Gianni Cohen
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Billboard collaborated with Brandon Holman of Lazuli Collective to create a series of articles focused on mindfulness and professional development for executives, creators, and artists in the music community. I am writing.
Today’s conversation is with Brittany Berger, producer, songwriter, motivational speaker, mindset coach, energy healer, and founder and CEO of Mindful Music Lab, a recording studio and mindful spiritual space in Miami, Florida. This is a conversation with For music industry professionals working in stressful fields.author of 25 and self-ish, Berger works with artists, executives, athletes, and other individuals to help them navigate their lives and careers in positive, mindful ways and in an atmosphere that allows them to be vulnerable and true to themselves. doing. Here, she talks about her journey through music and wellness, Reiki healing, and what she hopes to offer the community of musicians, producers, and music industry members.
I was born and raised in Miami. I started dancing at the age of 4 and was a competitive dancer until I was 18. Two of my friends are now choreographers and dancers for Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Camila Cabello, and they perform at the Super Bowl and every award show. And I defend them, because that could have been my path. But I always felt like it was what I loved to do, but I didn’t want to take it into a bigger career. So I got into the wellness business and started teaching fitness at Equinox about nine years ago.
The funny thing is, people were saying, “We should have opened a gym.” Why open a recording studio? ” But I knew it was my healing calling.About 7 years ago I wrote a book called selfish at 25 years old, about the positive aspects of making your own choices. For me, writing that book really opened up a channel for me to be vulnerable and open. That’s what you have to do when writing a nonfiction memoir. When I was 25, I felt a bit stuck. It felt like an awakening for me to say, “Hey, knock knock.” you are unhappy We give you an awakening. It’s your Jupiter return. Why not step into that? ” And be able to say to others, “It’s okay to be 25 years old, not have your own company, not be a millionaire.” You don’t always have to please people. Because you are allowed to please yourself and prioritize yourself, we can share that self-love with others and expand ourselves.
Through my books, I learned about motivational speaking, mindset coaching, Reiki healing, later became a practitioner and master, and discovered my journey in sound healing, meditation. I never thought I could meditate. I was really type A. I get impatient easily. You’ll be worried. Many things need to be reprogrammed, such as feeling like you have to work hard every day to bring in a certain monetary value. And what is success? Is success worth money? Is success the goal? Is that your mission? And then we reprogram it so that we can actually explore it and share it. So my book was kind of like the initial state of, “Let’s take a breath.” Let’s find our joy, our inner happiness and share it. ”
I was already doing my own healing by going in and out of recording studios and the homes of artists, including producers and songwriters. And I realized that there were a lot of people in the industry who had never seen a palo santo stick and were like, “Oh my god, wise guy, that’s a witch’s thing.” Or, “I can breathe, but I don’t have time. I don’t know how to meditate. I have all these rules.”
There are no rules. No expectations. It’s just you. What suits you always suits you. I had to find my own journey too. Some days I just sit, breathe, chant a mantra, and sit quietly. Sometimes it’s yoga, sometimes it’s a diary. It changes every day. Sometimes it’s just me and my sound bowl, it doesn’t have to be a certain structure or look.
So I was already in a male-dominated, windowless studio. And I wondered where I could find a safe space for healing in a recording studio. So I want my studio to feel like home. If we have someone in this studio, if we have a writing camp, we’ll all first get together and share a meal, I’ll give everyone a break, we’ll do some palo santo with our sages, and I’ll share my intentions with people. I’ll get it. prior intention. Are you feeling good today? how are you? I value you as a human being. what do you need?
Music is a healing vibrational frequency in the world, and I felt that we needed to heal those who make music so that they could create higher vibrational music and write authentic lyrics. I love listening to music that is really heartfelt and vulnerable. And it comes from healing, intention, and breathing.
There’s a lot to navigate [for artists]: You love music, you have this many songs, you sign with a label, you strip away your identity as an artist by being like, “Change your hair, lose weight, wear this,” and then You lose yourself. And of course, there are also those who struggle with anxiety, not feeling good enough, impostor syndrome, depression, addiction, childhood scars, etc. that they don’t even realize they have and are not doing this work. Some people try to make up for it.
And I’m like, “We’re in a studio setting. Take off your shoes, take a deep breath, and let’s talk about it.” That’s the important part. Your music is made, but it’s all about healing our inner core first. And I feel like that’s not incorporated into the creative process of making music. Not only does it build community and bring everyone together, but it also creates a vulnerability circle. And it’s not just about artists, it’s also about songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, and A&Rs.
If they want a Reiki day, I’ll give it to them. If anyone wants to eat healthy soul food, I have a Reiki chef. We’re also partnering with really healthy restaurants and we’re grateful to be able to work with them in this region and say, “Why not order this healthy option?” Because they are only caught up in the musical mind, I want them to understand their human instruments.
I had to learn that rest equals reward, and I had to learn to find that balance. I also love being in the studio. I love making music. I wish I had more time to be creative. I wish I could make more time. I’m here for sessions, then a few Reiki sessions a day, and then my admin job, making sure the business is running, hosting events in and out of here, Help others collaborate and help them understand how important this work is.
Reiki is energy that has been accumulated over as many years as you have lived on this earth, and there is so much wisdom, but also from so much trauma and hurt and trauma. There is also healing that lives within our bodies. So for me, it’s being able to energetically clear blockages and channels with non-contact therapy and also being able to cut back. It’s actually about allowing yourself to release all the energy that’s stuck in your body.
My mission is to heal the world and truly embrace and strengthen mental health in our industry. And that’s my goal for the music industry as well as the sports industry and wellness community. Because I’ve been involved in wellness for over 10 years in Miami and other areas.
I feel there is a lot of room for meditation, healing, and self-awareness in our industry. I know that we can all adapt and transform differently if the door is opened for that. We must heal the world. This is all I want to do in my lifetime. My contributions in this lifetime will help heal the world, help attract this wellness industry, and help heal and improve the mental health of our industry.
