We’re looking forward to introducing you to Marianne Breneman. Check out our conversation below.
Marianne, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A typical day starts with taking care of my golden retrievers, feeding them and taking them on a good walk. They need it and so do I! I come home and meditate before my husband and I have a healthy breakfast – I’ve had a version of the same smoothie almost every morning for 12 years! Then I head to my home office to start the day. As a coach for tweens, teens, young adults, and parents, there is a lot of reading, research, and follow up work outside of the actual coaching sessions with clients and I take the mornings to do this work uninterrupted. I am constantly creating new activities, work sheets, and exercises customized to my clients’ situations so there is a lot of creativity involved on my end. I’m also designing workshops for tweens and teens that will hopefully make a difference for them in this crazy, noisy world. I take a break for a Pilates class or other workout, lunch, and another dog walk before seeing clients in the afternoons. I try to keep my evenings pretty chill: dinner at home or out with friends, some reading for pleasure, maybe a good show on Netflix or a sports event. I’m working on putting my phone down by 8pm but sometimes that’s hard, even for a coach who advises clients to do that!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a board-certified coach and a graduate of North Carolina State University’s “Family Life Education and Coaching” graduate program. I’m additionally certified in teen coaching, social emotional learning, meditation and mindfulness, and health coaching. I gathered these certifications with a vision of serving families the best way I could and all of these modalities were essential to my life as well. I practice what I coach.
Prior to opening Mindful Health and Harmony, I taught music to middle school, high school, and college students for over 30 years. I totally understand and enjoy young people and it’s my life’s mission to support them in growing into happy, healthy, stable, and productive adults using their strengths, talents, and values as a guide. An additional bonus of my time at NC State was that I discovered how much I love working with parents too. Being a parent is an incredibly difficult job and being able to provide science and evidenced-based information that parents can implement and grow from has been very rewarding to me, while helping families function better.
I’m currently developing workshops for middle school girls and an online, self-paced parenting program.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
A lack of communication breaks bonds, whether it’s between siblings, spouses, parent-child, or friends. I’ve seen many relationships (including some of my own) break down because the parties involved either didn’t know how to communicate or weren’t willing to. A large part of my coaching involves teaching communication skills, role-playing scenarios, and helping my clients feel confident enough to say what they need to say, set the boundaries they need to set, and release second-guessing or guilt over their decisions. As I’ve grown as a person and as a coach, I’ve realized that having the quick, somewhat uncomfortable conversation and making a sincere apology (no matter how awkward) as well as accepting a heart-felt apology, can be the difference between repairing a relationship or ending it. We live in a fast-moving digital world and our energy is often fractured in so many directions that we can’t focus; it’s important to remember that face-to-face (or at least voice-to-voice) conversations can clear up many misunderstandings, if we’ll slow down enough and be courageous enough to reach out.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that the way you think your life is going to go is probably not the way it’s going to go, at least not without a few detours, and that those detours are not failures. I was very hard on myself when “the master plan” didn’t fall in line and I spent a lot time (too much) feeling regretful. I didn’t see myself as a coach or business owner when I was studying, performing, and teaching music. This wasn’t on my radar at all! But as I look back at my life now, all of these things were pieces of the puzzle that allowed me to become who I am today; every experience, good and bad, showed me something that led me to where I am, how I coach, and how I relate to others. I’m a firm believer that when you know what you don’t want, you get clarity on what you do want. So of course, you need that contrast! I’d definitely advise my younger self to observe that contrast without judgment and see what learning opportunities are happening from it.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is 100% the same as the private version of me! I’m not perfect and I don’t claim to be. I don’t tell people I have all the answers because as a coach, my job is to help them find the answers that I know for sure are within them. My Instagram account is not edited or filtered, including some clunky videos and bad hair days, but you can count on the fact that if I said it, I believe it. I’m always kind but I will always be truthful while helping clients (or friends, family, and even strangers). I make mistakes, own them, and repair them. I openly share stories of my regrets, disappointments, and resilience to illustrate to clients that failure is normal and all part of the story of your life. What you see is what you get with me.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I hope people remember how I made them feel, that I cared about them, and that I believed fully in them. I absolutely believe that people have the capacity within themselves to live happy, healthy, productive, satisfying, and authentic lives if they will let go of the things that aren’t serving them. The best thing anyone could say about me after I’m gone is that they felt seen, heard, understood, and were better for having spent some time with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mindfulhealthandharmony.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariannebreneman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannebreneman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulHealthandHarmony
Image Credits
Wendy Jade Photography and Tovah Coats Photography
