Public Speaking
“I speak to individuals who have been silenced, shut down, suppressed and unexpressed.” – Bernadette Pleasant
Intoxicating and energetic, Bernadette Pleasant is a fiery sensual speaker who facilitates transformation for people who desire to live out loud. Bernadette takes an audience on a physical, emotional, and immersive journey that encourages them to stop playing small and to instead take up more space with their entire being. Known as a “Master Feminine Leader,” Bernadette utilizes her signature Femme! curriculum to present a perspective on primal methods to heal from emotional trauma. Though she covers sensitive social and personal topics, she keeps the audience engaged and open.
With certifications in The Nia Technique®, Nia® 5 Stages, Ageless Grace®, Pole Dance, Reiki, and Integrated Energy Therapy, as well as studies in African, Tribal, and Free Dance, Bernadette’s keynote addresses promote emotional freedom through movement and storytelling by integrating the Femme! philosophy. Incorporating visualization, meditations, and proprietary techniques from Femme!, Bernadette creates a safe space when she speaks that encourages profound inspiration, interactions, and expression.
Speaking Topics
Bernadette offers a range of speaking topics focused on emotionality, movement, healing from trauma, expression and empowerment. She can also customize her message specific to any organization’s needs. Her live, on camera, and virtual talks can range from 15-60 minute keynote addresses with the option of a Femme! workshop for attendees at live events.
She is best known for “Emotional Freedom: From Half-Ass to Bad-Ass,” in which she tells a moving story of how as a child, like many, she was trained to live within a narrow margin of emotional range. She then takes the audience on a journey towards a bigger, fuller, and healthier way of life.
Bernadette’s recommended and optional Femme! Experience workshops create safe spaces for everyone of all ages, backgrounds, body types, and dance skills to explore their sensual selves. Everyone is empowered to fully embrace and embody all of their emotions and fully express them through movement. Joy, sorrow, rage, and ecstasy are all welcome at Femme!. In Femme! participants are infused with the affirmation, “It’s your body. You can do whatever you want with it – including love it unapologetically!”
Media
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Bernadette Pleasant has spoken at and/or taught at the following events: Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, “Energizing Health” at SXSW, Brave Girls NYC Festival, Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute “Activating Leadership” program, Shift Network, the Somatic Movement Summit, The Black Doula, Mama Gena Mastery events & Creation retreats, Goddess on the Go Book Tour, WomanSpeak International Festival, Touch&Play Festival, Power of You Teens “Empowerment Experience,” doTerra Leadership retreat, S Factor’s “Sheila Kelley LIVE,” Pamela Madsen’s “Back to the Body Portal,” and The Nest Project.
Bring Bernadette Pleasant to your next event!
“I love every ounce of the incandescent, life-giving, and innately nurturing beings we are. It is my deepest desire to create spaces, conversations, and classrooms where on a cellular level, emotional freedom and healing is experienced. I was once stuck as f*ck and know what it’s like to be riddled with fear, unease, and indecision while having a flicker of hope for more – for what is possible.
– Bernadette Pleasant
AFFILIATIONS
Consciousness Leaders - Leadership Expert
Shift Network - Faculty Member & Featured Speaker
WomanSpeak - Speaker & Messaging Mastermind Coach
Author & Thought Leader
“From Halfass to Badass: Living Our Wisdom” by Bernadette Pleasant, published on The Shift Network
“Sacred Body Wisdom: Igniting the Flame of Our Divine Humanity” by Jan Ashley, Zahava Griss, Rochelle Schieck, Bernadette Pleasant and others.
“The Femme! Experience: Emotional Healing Through Movement” by Bernadette Pleasant, published in Eden Magazine
“My Amazing Left Ear” by Bernadette Pleasant, published on Medium.com
“Hips Don’t Lie: How Hip Movement Helps to Release Sexual Shame and Trauma” by Bernadette Pleasant, published in Sensheant Magazine
“Embrace the Freedom of Femme!” by Bernadette Pleasant published on Black Girls Allowed
Testimonials & Praise
“With Bernadette in the house, you will explore and feel every square inch of your divine, sensual temple, and never think of leaving it again. She’ll take you on a journey we all recognize, starting at the edge of your seat in anticipation, to receiving well-deserved news that you [have] reached the top of your personal Mt.Everest, triumphantly, only to retreat back into your shell and under your rock shortly after, to protect others unable to take in your light and joy. After getting the depth of this collective tragedy, she gets you out of your seat, and with her signature Femme! moves and drumming ensemble, she masterfully gets EVERY SINGLE MEMBER in the revved-up audience to cross the ocean with their hips and rediscover and inhabit their bodies in brand new ways so that no woman or girl, including YOU, will never dim your light again for ANYONE.”
-Loraine Van Tuyl, PhD of The Sacred Healing Well
“The moment Bernadette takes the stage, the energy in the room goes up. She is so fully alive inside her body it intoxicates the entire audience. I was awestruck by her power to open and move me as she shared her story. Bernadette is a wonderful example of a woman who has given herself permission to express her own truth even on a cellular level. She is a leader in her field of expertise to support women in the full awakening of their own power by breaking through their embodied judgments and limitations of what is acceptable or even possible.”
-Prasanna Diana Manuela, Inspirational Speaker, Published Author, Creatrix of Elemental Woman
“Bernadette left everyone wanting more! Before she stepped one foot on the stage, she had the crowd on their feet moving to her beats. The presentation and brilliance of her message was riveting. The fact that she was able to command our large audience to physically lean in with a simple whisper speaks volumes to her hypnotizing presence.
Bernadette invited us into her world, and allowed us to travel in time. She gave a new perspective on ways to heal trauma while keeping us engaged. This woman embodies sensuality, strength and intelligence. Bernadette was by far the most memorable speaker of the three-day festival. I highly recommend her for your next event. You will not be disappointed.”