Bernadette Pleasant is an alchemist and provocateur. She celebrates inner and outer beauty and supports others to be their most energetic, healthy and tuned in to the rhythm of their own inner wisdom and power. Bernadette talks with us today about the work she does to empower others through her classes at Femme!, and the private workshops and retreats around the world. She shares her love of music and passion for the drums to help us evoke and acknowledge our emotions, and why she welcomes you to be “too much” in her universe.
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Takeaways:
[3:21] An early experience of winning the title of class President held mixed emotions for Bernadette. She remembers the energy and joy of winning, mixed with the feeling of others wanting to tamp down her energy and cage in her power. She equated others that were uniquely themselves as wild but privately wished she could do the same. This would later serve as fuel in her resolve to live big and unapologetically and to support others as they do the same.
[10:08] Things started to shift on a cellular level for Bernadette when she realized that those she admired the most didn’t morph themselves to fit in. She started with her own shame, judgments, and constrictions and saw that the more she created for herself, the more others could do the same.
[14:05] The feminine approach to healing and community is one that is also strong, supportive and nurturing.
[14:29] Bernadette always has had the spirit and soul of a dancer but in her early years, some trauma led her to shut down and feel guarded over her body and movement. She was caged in and restrained and that as well serves for her to fully relate to the women and men that she presently teaches and empowers in her work.
[14:29] Both Bernadette and Lisa find movement necessary to bring about joy and balance and see dance as a vessel to connect us with others on a primal and intimate level.
[21:32] It is imperative to Bernadette that she creates a safe and womb-like environment for her students. She seeks to let those around her know that her environment is a judgment-free one.
[24:33] Music speaks to every nuance of emotion. Bernadette incorporates live drums in her class to bring herself and her students to the present moment and to deepen the full expression and exchange of healing. Her drummers are expressing from their feminine and honor their drums the way they would honor the females in their life.
[32:06] Our feelings are like the weather. There are sunny days, rainy days, and the occasional earthquake. To get through it and out the other side we must acknowledge the emotions and welcome them with grace and full acceptance.
[39:04] Hot grandma alert! Bernadette is sexy and confident and dresses to feel beautiful for her own inner self. The way we dress and express ourselves in our appearance is a chance to develop our personalities and style throughout our life.
[44:24] Bernadette has an intuitive skill of watching others, notification almost every nuance and knowing internally how to help guide them to be their best.
Quotes
- “I want the experience to create a space where a person can fall backward and know we got you.”
- “It is a constant desire of mine to stay present to the moment.”
- “My drummers have to feel it to play it.”
- “As humans, we mimic weather. There are bright shiny days, foggy days and earthquakes. None of it’s going to last forever.”
- “It’s okay to be sexy and a grandma. And also, I’m not 22 anymore and trying to hold on to that.”
- “It matters to me that I speak up and give voice to all of who I am. That I don’t cower in any way, in physical adornment or what I have to say in front of a microphone.”
Mentioned in This Episode:
Bernadette's Free Self-Care Download
Bernadette’s Master Drummer, Baba Don Babatunde
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These Femme classes I so desperately need. Bernadette is what I want for myself