My mission is to reorient soul-inspired leaders and their teams to their true power-within so that they are ReSourced and fueled to do what they are being called to do.
I have been consulting and coaching leaders for over 15 years. As a Certified Sociocracy Trainer, Generative Dialogue Facilitator, and Certified Mind-Body Therapist, my approach integrates the transformation and healing of the individual and the collective. In supporting organizations, I draw upon my experience in various leadership roles, including Senior Marketing Analyst at a Fortune 500 corporation, CEO of an international import business, and Founder and Director of a non-profit education center.
By bridging power-with organizational structures and conscious leadership skills, I help leaders and their teams co-create in sustainable, empowered, and productive ways so they can thrive during this time of great change.
From my perspective, what lies at the root of the upheaval we are currently facing in the world is the rewiring of power. We are all recovering from a collective trauma of power-over/under dynamics. This, combined with the dramatic increase in the rate of change, is causing enormous stress that we can all palpably feel. Now, more than ever, leaders need to be ReSourced™ internally and externally so that they can meet today’s challenges, without getting overwhelmed or burnt out.
In healthy, sustainable systems, the nature of leadership is shifting toward a power-with dynamic. Yet, I believe that you can’t have power-with unless you have power-within.
“Bernadette’s steady and grounded presence allows everyone to be heard and seen. Her ability to track thoughts, feelings and emotions (especially through the screen), and provide a collaborative and safe space of dialogue is a gift.”
— Judy Kline-Venaleck, HMS Huntsburg Campus Director
My Story
I have spent my entire adult life on a quest for deeper understanding of the human condition and the bigger picture context of our times. Using my own journey as a living lab, I set out to cross the chasm from wounded to healed, from unconscious to conscious, and to integrate all that it means to be both a physical and spiritual being.
The journey began in my mid-20’s when, after a steep learning curve, I became the top-ranked sales person for Honeywell, Inc. in Philadelphia. This unexpectedly led to a promotion to Sr. Marketing Analyst and a relocation to the Minneapolis corporate headquarters. This was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I met my first mentor, Ann Wade, who was the Director of Human Resources at the time. She was the first person to introduce me to the internal realms of the conscious and unconscious mind, which sent me on a lifelong journey of exploring and studying the mysteries of trauma, transformation and healing.
On the other hand, this immersion in a fast-paced, competitive corporate environment left me disillusioned. The experience revealed a rift within me and around me between working for profit and working for purpose, awakening a yearning and a quest to bridge the two.
I was then recruited to run a highly complex, international company providing global sustainable wood sourcing and furniture design for large US retailers. As CEO, I gained first hand-experience in the challenges of responding to the ever-changing demands of running a business in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) context, while trying to create a healthy, human-centered environment.
The split between the stressful, competitive reality I was faced with everyday and the vision I held for creating a conscious organization, led to a severe case of adrenal burnout, setting in motion an even deeper journey of healing and realignment.
I was unable to work outside the home for several years while my body recovered. It was a challenging time of letting go and surrendering to the process. Drawing from my healing journey, I became passionate about assisting young people (including my two young daughters) to “stay awake” to their true selves and inner knowing that often gets buried if not tended to. I felt strongly that becoming a self-aware human being needs to start before the turbulent teenage years, so I started an alternative school for pre-adolescents called Tree of Life Wisdom School. It included a curriculum of different wisdom traditions and practices, environmental education and the arts.
As Founder and Director of the school, I was able to realize my dream of running a successful, conscious organization where people learn, grow and thrive while being highly productive in serving an inspired purpose.
As my children grew older, I shifted my focus away from the school and applied my knowledge and experience to supporting leaders and organizations in navigating the choppy waters of today’s extreme VUCA world, while meeting the challenge of creating thriving, human-centric organizations.
In 2013, I moved with my husband and two daughters from the U.S. to Portugal. It was a conscious move toward creating a life that felt more aligned with my family’s values and my desire to live more sustainably.
"We have been working with Bernadette for over a year now on the development and reimaging of our program. She is clear and calm in her facilitation, especially when engagement levels are rising. Because she is able to guide the energy, we can all work together in a way where we all feel heard, and our creative juices can flow. Just last week we had a very challenging agenda, and Bernadette was able to lead us through with graceful organization and adaptability. It was beautiful!"
— Tania Bertolone, Hershey Montessori Middle School Director