ABOUT
DALLAS BONO

A lot of my work as a mindset coach comes from a life-long journey through several different martial arts. I am a black belt in the mixed martial art, Kyuki-do, a third degree brown belt in Shotokan Karate, a red belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I've also practiced Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, Hapkido, and Filipino Arnis. My martial arts journey began at age seven due to an inner ear issue that affected my balance. As a child, I was severely uncoordinated, having not learned to walk until nearly age four. Martial arts has taught me not only physical, but also emotional balance. As a martial artist, I was able to develop the fundamental practice regimen I needed to thrive as an operatic and musical theater performer. I learned to practice the fundamentals daily, working in incremental steps towards mastery. 

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In 2014, after several years away from the martial arts, I returned to study, this time with my son, Logan, and my daughter, Chiara. Shortly after joining the Kyuki-do studio, my parents died tragically in a murder suicide. My mother suffered from both Borderline and Narcissistic personality disorders. My childhood was fraught with psychological trauma, and it was only after the death of my parents that I fully understood how this trauma affected my artistic journey, especially in regard to a veritable legacy of limiting beliefs. I leaned heavily on my martial arts family after their deaths, and sought therapy from one of my instructors who also happened to be a licensed psychologist. During the next ten years, I came to realize my greatest talent to be my nurturing soul, and my ability to help other performers heal from their own past trauma and limiting beliefs.

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In 2024, I decided to become certified as a life coach, which was something I'd actually already been doing for ten years, even though I didn't have a name for what I did. As a coach, I help students discover what their limiting beliefs might be, help them overcome the negativity, and emerge as more fully realized creatives. By tapping into their sub-conscious resentments, they learn to release themselves from the past experiences or past relationships holding them back. I believe that limiting beliefs and resentments are usually the root cause of the resistance, and frustrations we can sometimes experience as creative individuals. Holding onto limiting beliefs or resentment is the emotional equivalent of driving with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas pedal at the same time. It affects how we breathe, how we express ourselves, and how we live our day to day lives.

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So much of my work centers around helping my students establish the confidence to express themselves without self-judgment. By unlocking our resistance, we unlock our true artistic voice. Life is a trauma-based education system, and only by learning to overcome these traumas can we grow.

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As a performer, I've enjoyed singing and acting as an operatic tenor and musical theater performer in some of the greatest opera and theatrical houses in the world. I've performed over forty leading roles, and have also enjoyed working as a stage director and conductor. In 2018 I founded a theater in Athens, Georgia, now called the Collective Artists Workshop, and work as the company's artistic director. I have worked as a voice actor for Audible, a wood worker, a leather smith, a picture framer, and a professional cook. My life has been blessed with creativity, incredible friendships, a beautiful marriage, and two fantastic kids.