Wellness Culture, Cancer & Self-Care with Darlene Cordero

Jennifer Norman:
Hello beautiful humans. Welcome to The Human Beauty Movement Podcast, your source for hope, healing, happiness and humanity. My name is Jennifer Norman. I'm the founder of The Human Beauty Movement and your host. This podcast is here to guide you on your journey of self love, empowerment, soul alignment and joy. With each episode, I invite beautiful humans from all corners of the globe to join me for open conversations about their life lessons and the important work that they are doing to help heal humankind. Take a moment now to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode. I'm so glad you're here, joining me for today's show.

Jennifer Norman:
Today I am incredibly honored to welcome a remarkable lightworker in the wellness industry, Darlene Cordero. Not only has Darlene founded Wellness Culture, an organization dedicated to supporting wellness practitioners and healers in building purpose driven, thriving businesses, but she's also been a guiding force in fostering collective consciousness. Her collaborations with luminaries like Deepak Chopra and Grammy Award winning artist J. Balvin speak to her influence and passion for elevating the wellness industry. In 2018, Darlene faced an unexpected and life altering challenge when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This diagnosis became a pivotal moment in her journey, prompting her to seek deeper meaning and clarity. In 2023, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that spread to her liver. As part of her healing and growth, Darlene pursued life coaching certification from the Jay Shetty School, further enriching her ability to guide others with profound wisdom, compassion and insight. Darlene's lived and trained expertise in mind, body, soul, wellness, coupled with her understanding of the spirituality plays in well being helps people align their goals and thrive.

Jennifer Norman:
She's also the author of The Healer's Playbook: Empowering Wellness Entrepreneurs, a powerful guide that blends practical strategies with authentic storytelling to support healers in elevating their impact. Additionally, Darlene hosts the YouTube show Alive with Dar where she shares raw and inspiring conversations with top figures in wellness, business and culture. In today's episode, Darlene will share how spirituality has been been a vital force in her own well being, her approach to mind, body, soul integration, and how recognizing the miracles in our lives can be a source of strength and inspiration. Whether you're navigating a personal or professional challenge, you'll receive valuable insights on embracing life's miracles, staying connected to your purpose, and fostering true wellness in every aspect of your life. I'm beyond grateful to have Darlene here to share her incredible story and the wisdom she's gained along the way. Welcome Darlene.

Darlene Cordero:
Thank You, Jennifer.

Darlene Cordero:
Wow. Thank you so much. You're so inspiring. Your voice is so beautiful. Thank you for... hearing it from you. And hi. Right now. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Norman:
And your voice has really resonated across the globe with your work so far. And I would love to start from the beginning, because you started in Queens, you had Dominican parents. They seem to have a strong influence on your values and an appreciation for ancient wisdom. And I would love to hear how did those early spiritual traditions shape your perspective on wellness and healing through your life?

Darlene Cordero:
Thank you for asking that question. It's so pivotal for all of us, right? Our upbringing and where we come from and culture. I think that's probably why I called my company Wellness Culture. Culture is everything for me. It's connection, it's food, it's environment. It's all of those pieces, right? It's a smell. It's so much. And growing up in Queens, there is a lot of culture, and there was a lot of being from New York City.

Darlene Cordero:
I feel so privileged to say that I am a New Yorker now. I'm a transplant, and I live like you in California. But I love that foundation. I love that I was growing up in the 70s, early 80s in New York. There was just a melting pot of everything, and everybody was mixed together. I remember my elementary school picture was. It looked like the U.N. it was just so many different cultures and people.

Darlene Cordero:
And I loved that culture was very much part of it. My first language was Spanish, because that's what my mom spoke and my parents. And that was very embedded in us. It's hard work, community. I think when people come from other countries to America, the idea of the American dream and the fact that you've left so much behind in pursuit of a better life, it's just different, right? When you come from immigrant parents, it is a different energy that you bring and how you're brought up. And so hard work was definitely instilled. But also spirituality and community was very much like that. And I feel like we jumped around a lot in the sense of spirituality, like Catholic, Methodist.

Darlene Cordero:
And then later on, my mom actually became a Jehovah's Witness, which has been challenging for me as I got older. And I went more of the spiritual, not connected to any spiritual specific organization, but at the core of it doesn't matter. It's like the seeking of truth and seeking of something bigger than us was always instilled in me. And so I feel so privileged. I feel privileged that my mom and dad instilled that in me. And even as my dad Passed away just a couple years ago, I realized. And when it happened, it was at a Chopra retreat. I was there with Deepak, and I got the news, and I was there.

Darlene Cordero:
And I felt like in many ways, it was such a gift to be able to. In that opportunity of his passing, to have Deepak ask me. He was like, tell me about him. So I got to, like, talk to Deepak about my dad in such a fragile time in such a delicate place where I was really reflecting on what he instilled in me and how he showed up. He was my first spiritual teacher. And I really didn't realize that until that day when I was sitting in front of Deepak telling him about my dad. He never said a bad word about anyone. He lived his life understanding that he was in connection with the universe, with God.

Darlene Cordero:
He was always would walk into a room, and people didn't know who he was, but wanted to be. He was so connected that he had this humbleness about him, but such a presence about him. And when he didn't know something, he always was so humble to say, like, tell me more and ask questions. I think that he was my first teacher, and I really feel that that really was the foundation, even though we all went different ways, of how we connected to source, where I felt connected to understanding my purpose and what I'm here to do was with that foundation. Culture, community. I remember in New York, and you probably have heard these stories, and I remember, like, in the Heights, which I saw seven times when it came out on Broadway, that people become. At that time in new. People would become your family, right? And I had, like, two grandmas.

Darlene Cordero:
I remember in the Heights, they had that. They had the, like, the grand...the neighborhood grandma and I had all of those things. That was the culture, what you saw on, like, you see in those shows or In The Heights. It is what people lived. And I have, of course, things have shifted in New York in general and as a culture and a society. But that really, I lived that life like having knowing everyone on my block, knowing having a grandma and then her children, even though my biological family was in Dominican Republic. But it was really beautiful upbringing.

Darlene Cordero:
And just. Just the world was your oyster when you live in New York, right? So just so lucky. So lucky that that was my upbringing.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh, that is beautiful. I grew up on Long island in a town called Smithtown, which was very different. It felt, you know, much more suburban, much more like white bread. A lot of Italians, a lot of Irish, very much like Anglo Saxon. Ish. And I was ad and I felt very out of place. I also have a brother and sister who were adopted from Vietnam. I was adopted from Korea.

Jennifer Norman:
And then I had three Caucasian siblings. And we did not really go very far outside Smithtown. If we did, then we'd go to Manhattan for a show, you know, on Broadway. But then we'd come back home right on the train or, you know, down the lae. It wasn't until much later, when I had graduated college and moved back to Manhattan, that I realized what a true melting pot it was. And then the first couple of times, times that I went to Queens, I was like, it's like another country. It felt so alive and so vibrant and just all the signs were in different languages. And I was like, how did I not know that this was so close by? I was so insulated.

Jennifer Norman:
And it was just really quite eye opening and refreshing to see the amount of culture, like the different types of cultures and the coexistence of it all so interestingly together. It was really a true expression of America to me.

Darlene Cordero:
Yeah, no, I love that living in the city is a whole other conversation. Growing up in Queens and then when as an adult I moved to the city, I was like, oh, wow, this is completely another experience. And that's so dynamic and it's so vibrant and you walk out the door and you're there.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Darlene Cordero:
It's actually giving me a little nostalgia of going back to New York.

Jennifer Norman:
Early in my life, I didn't know who I was. And I really, because of being adopted as part of it too. I mean, it's hard enough just growing up and being a teenager and just figuring stuff out, but I really felt like no, no matter where I went, I didn't belong. There was just something inherently like I just felt like a misfit. I didn't fit in. And I was very insecure, very introverted, very. Just my self esteem, self confidence was very low. And after I moved to Manhattan, I remember writing a letter to my parents saying I finally found my medium. I finally feel like I found my home. And. And I remember they called me, they're crying. I was just like, I just, I felt like the vibration was finally a fit.

Jennifer Norman:
And that happens with environment. It happens with culture. It happens. I do a lot of DEI work where it's so intertwined with wellness because people don't feel like they belong.

Jennifer Norman:
And a lot of that work is internal. For me, it wasn't that people around me weren't trying hard to help me to feel like I could fit in. It just wasn't in my DNA. It was just something that I had to find for myself. Kind of like the whole Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, it's inside you all along. You just have to take that journey back to yourself to figure yourself out. And that is great part of the journey of wellness, the hero story of all of those things. And for you, part of your story was health.

Jennifer Norman:
It was truly this calamity that was you battling cancer. How was that for you? And how did that diagnosis change your path? I'm curious.

Darlene Cordero:
I think that. Thank you for that and thank you for sharing that. I can resonate so deeply with that, of not feeling part of even growing up in New York, like, outside of my little bubble. When I would leave that, people would ask me, where are you from? And I'm like, America, you know? And then I would go to Dominican Republic and they would call me the gringa, the white girl. And I'm like, no. Where. Where do I fit again? Why I love in the Heights so much then when it was on, because I really resonated with that story of kind of that immigrant, just the first generation here. So I think that for me, really, the health, that pivotal moment in my life, growing up in New York City, working in banking, then working in media, being a mom, going through a divorce, like, all of those pieces of me, really a lot weighed on me, right? Like, I think like your journey and so many others, we all have a story.

Darlene Cordero:
And I think that this is why I'm so excited about my book. It is the first I want to write more, but it is about telling my story, and I think that's really important. I was so focused on being a mom and being a good mom and giving my son so many of the things that I wanted to experience in this life that we didn't have the resources for. So I think a lot of my experience as a young adult was being his Daniel's mom. And then understanding that I always had this calling for something bigger and more, right? There was always this understanding. Like, even as I was growing up in Queens and getting on the train and doing all the. I was like, there's something more out there for me. I always knew that.

Darlene Cordero:
I always knew that I was. Wasn't going to stay and I wanted more. And so I always had an inkling for the spiritual things, but then also learning new things. And so even at Daniel, at a young age, we would come out here to California. Work would bring me out to California, but also vacation, and I would see different healers and learn about tapping. I mean, this is like 20 years ago.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow.

Darlene Cordero:
But I didn't understand how I could live a life like that. Right. Because when...If you don't have the modeling or the people or the understanding, it's really hard for you to understand, like, how you can do it. Right. Like, you don't see those examples. And I think that when I went through. I'm just thinking about, like, when I went through that, the first one in 2018, what that gave me the diagnosis, which was early stage cancer, which is called DCIS. So it's early, zero. It's like they call it, like their stages. This is like the zero. It was. It was a wake up call.

Darlene Cordero:
And it was a wake up call of like, how did I really view myself and care for myself? I lived a life trying to prove. Right. Trying to. We can all really relate to that. We live in a society that constantly is. We were trying to validate our worth and validate who we are. And if we have any trauma or any life, past life situations that we're bringing into this life where we're bringing all that energy into kind of how we interact with each other and ourselves. I really.

Darlene Cordero:
It was an opportunity for me to really say, do I really value myself? Do I really love myself? Do I really understand what I'm here to do? It was all of those, like, important questions of our lives, which is like, what am I here? What am I here to do? Everything else I've done great. I loved the work I did in banking and the people I worked with. I felt very lucky. But there was something more, and I think that what the diagnosis in 2018 and again in 2023, it is a pause. And health is the way and my body is the way in which this is showing up. Right. Or manifesting itself as a way to remind me or course. Correct.

Darlene Cordero:
That's actually how I see it. I don't. There's so much about the first diagnosis and last year that doctors don't understand. So when you don't understand it, we know that it is bigger than a diagnosis. And I call it a diagnosis. I focus on loving my body exactly as it is. And I think miracles have happened because of that, of that perspective. So in 2018, when that first diagnosis happened, I had gone back to banking because I wanted some stability, but it was horrific.

Darlene Cordero:
I talk a little bit about it in the book, and it's basically the universe saying, like, no, you're not supposed to be here. You're not supposed to be doing this. What are you doing you're going backwards instead of going forward. And when I got that diagnosis, I went through a really tough time at Ployer and even going through the cancer diagnosis and going through radiation on that first round, and it just. It pushed me. It pushed me to go. And I started doing yoga. I remember telling a friend, being like, I need to do something.

Darlene Cordero:
Like, I need to be more consistent with it. I'd gone to retreats in the past, but it wasn't something that I had incorporated in my life. Right. It wasn't part of my life. It wasn't me. And I did a teacher training at Core Power Yoga, which is like in Brooklyn at that time, and I felt such community with them. It wasn't like this deep, I would say spiritual like, but my teacher was. But when you think of Core Power Yoga, you don't think that. But it's a great place to start for anybody that. That wants just an understanding about their body.

Darlene Cordero:
And I did my teacher training, and when I started sharing that on social media, it's so interesting because. And that person that became the CEO of Deepak Chopra's company, I knew her from my media days. We connected. And she goes, hey, do you want to come be like my right hand as I build up this brand and as it's been around for 25 years? But we're creating an omnimedia company and we're going to do all this work, and I know that I need you right next to me. And because of my experience working with her, like, then going through that experience of cancer, sharing that, and then going deeper into that uncomfortable, which was going to yoga class and pushing myself to do teacher training while I was still recovering from all of it pushed me to this place.

Darlene Cordero:
But that's why when people ask me, like, how did you get the job? I was like, I just flowed with what was in front of me. I just listened to the whispers. I just like when. I don't know why, but I did it, I went and I did my teacher training. And then you started sharing that. And because I shared it, I was in alignment with what was next. I didn't stay right. And.

Darlene Cordero:
And I really wanted to leave because it was very toxic environment. But without that, I talk about it in the book. Would I have left if I wasn't toxic? Would I have left if I didn't get the cancer diagnosis? Would I have made the shift? Would I be in California right now? Would I have done all the things I did? Would I've written the book? I don't Think so. I think, like, all these things are course corrections for us if we're not listening. I guess I'm really stubborn, and I'm getting the. I am pretty stubborn, and in a way, I think that the intention's always there. We're doing all of. We're all doing our best, and sometimes we need these lessons.

Jennifer Norman:
It reminds me of the quote about so many men leading lives of quiet desperation when they're in these situations. It could be relationships, it could be careers, it could be anything in life. And there is just a conflict. There's an internal conflict with either the environment, the situation, and it leads to this dissonance. And you are able to really just push that aside and go on this journey of finding what was true for you and what was something that was going to help to contribute to your own healing and that led you on this path, which is so beautiful. I am curious because I understand that in the wellness community, some would call it dis ease when something like a cancer comes into your body manifests, and that it really is just a symbol or a sign of something deeper going on. Do you hold that belief as well? The reason why I ask this is in speaking with some others, there is a conscious opening up and a shift of, like, questioning, okay, how can I change my life so that it is healthier, so that my mind, body, and soul are more in alignment? And then others look at themselves and they're like. They guilt themselves.

Jennifer Norman:
They're like, what am I doing wrong? Why have I done this to myself? And. And they're trying to figure it out. So I'm curious how your reaction was, was to this.

Darlene Cordero:
It's funny, I. First of all, I didn't even think I would get it again. Right. I had shifted my life. I had moved to California. I had followed... I meditated. I'd done all the things. And I think the first thing is like, oh, this is not supposed to happen to me.

Darlene Cordero:
I'm not. This is wrong. I remember when I got the diagnosis, I had a little pain on the right side of my body, and I went to the hospital just to check it because I was going on a trip, and I don't know why. I just went to the emergency room, and there, a few hours later, they were just like, you have for, like, they knew immediately. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no, you're wrong. Like, absolutely. I am not. I'm good.

Darlene Cordero:
Look at me. I just went to Coachella. This was me, like, trying to convince them. And I had not lost weight. There was nothing about my body, my physical body, except for that dull pain that could have told me that this was happening. And so I think there was disbelief in the beginning. There was a lot of pain around, what did I do wrong? For sure. I think that you, especially when you're in this space and you're working in this space, there was a little bit of guilt, I would say, around why did.

Darlene Cordero:
Why is this happening? And like, did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to do this or that? But I quickly, like, let that go because I quickly was surrounded by love and support and an understanding that this was bigger than me or my body and that, that I wanted to, instead of hurt myself through the words or unconscious words and thoughts that I really wanted to love on myself in ways that I had never done before. Right? Because I think that at the core, I mean, what are we here to do then? To just fully accept who we are in this version, in this incarnation? And I don't think I had ever done that. I had never seen myself and loved myself exactly how I am and accepted that certain things were going to be a certain way. And I think as a child I went through many traumas, and I think that that has a lot to do with it. And I don't talk about that yet because I feel like a lot of my book, this book is really for the healer, the practitioner, and it's really about business of wellness, which is all intertwined with our story, right? But I think that a lot of those traumas that we go through as a child, you know, and as in, in our adult years, all of those experiences really do inhabit and become part of, like, our body, right? Like, these experiences do affect us. And if we're not willing to look at the, the root cause and really work through the somatic work that needs to happen and the healing that needs to happen in a deeper way. Because basically it's my body saying, well, you've done all these great. You've done all these things great.

Darlene Cordero:
Like, we need more. We need more healing. That's how I see it. I see it as another way of, of this experience showing me more that I need to see. And so I, I'm not one to guilt myself or, and I'm not saying I didn't, that we don't. It's like, why do. Why me? Right? Like the, the expression, why me? When we're in these circumstances, you're like, why am I going through this? Like, this is. Why can't I just be like a quote unquote normal person? And just have like the normal life, you know, why is.

Darlene Cordero:
We're not here to do this. That like, that's not my experience. My experience is really in accepting that surrender really in the beginning was the biggest thing that I. That I. That really guided me last year was complete surrender to this experience in this moment. And that the. The diagnosis wasn't going to define me and that I was going to tell the story. 

Darlene Cordero:
I was going to... I was not in a way of like, controlling. I never say f cancer. I never speak badly about my body. I never speak badly disease. I know that the words and the thoughts that I feel in connection to this experience are so intertwined. So when I first got the medication, which I got on a trial medication that was my choice, which is keeping me alive, I looked at it and I like, went like this and I would pray over and understood that the thoughts that I was going to, you know, in the prayer and intention of the medication and that medication worked so quickly that the doctors didn't understand because I... 

Darlene Cordero:
I was like, you're going to go in and you're going to do your work. You're going to do work, and we're going to work together. And you are in connection with me. And the universe is using this, you know, this trial medication that wasn't around 10 years ago that are. Is keeping me here with normal. I look normal, passing. Right. I like, no one could see me on the street and think I have stage four cancer.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Darlene Cordero:
So I. I feel like it's a gift. It's a gift to be able to share the story. It's a gift to be able to be alive. Every morning wake up, I'm like, oh, my God, I'm here. I'm still here. Like, I really, you know, I'm like, it's a gift. It is.

Darlene Cordero:
It's a gift that I wish sometimes I could like, kind of touch somebody and like, give them the perspective that I can. They can see. They can see the waste of time of, like, trying to be something else that they're not or compare themselves or. Or waste time on things that just don't matter. They don't. They really don't. At the end of the day when you're in that bed and I was very close.

Darlene Cordero:
I hallucinated for probably two and a half days when I started the medication. It was extremely hard. I saw a lot. It was really beautiful, but very painful. There's nothing that you're thinking about. It was like, oh, did someone like My dress or did this person look at me wrong or did this, like, not. You don't think about any of that. You're literally thinking about what did I, you, you're like, they are going, well, did I do enough here? Did, did I? Is my family gonna be okay? And like, I thought about my son and my mom.

Darlene Cordero:
That's all you really think about, right? You think life and those that you will leave behind. Right. And I think that that's the only thing that matters. Like, how are you making an impact, difference in your life and therefore others. And besides that, nothing else really matters.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow.

Darlene Cordero:
Yeah. That's really bad.

Jennifer Norman:
And the choice is yours. I believe that in some cases, when you get such a, you know, a, a diagnosis, family members or friends might be like, well, you're going to fight it. You're gonna, you know, what, what more can you do? And there, like, oh, there's no question. You're going to fight, fight, fight, fight. And there is, you know, a vibration of that fighting and that, you know, contention versus your choice at this moment to surrender. And some people think that surrender might be a sign of weakness, but truly, it's possibly the most beautiful thing and the most wonderful thing that you could do for your bliss, for your state of wellness and for the acceptance of, you know, knowing the, the discernment of what you can and cannot change and being okay in the state that it is and loving and choosing to love yourself in the state that it is and not playing fault. Like a lot of people try to say, well, what is the root cause? What is it? And there is a time and a place for that, certainly. But then there is such beauty in the ability to let go and let God and to, you know, just be able to say, you know what? I'm going to accept this and embrace what's to come from this essence of joy and abundance and in what I have here and now before me, with my family, with my friends, with life, with nature, all of that, so that you can truly enjoy rather than regretting and feeling anxiety about it.

Darlene Cordero:
Yes. Amen to all of that. I really resonate with everything you just shared. Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Norman:
And I think that that gets to your concept, which I've heard a lot in the wellness community talk about, which is the concept of the wounded healer. It's like we have lived experience. We, you know, may be trauma informed. There's something in our backgrounds that really causes us to find ourselves and to galvanize into this purpose of being a better servant to ourselves as well, as to others that might be going through something similar, can you, can you tell us, like, how have you been able to integrate this into your wellness work now and the healing work that you do? Yeah.

Darlene Cordero:
Oh my God. The wounded healer. It is such a big, big topic. I think that I've been privileged and gifted opportunity to be in this industry. I love this community. So my mission on this earth is to, you know, of course, be and do all the things we talked about for myself first. But as I serve this community, I feel that is my purpose.

Darlene Cordero:
I feel very connected to the healer, the practitioner, the educator that's here to heal and be a mirror to them of like, support to them, as a guide. Because I feel that and because I worked in such big brands around, you know, wellness and, and had the opportunity to work with the biggest names, which I feel so lucky. I'm also really interested in like the local yoga and meditation teacher, massage therapist that hasn't figured it out. And I feel this calling to be like, hey, you're okay. You're not alone. And, and it is my, I think that's my, my gift. My gift is being able to see them and love on them and encourage them to know that they're not alone and to know that they are right where they're supposed to be. And so I have this.

Darlene Cordero:
My own healing has been even more, you know, this past year, even more focused on how can I really show up always, always first for myself because I've learned that without that, I cannot give to anyone else. And then how can I make my... The impact that I want to this community? Because they're just, they're unseen in many circumstances. They're giving so much. And so to your question about the wounded healer, it's everything to me. It's. It's how we show up. Like, I think that I can empathize and we all, all these practitioners empath, empathize and then can show up really authentically when they've worked on their stuff in their wounds and then they can genuinely and you know, not in the way of a performance, which sadly we see that a lot in the industry.

Darlene Cordero:
You know, they do a weekend retreat and they're healed. We're never healed. Like, this idea that we are, that is what we're here on this earth to experience is this constant, constant expansion and, you know, retraction and all of the things that we're doing on a constant, in a daily basis and moment to moment basis, but that we are consciously processing, seeing what we're here to do and then we're sharing that with the communities that we serve from that place. So that's my perspective on the wounded healer. It's really my life's work.

Jennifer Norman:
Amazing. A few years back I went to the Global Wellness Summit. It was in Singapore and one of the keynote speakers was talking about the Walking Wounded Wellness Warriors. 

Darlene Cordero:
I love it.

Jennifer Norman:
Pretty much talking about the fact...and it's very similar to the caretaking industry I believe, but maybe in a more spiritual sense where you know, we love to give, we know we have a lot to give, we have a lot to offer and sometimes we forget the boundaries and we over give and we deplete and we give, you know, and so we become exhausted, we forget about our own self care, those sorts of things. And, and so I think that what you're doing in terms of helping people get to a sustainable business, you know, not just from understanding the business aspects of it, but in self care and self love and, you know, as healers, we need time to regenerate ourselves.

Darlene Cordero:
Yeah, I mean that's really why I wrote the book. So the book came from when I left Chopra. Deepak sold and became like partners with other people for the brand. We did amazing work there while I was there. Just, I'm just so proud of the people that I worked with and the people that, you know, I collaborated with. And when I left there and started my own company, Wellness Culture, what I wanted to do is really find a place because there's a lot of support for the consumer and less for the, the practitioner, the healer. And so we started with a 14 week mentorship. So the mentorship guided about, you know, very small group.

Darlene Cordero:
Cause I really also, I'm very intentional about like the, this what at the time was so much coaching. It was really like this one on one mentorship in a small environment where we went through mission, vision, values, everything that a big organization goes through. Right. And they, these, this is what, what the practitioner can do as they're building their businesses. And so what is pricing? How, how do you do that from an intentional way where you're not comparing yourself with others? How do you share yourself in a way that feels authentic to you, not anyone else? Like what is the way? Is it speaking in public? Is it writing? Is it you like kind of, you know, are the only one that knows that and not comparing yourself to other people. And the evolution of that was this book because I wanted to make that mentorship and that offering accessible to more people where they take the book and really journal. I took a lot of inspiration from the Artist's Way, which changed my life when I read that book about, you know, definitely feel like she definitely was channeling a lot when she wrote that book and understanding that we all are artists and we all are healers and all are connected when we take the time to really nurture ourselves. And so the book is, when I think about it, and it all came just so beautifully.

Darlene Cordero:
I was at a friend's. We're putting together a women's retreat in Maine. And you know, Kennebunkport area. And I was listening one night to just, laying kind of, it was like a late night and left the window open. I heard, I could hear the waves. And it just all came to me very, you know, synchronistically and beautifully.

Darlene Cordero:
Where I wanted to put this together, where there was, you know, journal prompts, there was, of course, the story and intention on the chapter journal prompts. Then we would get. Once their heart was opened, then I would get them into the practical of the business, right? More in the foundation on the kapha pieces of like, let's get it done. Maybe more pitta than kapha, but getting those, like, practical things done in their business on that topic and then ending it with a spiritual practice. Right? And just I wanted. I know the healer and I know how it works. You gotta open up that heart first and get them thinking about, you know, their purpose and then kind of get into the practical and the day to day, it's like, okay, the checklist. The Virgo and me wanted to have a checklist for them and understanding how they can share themselves.

Darlene Cordero:
And I really want this to be a companion, a guide for every practitioner in the world to have it. And so they know that they are not alone as they're building their businesses. And most of them are solopreneurs, right? They're, they're the marketer, they are the provider, they're the service provider, they're the assistant. They're doing all of the things. And you know, those, the bigger names have figured it out. And I really want to get. I want to get to those that are in that process, no matter where they are, are. They've been doing it for 20 years a year.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, I really think they're more vata.

Darlene Cordero:
Like, that's the thing. Like, I really like the artists. I believe most of the, I believe most of the healers, of course, are vata. They're, they're, they're artists. They're in the healing arts and in the Healing art, it's, to me, it's very, that's why it makes sense for me. It's really interesting because when I worked in entertainment, I worked with talent and this is, this talent, talent. They are, they are artists and this is the way in which they, their artistry is, is, is expressed. It is by healing others.

Darlene Cordero:
Right, the healing arts. And I, I think that's the uniqueness. And I remember just, you know, it's, it's a role that never existed at Chopra and the ways that I worked with them and even working with other brands, it's, it's getting them ready to get on stage. It's like hyping them up. Like seeing them being able to be there in those moments of doubt to say, no, I see that. Oh, no, I see. And it's, it comes through when I do one on one, like coaching or working with a brand or, you know, if it's an individual. It's like I hear what they're saying without them saying, like, oh, that's what you're supposed to be.

Darlene Cordero:
This is the unique way in which you're showing up. And I see that. And they're like, oh my God, I've never said that to anyone. How do you know? I'm like, I don't know. I just know. It was so funny. I had a friend that I saw her in a, in an event a few weeks ago and I was like, oh, when's the album coming out? And she goes, how do you know? I'm like, I just this, that's the next evolution for you? It's very clear for me for the what the next step for a practitioner is just one step. Like what's the next thing? Because it's, I think that's my modality in which, yeah, it's my gift.

Darlene Cordero:
So it's really beautiful when that happens. It confirms a lot for me when I see that. And being in this state, state that I would say, which is being in the state of gratitude and, and surrender, also gives me a lot of space to see a lot more than I used to.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow. Now last year you went through Jay Shetty certification for life coaching. And not that I want you to boil everything down into one sentence, but it's interesting because you, you felt that you wanted to have the certification in order to, to instruct. And I was actually contemplating a certification myself because I work in mental health and whatnot, holding space and such. I'm curious, what do you think were some of the biggest takeaways from the life coaching that you received there. I know his, you know, certainly focuses more on the spiritual side, the miracles and. And helping in the wellness space than perhaps others, which might focus more on the kappa-pitta, I guess.

Darlene Cordero:
Yeah, there's a little bit of everything in there, but.

Jennifer Norman:
Okay.

Darlene Cordero:
Yeah. Well, first of all, they're a client of mine, so that just helps. I love the team there. I've had the privilege of working with them now for probably like a year and a half.

Darlene Cordero:
I'm so grateful. I love the people that are there. I love the product that they've created. Right. Because it is a certification program. Came out in 2020, coincidentally, right during that time. So it just worked out really beautifully for the community. 

Darlene Cordero:
And at Chopra, we had our certification. And still now it's at IIN. Now they partner. It's there with meditation and health coaching. And they do have a life coaching now. I wanted to learn from the best, Right.

Darlene Cordero:
And so I was already, in a sense, coaching. Right. Like whatever you want to use that word. I used mentorship at the time when I started wellness culture, advisement, a lot of that. And what I learned from and why I did it was to give me the framework, brain work. I think that I love education. I mean, I want to go back and get my master's in something.

Darlene Cordero:
I think that being in that learning state is super important for all of us. And I think for me at that time, and one thing that I saw myself was. And I remember talking to my oncology therapist about it, like, why is it that I want to go back to school? Why is it that she's like, it is so important for people that are going through. Especially when you're going through a major shift like that of your forward thinking, you're believing, you're. You're. You're seeing. Seeing yourself in the future. You are imagining yourself learning.

Darlene Cordero:
And it keeps all of the...it's really good for your brain and just for your state of being. And so that was...it was an easy yes when I decided to do it. And what I learned from it was that I learned a lot about the psychology and the framing of working with other people, which I didn't have the structure right. And I think a lot of these programs - what they help us with, it's like a lot of this stuff is intuitive. A lot of people that end up wanting to coach is that they're already doing it, right? Like, you ready are that person that everybody comes to to ask the questions. Everyone goes to you for everything.

Darlene Cordero:
And everyone's like, oh, I have this situation. You're already doing it. But what it does is that it gives you the framework to know what questions to ask, how to ask the questions, also how to listen, how to also create the framework so you know what to give and what coaching is versus what therapy is, right? What is it? And then also what's the framework in which you want to work with your clients? So it's kind of...I'm a huge believer in it. I have friends call me all the time asking me, should you do it? I'm like, absolutely, you should do it. And let me get you...you need to get in it as soon as possible. Here's the, you know, connection there. 

Darlene Cordero:
And I think it's really important for people to have that, and especially when you want to have that, you know, that grounded credibility and you want the name. I think people do Deepak Chopra's program, they do Jay Shetty's program, they do Tony Robbins' programs because there is an association to people that have made it and they have figured it out. And so there is. There's some weight to that, right? Like, to become someone that has been taught.

Darlene Cordero:
And I also, by the way, obsessed with, like, Jay's monthly...He does this, like, call with all of the people within the course. Like, it's the best stuff. It's better than the podcast, in my opinion. Like, just that reason you do it. Like, he goes on once a month and he just answers questions to the community, and it's so raw and real. And he's an amazing coach more than anything.

Darlene Cordero:
I think he's one of the best coaches out there. And he is really advising and supporting people at big, huge levels. And I think he's the best at it.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow. What would be a message or advice that you would want to give listeners who might be facing some personal, professional challenges, who want to transform their struggles into strengths, whether they be wellness practitioners or otherwise?

Darlene Cordero:
A piece of advice is...That sounds so cheesy, but you have everything you need inside of you and just like, take one step, just do one thing for yourself, right? And that looking, I think, at the core is like, looking outside for these things is never going to get us anywhere. But looking inside for knowing that we have everything and then taking one action from that place is really powerful.

Jennifer Norman:
One small step for humankind! Yes, exactly.

Darlene Cordero:
I know it sounds so cheesy, but it's so true. It's like, it's so simple, right? It's so simple in the thought. It's like, oh, I have everything inside of me. What does that mean? That I have everything inside of me and that you know the answers. And I think in our industry, as you know, it gets really addictive to look outwardly for answers. The next program, the next healer,  the next plant medicine ceremony, the next ... it just, it becomes like this addiction to that exploration and then the, the understanding that it is already in themselves. Like, the truth is that when I got diagnosed, I didn't go to one healer.

Darlene Cordero:
I didn't, I didn't. I didn't go to one healer. There was this understanding and everyone was like, oh, I have this person in that. But I'm like, the biggest thing I would say. And I think, think that that's when I. I've had some people say, oh, you should coach people that are going through, like, illnesses or going through transitions. And I'm like, yeah, I would love that.  

Darlene Cordero:
But the one thing I would say, the calls will always be about, hey, what do you feel like...what I'm not like, I think there's so much...When you get diagnosed or have something major happen in your life to yourself or your family is everyone wants to help and they actually don't know that they're actually making it a little bit bit worse by giving you all of these ideas and that you can't even think straight. And what everybody in these circumstances either be grief when someone passes away an illness to yourself or anyone in your family, just say, hey, I'm here. Like, these are the ways that when you're ready, I can support you when you're ready. And I, and you have it all in you. Like, it literally is all, like, what is that? Your inner knowing tells you what you need to do next. Like, that space and that quietness that I, that I longed for when everybody was sending me a thousand different things and things to eat.

Darlene Cordero:
And I knew that it was so well intended, right? So well intended. But I learned so much on how I can tell other people. Like, hey, this is how you can. You know, everybody needs a meal. You could bring them a meal, ask them what their favorite restaurants are, send it to them. You know, send them a card, send them flowers. Everyone, no matter, by the way, and doesn't how Long it's been. So if they got the diagnosis or the grief or something's happened, it could be a year later.

Darlene Cordero:
You could send it. You're never too late. Never too late. Because I get those questions all the time. They're like, I don't know. It's been like, whatever. I'm like, you could do it. It's okay.

Darlene Cordero:
They're gonna receive it and love it. No one is not gonna accept and receive love when you're going through such, you know. You don't even know what time is. There's no sense of time. You're just like, it could be one month or a year. Um, so, yeah. And just giving them that space to know that they are supported and loved, and then that's it.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh, that is beautiful and wonderful. Wise words. I actually saw a meme yesterday, which made me chuckle in context, somebody in a yoga class was trying to do a handstand and accidentally hit the clock on the wall and broke the clock and was like, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. And the yoga teacher said, oh, no worries. Time is illusion anyway. Exactly. Exactly.

Darlene Cordero:
Exactly! What? Time is not real. I remember Deepak always telling me that as we were getting on stage, and, like, no, no, no. Like, we have to get on stage now. And he's like, time is an illusion. I'm like, okay.

Jennifer Norman:
That'S brilliant.

Darlene Cordero:
I'm like, yeah, it's very funny, but all very true. And you see that when you're experiencing that those. These major shifts and transitions in your life where you're just like, none of it is feeling feels real, right? None of it feels real. These experience. And then you're like, oh, this is what it is. Like, it's not real. It's not real.

Darlene Cordero:
But what a privilege and a joy. And I'm like, you know, so excited to be able to share these things and these, like, nuggets of experience with other people so they don't feel alone. They don't feel like they don't have the answers for the. The things. And, you know, podcasts and opportunities like this to share are so important. We all have a story. We all have something.

Darlene Cordero:
And that's what I want to encourage everyone to, like, go out there, do the thing. Like, it's never too late. I have a living list, which I have, and I. It's one of my top, like, newsletters, where people were just like, oh, my gosh. You know, I love the living list. And, you know, I want to experience the things.

Darlene Cordero:
I want to do them now. And there isn't, there isn't like a one day. Like, no, we don't know if we have one day. We know we have right now. So this summer, I went for a trip for seven weeks. I went to London, Paris, Italy, Tuscany, Oregon. Like, I just did all the things and was with friends. And honestly, that has been one of the biggest, beautiful, most expansive experiences of just giving myself the permission to do these, like, wild things of traveling for so long and being with friends, and I just can't wait to do so much more of that.

Jennifer Norman:
Great, gorgeous. I had interviewed another woman for the podcast who had stage four cancer. And she said that when she was in, you know, just a sense of desperation and loss and grief, and she was crying out to spirit, you know, what should I do? How can I live this way? How can I, you know, what should I do? And source, you know, the voice came down and just said, live your life. And that was it. And she was like, like, okay, I'll live my life. And that seems like what you did too. 

Darlene Cordero:
I know that. I mean, like, I heard that. I'm like, yeah, yeah. And I think when we're living without that understanding, right. That we just. We just are trying so much and not living. Right.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. Living your life. Yeah, live your life too. You know, it's like, live your life, like every single word in that very simple statement. So powerful. Every single word. And that it's such a beautiful expression of what we're here for.

Jennifer Norman:
Darlene, where can people find you? Where can people find your gorgeous book? Please let everybody.

Darlene Cordero:
Let me just show you my book. It's just such a beautiful piece.

Jennifer Norman:
For those who are listening and not on the video, Darlene is showing us the cover of her beautiful book.

Darlene Cordero:
The Healers Playbook is on Amazon. I'm self published. I am so excited to have that accessible to everyone around the world. It is also on Kindle and we are just, you know, at WellnessCulture.co. We are supporting the practitioner, the healer. The book is that with the intention of help helping the entrepreneur in their business and those endeavors. But I think it's also for anyone that is exploring what is next and what they want to create. I think that it is not only for the healer, but it is the intentionality.

Darlene Cordero:
So it's funny a lot of my friends that are not even in the wellness industry. Like I can't wait to do the book and yeah. And it's just, it's just launched. I'm really excited, getting amazing feedback. Yeah. And so I'm @MeetDarlene on IG. WellnessCulture.co is my website, and the Healers Playbook is on Amazon.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow everybody. Beautiful humans. Darlene Cordero, thank you so much for being my guest today on The Human Beauty Movement Podcast. It was such a pleasure.

Darlene Cordero:
Same. Thank you so much for having me. Have a blessed day. 

Jennifer Norman:
You too.

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