201. Healing Through Art: Bernadette’s Journey From Trauma To Creative Freedom
201. Healing Through Art: Bernadette’s Journey From Trauma To Creative Freedom
In this episode of the Embodied Writing Warrior Podcast, Kayla sits down with Bernadette, a vibrant artist, speaker, and host of the Unleashing Potentials Podcast, whose story of overcoming adversity is both humbling and wildly inspiring.
Bernadette shares her childhood journey growing up in Haiti, her experience with mental illness and hospitalization, and how creativity became her saving grace. From teaching herself to paint after her stay in a psych ward to having her artwork displayed in a local restaurant, Bernadette speaks to the deep magic of reclaiming your identity through art.
Links Mentioned:
YouTube: Unleashing Potentials Podcast
Spotify: Unleashing Potentials Podcast
Instagram: Unleashing Potentials Podcast
Embodied Activation Prompt:
After listening to the episode, grab a few colors that speak to your soul. Mix them. Play with them. Paint or draw something your inner child would love. Then — walk away. Come back later and reflect on what it reveals about you. What stories, emotions, or parts of you emerge?
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt broken, silenced, or scared to take up space — and who’s ready to turn that pain into power.
Transcript
Kayla: Bernadette, welcome to the Embodied Writing Warrior Podcast. Thank you so much for having me. Happy to be here. I am happy to have you here. So why don't we start with
Bernadette: Yes. Thank you for asking, brief history of my story, I would say is this. I was born and raised in Haiti and
very humble, hard beginning of a childhood. In the home was my father and my mom and other siblings. There was, abuse, I would say. When I was in Haiti, my father drank a lot. My mom had to work lots of different jobs just to provide, and, it got harder and harder for her to do so. That's when, she made the.
Gut wrenching decision that, any mother would see us that way, to put me in an orphanage in Haiti. And I spent quite a bit of time there, most of my, childhood. And I ended up coming to Canada through adoption.
Kayla: I would first just appreciate you for sharing that and just honoring what a difficult situation that must have been in as you were young. So how did that inform the rest of your life going forward as you grew up and started to kind of make Canada your new home?
Bernadette: Yeah. I would say through the different challenges that I've experienced growing up and, as a woman now, it was, hard and for some reason, which is good, I wouldn't take away anything from my story, from the different, obstacles and challenges
that I've faced and continue to face, because it made me who I am today.
Kayla: Thank you. I've always heard that you can either bless your journey or you can curse it, and it sounds like you're doing the former, which is so important, so we can fulfill our potential and just live the best lives possible.
Yeah. So speaking of unleashing our full potential, you have a podcast yourself that is all about this exact topic. Can you share how you got started with your podcasting journey and what it's been like for you?
Bernadette: Yes. It's been a beautiful journey. I started podcasting, during my healing journey because I was hospitalized, for mental health and, other health issues as well.
So I would go to the library, I would pick out different books that speaks to me, and I would even take my own notes and try to apply what I was reading and what I was learning, to my situation. And over time I'm like, I should share my story. Because there are people who might wanna hear what I have to say.
Matter of fact, there are people who may be going through, if not the exact same situation that I've been through or continue to go through. And it is through that curiosity to, hear people out that the podcast started and, it was a journey that I wrestled with because public speaking is not for everyone, but I think everyone should do it and they can.
I used to be one of those people who wouldn't do stuff like this, so I had to, step out of my comfort zone and, face my fears and rest in the unknown because I didn't know what was gonna happen with my podcast. But if people like it, don't like it, but essentially through my podcast, it's called the Unleashing Potentials Podcast.
I interview people from all over the world, from many different time zones and, many different, career path or life paths that they have. Through me hearing their stories, their journey is that I leave something for them, in their hearts that stirs something for them to awaken. To, find their purpose in life and also their potential.
Kayla: Thank you for sharing that. So there's a few things I wanted to touch on there. One was, I love that you went to the library, you found the books, and then you took the notes about how to apply things because I don't know if this was ever you, but in my earlier years I would read all the books and do nothing.
So I think that application and that embodiment is so important. So what are some of the books or practices that most helped you on your own healing journey?
Bernadette: Hmm. Yeah, yeah. I've read many different ones. Brene Brown, I love her work. And, GA Gabby Bernstein, I think her name is. Yeah, I love her work as well.
Um, I, I normally go for a lot of self-help books. I emphasize on help because, we can help ourselves while we're getting help. And, through different things I learned in the books, I at times will doodle or journal. I'm not a deep journaler, but I would just focus on the things that I needed to touch on.
Kayla: Thank you so much for sharing. And you mentioned another powerful thing is that we can help ourselves while also getting help. So would you be willing to share a little bit more about your mental health journey and the work you do now to help people?
Bernadette: Yeah, definitely. Unlike many other illnesses, we don't always know when they're coming. At times we do, at times we don't. And that's what makes everything so challenging for us who are fighting diseases for me, it was a typical normal day, really. I'd never guessed that I had hours of being in this reality and then hours of questioning my reality and wrestling with what was in my mind and what I was feeling in my body.
I was going to school, I was working, mine was violent, it was quick. I started to hear voices. My ears were ringing, paranoia. And right away I went to see a family doctor, which he knew what was, unfolding, silently in my mind and body, and put me on medications right away. And over time it got worse and worse.
And very quickly, I was in the psych ward. I wasn't there, not because I was violent, because I needed help. I didn't understand what was going on and it was the best place to be. Let me tell you, it's been quite the journey. There were nights where I questioned life existence and why I was suffering and going through what I was going through, especially when I didn't have the language for it.
All right. And coming from a different culture, country, background, beliefs, and boom, I'm right here in Canada, right? I still don't know how to tell my mom. I have schizophrenia. Throughout my journey, in the hospital. I learned so much about, the medical system, the staff, how helpful they were into, helping patients get well, and also, giving patients a voice, for advocacy.
Even though there are things that could improve, up to this day. In the hospital. I met some of the realist people in the psych ward because the shield that all of us have and put on the masks we have, these people's masks, including mine, were forced to shattered and brought down and behind.
It was the naked me, if I may put it that way. It was, it's still hard, you know, to how do I put this into word? I'm very blunt sometimes, not because I wanna hurt people because I'm not understanding, well, hey, put, put, lift the mask and see the different perspective and how to connect and communicate with people.
So through my mental health journey, I struggled. I'll, I'll put it that way. I did get help, but it's, it was also, and still is that time a journey that is very terrifying, very lonely. And I did find there still is a lot of stigma around mental health. Mm-hmm. And I think the more stigma we have.
The harder it is gonna be to create change for those who need it the most. So I put on my big girl boots and that's what I'm doing because I've lived the experiences I've lived and, people love to hear from people who's been through what they're going through.
Kayla: Yes. I think that pulling attention to the stigma around mental health is so important, and even just one of the most common words, crazy, which tends to be one of the most dismissive words you can use, but you would never tell someone with cancer or diabetes.
They were crazy when. It's the same. It's just another illness that needs to be treated as such and not turned into some kind of a label. So the work you're doing is very profound.
Bernadette: Thank you so much. Thank you. And I think, it's gonna take all of us to create the changes that we want to see in society and the sooner we stop, tearing each other down.
The faster we can get to work because we're wasting time trying to prove something that we don't know or don't understand. So yeah.
Kayla: I would love to hear a bit more about your experience in the psych ward with all those very real, intimate connections, because we all do wear a mask.
And it can be hard not to, in a world where you can't say or do anything without offending someone. So. Masks go on as a protective mechanism. I can imagine having these relationships and friendships with other people or those masks are gone where some really genuine connections are made, and I would love to hear more about that.
Bernadette: Yeah, in the hospital I met lots of different people and, the amazing, unique aspect of their journey is that it was different from mine. And because it was different, it was worth learning about. And, we'd hang out. They laughed. They just let loose and at times some of them did fight the, the treatment, right?
But again, there at this very frail, space where they need guidance, from the medical team. Because no grown adult want to be told what to do. And, yeah, we've had some good times. We'd, my favorite thing was coloring, drawing, doodling, doing different type of crafts and, just connecting, as a community.
Kayla: Yes. And you've mentioned that art, so painting art has been very healing for you. So can you share a bit more about how that weaves into your daily life today?
Bernadette: Yeah, definitely. I started doodling drawing and art, different form of arts in the hospital and they did do different types of paintings.
And I, I, at the time, you know what, I wasn't interested 'cause I didn't know which planet I was on, what was happening. But I'm grateful for that experience for them, exercising. That type of creativity into being and the fact that I was there to learn. But I started painting after I left.
I've yet to do a video to show people my very first few paintings. They look like their 3-year-old paintings. That is the power of growth and transformation, and I never looked back Since then, I've taught myself, I've also been painting, with other amazing artists. Now my arts are displayed at a local restaurant, Bruce Smith, where I live, and it's my first time doing this.
I think, as artists or creators, we do criticize ourselves. We don't always see what other people sees in us, and I struggle with that. But people love the colors, the boldness, the story that I put into existence with, a message.
Kayla: Thank you so much for sharing. So is this creativity now a regular part of your morning routine?
Is it part of your evening routine? Like how does it weave into your regular life?
Bernadette: Oh, uh, um, art is like, breathing for me. I do it every day. I don't paint one massive canvas every day, but each and every day I pick up the paintbrush and I just allow it to speak. It's a way of my soul speaking really.
I do other forms of arts. I enjoy singing, drawing and whatnot, but it's in there every single day.
Kayla: Hmm. I love that we are on opposites end of the spectrum, but both very creative because you mentioned you're not much of a, like extensive journaler. Meanwhile, I can journal and write forever, and that's every day, but please don't make me draw ever, because I know I'm not the best at it and I'd just rather write.
So it's interesting that we're both on. Opposite ends, but both very creative.
Bernadette: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think we're all artists and at times people misunderstand that term artist because what you're doing is art really. What I do is art. I may not see it that way right away, but it is, all of us are so capable of doing more than we ever imagined.
At times we do, hinder ourselves. We don't believe in our ability to grow, to create, and to, explore and empower.
Kayla: Mm-hmm. You're absolutely right. And I had a recent guest who talks about how all of us and our lives are art projects. And when we can get into that mindset, it brings so much more enchantment into our daily lives,
Bernadette: yeah.
Kayla: Yeah.
Bernadette: Yeah.
Kayla: So how would you say that people can learn to unleash their potential? Is it through art? Is it through other practices? What are some of the best ways a person can do this?
Bernadette: That, that's a really good question.
Thank you for asking. The first thing to do is to just do it. To step out, to do what you need to do and to do it proudly, boldly, and to just dabble into things that you never thought you could do, and to maybe open up the box of curiosity for your inner child. Maybe as a child you were told.
You can't draw. You can't read, you can't color, you can't paint, you can't. All the labels. Can't, can't, can't. Maybe turn that into I am. I can because I choose to. All of us have gifts. Sometimes we don't know why we have them. Sometimes we do understand why we have them, but we don't know what to do with them.
I think it's creating little ripple effects of change every single day, whether it's big or small, and to continue to do what you love, even when it doesn't make sense to you, especially other people.
Kayla: I think that is a big one. Two things there is getting back to what your inner child loved to do in some capacity and really honoring that, and then also following that intuition and that nudge of, this is what I'm meant to be doing, even if it doesn't make sense initially, or even if the path through doesn't look exactly as you might have planned.
Bernadette: Yeah, definitely. Because I think we need to go back. Don't stay in the past, don't stay in the pain. But, grab what you need to reflect and heal and begin your journey. And people always gonna have an opinion. It doesn't matter what you do, how you do it, where you do it.
The reasons you do it, there will always be criticism even from yourself. When you find yourself criticizing yourself, maybe sit with the questions you have and it might take a week, maybe a few days, just reflect, is this actually the essence of who I am? Is this what other people see in me? And kind of go from there.
Kayla: I think when we can eliminate that self-judgment and that self-criticism, that goes a long way to helping us unleash that potential. And I think when we do that work, we're also less likely to be affected by others that are criticizing us because. I don't know if you find this as well, but people can really only criticize you on things you already believe about yourself or criticize yourself for.
Yeah. So if someone was to tell me that I'm tardy and I'm always late, I would be like, no, I'm always on time, and I wouldn't even listen. But if someone was to tell me, Hey, you're impatient. I know what I'm like on the road sometimes, so I'd be like, yeah.
Bernadette: So do you find that as well, when it comes to like creativity or the potential part?
Kayla: Yeah. Just, creating your potential by letting go of the self judgments and then your less affected by those who might be criticizing you as well.
Bernadette: When you know who you are, then no one else can define your worth for you. But if you are searching, seeking and hurting, afraid you don't know who you are, then you're gonna look for your worth and other people.
Kayla: Mm-hmm.
Bernadette: Yeah.
Kayla: That's a dangerous place to be.
Bernadette: Yeah.
Kayla: Yeah. So how has your journey evolved from your childhood to your experiences in the psych ward to where you are now? You're artistic, you have a thriving podcast. What are some of the things along that journey that really surprised you?
Bernadette: I am surprised of how strong of a woman I am. Based on everything that life has thrown at me, it has bent me, broken me, bruised me, left me scarred at times, bleeding, but through it all, I kept going. And when I didn't have any faith, I kept going when I couldn't see what tomorrow would hold for me.
I kept going. I kept going with doubts, with fears, with pain, with the aches. Overall, I can sum it up into saying, holy crap, because, if I go back to my inner child who was so frail, fragile, hurting, feeling unsafe, unloved, not needed, to a woman. A woman who speaks with, courage with, so much power and certainty and to creating change.
I would say I'm just proud of who I am and I wish it for everybody else because our scars tells a story and I am hungry for stories i'm using the healing journey that I've been on and continue to go through to show people that it is possible and it is okay to hurt and it is okay to be human, which is flawed and unperfect and that is okay.
Kayla: Thank you. And another thing you did beautifully that I think a lot of people miss out on is. Being willing to be proud of yourself and being willing to honor how much you've been through and how strong you are. Because some people, they think one of their biggest limitations is they don't notice that they're so focused on the wounds.
They're so focused on the pain, they don't notice what they've actually gone through. So you have a really beautiful way of. Honoring your own bravery and strength. And I think that's gonna inspire other people to do the same.
Bernadette: Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. And I wish it for everybody, to go back on their journey because when we're in the storm, when we're hurting so much, it is at times impossible.
I mean, impossible to see any type of hope. To believe that tomorrow will be less painful. But when we're living in the victories and, when we've blossomed into who we are, we need to go back, to go back to not dwell, not to take back, what we've healed from, but to reflect on it and to see how far we've come.
Kayla: Yes, 100%. So Bernadette, one thing I always get my guests to do is give the listener some kind of an embodying challenge. So it could be a journal prompt, an artistic exercise.
Bernadette: Yeah.
Kayla: Anything that you'd like the listeners to go and do once they've listened to this episode with you.
Bernadette: That's a powerful, exercise there.
I would definitely encourage, listeners to, sit in the quiet and maybe you don't even have to paint, but try it. Try mixing colors that you like. That speaks to you. And then why do you like it? And from there, maybe paint something that your inner child would love for you to paint or draw the first thing that comes to mind for you.
And, don't try to solve it life is a mystery. If you spending so much time, solving it, then you're not living in it. Maybe. Put away whatever you paint, draw, and come back at it at a later time. Reflect on what it means to you because each time you come back, you may see different things that you missed.
Kayla: Thank you so much for that. And just a fun question, what are some of your favorite colors? Ooh, I'm wearing most of them.
Bernadette: So, purple, pink. A little bit of turquoise. Your hair is beautiful, by the way. Purple, pink, turquoise. A navy blue. I love gold. I think that's a color gold.
I love really, really bold, bold, vibrant colors.
Kayla: Thank you, and if the listeners wanna connect with you further, check out your podcast, what are the best places where they can go to do so?
Bernadette: Yeah. So the podcast is on YouTube. If you type the unleashing potentials, and that's with an S podcast, it should come up.
It's on Spotify. And also they can email me at the podcast email, which is Unleash number two, potentials with an s@gmail.com. I'm also on Instagram TikTok. I'm also on Facebook.
Kayla: Okay, perfect. And I'll include links to all of that in the episode description.
So Bernadette, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for weathering through the cold and still hanging out with me. And, yeah, just appreciate you and your story and the work you're doing in the world.
Bernadette: Yes. Thank you so much. Yeah, it was hard to speak with my throat, but I got through it with your help and I appreciate what you're doing and thank you also for coming on my podcast.
You were on there just recently. Thank you.
Kayla: Yes. If you are listening, we had a great conversation and I will , link to that exact podcast for everyone listening as well. Awesome. Thank you so much and you are welcome.
