Damian Paglia is a certified holistic health practitioner (American Association of Drugless Practitioners), therapeutic life coach, and social architect. For more than two decades, he has been fostering and facilitating community, belonging, and healing through innovative approaches to wellness and personal growth.

 

Damian holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University in exercise physiology and studio art, along with advanced training in movement science from the City University of New York. He is a certified ATG Coach, specializing in restoring strength, mobility, and joint health through the Athletic Truth Group system. He also completed the Harvard Medical School Lifestyle & Wellness Coaching training, expanding his ability to integrate evidence-based coaching methods into his work.

 

In addition to his coaching and wellness practice, Damian is a Kundalini yoga instructor, Usui Master Reiki practitioner, and pioneering integration group facilitator. Since opening his private practice in 2004—specializing in social and emotional regulation—he has continued to expand his toolkit of embodiment practices to meet the needs of diverse communities.

 

Beyond individual work, Damian is also a celebrated community organizer. He founded New Haven Ecstatic Dance, a center for transformational healing arts, music, and movement, and created the Harmonizer Festival, a gathering that bridges music and wellness. His leadership helped launch New Haven’s largest public art initiative, the “under91 project,” and he has received multiple grants to produce large-scale dance events for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

 

Damian invites all to join him in co-creating inclusive, empowering spaces where play is the highest form of intelligence, strength is built through resilience, and community becomes family