt. Baker, daydreaming about future travels & sampling the tasty food-truck and microbrew scene at her home in the PNW.