At the beginning of each new year, Gabrielle Bernstein has a ritual: She asks herself what she would like to change, how she wants to feel, and what she’d like to attract in her life over the coming year.
“I commit to releasing the past year, honor the learning experiences, and move forward, while also writing down my intentions of what I hope to accomplish in the new year,” says Bernstein, the bestselling author of eight books. “Several years ago, my resolution was to give up sugar.”
A motivational speaker and life coach, the 41-year-old was named “a next-generation thought leader” by Oprah. She has spoken candidly about hitting rock bottom and getting sober in October 2005 and how she learned to forgive, meditate and let go of fear in her life.
“In my twenties, I ran my own public relations agency and hit the party scene most nights,” Bernstein says. “I was seeking happiness and self-worth in the form of a boyfriend or getting past the velvet rope at a new nightclub, and I learned the hard way that didn’t work.”
Acknowledging that she had an addiction to work, partying and alcohol, Bernstein decided to make some positive changes in her life. After reading the book, “A Course in Miracles,” a spiritual text written by Helen Schucman, Bernstein discovered that many of the book’s messages, including self-love, forgiveness and a holistic approach to spirituality, resonated with her and mirrored some of the spiritual lessons her own mother had taught her while growing up.
“As a student of the Course, I’ve learned that to find real happiness, we must be willing to look at our fears straight-on,” Bernstein says in her book, “May Cause Miracles:
A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness,” that she based on the teachings in “A Course in Miracles.” “My dedication to living this way has changed every area of life and I’ve let go of addictions to work, food and more.”
Wanting to share the insight she learned with others, Bernstein began offering small group workshops in New York City, where she guided women through the lessons in Schucman’s book and how they could implement them in their own lives.
Bernstein’s life has changed a lot over the past 16 years. In 2014, she married Zach Rocklin, a former investment banker who is now COO of her company, and in 2018 they welcomed their first child, Oliver.
Since the birth of her son, Bernstein admits that she’s become more organized and follows a daily routine that involves waking up earlier to exercise, meditate and play with Oliver. When her son takes an afternoon nap, Bernstein uses the time to meditate.
“I’m on a mission to make meditation fun and accessible for everyone, so I created my ‘Beginner’s Guide to Meditation’ that can be accessed free on my website,” says Bernstein who also teaches Kundalini meditation, a practice that uses mantras, breath work and physical movements. “Meditation has so many health benefits and I encourage everyone to start out with a one-minute breath and proceed to add on an additional minute every day.”
Finding Resilience in Hard Times
When the pandemic hit last March, Bernstein found herself canceling speaking engagements and staying home with her family. Hearing how many people were feeling anxious or powerless in the wake of the coronavirus, Bernstein pledged support through her website, gabbybernstein.com, where she shares tips and videos to manage anxiety and demonstrates tools she utilizes herself, such as meditation and the emotional freedom technique (also known as tapping).
Bernstein has also been offering a free online anxiety relief workshop at gabbywebinar.com and hosts “Dear Gabby” each week on Instagram Live, where she encourages people to ask questions on issues they need help with. The segment has been so well received that Bernstein now plans to turn “Dear Gabby” into a podcast this year.
“I’m committed to helping people take small, positive daily actions during this difficult time,” Bernstein says. “I wanted to create a space on my website to help people find a support system, even in a socially-distanced world, and to offer those in recovery resources for staying sober and handling addiction during a pandemic.”
In an October 2020 interview with Happiful, Bernstein noted that she believes her self-improvement messages are resonating with people now more than ever, as they look for hope and faith.
“Given the circumstances of this time, we have two choices,” Bernstein told Happiful. “We can numb out and stay stuck in negative coping patterns, or we can wake up and heal. Many people have heard the call to heal and grow, in order to survive and thrive.”
In her new audiobook, “You Are the Guru: 6 Messages to Move You Through Difficult Times with Certainty and Faith,” Bernstein outlines spiritual solutions for those who are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. She says the messages in the book are simple, reliable and spiritual solutions that will inspire listeners, while also helping them to find their compass during these challenging times.
“Since the pandemic started, I’ve been spending time each day responding to fearful posts and messages on my social feed,” Bernstein says. “The six messages in my audiobook offer a simple path to finding peace and focusing on solutions rather than problems, amid the turmoil and uncertainty. I encourage people to live in the moment and not to future-tip and feel anxious about the unknown.”
Resiliency is an important component of Bernstein’s work. Her 2014 book, “Miracles Now,” offers readers 108 short exercises that they can do to reduce stress and anxiety. While she acknowledges that everyone has moments of stress and anxiety, she admits to being hit hard by panic attacks, insomnia and, after the birth of her son, postpartum depression.
It took several months for Bernstein to be diagnosed with postpartum depression and she talks about the experience on her website, admitting she had to open herself up to the possibility of accepting medical help. She now hopes to help erase the stigma surrounding postpartum depression.
“My experience gave me a greater voice for the mental health care we need at times and why it’s important to not be so spiritual that you can’t take medication,” Bernstein said in an interview last year with goop. “Many women go a long time without getting a diagnosis of postpartum depression because of the shame.”
Manifesting Your Future
Bernstein knows that making life changes isn’t always easy and that often people need accountability and support during the process of creating change, so she began offering a 21-day Manifesting Challenge through her website. Her next challenge starts Jan. 1.
“Manifesting is acquiring the experience of what it is you want to feel and then being, living and breathing that experience,” Bernstein says. “It can be used to attract a new job, good health or even a relationship.”
On her website and in her 2019 book, “Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams,” Bernstein takes a deeper dive into what it means to be a super attractor and how to co-create the life you want.
This year, Bernstein hopes to resume her speaking tour when it’s deemed safe and she is also busy writing a new book on trauma recovery, set for release in 2022. As she looks to the future, she hopes to continue to share spiritual tools with those seeking change.
“Knowing the relief of what it feels like to recover from trauma, addiction, fear and suffering is the greatest gift I’ve received,” Bernstein told Happiful. “It’s my responsibility to share that gift with the world and help people crack open their own spiritual relationship, so that they too can embrace a new baseline for happiness.”